NYT best selling author

Tuesday, December 20, 2011

Exciting book news! INFINITY RING series


What is Infinity Ring? It's a seven-book time travel series brought to you by the creators of THE 39 CLUES (Scholastic), written by six different authors (including me!), and it includes an AWESOME online game component which you'll find on InfinityRing.com. You can read everything about it here in the Press Release.

Don't worry -- I'll still be writing THE UNWANTEDS series and my teen novels like DEAD TO YOU as usual. This is just a bonus book. :)

I am so excited to be part of this cool series. I'll be writing book three. One of the funnest aspects of this for me is that all the other authors who are taking part in this are really great people with amazing ideas. And it's also really fun to revisit history and figure out what would happen if things didn't go as they should have.

From left, front: Me, Carrie Ryan, Jennifer Nielsen. Back: Matt de la Pena, James Dashner, Matthew J. Kirby.

(photo copyright Ken Karp 2011)

There's even an article in the New York Times -- cool!

Watch for book one coming out in September, 2012!

Sunday, December 11, 2011

Arizona YA authors, teachers, and librarians know how to par-tay!

The collective of young adult and middle grade authors is growing by leaps and bounds in Arizona, and the cool thing is, we all like each other. Last year we had a party for ourselves and it was a blast. This year we said to each other, "Hey, let's invite some more people who love books as much as we do." So we set a date (Dec 10) and a location (my house), and the eight authors who could attend got busy inviting as many of the teachers, librarians, and booksellers we could think of. And then we asked them to invite a coworker or two.

Word got out. I remember saying, "The more the merrier!" Some teachers and librarians from over a hundred miles away were planning to come. We were amazed and excited. We were about to have our own mini ALA + NCTE + BEA convention right in my house!

In early December, I started mentally adding up the potential number of people who might show up to such an event (free food and wine!) and for about 24 hours, I panicked. What if everyone we invited actually showed up? And then I remembered that lots of people plan to stop in at an open house, but when the time actually comes, things happen, or they realize I live in the boonies, and they can't make it after all. So I panicked again. What if nobody showed up? I figured at least my fellow authors would come, so we could hang out and feel like losers all together.

But my author buddies convinced me that people would come. So I started thinking, hey, if we're having our own little convention, we need to give stuff away. We need SWAG! I sent out a message to my awesome team at Simon & Schuster (Simon Pulse and Aladdin), asking if they had any arcs or finished books floating around to contribute. They said "Sure!" and got busy, reaching out to other S&S imprints as well. The other authors contacted their publishers too. In addition, we all donated books of our own to the cause -- Arizona has had some tough times and no funding for books in libraries and schools lately. We wanted to help, and we wanted to get more new books into our local schools and libraries.

The week of the party, I left on a three-day trip, and when I returned, my husband took me by the hand and said "Come with me." He showed me the entryway of our home. There were nearly twenty boxes stacked high from some amazingly awesome and generous publishers.

"Oh, my," I said. And then I looked at him. "This is going to be the Best. Party. Ever."

He nodded. We set up on the ping pong table. There were hundreds of books, posters, bookmarks, reading guides, socks, thumb drives...and more and more books. It was overflowing and glorious.






We stashed the empty boxes in the bathtub to get them out of the way.



On Saturday the 10th, the authors all arrived early with homemade appetizers and sweet snacks for our 5-8pm open house.


James Owen drew a welcome sign.


Darth headed out to the driveway to greet the book lovers.



Finally, the magic hour of 5pm arrived.
.
.
.
No one came. The clock ticked and echoed in the canyon. The food sat, eager, then concerned.

And then...a car containing two people pulled up. The people got out and came inside.

As any author knows, two people at a signing is worse than a no-show. It's painful and awkward and everybody involved feels weird and bad. Two people attending an event at which eight authors are present...well. It hurts to think about it.

Luckily, this car was followed by carload after carload, a maze of headlights in the darkest corner of the valley, streaming through the neighborhood. Hooray! We built it. They came.



As people arrived, my teenagers greeted them with applause -- they thought it would be great for the guests' self-esteem. After all, who doesn't like a grand entrance?

Over the next three hours, one hundred fifty Arizona librarians, middle and high school teachers, booksellers, and authors came together, met new people who shared their love for children's books, made some connections. They left with full stomachs, books in the crooks of their arms (yes, they all went for the books first, then the food), and grateful hearts for the generosity of publishers 2000 miles away. Before the night was over, the books were gone.

We want to profusely thank the following publishers who gave us books, arcs, and swag of all kinds: Simon & Schuster Childrens' Publishing, Random House, Scholastic, Walker, Fiewel & Friends, and Bloomsbury.



Truly and sincerely,

Amy Dominy (OyMG)
Bill Konigsberg (Out of the Pocket)
Tom Leveen (Party, Zero)
Lisa McMann (Wake trilogy, The Unwanteds)
James A Owen (Drawing Out the Dragons, Here There Be Dragons)
Aprilynne Pike (Wings series)
Janette Rallison aka CJ Hill (My Fair Godmother series, Slayers)
Janni Lee Simner (Bones of a Faerie, Faerie Winter)


Thursday, December 08, 2011

The Wattpad Pulse It Winner

of the trip to New York City to spend a day shadowing a real live editor at Simon & Schuster, and some time hanging out with me, is...

WAIT. First, I have to say something, and it's from the heart:

I was absolutely blown away by all of you who entered. It made me happy that there are so many of you out there who love to write as much as I do. I am really proud of each person who put a little piece of him or herself out there for others to see. That's really hard to do.

Narrowing the entries down to the top ten was really difficult. There were so many great stories. Our team of judges had a really tough time deciding! We had a variety of reasons why these ten were chosen, including writing ability, style, creativity, plot, voice, and uniqueness in coming up with an idea that others haven't thought of.

Choosing the winner out of these ten great stories? One of the most difficult choices I've had to make in a while. A long while. I want to congratulate again the nine finalists, and I want you to hear me -- you are talented. You have great potential. If you enjoy writing, you should keep doing it, because you are good at it.

Being a writer, getting published, winning prizes when you're up against hundreds or even thousands of others is a hard mountain to climb. If you have the stamina and can handle the rejections, the near-misses, the not-quites, you will succeed eventually. You have to keep going, and going, and going. I had over a hundred rejections for the first novel I wrote, and it never got published. Nor did my second novel. But I kept writing, and I kept going, and I kept looking at rejection in the face and saying, "You are only making me tougher. You are only making me want to fight for this more."

I want you to keep going too. Everything you write is valuable. Nothing you write is a waste of time. Every word you write makes you better at the craft of writing. So keep going, knowing that you have what it takes.

Thanks for reading this (even though I know you all skimmed that bit, I hope you went back and read it again). :)

And now, for the moment you've all been waiting for, THE WINNER of the Wattpad/Pulse It story contest is... *drumroll*


CRAVE THE RISK, by lucille0912.

CONGRATULATIONS!!! I chose your story because I loved the way you approached the prompt. I love that you made the long-haired main character a boy. I love that you added the hint of a paranormal element with this boy having the strength similar to Samson (and I LOVED that you didn't name him, but made that story sound ominous, and it made the reader wonder what kind of society they lived in), and I liked the twist at the end. Your idea was fresh and different. The thing that clinched it for me, though, was your sense of voice in the story. It was strong and distinct, and I could feel his attitude, I could hear him speaking and thinking in my head. Voice is so difficult to learn to write well -- some writers have it naturally and some have to work very hard to achieve great character voice. Whether you had to work at it or it came naturally, it was there, and it was excellent. Additionally, some of your phrases were really stunning. I remember thinking "I wish I'd written that" a few times as I read your story.

lucille0912, I look forward to meeting you! I’ll be emailing you shortly so we can arrange your awesomely awesome trip to NYC.

