Where you can find me this month

As always, I'm most active on Twitter and Facebook. There are links in the sidebar if you'd like to find me there.

Now for October. Officially and unofficially...here are some things on my calendar that you might be interested in.

*Wednesday, October 14, 8pm EST / 5pm Pacific
Chatting online with Mundie Moms!

Immediately after that at 7pm Pacific, I'm heading out to my local indie, Changing Hands, to listen to fellow S&S author Scott Westerfeld talk about his new awesome book, Leviathan.


*Saturday, October 17, 5pm Pacific, I'll be attending Robin Brande's launch party for her second book, FAT CAT, again at Changing Hands. You should totally come -- Robin is an awesome speaker and both of her books are terrific. Her fist is called Evolution, Me, and Other Freaks of Nature, and it recently was optioned for film.


*Wednesday, Oct 21, 6pm Pacific / 9pm EST, I'll be chatting online with Readergirlz for Teen Read Week. Everyone is invited! Please stop in!
And immediately after that, I'll be driving back to Changing Hands for the bazillionth time this month to see author James Dashner talk about his new book, The Mazerunner! (7pm)


*Thursday, Oct 22, 7pm Pacific, I'll be attending The Secret Garden, a musical by Actor's Youth Theatre at the Mesa Arts Center. My kid is in it! And it's going to be awesome. If you live in the valley, please come and support this excellent organization -- shows run Tuesday thru Friday that week. And hey, if you've got money burning a hole in your pocket but you aren't near enough to attend a show, consider dropping them a small donation -- tax deductible (they are a 501C3). Times are tough all over, especially for self-funded arts programs like these that add so much to the community and the lives of our creative teens.

(I am also getting my hair done that day by the amazing Lori, hairdresser to the stars. More red stripes please!)


*Saturday, October 24, all day -- I'll be in Austin, TX at the Teen Book Festival! Just to clarify, this is not just for teens -- all lovers of teen books are invited! This is my first author visit to Texas and I've been dying to get down there, so I'm very excited. If you live anywhere near Austin (or even if you don't), come on out for an awesome day filled with authors and panels and book buying and signings and I'm sure tons of laughs. With that many teen authors in one place, it could get a little dangerous.


*Coming up in November -- Kalamazoo Youth Lit Seminar!

So I'm working on a new book...

GONE comes out Feb 9, and my part of that (writing it) is done. So yay! Only four months to go. If you haven't stolen my GONE countdown widget yet, you can grab it below.

Meanwhile, I have work to do!

I am under contract for another book with Simon Pulse, and I'm writing it now. It's called Cryer's Cross and it's a creepy paranormal stand-alone novel about a high school senior girl named Kendall who lives in a small town in Montana, where nothing creepy ever happens...until now.

Is there any sort of love story? Why yes, yes there is.

Cryer's Cross is scheduled to come out in spring 2011.


STEAL THIS WIDGET. It's magic. It updates automatically whenever there's news about the WAKE books or about future stuff.

Blogfest 2009 is now LIVE! (and Facebook Fan Page)

Go check it out: Blogfest!
I'm having fun procrastinating by reading all of these interesting answers. My first answer goes up Tuesday the 22nd, I think.

Also, I just started the official Lisa McMann fan page over on Facebook -- the link is at the top right corner of my blog (where I am sporting my new red stripey hair, even though it's hard to see it in that photo).

Why make a fan page for myself? It feels weird and vain and I put it off for a long time. But then I discovered that eventually Facebook cuts you off from having new friends when you reach a certain level. As I near 3000 friends on Facebook with usually about 10-12 new requests each day, I got to worrying. Then I heard that a fan page is the way to go.

So I started this fan page and I want it to be very interactive. I'll post info there. And for as long as I can handle the workload, I hope to respond to all comments over there as well. I'd love it if you'd join me and maybe spread the word about the fan page for me if you are so inclined.

Thank you so much for being great. 'Cuz you are.

Simon and Schuster Blogfest coming soon -- get your countdown widget!

Find out more about Blogfest

HEY! Win a free signed copy of WAKE or FADE

Over at Free Book Friday! This week only!

Also, teens (12-18) please vote for your favorite books before Sept 18! WAKE is a contender along with tons of other cool books. If you are not between the ages of 12 and 18, please find someone who is and pass it on.

