Hope you're having a great holiday!

A little update for your 2011 calendar:

GONE comes out in paperback January 4.

CRYER'S CROSS (teen paranormal) hits US/Canadian bookstore shelves on February 8. You can preorder now from your favorite internet bookstore and/or come see me on tour!

THE UNWANTEDS (dystopian fantasy) comes out September 6. (For those of you who wish my teen paranormals were longer, you will be in for a treat here). I'll have more info on this book in a few months.

You can now grab the Cryer's Cross widget for your site and it will stay quiet for your readers -- they'll just have to click the "play with sound" to hear it.

I have two books to write this year (the 2nd book in THE UNWANTEDS series, and a teen thriller that I haven't figured out yet), so I'm working hard on the first and thinking hard on the second. I want to keep you busy! :)

So that's what's happening here in McMann land. What's new with you?

CRYER'S CROSS - from author Lisa McMann

Here's a little 2-minute interview I did the last time I was in New York.

GONE is up for a Goodreads Choice Award!

Wanna vote for it? It's up to you who wins (and many thanks for the nomination, which was also up to you). Click below to vote!

2010 Goodreads Choice Awards Official Nominee: Best Goodreads Author Vote for this book!

Cryer's Cross arc contest!

UPDATE: Congrats to winner Alexandra from South Carolina! She has been notified and the arc has been mailed out.


I'll be giving away an ARC of Cryer's Cross in my next (fairly infrequent) newsletter. Sign up here to get the details!

Less than 3 months until CRYER'S CROSS!

Have you added it to your Goodreads account yet?

So.

How do you like the new countdown widget up there? Is your volume on? If not, turn it on and replay. Let me know what you think!

If it's not too much trouble, I'd love it if you could share the widget by tweeting, facebooking, myspacing, etc, or posting it on your blog.

Thank you!

Lisa

October Appearances: Mesa, Tempe, Phoenix, and Louisiana!

Check my website tour page regularly for details. (Specifics on Livingston Parish Libraries in Louisiana to come.)

Also on that page -- please take advantage of the Demand It! widget. Maybe I'll come to your nearest major city some day!

Amazing blurbs for CRYER'S CROSS from authors Alyson Noël and Heather Brewer

Well, Cryer's Cross is just over five months away (Feb 8, 2011), and I'm so thrilled that two of my favorite authors have read and blurbed it! Here's what these awesome people have to say about it:

“CRYER’S CROSS is an eerie, gripping, totally addictive, breathtaking whirl of a book with an ending that left me haunted for days. Lisa McMann has done it again—this book is unputdownable!”—Alyson Noël, #1 New York Times Bestselling Author of THE IMMORTALS series.

"A brilliant, engaging, scary piece of fiction. Every word had me sliding closer to the edge of my seat and gripping the cover tighter and tighter. There are books in the world that make you question your reality and the things that go bump in the night - this is one of them." --Heather Brewer, New York Times Bestselling Author of THE CHRONICLES OF VLADIMIR TOD Series

I am delighted beyond words and forever touched that these two heroes of mine would not only take the time to read an early copy of my book, but that they'd say such lovely things. What a gift.

I hope the rest of you enjoy Cryer's Cross too!

Wish you could autograph my books :(

You can always buy personalized, autographed copies of my books here: http://www.evermorenevermore.com/lisamcmann.htm . They ship worldwide!

Ask me anything

Want me to tour in your city?

Sign up at Eventful and Demand it!

View all Lisa McMann tour dates

I love you

Hey everybody, I saw we got a bit heated in the comments in the last post. So I wanted to say that I love you all. (Awwwww!!! Do you love me too? You do? YAY!)

Here are some facts:

I have no control over anything to do with the movie. I do not pick the actors. It doesn't matter how hard you try to "reason" with me in the comments -- I really truly don't have any control, so I hope you'll tone down the "do something, Lisa!" stuff. Because I can't do anything. Besides, I'm thrilled about this development in the movie arena.