Congratulations again to the winner and to all the writers who entered the contest. You are amazing! Keep going. :) And please stay in touch -- you can find me often on my facebook fan page and twitter.

Friday, December 02, 2011

NYC Trip – Wattpad.com Writing Contest Update!

I know you are all waiting on the edge of your seats to find out who the winner of this contest is! There were a lot of entries to the contest (over 300!) and now we’re finally close to announcing. Well, almost. :D


To celebrate CRYER’S CROSS releasing in paperback this coming Tuesday, I am announcing the top 10 finalists for this contest! As the ten of you listed below all made it to the top with your excellent stories, I wanted to say congratulations by giving you a set of ALL my books! Email PulseIt@simonandschuster.com with “Lisa McMann Final 10” in the subject line & your full name and shipping address in the body of the email to receive your prize.

You can go over to Wattpad to get extra content and extended excerpts of CRYER’S CROSS (http://www.wattpad.com/1739563-cryer%27s-cross-we) and THE UNWANTEDS (http://www.wattpad.com/1739693-the-unwanteds-the-purge) plus a sneak peak to my new book DEAD TO YOU (http://www.wattpad.com/1740073-dead-to-you), coming out February 7th.

Tune back in here on Thursday, December 8th, around 7pm EST (4pm Pacific) for the official announcement of the final winner of the trip to NYC!

OK – enough of the suspense. Here are the finalists (in alphabetical order)!

A Choice by NinjaComesNaturally (http://www.wattpad.com/2095760-a-choice-lisamcmann)
Crave the Risk by lucille0912 (http://www.wattpad.com/1791036-crave-the-risk-lisamcmann)
The Half Blooded by CARLI123 (http://www.wattpad.com/2135634-the-half-blooded-lisamcmann)
The Heir Assassin by eternaldestiny (http://www.wattpad.com/2047255-the-heir-assassin-lisa-mcmann)
Labyrinth by DOODLESNOODLES (http://www.wattpad.com/1837763-labyrinth)
Mr. & Mrs. Young by DeeStory (http://www.wattpad.com/1766160-mr-%26-mrs-young-lisamcmann)
Saving Order by Becca_Lovatt (http://www.wattpad.com/1857754-saving-order-lisamcmann)
An Unexpected Agreement by BrianaBrooks (http://www.wattpad.com/1769575-an-unexpected-arrangement-lisamcmann)
Violet Eyes by kellyca (http://www.wattpad.com/2096076-violet-eyes)
Wanted by RainySkky (http://www.wattpad.com/1774535-wanted-lisamcmann)

Wednesday, November 09, 2011

News!

1. If you want to have a chance at winning one of my pre-holiday giveaways (i.e. books galore!) you need to be subscribed to my e-mail newsletter list. I try hard not to be annoying by offering fun contests and prize opportunities in every newsletter, and I only mail out six or fewer newsletters per year. In our fall newsletter I gave away 3 copies of The Unwanteds, a Wake Trilogy boxed set, a copy of Cryer's Cross, and an arc of my upcoming teen novel DEAD TO YOU. Who knows what awesome prizes await you in the holiday edition! The more subscribers I have, the more I give away, so tell your friends too.

2. I had a fun interview with BookPage recently where I talk about what happens in The Unwanteds: Island of Silence (Unwanteds #2).

3. Publisher's Marketplace announced my latest sale (yay!): NYT bestseller Lisa McMann's third book in the UNWANTEDS series, again to Liesa Abrams at Aladdin, for publication in Fall 2013, by Michael Bourret at Dystel & Goderich Literary Management. I have plans for seven books in this series, and I will be offering a different collectible postcard (signed & numbered) with each book featuring artwork drawn by my son Kilian, who did the first one (the Eliminators):



4. If you want autographed copies of any of my books for yourself or for gifts, you can order them through my local indies, Evermore Nevermore and Changing Hands. And I'll be doing a special event with Scottsdale bookstore Poisoned Pen in early December where you can order or stop by to get signed copies as well.

5. Did you sign up for my newsletter yet? It's easy, and I won't sell or give your email address to anyone. Just go here and fill out the info in the gray box on the left.

6. Hi! I love you!

Tuesday, October 25, 2011

Houston this Saturday - Tweens Read book festival!

The final stop on my tour is in Pasadena, TX, at the TWEENS READ BOOK FESTIVAL this Saturday, Oct 29th. I'm so excited to see my friends from Blue Willow Books again! And I hope if you are anywhere nearby, you'll stop in for an hour or stay for the day. Great authors, great books. It's going to be a blast.

Tuesday, October 18, 2011

Oh hi there!

I had such a great tour. Thanks to all of you for coming to my events - I really mean it. It was a total blast and it makes my year when you guys show up. Also nice? Seeing the colorful leaves as we drove across Michigan. Haven't seen them in 7 years!

This Wednesday, Oct 19th, at 4pm Central I'm doing a ustream.com event with the Houston Public Library. Hope you'll join us from wherever you are -- you don't have to be in Houston!

And speaking of Houston, I have one last official tour event -- the TWEENS READ book festival near Houston (Pasadena, TX) on Oct 29th.

If you live in my neck of the woods (Phoenix area), I'll be doing a special holiday event with Poisoned Pen bookstore in Scottsdale, AZ with several other authors on December 11th. And even if you don't live nearby, you can order signed copies through them and they'll ship them out right away (along with a few stocking stuffers I'll include with all purchases of THE UNWANTEDS).

Monday, October 10, 2011

Three stops in Michigan this week!

I will be handing out free prize packs with purchase of The Unwanteds (while they last). Can't make it? Call the store to order a copy -- I'll sign it for you when I'm there and leave a prize pack for you too.

*Wednesday, October 12, 2011, 7:00 PM
B&N - Holland
3050 Beeline Road
Suite 50
Holland, MI 49424

*Thursday, October 13, 2011, 6:00 PM
SCHULER BOOKS
1982 Grand River Ave.
Okemos, MI 48864

*Saturday, Oct 15, 2011, 2:30PM
FERNDALE PUBLIC LIBRARY (with Book Beat)
222 E. 9 mile Road
Ferndale, MI 48220
Co-sponsored by the Ferndale Public Library and Book Beat

Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Denver: Saturday, Oct 1, 3pm!

See you at the Tattered Cover Bookstore on Colfax this Saturday, Oct. 1st, 3pm. I'll be handing out special Unwanteds prize packs with purchase of the book.

Coming soon -- stops in Holland, Okemos, and Ferndale, Michigan. Join me in my home state!

Tuesday, September 20, 2011

The Unwanteds Blog Tour is over, and we have a winner!

The grand prize winner of The Unwanteds book club/class pack of books is...

Heather from Buried in Books!

Congratulations to you and all the recipients of your pack of books. I hope you enjoy!

Many thanks to Heather and Danny from Kismet Book Tours for making this blog tour so fantastic for me, and for all of the awesome bloggers who worked hard to keep the tour rolling along. I feel very lucky to have been a part of one of your tours.