Thanks!

P.S. Did you have a good summer?

Coming soon -- Blogfest 2.0!

If you were around for last year's blogfest, you know how cool it was to hear from dozens of your favorite authors on various subjects.

Well, it's coming up again soon! No link yet, but I'll keep you posted.

Teens' Top Ten -- voting is now open (ages 12-18)!

Hey teens, you can now vote for your three favorite teen books from YALSA's Teens' Top Ten list. And guess what? WAKE is on that list (along with other awesome books)!

Voting is now thru Sept 18. Go WAKE!!

Warm greetings to international readers

It is good to have you around!
Some form of the WAKE trilogy already exists, or will soon appear, in the following languages:

Circulo de Lectores / Spanish Book Club
Atlin Kitaplar / Turkish
Patakis / Greek
PT Gramedia / Indonesian
Amarin / Thai
Boje Verlag / German
WYDAWNICTWO Amber / Polish

I wish I could speak all your languages! Hope you enjoy the books.


Also, don't forget to download Cabel's Story for free! Click on the link on my home page: http://lisamcmann.com

The Magic McWidget!

Grab the McWidget and put it on your website, blog, or social networking site! It's magic -- it'll stay updated with news of the WAKE trilogy, my future books and contests, and other important news. (psst...if you put the widget on your site, you just might be eligible for a McWidget Contest in a couple weeks...for an arc of GONE. More news on that mid-August!)

And go read the free Cabel story I wrote for you! Just click, register, and download it!

Michigan, here I come!

This is the time of the year when my husband, children and I make our annual pilgrimage to Michigan to visit family. The weather appears to be really lovely (upper 70s to low 80s, which is a dream compared to the 110-115 we are having here in Arizona). We have family in the Detroit area and also in the Grand Rapids/Holland area, and we'll be spending a few days with each. Plus my niece is getting married. Congrats to Alyssa and Jake! Two very cool people.

Visiting family makes it convenient for me to do a few book signings while I'm there as well. This year I'm making three stops, and I'll be reading an excerpt from GONE. :) Please come if you are nearby:

*Saturday, August 1, 2:00 PM
Borders - Novi
43075 Crescent Blvd.
Novi, MI, 48375
(248) 347-0780


*Monday, August 3rd, 6:00 PM
Pooh’s Corner Breton Village
Reading, Signing/Reception
1886 1/2 Breton Rd. S.E.
Grand Rapids, MI 49506


*Tuesday, August 4, 7:00 PM
Schuler Books and Music, Inc
2660 28th Street SE
Grand Rapids, MI 49512
Phone: 800 331 1727 (MI only)
616 942 2561
Fax: 616 942 9238
email: info@schulerbooks.com

Also, watch for me in the Grand Rapids Press this week as well as on WZZM TV 13's Take Five (on Tuesday morning, Aug 4, between 9 and 10 am).

Hope your summer is going great! Keep an eye on my website in August for a special free short story download -- it's a Cabel story companion to the WAKE trilogy.

GONE description

I got the GONE cover in the mail today. It says:



OPEN YOUR EYES.

Janie thought she knew what her future held. And she thought she'd made her peace with it. But she can't handle dragging Cabel down with her.

She knows he will stay with her, despite what she sees in his dreams. He's amazing. And she's a train wreck. Janie sees only one way to give him the life he deserves--she has to disappear. And it's going to kill them both.

Then a stranger enters her life--and everything unravels. The future Janie once faced now has an ominous twist, and her choices are more dire than she'd ever thought possible. She alone must decide between the lesser of two evils. And time is running out...



And the back flap is a quote from the book:

He reaches toward her, his fingers black and bloody, his eyes deranged, unblinking. Janie is paralyzed. his cold hands reach around her neck, squeezing tight, tighter, until Janie has no breath left. She's unable to move, unable to think. As his grasp tightens further around Janie's neck, his face turns sickly alabaster. He strains harder and begins to shake.

Janie is dying.
She has no fight left in her.
It's over.