That said, I think everyone should have the right to free speech. I don't mind that you disagree with things. That's fine. But I don't like it when people say things like "if you love us you'll change things or else we'll stop being your fans." See above -- I have no control. And it's hard to believe a true fan of the books would do that. Still, I respect your right to say how you feel.

There's no guarantee that the movie will be made. If it is, don't forget we have an amazing writer attached in Christopher Landon.

I love you all no matter how you feel about Miley Cyrus being in talks to play Janie. For the record, I think that all actors have to try new things to grow and transition from child to adult actor. I think Miley would do a great job. But there's no guarantee of a movie so maybe everybody should just calm down for a while.

I hope that those of you who do not like Miley will realize that nobody will force you to watch her movies. It's that simple, folks. You don't like it? Don't go.

Did I mention I love you? Cuz I do.

The rumors are true -- WAKE movie news!

Paramount and MTV Films have picked up the film rights to the WAKE trilogy, with Christopher Landon (Disturbia) writing/directing. Miley Cyrus is considering the lead role.

As you know, even with people and studios attached, it takes a lot for a movie to actually happen, so there are no guarantees it'll get made. But I'm crossing my fingers.

I am thrilled!

As soon as I have more information, I will let you know. Read all the details at the link above!

xox
Lisa

P.S. I have no control over casting or anything else -- I'm just here to let you know what's up. So please, don't be all about the hatin' all over my blog, my lovelies! Did I mention I am thrilled? I am! I think Miley is awesome. Anybody who can accomplish more by the age of 17 than I can do by the age of 42 is top notch in my book. I think every teen has tremendous potential to shine, don't you? xox

Thank you, teachers!

It's the end of the school year and I just want to give the teachers a little nod for being awesome.

When I speak to teacher/librarian groups, I talk about what a difference they make in kids' lives. The hard part about that is that they don't often find out how they affected a student.

I talk about two teachers in my life who each did something small to make my life change dramatically. And if you ever are in attendance at one of these speeches, you'll likely hear the whole story. But in a nutshell, these two teachers did things that were above and beyond the call of duty, even though to them, it probably didn't feel like much.

Teachers, thank you for making a difference in the lives of your students. You may not realize that a word of encouragement from you today may change the course of a student's life. Hopefully 25 years from now, they find you on Facebook to tell you what you meant to them.

Wanna have lunch? Do The Write Thing For Nashville Auction

Hello everyone!

In light of the recent terrible flooding in Tennessee, I'm trying to Do The Write Thing For Nashville by donating an item, and it's up for auction RIGHT NOW, for three days only.

I'm offering the following (to bid, you need to go to the above link and leave a comment with your offer):

Lunch! For you and up to three of your besties. With yours truly. I'll fly to your city and meet you for lunch and we can talk about books and publishing and agents or we can just hang out and chat about peanut butter and pork butt (not together, eww!) and Miss Spoobin.

Speaking of Miss Spoobin, the winning bid gets to take her home! And each person at the lunch will get a signed copy of GONE.

How's that for fun? Get your group of friends together, pool your moolah, and bid! Or buy it as a surprise for your teen or librarian or teacher or BFF or spouse.

And please check out all the other very cool items up for bid, too -- lots of awesome stuff in all price ranges, and it's all for a great cause!

Scottsdale: Civic Center Library tonight!

It's a paranormal PJ party. I'll be there from 7-8pm signing books and talking about the WAKE trilogy.

On a side note for those of you doing The National Day of Silence today...rock on. Thanks for standing up to bullying.

Operation Book Drop is today!

I've participated in the Readergirlz sponsored Operation Teen Book Drop since its inception and today is no exception. I'll be dropping signed copies of WAKE at my daughter's orthodontist office waiting room (Dr. Wing) late this afternoon, over on Ellsworth and Guadalupe in Mesa, AZ:

What is Operation Book Drop?