Monday, September 19, 2011

This week: Milwaukee/Chicago areas

THE UNWANTEDS is available NOW in bookstores and online.

Note: I will be handing out The Unwanteds collector packs with purchase of the book at these events!

*Wed, Sept 21, 2011, 4 pm
BOOKS & COMPANY
1039 SUMMIT AVE
OCONOMOWOC,WI

*Thurs, Sept 22, 4 pm
West Allis Public Library (with Boswell Book Company)
7421 West National Avenue
West Allis, Wisconsin

*Friday, Sept 23, 2011, 4 PM
ELA AREA PUBLIC LIBRARY with Lake Forest Book Store
275 Mohawk Trail
Lake Zurich,IL


*Saturday, Sept 24, 2011 -- 8th Annual YA Lit Conference w/ Anderson's Bookshop in Naperville

Saturday, September 17, 2011

Newsletter prize winners -- & their winning entries!

If you're not on the newsletter mailing list, join now! I do exclusive contests for newsletter subscribers, as well as let you know what's new with me and the books and the family, and what books the McManns have been reading lately. I send roughly 6 newsletters per year. Join here: http://lisamcmann.com/html/contact.php

WINNING ENTRIES - Congrats to all who played!

For the Unwanteds contest, you had to put two animals together, tell me what they'd be called, and describe what they looked like. Here are my favorite three:

1. If I could put two animals together it would have to be a pig and a chicken (a Picken) that way your could get your bacon and eggs from one animal. The animal would have the body of a pig with the face and butt of a chicken and completely covered in feathers. by W.E.

2. 1. Chonky :D - Cheetah/Monkey but it's more fun to pronounce it chunky. See a hybrid between a money and a cheetah would allow the animal to be able to travel effortlessly through the trees and run speedily on the ground. 2. Cat/horse- I only like that one so that it could make the sound MEOWNEIGHHHHH! Because seriously what's a hybrid without an awesome sound :) by T.P.

3. An imaginary creature that I've always thought would be cool is a mix between a dolphin and a unicorn, uncreatively named a unifin (although it does have a nice ring to it). It has the shape of a dolphin, but instead of flippers it has short forelegs with hooves, and it's head is that of a unicorn. It's mane resembles seaweed but can appear in a variety of colors, and whichever color the mane is matches the color of it's long, fish-style soft dorsal fin, which is in place of a dolphin's dorsal fin. Unifins thrive underwater, although they can go on land for short periods of time, in which they shift to resemble regular unicorns. PS. I made it to the end! by M.W.

These three each won a signed copy of THE UNWANTEDS.


For the DEAD TO YOU contest, you had to describe in a word or phrase how it would feel to find your family again but not remember them.

Our winning entry was: Desperate to be invisible but aching to connect - by S.G.


For the WAKE TRILOGY contest, you had to tell me why you neeeeeeeeeeed a box full of Janie and Cabe. Here is the winning entry:

Okay. This is a doozy. It's a reason I Neeeeeeeed a big ole box full of Janie and Cabe. Truth is it's because aliens invaded my podunk little town of Ringgold. Yup. They just up and swooped in! Anyway, they'd only been here for a few minutes when they heard of this amazing series of books: the wake trilogy. (I guess aliens are big fans of reading. Who knew, right?) And, being aliens, they knew the fastest way to get us earthlings to do anything is to abduct us. So they came to my house in the middle of the night, abducted my family, and demanded that I find them a set of these AHMAZING books. And I, being thoroughly and completely miffed at such behavior from Ringgold's newest inhabitants, had to agree. (They were aliens after all. Kinda creepy.) So, that became my quest: find a set of the WAKE trilogy, and get my family back. (Well, except for my little sister. They can have her. :P) I was beginning to lose hope, about to go into hiding, when BAM! There's my answer. Right there in my email, just waiting for me to open it. :) So. That's my tale. My best reason why I NEEEEEEDDD those books. Don't believe me? Check out the picture I attached. It'll convince you my story's true. :)

P.s. I swear I'm normal... I just get all dorky when left to my own devices. Oh, and I made it to the end of your newsletter. It rocked my socks. Or something like that. Cause socks don't actually rock...unless they've got sparkles. Okay...ramble over. Just go ahead and pat yourself on the back for making it throught this babbly email. And for being awesome. BYE!
by A.L.

I love this picture so much!




And I had a SECRET CONTEST, called "I made it to the end." For those who read to the end of the newsletter, they found this little tidbit - just write the words "I made it to the end" in your entry, and you automatically got entered to win a book from my bookshelf.

The winner for this contest was Aydrea. Congrats! She chose an ARC of DEAD TO YOU as her prize from my shelf.

Thanks to all who entered not only for entering, but for following directions so well. Casey (my assistant) says she's not even going to ask for a raise because you did such a great job. Hooray!

Thursday, September 15, 2011

Milwaukee, Chicago, Denver - coming your way!

If you haven't had a chance to buy THE UNWANTEDS yet, now's a great time! You can find it in your local independent bookstore, B&N, Target, and online everywhere books are sold. If your favorite store doesn't have it, ask them to order it for you!

The first leg of THE UNWANTEDS tour was absolutely fantastic. Eleven days in the southeast part of the country with Margaret Peterson Haddix - what a blast! I met so many incredible students, parents, librarians, teachers, and booksellers. Thank you ALL for coming out and making everything fun.

I'm home for a few days (working on copyedits for THE UNWANTEDS Book 2!) but head out next week to the Milwaukee & Chicago areas.

Then it's on to Denver, where I'll have a signing at Tattered Cover on Colfax, Saturday, October 1, 2011, 3:00 PM

In mid-October I'll make my way back to my home state of Michigan, making stops in Holland, Okemos, and Ferndale.

Then, closing out 2 months of touring, I'll be in Houston for the Tweens Read Book Festival, yay!

If you are in the area, please come! I'd love to meet you. Thank you so much for your awesome support of this book! I hope you enjoy the entire series!

xox

Lisa

Sunday, September 04, 2011

The Unwanteds tour stops this week & a great review

Please come, I'd love to meet you!

*Sunday, Sept 4, 2011 B&N Alpharetta, GA, 2pm with Margaret Peterson Haddix

*Wednesday, Sept 7, 2011 QUAIL RIDGE BOOKSTORE with Margaret Peterson Haddix 3522 Wade Ave. Raleigh,NC 5:00PM

*Thursday, Sept 8, 2011 THE VERO BEACH BOOK CENTER AND CHILDREN'S STORE with Margaret Peterson Haddix 2145 Indian River Blvd. Vero Beach,FL 6:00PM

*Saturday, Sept 10, 2011 BOOKS & BOOKS with Margaret Peterson Haddix 265 Aragon Ave Coral Gables,FL 3:30PM

See the whole tour here.

And a great review from Shelf Awareness:

In her first book for middle-graders, Lisa McMann (the Wake trilogy) creates a magical adventure that serves as a worthy successor for fans of Harry Potter. The author introduces us to Quill, a land whose governors label artistic children "Unwanted" and deport them to the Death Farm. On the morning of the government's annual Purge, the governors separate the Stowes, who are 13-year-old identical twins: they keep Aaron ("Wanted") and ship Alexander ("Unwanted") off to die. High Priest Justine warns that "creativity [leads] to revolt," which doesn't faze law-abiding Aaron. He will serve her and her Quillitary, an army of Wanteds, and co-exist with the Necessaries (the sect to which his parents belong), who must perform menial labors.