GONE cover

GONE will be out February 9. Here's the cover:



Fun story -- When I was on tour for FADE, I was in talks with my editor Jen Klonsky and the artist who did my first two covers, Sammy Yuen (who rocks, right?) about what sort of cover we were going to do for GONE. Anyway, Sammy had an idea to use an empty chair for the cover, which works SO GREAT with the story (you'll find out why when you read). They asked me to send pictures of chairs I liked so that we could get style ideas. So when I was at the Clift Hotel in San Francisco I saw this cool, simple chair in a spotlight in the lobby. I loved it, so I took a photo of the chair on my cell phone. Sammy created the cover based on that chair.

The other cool thing is that the Clift Hotel was the same hotel whose manager let me keep Miss Spoobin. Aren't they a great group?

Signing Saturday!

Saturday, June 20, from 6-8pm at B&N Chandler Mall in Chandler, Arizona. Don't miss other great authors there throughout the day, including the fabulous Janette Rallison at 3pm.

If you're local, I hope you come out to see me! I will have WAKE dog tags for those who purchase the books -- pretty freaking cool. Maybe I'll even bring Miss Spoobin.

GONE will be out February 9, 2010!

Random things to talk about today:

1. Yes, GONE (the last book in the trilogy) is scheduled for February 9, 2010. Yay! Hope to show you a cover sometime soon, too. I'm especially proud of the GONE cover, but I'm not going to tell you why until you see it.

2. Hello Poland! I hope you are enjoying WAKE (or DREAM, I think you're calling it)! I heard that it's out in Poland now -- I've even gotten some fan mail from there already. Welcome to my website and blog!

3. Bloggers! Hi! I just want to say a special thanks to all the awesome book bloggers who are patient and good and know how to wait for a reply to an interview request. Almost all of you are awesome like that, yay! You don't bombard me with requests when you haven't heard from me immediately, and you don't make up fake "blog supporters" to beseech me on your behalf, and you don't harrass Other Important People In My Life in order to get me to respond to you -- wow, MOST of you are really freaking terrific and amazingly non-stalkerish, and for that, I am SO GRATEFUL! Thank you!!

4. The WAKE trilogy as audiobooks: Sometime in January, WAKE and FADE will be available as audiobooks! And the GONE audiobook will come out in sync with the GONE hardcover, Feb 9 or thereabouts.

5. I cannot wait for the Harry Potter movie. Can you?

Slacker

I'm a complete slacker. Ah well, such is summer. But I do have some fun news.

My publisher and I want to give you something to keep you busy while you wait for GONE (Wake book 3) in February. So, sometime in August, I'll have a short story for you. It'll be about Cabel, and it'll be available as a FREE download. Pretty freaking cool, right? We thought it would be a cool way to say thanks to the fans, and also it would give you guys an opportunity to show your friends a little freebie sneak peek at the characters and the trilogy without them having to commit to purchasing a book.

Sound okay?

Okay. Back into the cave. I've got some work to do before I head to Chicago in July. As always, keep your eye on my Tour page for my latest travels: http://lisamcmann.com/html/tour.php

Best of Arizona

Critics at the Arizona Republic newspaper have chosen yours truly as the Best Breakout Author in Arizona. It's so awesome and makes me giggle to be on a list with Best Local Sports Star (Shaquille O'Neal) and Best Reality Star (Scott MacIntyre of American Idol).

Coolness!



P.S. I've been scarce lately. Writing hard to get as much done before my kids get out of school for the summer. Six school days left. Eeeek!

Teachers, librarians, have Ellen Hopkins at YOUR school

I've tweeted and facebooked quite a lot about Project Book Babe, a fundraiser for bookseller and personal friend Faith Hochhalter, who has breast cancer.

Well, I just have to point out this most fantastic auction item, because it's worth a ton:

Have Ellen Hopkins, author of Crank, Glass, and Burned, visit your school! In the 2009-2010 school year, Ellen Hopkins has offered to visit a school in the contiguous United States free of charge. She is generously waiving her honorarium and will cover her own travel expenses. She will do a full day, up to three presentations of any size, at a middle school or high school. The winner of this item will be contacted by Ellen Hopkins to set up a date.

Let's talk about email

I am excited to say that both WAKE (paperback) and FADE made the NYT Bestseller lists this week, both at number ten. That's ten weeks for FADE. Pretty cool milestone. Also, FADE made it onto Publishers Weekly's list as well for the second time.