Check it out:




Help rock the drop!

The Call Me Bookclub Sweepstakes

Hello readers. I want to direct your attention to a pretty awesome contest through my publisher, Simon & Schuster. It's called the Call Me Book Club Sweepstakes and you can enter to win up to 25 copies of a book plus a phone call from the author if you are either:

1. a book club
2. a teacher/classroom

Check it out!

We have a WINNER!

The "Don't Let Your Dreams Fade" vlog contest is over and, after much agony, I have chosen a winner. I loved Ally's vlog. She seemed very real to me.

When I was explaining to my publisher why I picked Ally, I wrote this:

"I loved that she talked about how going through a year's worth
of testing for learning disabilities made her not really like reading or
writing, but that she has come back to it and now dreams of making it
her career. I loved that she was sitting in front of her own writings,
taped to the door, but didn't mention them. I loved that she mentioned that she's in that tough third kid position, who will struggle money-wise with
college because of older siblings. And I love how at the end, she says, 'I hope you pick me, but...if you don't, I'm okay with it.'

She feels like the kind of person I'd enjoy hanging out with in real
life."

Meet the winner, Ally:




Many thanks to all who entered. I loved hearing your stories and I watched all of the entries. You guys are all awesome and it was hard to have to pick just one winner. You all are winners to me. Thank you for sharing a bit of yourself with me.

Look what I found!

Every now and then I run across fun WAKE things.

Here's a link to the Jamestown Loop which shows a photo of some students who made South Carolina Young Adult Book Award banners of YA books on their state list. The WAKE banner team came in 3rd place and won a prize. Congrats!

What a great tour!

I am home from the GONE tour, and delighted to tell you that we are back on the NYT series list with the WAKE trilogy! Such a difficult list to make, and I never expected us to hit it more than one week. Thanks for coming to my signings and buying my books! This is all thanks to you.

Just checking in from Cincinnati...

...to let you know I am on day 9 of the tour and the whole carry-on-only thing has been a huge success. I've done laundry twice and that's all I'll need before I head home on Friday. Haven't run out of any product yet, though the tiny bottle of hairspray is almost out and I may need to stop somewhere to grab a bottle to get me through Toronto.

And speaking of Toronto, please come to my signing (along with Becca Fitzpatrick) Wed, March 3, 7pm, at:
Indigo
Yonge & Eglinton
2300 Yonge Street
Toronto, Ontario
M4P 1E4 Canada
(416)544-0049

Packing For Tour

I feel like I'm getting good at this packing thing, and I've learned a lot since that first tour a couple years ago when WAKE was just a baby.

I'm heading out in the morning for the third and final leg of my GONE tour. This time I'll be gone 12 days. And I've decided to attempt carry-on only.

Why?

1. Because I'm slightly crazy. Also because I managed it quite nicely for five days (Becca Fitzpatrick managed for six, so of course now I must beat her record)...and if I can do five days, I can do twelve, as long as I have a chance to stop at a drug store somewhere in there to restock on hair product (because it *is* all about the hair, isn't it?) and a hotel that does overnight laundry. Which I will have, because Simon & Schuster takes good care of me.

2. Because I don't like waiting to check bags, and I don't like waiting for my luggage. And I don't like fretting if the luggage doesn't arrive. With seven flights in snowy places, the chance of my bag being lost feels big.

3. Because I have a great carry-on that has wheels that swivel all directions, making a huge difference in maneuvering through the airport/bathrooms/airplane aisle. Huge HUGE difference. I mean it. I would not do carry-on without spinner luggage. (And no, I didn't pay $400 for it. It was 60% off when I bought it. Worth every penny)

4. Because I want new underwear. See, I don't think it's wise to send your undies out for hotel laundry. At $3-4 a pop to wash, it just doesn't seem worth it when you can buy new for that price. And you don't want to carry them with you for 12 days - yuck. So you just pack up all of your old grungy underwear that you've been meaning to get rid of, and throw it away every day. Surprise, housekeeping! And then when you get home, treat yourself to some new ones. :)

5. Because checking a bag means $20 with most airlines, and I'd rather spend it on laundry services, because they even iron stuff, if you can believe that. Crazy, I know.