The Unwanteds do not undergo the fate they expect at the Great Lake of Boiling Oil, however. Instead, they are spared by Mr. Today, a mage who has been saving children for decades. He invites them to Artimé, where artists are not punished but rather rewarded and their gifts nurtured. While Quill is colorless and flooded with suspicion, Artimé is vivid and inspires a feeling of security. If their magical world were ever to be unveiled, the residents of Artimé would be prepared to battle with the Quillitary--which would pit Alexander against Aaron.

McMann creates a spectrum of well-defined worlds, peopled with characters that resemble archetypes yet retain original qualities. Stunning fight sequences make use of unique weapons such as slam-poetry charms and origami dragons that breathe fire. This masterpiece delivers a new spin on what it means to be wanted. --Adam Silvera, a bookseller and an intern at Figment.

Discover: A middle-grade dystopia where drawing in the mud gets you banished to the Death Farm. What's on the other side?

Friday, September 02, 2011

Monday, August 29, 2011

THE UNWANTEDS is now on sale everywhere!

Thanks as always for your wonderful support of my books. I hope you enjoy THE UNWANTEDS series. Book 1 is available in stores and online now.

Every year in Quill, thirteen-year-olds are sorted into categories—the strong, intelligent 'Wanteds' go to university, and the artistic 'Unwanteds' are sent to their deaths. When Alex is announced as an Unwanted, he leaves behind his twin, Aaron, a Wanted.

But upon arrival at the destination where he expects to die, Alex discovers a stunning secret—behind the mirage of the 'death farm' there is instead a place called Artime. There, each child is taught to cultivate their creative abilities and use them magically, weaving spells through paintbrushes and musical instruments. Soon, as Alex and Aaron's bond stretches across their separation, a threat arises for the survival of Artime that will pit brother against brother in an ultimate, magical battle.


Please stop by one of my book signings if you're in the area! Here's my tour schedule:
http://lisamcmann.com/html/tour.php





Thursday, August 25, 2011

Special offer, Contests, and Tour Tour Tour!

SPECIAL OFFER:
We've extended the Prize Pack offer! Due to popular demand, Changing Hands and I have decided to extend The Unwanteds Prize Pack off through Tuesday, Aug 30th - the night I'll be doing the big launch party at their store in Tempe, AZ. We're hustling to put more prize packs together right now! Order a signed copy of The Unwanteds via phone, online, or in person and you'll get a free prize pack. Shipping is available at a special rate for this offer. See the link for all the details! The postcard illustration will be a collectible - I plan to have a new one for each book in this series, so get in on the action early and you'll have the whole set!

CONTESTS: If you want in on the plethora of contests I'll be holding starting next week, you have to sign up for my newsletter or you won't hear about them. Go here.

TOUR TOUR TOUR:
I will be traveling for parts of September and October. Here is the current list of stops. Please come out and see me! Find updates at the tour link above or here.

*Tuesday, August 30, 2011, 7pm -- THE UNWANTEDS launch party and Prize Pack special offer!
Changing Hands Bookstore
6428 So. McClintock
Tempe,AZ


*Sept 3, 2011 -- Decatur Book Festival
Teen book stuff: The Escape at the Decatur Library Saturday, 12:00 pm - 12:45 pm
The Unwanteds: Children's Stage Saturday, 3:30 pm - 4:00 pm with Margaret Peterson Haddix

*Sunday, Sept 4, 2011
B&N Alpharetta, GA, 2pm with Margaret Peterson Haddix!

*Wednesday, Sept 7, 2011
QUAIL RIDGE BOOKSTORE with Margaret Peterson Haddix
3522 Wade Ave.
Raleigh,NC
5:00PM

*Thursday, Sept 8, 2011
THE VERO BEACH BOOK CENTER AND CHILDREN'S STORE with Margaret Peterson Haddix
2145 Indian River Blvd.
Vero Beach,FL
6:00PM

*Saturday, Sept 10, 2011
BOOKS & BOOKS with Margaret Peterson Haddix
265 Aragon Ave
Coral Gables,FL
3:30PM

*Wed, Sept 21, 2011
BOOKS & COMPANY
1039 SUMMIT AVE
OCONOMOWOC,WI
4:00PM

*Thurs, Sept 22, 2011
BOSWELL BOOK COMPANY
2559 N. Downer Ave.
Milwaukee,WI
4:00PM

*Friday, Sept 23, 2011
7:00 PM
LAKE VILLA DISTRICT LIBRARY (with Lake Forest Bookstore)
1001 E Grand Avenue
Lake Villa, IL 60046

*Saturday, Sept 24, 2011 -- 8th Annual YA Lit Conference w/ Anderson's Bookshop, Chicago. Details to come.

*Saturday, October 1, 2011
Tattered Cover
2526 East Colfax Avenue
Denver,CO
3:00PM

*Wednesday, October 12, 2011, 7:00 PM
B&N - Holland
3050 Beeline Road
Suite 50
Holland, MI 49424

*Thursday, October 13, 2011, 6:00 PM
SCHULER BOOKS
1982 Grand River Ave.
Okemos, MI 48864

*Saturday, Oct 15, 2011, 2:30PM
FERNDALE PUBLIC LIBRARY
222 E. 9 mile Road
Ferndale, MI 48220
Co-sponsored by the Ferndale Public Library and Book Beat


*Friday, Oct 14 - Sunday, Oct 16, 2011 GLIBA convention, Dearborn, MI. More info to come.

*Saturday, Oct 29, 2011 Houston Area TWEENS READ Book Festival - Bobby Shaw Middle School in Pasadena, TX

Thursday, August 11, 2011

For a limited time: The Unwanteds pre-order PRIZE PACK!

Hello readers! I am so excited to show you this cool prize pack that anyone can order starting today through August 25th (limited to the first 100 orders, so you might want to hurry). You'll get exclusive, limited edition prizes free with your purchase of a personalized, signed copy of THE UNWANTEDS through my local independent bookstore, Changing Hands.

It's a great way to support an independent bookstore (did you know I worked in an indie bookstore for ten years?) and get some cool free stuff for you too, including a limited edition postcard of an illustration (The Eliminators), drawn by my son Kilian (he's 17). It'll be hand-signed by me, dated release day 8.30.2011, and numbered.

All the details are here on the Changing Hands website. You will also receive these bonus items by coming to my signing at Changing Hands Bookstore. And the store will ship inside the US for a nice price of $22 total (includes taxes/shipping) and internationally (additional fee for postage).

It's the funnest giveaway I've ever done! I hope you enjoy the goodies.

Thursday, August 04, 2011

Wanna know where to find me this fall?

Big plans in the works for my fall tour with THE UNWANTEDS, and I'm visiting lots of states! Here's the current list of stops. Always check here for up to the minute additions or corrections.

*August 30, 2011 -- THE UNWANTEDS (book 1) releases in North America. Here is the up-to-the-minute tour info!

*Tuesday, August 30, 2011 -- THE UNWANTEDS launch party
Changing Hands Bookstore
6428 So. McClintock
Tempe,AZ
7:00PM

*Sept 2-4, 2011 -- Decatur Book Festival

*Sunday, Sept 4, 2011
B&N Alpharetta, GA, 2pm with Margaret Peterson Haddix (yay!)