Also exciting? Check out the FUNKY cover for the UK/Australia edition of WAKE. I think it comes out in November!




It was a fun week, no? However, the week was frustrating, too. My email was acting up. Behaving badly. Very naughty. But it appears to be working again. The sad thing is that I lost about a week's worth of fan email. So if you wrote to me through my website form anytime from April 7 - 13, please feel free to write to me again and I'll try to respond as quickly as I can.

If you wrote before April 7 or after April 13, I have your email, I just didn't have a chance to respond yet. I'm running about a month behind. Thanks for being patient.

Let me answer a few of your burning questions now:

1. I have not sold movie rights yet. I don't have any control over making a movie. I write books, Hollywood people make movies. If someone from Hollywood wants to make a WAKE movie, I will be sure to let you know.

2. GONE is the third and final book in the WAKE trilogy. It will come out next spring, likely February or March. I will not post a summary of it until I have one, and then I will. No, I don't know when that will be. :) I will also post the cover when I have it.

3. I have been suddenly inundated with requests for book donations for auctions, charities, library fundraisers, and other worthy causes. I love to donate books. I'm generous and like to help people. However, I am running out of books, money for postage, and time to do mailings and stand in line at the post office. I'm really sorry.


Also, I have to ask you a favor.

If you've written an email to me, and I've written back, I'm probably in your address book. And when you forward your chain email/jokes/etc to your entire address book, you send it to me (and all the other authors you've ever written to). This? Is not fun for us, especially when a lot of you do it. Please don't send us your junk mail. I know you didn't realize you were doing it, and it's okay. But now you know. Thank you for taking me out of your address book! :)



Thanks all!

Congratulations to Hosanna Kabakoro!

She is the winner of the Fund Your Dreams Essay Contest, where S&S and I asked, "What is the greatest obstacle you've overcome?"

Read Hosanna's essay here.

Hosanna will receive $1000 for her efforts.

Thanks again to all who entered!

xo
Lisa

The winner of the Greatest Obstacle Essay contest has been notified.

I spoke with the winner just a few minutes ago via phone. We have some formalities to conduct over the next days and weeks and of course we will be asking for permission to post the winning essay on the Simon & Schuster website. All I can say is that the winning essay really blew me away. I'll let you know where you can find it as soon as I have that information - it might be a few weeks.

Thank you all for your patience. This contest was much harder to judge than I could have ever imagined, and I couldn't have done it without the help of Bess and Venessa at Simon & Schuster, who did all the hard work.

Thank you to all who entered. It was incredibly moving to read all of your stories. Thank you for putting your hearts into this contest. I am in awe of everything that you've overcome, and I'm so proud of you. Keep writing. You are wonderful.

Regarding the Greatest Obstacle essay contest...

We've narrowed the entries down to about 10. I hope to be choosing a winner in the next 24 hours, and then Simon & Schuster will notify the winner. I don't know exactly when this will happen.

UPDATE (4/7): I still don't have a winner, but I'm working on it very hard. I'll tell you right now, there is no easy choice here. You should all feel very proud about your work.

Thank you for your patience.

Cincinnati

Well, now. The Joseph Beth signing was another tremendously lovely and good-looking crowd that contained some fabulous people, including Alice Pope and some LOVELY bloggers whose names I will not mention because I'm not sure if their attendance at this event has been made public yet. But we had a terrific chat with them.

Yesterday was somewhat dimly lit, it appears, in Miss Spoobin's journey. There are sure to be other better photos out there soon of Miss Spoobin in all her glowing glory, but my camera was perhaps behaving poorly because I have neglected to personify it. Er...him.

At Mother of Mercy High School, a fabulous place, Miss Spoobin meets English teacher Mr. B:




And here is Miss Spoobin with school alum Mary who came to the event just to see us.


Finally, Miss Spoobin takes an historic view and a delicious meal at the Rookwood Bar & Grill, where we sat in a kiln with friends Ken and Janelle.


I didn't have an opportunity to take any photos at the signing, so if anyone has any, please let me know.

Heading out to West Chester soon, and then it's on to NYC, woo!

Cincinnati and NYC

My computer tells me it's 3:41 a.m. I think I may have to change computer to Eastern Daylight Savings Time to make myself feel awesome about being awake at this hour.

But.