6. Because I really only have 6 or 7 tops I love anyway, so why pack a bunch of clothes that I tell myself I'll wear when I know I really won't? When I'm on tour, I really just want to be comfortable and in my favorite clothes.


So...now that I've made the decision, I admit I'm a little nervous about it, but I think it's going to be okay. And I think I'll even have a teensy bit of room to spare.




So what's in the bag? I had to pack for cold and warm weather, as I'll be visiting St. Louis, Atlanta, Florida, Cincinnati, and Toronto.

Absolutely everything matches with everything else. My own personal Garanimals. Thin fabrics do well when rolled and they fit into those little gaps nicely. You won't mind if I'm a little wrinkly, will you?
Here's the list!

--13 pairs of undies* (an extra for emergencies, of course)
--10 pairs of socks* (that's all I own...so I may have to wear a couple pairs twice...)
--5 long sleeve tops
--2 short sleeve tops
--2 jackets*
--1 sweater*
--5 camis*
--3 pairs of jeans*
--1 pair of shoes* (Saucony walking shoes, well broken-in)
--1 pair cheapo flat slippers stolen from London Hotel NYC
--1 belt
--1 jammie shirt
--1 pair yoga pants
--1 "dry" toiletries bag
--computer cord
--phone charger

(*)indicates I'll be wearing one of these on the plane, so they will not be in the bag.

The quart-sized bag of liquids goes in my over-the-shoulder bag, which also holds:

--itinerary (prepared by my awesome publicist Nicole)
--Macbook air in a padded envelope (it's okay to laugh)
--purse
--phone
--a copy of GONE
--e-reader
--book signing pens
--sunflower seeds and an individual cup of peanut butter
--one small med bottle containing: ibuprofen, Tylenol PM (key for getting to sleep on time when wired from evening signing and having to get up early for school event), Excedrin (for after those double school events), antihistamine, immodium, and zantac. Yes, we travel prepared for everything, and when you eat 36 meals in a row on the road, you must be prepared.


So...I think I'm ready!

The WAKE trilogy hits the NYT bestseller list!

With the release of GONE, my books move to a different list on the New York Times Review -- the series list. So rather than GONE competing against other titles as an individual, the entire trilogy competes against other series'. Chances were pretty slim that we'd make this list, but lo and behold, we did it, and at number 8! Thank you for buying the books and making this happen! *hearty-hearts*

GONE on its own hit the USA Today list at #118, which is very cool because it includes all books.

Also, major congrats to a most deserving author and friend, Heather Brewer, who hit the NYT bestseller list (among others) for the first time with her Vlad Tod series. Incidentally, if you are in the St Louis area, she and I will be together signing our NYT bestselling series' books this Monday, Feb 22, at the St. Louis Library. And then to celebrate, we're both going to get new tatts. Heh. (Mom, uh, they're just the temporary stick-on kind, just like the one that's been on my ankle for four years.)

The tour is going great and I had so much fun meeting fans in California and Arizona. Coming up:

Tucson
St. Louis
Decatur, GA
Tampa
Coral Gables
Vero Beach
Cincinnati
Dayton
Toronto

Can't wait to meet you!

Happy GONE day!

GONE is officially out today! This week's signings: Tue 7pm Changing Hands, Wed 7pm B&N Oceanside, Thu 7pm Mysterious Galaxy, Fri 4pm Mrs. Nelsons, Sat 11am Sam's Club Long Beach, 3pm Borders Canoga Park... More: http://digg.com/u15mP0

Word on the street: GONE is out in many stores!