*Wednesday, Sept 7, 2011
QUAIL RIDGE BOOKSTORE with Margaret Peterson Haddix
3522 Wade Ave.
Raleigh,NC
5:00PM

*Thursday, Sept 8, 2011
THE VERO BEACH BOOK CENTER AND CHILDREN'S STORE with Margaret Peterson Haddix
2145 Indian River Blvd.
Vero Beach,FL
6:00PM

*Saturday, Sept 10, 2011
BOOKS & BOOKS with Margaret Peterson Haddix
265 Aragon Ave
Coral Gables,FL
3:30PM

*Wed, Sept 21, 2011
BOOKS & COMPANY
1039 SUMMIT AVE
OCONOMOWOC,WI
4:00PM

*Thurs, Sept 22, 2011
BOSWELL BOOK COMPANY
2559 N. Downer Ave.
Milwaukee,WI
4:00PM

*Friday, Sept 23, 2011
7:00 PM
LAKE VILLA DISTRICT LIBRARY (with Lake Forest Bookstore)
1001 E Grand Avenue
Lake Villa, IL 60046

*Saturday, Sept 24, 2011 -- 8th Annual YA Lit Conference w/ Anderson's Bookshop, Chicago. Details to come.

*Saturday, October 1, 2011
Tattered Cover
2526 East Colfax Avenue
Denver,CO
3:00PM

*Wednesday, October 12, 2011, 7:00 PM
B&N - Holland
3050 Beeline Road
Suite 50
Holland, MI 49424

*Thursday, October 13, 2011, 6:00 PM
SCHULER BOOKS
1982 Grand River Ave.
Okemos, MI 48864

*Saturday, Oct 15, 2011
Framingham, MI library event with Book Beat - details to come

*Friday, Oct 14 - Sunday, Oct 16, 2011 GLIBA convention, Dearborn, MI. More info to come.

*Saturday, Oct 29, 2011 Houston Area TWEENS READ Book Festival - Bobby Shaw Middle School in Pasadena, TX

Sunday, July 31, 2011

Maricopa County Library visits

I'll be visiting a couple of Maricopa County Libraries on Tuesday, Aug 2nd. If you're in Waddell or Surprise, come out and see me! These two are open to the public:
11:00 AM
White Tank Library
20304 W White Tank Mountain Rd
Waddell, Arizona 85355

2:00 PM
Northwest Regional Library
16089 N. Bullard Avenue
Surprise, AZ 85374

Also, don't miss the awesome launch party for THE UNWANTEDS at Changing Hands Bookstore in Tempe, AZ, Tuesday, August 30th, 7pm.

Check my tour page for my Aug/Sept/October schedule! Special gifts to those who come to signings. (Link to tour page above)

Monday, July 25, 2011

Read!

Are you a little bit bored? Feeling wonky? Go read a few pages of THE UNWANTEDS for free.

If you like it, pre-order it. It's fantastically priced at the moment on various internet bookstore sites.

Don't forget to add it to your goodreads list, too.

Tuesday, July 19, 2011

14-18 year-old writers (US & Can)

Write a story to go with the writing prompt I provided and you could win a trip to NYC, courtesy of Simon & Schuster's Pulse It group and Wattpad.com. I might even meet you there. :)

All the details HERE.

Wednesday, July 13, 2011

In honor of our dear friend Landru's birthday,

The McManns will be wearing the pink hot pants of Jesus, eating bacon at every meal, and buying Ithillgorn a puppy.




Also, Tommy Lee Jones gets credit for something.

Saturday, June 25, 2011

Random thoughts about edgy YA, and what age is the right age to start reading it

There's been a lot of controversy over what YA is and what it isn't, and what age it *should* be for, and if edgy YA books are too dark or somehow negatively influential to teens (as if teens were stupid). And I've been thinking about it a lot lately.

As a parent of two teenagers, here are some simple thoughts about kids and reading, based on my experiences as a parent:

Both of my kids, when faced with something in a book that they were uncomfortable with, put the book down. Kids do this instinctively. They don't feel a need to keep reading something that is too mature, too graphic, to sexual, too anything. I don't understand why so many people think that kids have no built in monitors for themselves. Have you ever heard a kid say "I was really uncomfortable with the coarse language in that book, so I kept reading it." Of course not. Kids are smart, and their time is precious. They're not going to waste time plugging through something that makes them feel weird.

There comes a time in a parent's life where there is a moment of revelation--something changing in their kids. I remember when it happened for my son (now 17). It was the summer he was 13. And we were talking about something very grown up, and suddenly I looked at him and saw him with new eyes. The gradual changes he'd been making that year in his maturity level were suddenly so obvious. He had become a young adult, and I hadn't noticed until that moment.

A young adult is exactly that - an adult who is young. And we were conversing like adults, about topics adults and young adults talk about. I could feel it in him -- he was ready to read anything, to explore beyond his current repertoire of Paolini and Riordan. And that summer, he did. He read Sherman Alexie's The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian, and Ellen Hopkins' CRANK, and I let him read WAKE, by me, which was not quite published at that time, and so many more books that would help grow him up and make him think about choices and consequences. How exciting! We talked about things -- drugs and girls and substance abuse and welfare and sex, and I could almost see his brain growing. I could see him understanding the books and learning from these characters' mistakes, and from their successes. Today I see him making such amazing, great choices in his own life. Coincidence?

For my daughter (now 14), it happened when she was almost 12, in a very different way. One day she said, "Mom, all my friends have read WAKE. Why won't you let me read it?!" It was funny, but I also had to ask myself that same question - Why? I explained my concerns to her about some of the topics that are addressed in WAKE. And I said, how do you feel about reading stuff like that? She gave me the raised eyebrow. "I know what all of those things are, Mom. If I don't like it, I'll put it down."

And again I looked at a child of mine, who had matured so subtly that from day to day, it wasn't noticeable, but with fresh eyes it was so crazy obvious. She had become a young adult. I agreed (of course she would put it down! She'd done it countless times before with other books), and I handed it off, saying "Let's talk about it after." She was delighted. And after, we talked about it. And she got it. My new little adult learned great lessons from Janie. **spoiler alert** When she finished the trilogy, she said, "I'm really glad Janie decided not to drink anymore." I was surprised she'd picked up on that. It's very subtle in GONE, the moment that Janie makes that decision, and it's a moment that I never expected readers to ask me about or discuss, but I did hope they'd sort of absorb subconsciously. There's no big declaration, no epic "here's the moral - don't drink!" It's just a moment, a sentence, where we see Janie make the connection between her mom, the booze, and their life -- and make a different choice for her own life. It's one sentence, easily missed. And my kid -- my brand new young adult, picked up on it.

It's not rocket science for parents to know when their kid is ready to read edgy YA. And there is no exact age - it depends on the kid. Some kids are ready much younger than mine. Some aren't nearly ready yet at those ages. All it takes is a moment sitting at the kitchen bar, talking about grown up things, and noticing things. Letting kids grow up. And saying "hey...I have a book for you." Or listening when your child says in her own language, "I'm ready to learn how to be an adult now."

Tuesday, June 07, 2011

OMAHA, Nebraska: 5 Teen Authors, 1 Night Only

Wednesday, June 8th, from 7-9 pm, please join Ellen Hopkins, A.S. King, Coe Booth, Matt de la Pena, and me at Bryan High School in Omaha, Nebraska.

Free books, free food, total win all around.

Check in on the Facebook event page if you're going to be there! Everyone in the Omaha community is welcome.