If I can get me a glass of good old ice cold Midwest tap water, I will be a happy woman. Growing up in Michigan has some excellent benefits.

*waves* to mommy and daddy up north, just one state away.

Okay, so. Today.7pm, Joseph-Beth in Cincinnati.

Saturday, 12:30, B&N West Chester.

Please come!

The hotel manager (David, who rocks) at the Clift Hotel in San Francisco said I could keep Miss Spoobin, so she will be with me as my special guest.

Tales of (Miss Spoobin in) the City

(with apologies to Armistead Maupin)

Business first:
Copperfield Books in Petaluma tonight at 7!

And then. I hook back up with Cassandra Clare and we'll appear in Cincinnati Friday and Saturday.

Then Cassie and I will meet Elizabeth Scott in NYC Sunday, and Cassie and I will do a final library event on Monday.

Tour details here.


In other very important news, I have acquired a friend.

It was in the wee hours of Sunday night that I had a hankering for the world's most perfect food: peanut butter. I was delighted to have a Walgreen's across from the hotel, so I scouted around and to my delight, I found a jar of creamy JIF, my favorite. Bought it and back in my hotel room, I opened it up.
It smelled delicious.

And then.

I realized I didn't have anything in the room with which to eat it. And so I did what all teen authors would do: I tweeted about it.

Meanwhile, I had called room service for ice, and when it arrived, there it was.

A spoon.

Yay!

All was good in the world.





The next morning, as I packed up for my school visits, I realized that if I left the spoon in the room, housekeeping would take it. And then I would have tragedy in my life once again.

Well, so, I borrowed the spoon, and it traveled with me to school. Of course I tweeted and someone asked me what I'd named her (because she is obviously female).

"Miss Spoobin."

That's what I said. And that is her name.

After that, I got another spoon with room service, and then another and another. I began to hoard them. I have a slight problem, I know.



Can you tell which one is Miss Spoobin? She glows just slightly, of course.

On my travels, I realized just how lonely I was getting because I began showing Miss Spoobin to my new friends. We took photos.

Have you ever heard of the Flat Stanley Project?


This is kind of like that. My friend Daniel sent me his Flat Stanley a few years ago. We took him to pan for gold.





I digress.

Here are some places Miss Spoobin has been, besides the peanut butter jar.

Deer Valley High School:



With radio station host Jim Foster:



Lunch with my friends (who brought me wonderful little individual cups of my fave pb so I can carry them in my purse):



At Clayton Books:



Capuchino High School with Books, Inc. and the You Say Read, We Say Party Book Club:


To my friends in Cincinnati and NYC who want a photo with Miss Spoobin, well, I don't have an answer for you yet as to whether she will be accompanying me. I am not a thief (not anymore, anyway), so I will find the manager of the hotel and ask if I might purchase Miss Spoobin.

Wish me luck.

UPDATE:
Hotel manager David just said I can keep Miss Spoobin! Yay, I love David!

Wow, Vroman's!

Cassie and I had a great turnout at Vroman's last night, and we met some awesome people.





We sold out of WAKE -- very sorry to those who didn't get a copy. :( I'm sure Vroman's will have it in stock again very soon, but if you want a signed copy, Mrs. Nelson's Books in LaVerne has some autographed copies in stock.

Holy Guacamole, Oceanside!

YAY for an awesome signing last night in Oceanside, CA, where approximately 200 people attended the event. What a blast!




Tonight's signing is at Mysterious Galaxy in San Diego, 7pm.

Friday: Mrs. Nelson's Books at 4pm, then Vroman's at 7pm.

Saturday: Borders in Torrance, 3pm.

Full tour schedule is here!

Tour and Twitter

I'm here on twitter: http://twitter.com/lisa_mcmann Follow me! I'll be tweeting from the road.

TOUR:
Six stops (plus schools) in the San Diego / Los Angeles area, all with author Cassandra Clare.

Three days in the San Francisco area.

Two days in the Cincinnati area with Cassandra Clare.

Two days in New York City with Cassandra Clare.

I'm excited to meet you! Check the tour page for all the details.

TOUR TOUR TOUR!

My official tour runs from March 25 - April 6 and I'll be visiting 12 cities.