The official release day for GONE (Wake, bk 3) is Tues, Feb 9, but I've heard from all over the US that people are snagging their copies and devouring GONE. I see on various online stores (indiebound.org and others) that it's shipping. So head out this week and grab it or order it! While you're at it, pick up a copy of WAKE or FADE (now both in paperback) for a Valentine's gift. Or try the audio books. You can find my books in lots of places including independent bookstores everywhere, Barnes & Noble, Borders, Target, Sam's Club, BJ's, Indigo, and Amazon.

Today I am doing laundry and getting ready to pack. My tour starts Tuesday -- I really hope to see some of you along the way!

Thanks for being such awesome fans. Hopefully I'll have some good stories and photos to share from the road! And of course, I'll be bringing Miss Spoobin with me. :)

I'm on BlogTalkRadio

You can listen live at 1pm ET today (Feb 4) or listen to the recorded program later.

Don't Let Your Dreams Fade vlog contest: $1000 prize!

Here's an example of one way you can make your contest video. This is my daughter Kennedy. It took her about an hour to film and edit the video (you don't need to edit if you don't know how). Easy peasy!

First, read all the details and the fine print so you know if you qualify -- this is a contest for US Teens ages 14-18. (Yes, just US teens. It's a US publisher.)

Just use whatever camera you own or can borrow, and upload the video to youtube or any other video hosting site that will give you a link to it. Show your friends -- no need to hide it -- and enter on my website at the link above by including the link to your online video.

Contest ends March 8th. And I am the final judge. Fun times for me!

Countdown to GONE and tour info

We are getting close (Feb 9th is the official day!) and I'm so excited to start my tour. Click here to see all the details. As you can see, I'll be with the awesome Becca Fitzpatrick for the first leg of my tour, visiting these cities together:

Tempe, AZ
Oceanside, CA
San Diego, CA
LaVerne, CA
Long Beach, CA
Canoga Park, CA

Then I fly home (on Valentine's Day to see my hubby, yay!) and do some events locally for a few days:

Chandler, AZ
Some schools in the area
Tucson, AZ

And then I'm off to see more of North America:

St. Louis, MO (with the amazing Heather Brewer)
Decatur, GA
Tampa, FL
Coral Gables, FL
Vero Beach, FL (did I mention this event is on MY BIRTHDAY??)
Dayton, OH
Cincinnati, OH

and finally:

Toronto, ON, Canada!

I wish I could stop in everyone's city, but that's impossible! So sometimes we both have to travel in order to see each other, no? Hope to see you.

xoxo

Fund Your Dreams Sweepstakes -- win $1000

STARTS 1/5/10! Ends 3/8/10.

Hey teen readers, remember last year when we did that cool essay contest and a very talented teen writer named Hosanna Kabakoro won $1000 toward furthering her life goals?

Well GUESS WHAT? My awesome publisher, Simon & Schuster, was so impressed with that contest that they decided to do ANOTHER CONTEST THIS YEAR in conjunction with the FADE paperback release (which is now -- go buy it)!

Isn't that awesome?

This year, instead of an essay, we are doing a Vlog contest -- a video blog. Because of legal issues, bleh bleh bleh, it's only open to residents of the US. And it's only for ages 14-18. I'm sorry to those of you who don't qualify, but it is what it is and I have no control over that.

The question you should be thinking about is "How are your dreams and goals like Janie’s?" Videotape yourself answering the question. You have two minutes or less to provide a convincing argument. Be creative! Be serious! Be funny! Just be anything but boring.

Please read all the instructions, even/especially the fine print, before you enter. There is NO HURRY -- you have until March 8. So make sure you do your best before sending it in -- no do-overs.

Find all the info on my website.
or in the back of the brand new FADE paperback. Go!

PS I get to pick the winner. And then I get to call you and be on the phone with you when you wet your pants with joy over winning $1000. Best. Job. Ever.