Sunday, May 15, 2011

Giveaways! THE UNWANTEDS and CRYER'S CROSS

If you'd like to have a chance to win a signed advance copy of THE UNWANTEDS or hardcover of CRYER'S CROSS, I will be running a contest in my next e-newsletter at the end of May. Sign up ASAP to get the scoop! Click here and fill in the info in the gray box on the left. I'll be doing more giveaways through my newsletter from now on, now that Facebook is buckling down on contest rules.

If you're tempted to sign up, but you kind of hate newsletters, you are not alone. I don't love them either, but they're one of the best ways to get bigger chunks of information to fans now that I have multiple books coming out each year. It may encourage you to know I only send out 4 per year. And there's always that unsubscribe button at the bottom.

In the newsletters I also recommend other great books that my family and I have read recently, and talk a little bit about what life is like over in the McMann house.

Tuesday, May 10, 2011

Praise for THE UNWANTEDS

In addition to #1 New York Times bestselling author Brandon Mull's lovely blurb (on the cover in the post below), I received another today that made me a little misty-eyed.

"Reading Lisa McMann's THE UNWANTEDS was like discovering a brilliant, lost children's classic - except it's never going to be lost, because the readers will never, ever forget the magic they'll experience in its pages. Wonderful." - James A. Owen, author and Illustrator of HERE, THERE BE DRAGONS

To know that these two middle grade fantasy heroes of mine have read and enjoyed this middle grade fantasy newbie's book is so meaningful. If you haven't read these authors yet, Check them out -- Brandon's first book in the BEYONDERS trilogy is out now, or you can try his FABLEHAVEN series. James' HERE THERE BE DRAGONS is the place to start in his series, or, if you're looking for inspiration, check out his newly published non-fiction e-book DRAWING OUT THE DRAGONS, which will move you, I promise. Only $4.99.

Tuesday, May 03, 2011

Talking with actor Max Burkholder (Parenthood) about THE UNWANTEDS

I'm a huge fan of Max and all of the other young actors on the awesome TV show Parenthood. Max and his mom were kind enough to meet me for lunch when I was in LA over the weekend.

Saturday, April 23, 2011

Quick news! Los Angeles, Tempe, THE UNWANTEDS

You can pre-order THE UNWANTEDS! It comes out August 30. Kirkus Reviews calls it "The Hunger Games meets Harry Potter" and it's appropriate for ages 9 and up. My teen and adult readers will love it too. It's the first in a series and I'm incredibly excited about it. Pre-order now:

Indiebound.org
Amazon.com
Barnes & Noble
Borders
Chapters
Books-a-Million


You can also ask your local bookstore to order it so that you can be sure they'll have it on release day!

Also, if you haven't had a chance to pick up my latest teen paranormal, CRYER'S CROSS, you can find it by clicking on my name in the above links and order it that way, or check your local stores. Thank you for your support! It means the world to me.

Some upcoming events -- LA, Tempe, New York:
*May 1, 2011: LA Times Festival of Books
1:00PM Autographing at S&S/Mrs. Nelson’s Booth #538
(Map Key Identifier: K5)
3:00PM Panel discussion: Perfectly Paranormal: Writing the Fantasic
Panelists: Neal Shusterman , D.J. MacHale, Alyson Noel, Lisa McMann
Moderator: Aaron Hartzler
4:00PM Panel Autographing in the signing area immediately following the panel


*May 3, 2011, 7pm
CHANGING HANDS BOOKSTORE (with Aprilynne Pike!)
Tempe, AZ

*May 25-28, 2011
BEA (Book Expo America) and Blogger Convention
more info to come!

Monday, April 04, 2011

The first review for THE UNWANTEDS (my next book!)

*SPOILER ALERT* Don't read this review if you don't want to know what happens.
*FIRST CHAPTER ALERT* Go here to watch/listen to me read it.
NOTE: Publication date is now August 30, 2011.

THE UNWANTEDS
Author: McMann, Lisa

Review Date: April 15, 2011
Publisher:Aladdin
Pages: 400
Price ( Hardcover ): $16.99
Publication Date: September 20, 2011
ISBN ( Hardcover ): 978-1-4424-0768-8
Category: Fiction

The Hunger Games meets Harry Potter in this middle-grade departure from McMann’s string of paranormal mysteries with romance for young adults.

On the day of Purge in totalitarian Quill, which is run by the High Priest Justine, 13-year-olds learn if they are deemed Wanted to attend the university, Necessary to tend the land or Unwanted and purged by execution. Without a good-bye from his Wanted identical brother Aaron, Alex Stowe and the other Unwanteds travel to the Death Farm. Instead of death, they meet the lush and magical world of Artimè, kept secret from Justine by mage Marcus Today. In a third-person narration characterized by even pacing and whimsical inventions, Alex and his peers learn that their creativity threatened Justine’s power. Surrounded by talking blackboards, transporting tubes and such fantastical creatures as an octagator (with the head of an alligator and body of an octopus) for instructors, the teens hone their drawing, music and acting skills while also wielding paintbrushes for invisibility spells and iambic pentameter to stun attackers during Magical Warrior Training, in preparation for battle against the Quillitary. As the youths explore fear, responsibility and free thinking, their spells may be used sooner than they think when Alex’s twin bond is tested and rivals vie for Aaron’s new position in Justine’s government.

Blending elements from two popular genres, this is sure to be a double hit. (Dystopian fantasy. 10-14)

Saturday, March 19, 2011

I'm in NYC!

Today at 1pm, teen author panel at NYPL on 42nd with Kim Harrington, Maggie Stiefvater, Robin Wasserman, and moderator David Levithan. More panels/authors all afternoon!

Tomorrow at 1pm, Books of Wonder signing on 18th Street, along with 40-some other teen authors. FUN.

Both events are open to tweens and up and are free.

All the details here: http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/group.php?gid=56488781586&v=info

Wednesday, March 16, 2011

TONIGHT! Live video chat online

TONIGHT: I'm live in NYC at S&S studios doing an online video chat, 6pm EST. Discussing Cryer's Cross, The Unwanteds, & more. Tweet questions to #chatss OR go here to RSVP, ask, and watch: http://cot.ag/95Obmu

Tuesday, March 08, 2011

If you missed me on the show SEARCHING FOR... last night

You can catch the rerun on Monday, March 14, 4pm EST on OWN (Oprah Winfrey Network). Check your local listings for channel and time. It's the "Barbara and Lisa" episode -- I'm on for the last 20 minutes or so.

It's about me trying to find a long lost friend from my childhood because I wanted to let her know how she influenced my books. I hope you watch!

Monday, March 07, 2011

I like talking with you. (Also, watch me tonight on OWN.)

I like talking with you a lot. I love it, actually. You make me laugh and you say nice things and you ask important questions.

I'm pretty great (if I do say so myself) at responding to comments on my Facebook Fan Page. Please go 'like' it!

And now there is a BRAND NEW AWESOMELY FUN way to talk to me -- through my VYou.com page. It's the next best thing to being at a book signing.

You don't need a profile to ask a question -- you just type it in and send, and no one will know the question is from you, so don't be shy. A couple times a week I'll answer a bunch of questions via video. How fun is that?

Read more about me + it in a great piece by Jeffrey Trachtenberg right here in the Wall Street Journal. Click on the top article title "Writers Get Close on Web."