I'll be with the fabulous Cassandra Clare (City of Glass) much of the tour (except when I'm in San Francisco, she's in Houston). She is the coolest and I can't wait! We'll be doing school visits during the days and signings in the afternoons and evenings.

You can always easily find where I'll be by visiting the tour page on my website.

Up first are the San Diego and Los Angeles areas, including B&N Oceanside, Mysterious Galaxy, Mrs. Nelson's Toys & Books, Vroman's, Borders in Torrance, and B&N Huntington Beach.

Hope to see you in southern California!


P.S. I haven't had a chance to recap the Tucson Festival of Books of last weekend, but my friend Amy did it over at Dog Fact 9, and since I was with her much of the time, this pretty much covers it!

Kitteh update

We have chosen a name for the kitty. Kitty is tough and strong. She doesn't take any crap from the dog (Jessie). And she seems to be in charge of all of us already.

Therefore, we have named her after one of my favorite characters in the WAKE trilogy...


Captain.

Cappy, for short.

Thanks to an anonymous emailer for that suggestion! I think it's perfect.

I has a NYT bestselling kitteh...and she needs a name.

YAY!!

We adopted her this morning. Kitteh was a stray who was found by someone at a gas station and taken to the humane society. She was scheduled to be euthanized but a bunny rescue group saved her and brought her to Petsmart, which is where we found her. She is probably around 10 months old. She is a muted torti and very skinny and petite. She is gray, white, and brown.

Our dog is anxious to meet her, but we are not quite ready for that. Taking it slow. :)

This is the best photo we have of her, taken at the store this morning. When she comes out of hiding I'll add more.



So...will you help us name her?

Post your name suggestions here by Tuesday at 5pm. We'll choose a name and let you know what it is!!

And finally, thank you for my kitteh!! You guys all rock.

Guess WHAT?!?!?!

I can haz kitteh.

And we hit a new number on the New York Times bestseller list -- number six!

I won't be able to look at cats/kittens until Sunday at the earliest, and it probably won't be until next week. But when we do find one, I will post pictures!

Thanks to everybody who spread the word and bought FADE over the past few weeks. You are terrific people. It's amazing to think FADE's spent four weeks as a NYT bestseller. Wow! Crazy awesome.

xox

Where I'll be this week, PW #9, and things people say

THIS WEEK: I'll be a sneaky hidden customer cheering on author A.S. King (The Dust of 100 Dogs) at Changing Hands in Tempe, AZ on Thursday at 4:30. Please come to see her-- she is really awesome. You'll love it. If you need copies of WAKE or FADE personalized, that would be a good time/place to find me and learn about a fantastic new author at the same time.

On SATURDAY I'll be in Tucson at the Festival of Books. It's going to be a blast. See my Tour Page for details on what I'll be doing.

PW #9: This means holy crap, FADE hit the Publisher's Weekly bestseller list this week, coming in at #9 on the children's hardcover chapter book list. Wow! That is totally cool and a first for me! (Alas, it does not fulfill the kitten agenda. Stupid fine print)


THINGS PEOPLE SAY: Today I got a note from a teen in Philly who wants to drive to NYC to see me on tour. Also, there's a group of readers from the midwest who are driving many hours to come to a signing in Cincinnati. The people who are willing and interested in taking a day (or more) of their lives to come out and see me in person -- that just floors me. I think it's awesome, and I can't wait to meet you. You give me warm fuzzies.

Here, kitteh kitteh...

FADE came in at #7 on the NYTimes bestseller list this week! Which means one thing: only one more week on the list separates me from adopting a tiny, adorable kitteh who needs a home.

Save a kitteh -- tell your friends to buy a copy of FADE today!

Announcing the Pulse Spring Fling Contest winners!

The Pulse Spring Fling Contest, celebrating new releases by Lisa Schroeder (FAR FROM YOU), Elizabeth Scott (SOMETHING, MAYBE) and me (FADE, Wake book 2), received HUNDREDS of entries.

Congratulations to the winners!!

McKenna (first prize) - signed copies of all the hardcovers, above, and a phone call from one of us

Olivia (second prize) - a box of books from Simon Pulse

Megan (third prize) - a signed copy, her choice, of one of Lisa's, Elizabeth's, or my backlist titles.

All winners have been contacted via email. Many thanks to all for playing!