And for those of you who are doing book reports on my books -- this is the perfect tool for you! Just look to see if I've addressed your questions already. If I haven't, type in your question and give me a few days to respond (I'm looking at you, procrastinators, lol).

And hey -- let me know if you see me on the show SEARCHING FOR... on OWN. My episode airs Monday, March 7th, 9/8 central.

Thanks for being awesome!

Wednesday, March 02, 2011

Watch me on TV Monday, March 7, 2011!

I'll be featured in the new docudrama SEARCHING FOR... on OWN (the Oprah Winfrey Network), Monday, March 7, 9pm Eastern & Pacific, 8pm Central, 10pm Mountain. Check HERE to see if OWN is available in your area and to find the right channel. And check your local listings to make sure the time is correct.

Here's the description of Monday's episode: Searching For...
Barbara & Lisa
Barbara is searching for two of the three children she placed for adoption after her husband left her nearly 50 years ago (<--NOT ME), and bestselling author Lisa (THAT'S ME!) asks Pam Slaton to help her reconnect with a childhood friend.
PG

So basically it's a show about finding people, and there are two 'stories' per hour-long episode. Last year when I heard about this awesome upcoming show, I approached professional genealogist/searcher Pam Slaton to see if she could help me find someone I'd been searching for. Now you can all see what happened!

I'll tell you one thing -- my search has a little something to do with Cabel from the WAKE trilogy. :)

I hope you enjoy the show!

Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Signing in Scottsdale, AZ, Saturday, 3pm, at The Poisoned Pen!

Local friends and fans, I'll be signing at The Poisoned Pen in old town Scottsdale this Saturday at 3pm. http://www.poisonedpen.com/ Please come! I will be handing out birthday treats.

Friday, February 18, 2011

What is Cryer's Cross about?

I haven't posted a description in a while -- here you go in case you are wondering!

Kendall loves her life in small town Cryer¹s Cross, Montana, but she also longs for something more. She knows the chances of going to school in New York are small, but she's not the type to give up easily. Even though it will mean leaving Nico, the world's sweetest boyfriend, behind.

But when Cryer's Cross is rocked by unspeakable tragedy, Kendall shoves her dreams aside and focuses on just one goal: help find her missing friends. Even if it means spending time with the one boy she shouldn't get close to... the one boy who makes her question everything she feels for Nico.

Determined to help and to stay true to the boy she's always loved, Kendall keeps up the search--and stumbles upon some frightening local history. She knows she can't stop digging, but Kendall is about to find out just how far the townspeople will go to keep their secrets buried....

The book is in stores now!

Saturday, February 12, 2011

Do you like my new reading glasses?

Share photos on twitter with Twitpic

They look yellow but they are actually green. I got them on tour at University Book Store in Mill Creek, WA.

Here's the rest of my CRYER'S CROSS TOUR:


Sunday, Feb 13, 2011, 3pm (with Caridad Ferrer -- When the Stars Go Blue)
BARNES & NOBLE
19401 Alderwood Mall Parkway
Lynnwood,WA

Tuesday, Feb 15, 7pm
BARNES & NOBLE
2825 West Main St.
Bozeman, MT

Wednesday, Feb 16, 6:30pm
MURDER BY THE BOOK
2342 Bissonnet St.
Houston,TX

Thursday, Feb 17, 7pm
BLUE WILLOW BOOKSHOP
14532 Memorial Dr.
Houston,TX
NOTE from the bookstore's website: This event is free and open to the public. In order to meet Lisa McMann for book personalization, you must purchase Cryer’s Cross from Blue Willow Bookshop.
A limited number of autographed copies of Lisa’s books will be available for purchase after the event. If you cannot attend the event, but would like a personalized copy of her book, please call us at (281) 497-8675.

Friday, February 18, 2011, 7pm
A Real Bookstore
113 Prairie Road, Fairview, TX 75069

Saturday, February 19, 2011, 3pm
BOOK PEOPLE BOOKSTORE
603 North Lamar Blvd
Austin,TX
*note from the bookstore: You must purchase a copy of Cryer's Cross from BookPeople in order to get any of your books signed.

Saturday, Feb 26, 2011, 3pm
The Poisoned Pen
4014 N Goldwater Blvd. Suite 101
Scottsdale, AZ 85251



Monday, March 7, 2011, 9pm Est / 8pm Central

Watch for me on OWN (the Oprah Winfrey Network)! I'll be on the show Searching For... and some West Michigan fans just might be too. Hint...My search has *something* to do with Cabel from the WAKE trilogy!



Saturday, March 12, 2011
Tucson Festival of Books
Tucson, AZ

Saturday/Sunday March 19 & 20, 2011
Teen Author Festival NYC
more info to come



Monday, March 21, 2011, 7pm

Little Shop of Stories
133A East Court Square
Decatur,GA


Tuesday, March 22, 2011, 7pm

BARNES & NOBLE #1955
7660 Northpoint Parkway
Suite 200
Alpharetta,GA



March 23, 2011, 7pm
Indigo - Yorkdale Mall
3401 Dufferin St.
Toronto, ON
(416) 781-6660

Also appearing in 2011 at:

*LA Times Festival of Books Apr 30/May 1

*Phoenix Comicon May 27-29

*more info to come

Wednesday, February 09, 2011

Cryer's Cross is in stores! Signings this week:

Tonight (2/9): B&N Oceanside, CA, 7pm, with Kiersten White (Paranormalcy)
Tomorrow (2/10): Mrs. Nelson's in LaVerne, CA, 4pm
Friday (2/11): B&N Santa Monica, CA, 7pm, with Katie Alender (Bad Girls Don't Die)
Saturday (2/12): University Book Store, Mill Creek, WA, 3pm
Sunday, (2/13): B&N Lynnwood, WA, 3pm with Caridad Ferrer (When the Stars Go Blue)

You can currently find signed copies of Cryer's Cross at:
Yellow Book Road in San Diego area
Mysterious Galaxy in San Diego (they ship!)

Next week's signings: Bozeman MT (2/15), then Texas! Find all the details here.

Saturday, February 05, 2011

Packing for the CRYER'S CROSS TOUR!! Starts Feb 8.

Once again I find myself packing a single carry-on for a long tour. This time it's 14 days. I love the challenge of picking just the right number of essential clothing items to make it through, and planning out the stops where I'll need to do a little laundry.

One reason I decided to do it this way last year is because it's cheaper to pay for a handful of laundry items at a hotel along the way than it is to check a bag for seven flights at $25 a pop.

And then there's the awesome ease of breezing past baggage claim and getting right to my media escort/driver/cab, and not having to worry about lost luggage issues especially with all the crazy storms we've been having around the country lately.

Here's a look at last year's packing for the 12-day GONE tour: http://bit.ly/i2YB0l

And here's my tour schedule! I'm so excited to visit some new cities this time, including Southern California, Seattle area, Bozeman MT (where Cryer's Cross is set), and several stops in Texas. Let your book lover friends know I'll be in town, will you?

Tuesday, Feb 8, 2011, 7pm
MYSTERIOUS GALAXY BOOKS
7051 Clairemont Mesa Blvd. #302
San Diego,CA

Wednesday, Feb 9, 2011, 7pm (with NYT bestselling author Kiersten White -- Paranormalcy)
BARNES & NOBLE - OCEANSIDE
2615 Vista Way
Oceanside,CA

Thursday, Feb 10, 2011, 4pm
MRS. NELSON'S TOY AND BOOK SHOP
1030 Bonita Ave.
La Verne,CA

Friday, Feb 11, 2011, 7pm
BARNES & NOBLE
1201 3rd St. Promenade
Santa Monica, CA


Saturday, Feb 12, 2011, 3pm
UNIVERSITY BOOK STORE
15311 Main Street
Mill Creek,WA

Sunday, Feb 13, 2011, 3pm (with Caridad Ferrer -- When the Stars Go Blue)
BARNES & NOBLE
19401 Alderwood Mall Parkway
Lynnwood,WA

Tuesday, Feb 15, 7pm
BARNES & NOBLE
2825 West Main St.
Bozeman, MT

Wednesday, Feb 16, 6:30pm
MURDER BY THE BOOK
2342 Bissonnet St.
Houston,TX

Thursday, Feb 17, 7pm
BLUE WILLOW BOOKSHOP
14532 Memorial Dr.
Houston,TX
NOTE from the bookstore's website: This event is free and open to the public. In order to meet Lisa McMann for book personalization, you must purchase Cryer’s Cross from Blue Willow Bookshop.
A limited number of autographed copies of Lisa’s books will be available for purchase after the event. If you cannot attend the event, but would like a personalized copy of her book, please call us at (281) 497-8675.

Friday, February 18, 2011, 7pm
A Real Bookstore
113 Prairie Road, Fairview, TX 75069

Saturday, February 19, 2011, 3pm
BOOK PEOPLE BOOKSTORE
603 North Lamar Blvd
Austin,TX

Saturday, Feb 26, 2011, 3pm
The Poisoned Pen
4014 N Goldwater Blvd. Suite 101
Scottsdale, AZ 85251



Monday, March 7, 2011, 9pm Est / 8pm Central

Watch for me on OWN (the Oprah Winfrey Network)! I'll be on the show Searching For... and some West Michigan fans just might be too.



Saturday, March 12, 2011
Tucson Festival of Books
Tucson, AZ

Saturday/Sunday March 19 & 20, 2011
Teen Author Festival NYC
more info to come



Monday, March 21, 2011, 7pm

Little Shop of Stories
133A East Court Square
Decatur,GA


Tuesday, March 22, 2011, 7pm

BARNES & NOBLE #1955
7660 Northpoint Parkway
Suite 200
Alpharetta,GA



Plus a stop in Toronto, Wednesday March 23,
more info to come



Also appearing in 2011 at:

*LA Times Festival of Books Apr 30/May 1

*Phoenix Comicon May 27-29

*more info to come

Wednesday, January 26, 2011

CRYER'S CROSS TOUR!! Starts Feb 8.

Tuesday, Feb 8, 2011, 7pm
MYSTERIOUS GALAXY BOOKS
7051 Clairemont Mesa Blvd. #302
San Diego,CA

Wednesday, Feb 9, 2011, 7pm
BARNES & NOBLE - OCEANSIDE
2615 Vista Way
Oceanside,CA

Thursday, Feb 10, 2011, 4pm
MRS. NELSON'S TOY AND BOOK SHOP
1030 Bonita Ave.
La Verne,CA

Friday, Feb 11, 2011, 7pm
BARNES & NOBLE
1201 3rd St. Promenade
Santa Monica, CA


Saturday, Feb 12, 2011, 3pm
UNIVERSITY BOOK STORE
15311 Main Street
Mill Creek,WA

Sunday, Feb 13, 2011, 3pm
BARNES & NOBLE
19401 Alderwood Mall Parkway
Lynnwood,WA

Tuesday, Feb 15, 7pm
BARNES & NOBLE
2825 West Main St.
Bozeman, MT

Wednesday, Feb 16, 6:30pm
MURDER BY THE BOOK
2342 Bissonnet St.
Houston,TX

Thursday, Feb 17, 7pm
BLUE WILLOW BOOKSHOP
14532 Memorial Dr.
Houston,TX
NOTE from the bookstore's website: This event is free and open to the public. In order to meet Lisa McMann for book personalization, you must purchase Cryer’s Cross from Blue Willow Bookshop.
A limited number of autographed copies of Lisa’s books will be available for purchase after the event. If you cannot attend the event, but would like a personalized copy of her book, please call us at (281) 497-8675.

Friday, February 18, 2011, 7pm
A Real Bookstore
113 Prairie Road, Fairview, TX 75069

Saturday, February 19, 2011, 3pm
BOOK PEOPLE BOOKSTORE
603 North Lamar Blvd
Austin,TX

Saturday, Feb 26, 2011, 3pm
The Poisoned Pen
4014 N Goldwater Blvd. Suite 101
Scottsdale, AZ 85251

Saturday, March 12, 2011
Tucson Festival of Books
Tucson, AZ

I'll be making stops in New York, Atlanta, and Toronto in March as well -- no details yet.

Monday, January 17, 2011

Monday, January 10, 2011

Re-post: WAKE is being challenged at Oliver Middle School in Broken Arrow, OK

Please note: this is not a new post. I am re-posting this at the top of my blog because apparently every student in the US is doing a paper about this right now. This is ALL THE INFO I HAVE. Please do not bombard me, my assistant, or my agent with lists of questions to answer for your research paper. Thank you. I will not be answering anyone specifically--I'm working on some pretty strict deadlines and besides...I can't do your homework for you. Thanks for understanding!

FIRST POSTED January 10, 2011.

A parent would like to have WAKE removed from the school because she objects to adult language and feels that WAKE promotes drug use and sexual misconduct.

I believe WAKE shows teens and tweens the dangers and the consequences of drugs in a real setting. Kids are SMART. A mention of drugs does not equal promotion of drug use -- that assertion is absurd. As for the language...anyone who has spent time in middle and high schools knows how kids talk. Authenticity in books important.

The sexual misconduct thing -- I don't understand. There is no sex in WAKE. There are non-graphic sexual dreams which are typical for anyone in puberty or older. Kids deserve to know they are not the only ones having sexual dreams...and that it's okay. Acknowledging reality does not promote sexual misconduct.

But writing a story about a girl whose mother is an alcoholic and whose father is non-existent does bring in a lot of email -- from kids as young as ten who say things like "thank you for writing about Janie. My family is similar. Now I don't feel so alone." I am so sad that this parent wishes to take away the chance for a Broken Arrow middle schooler to feel comforted by the fact that they are not alone.

The complainant felt that reading the book would result in underage use of substances and premature sexual behavior.

I disagree wholeheartedly and I hate that this person is not giving kids any credit for being logical. Knowledge is power. Sheltering kids from things that happen to teens and tweens in real life is NOT doing them any favors. I say it again: kids are smart. They know the difference between somebody saying "Drugs are good for you, try them!" and a scene where students are doing drugs and are then sent to jail. Why do kids understand this when so many parents do not?

I believe that the first meeting regarding banning WAKE from the school is tomorrow (Tuesday). I've provided a letter of response, but I'm sure the principal would like to hear from others who have opinions on the topic of free speech and censorship, as well as specific comments about WAKE. If you feel so inclined as to write a letter in support of WAKE, and maybe sharing some of the benefits you received from reading it and why you think it's important to have books like WAKE available for students, I found the principal's email on the school's website.

Please be polite and professional. I am very thankful for your support.

The school district website can be found here: http://www.baschools.org/ (The link for Oliver M.S. can be reached by clicking on "School Sites" on the left menu.)