Matt says that if I make the NYT bestseller list 2 more times, I can have a kitten.

And in other news, my teacher friend Greg, student friend Mallory, and a bunch of other young women at Mother of Mercy High School in Cincinnati made a video tribute to WAKE. It is made of awesome.



This makes me even MORE excited for my visit to Cincinnati on the FADE tour, April 3 & 4.

You ladies (and gents) are amazing.

FADE moves up to #8 on NYTimes Bestseller list!

You people are determined to get me to come out and play, aren't you.

THANK YOU!!!

I hope that you know this is all your fault. We did it, YAY!!!


Love and hugs. Bottom of my hearty-heart. Thank you.

Off topic: lunch

There are few things more satisfying than successfully flipping something in a skillet.

I love to cook and I haven't talked about cooking on my blog in a long time. Today, I will tell you about my lunch because it is SO good.

It is:

brown rice
roasted cauliflower and broccoli
garlic herb shrimp (yes, it was frozen. I live in AZ. Sue me.)
and topped with avocado.

If you are looking to learn to flip something in a skillet, shrimp works well. So do nuts if you ever toast them for salads, etc. You need a skillet with rounded sides -- so it works a little like a half-pipe for you skaters out there. You gotta move fast enough to clear the top but the curve helps you come back down in the pipe, not outside of it (ideally. Heh.). Start with a smaller sized skillet, like an 8 or 9 inch. Shake the food back and forth a little so you get a feel for how much force you need to put into the flip, and then just go for it.

Once you become flawless with tossing non-damageable things like shrimp or almonds, try eggs over medium/hard and then work your way to over easy. It takes some quick wrist movement and a gentle landing. Flipping eggs over the sink on the disposal side is a good idea until you've got it down. :)

Such satisfaction! And it'll impress people. Like being able to shuffle cards the cool way. It looks cool but takes practice to get it right.

(I learned how to shuffle from Laurie Genzink in the locker room in 8th grade. I learned how to flip things in a skillet from Alton Brown.)

Okay, now it's back to the underground where I am writing GONE.

FADE debuts at #10 on the NYT bestseller list!!

You guys amaze me. You're astounding. Fabulous. Unstoppable. (And extremely good looking.)

Thank you for buying my books and for telling your friends!! FADE hit the NYT bestseller list with its first week's sales. That so totally rocks.

Let's keep it going! If you have a chance in the next few days, please tell a new friend or two about the WAKE series.

Love and hugs,

Lisa

About the next six weeks... and GONE (Wake book 3)

In case you haven't heard, FADE (Wake book 2) is out!! You can find it in stores and online everywhere.

And now, it's time for me to hibernate and really focus, to pour my heart into the third and final book, GONE, so that we have something fantastic to deliver to you in spring 2010. I have a lot of work to do on it yet before I go on tour at the end of March (with Cassandra Clare, yay!).

So if you cannot find me in real time online, or if you have sent me fan mail and haven't heard back yet, or if I haven't responded to your Facebook, Myspace, or Goodreads message or comment, please understand that it's because I need to focus on making GONE the best book I can make it.

Thanks to all of you for your awesome support and for buying WAKE and FADE!! I'll come out to play more often when GONE is all shiny and awesome. :)

xox and love,

Lisa

interviews

If you want to read some recent interviews, try these:

Cynthia Leitich Smith (whose new book ETERNAL, sequel to Tantalize, also just came out -- check it out!)

Liv's Book Reviews

And here's a neat new review of WAKE by a very cool person I met the other night at Changing Hands.

Wheee!

Visit www.LisaMcMann.com!


Hey all! Here's where I'll be this week:

*Monday, February 9, 2009, 7:00 p.m.
Spring Author Panel at Changing Hands Bookstore. Explore how to write, market, and publish first-rate teen literature with authors Lisa McMann (Wake), James Owen (Indigo King), Janette Rallison (My Fair Godmother), and Laurie Brooks (Selkie Girl). Joining them is literary agent Erin Murphy. Panel moderated by Changing Hands Bookstore’s children’s book buyer Brandi Stewart.
6428 S McClintock Dr
Tempe, AZ 85283
480-730-0205


*Tuesday, February 10, RELEASE DAY!!!!!
(okay, I'm lame. I have no plans for this day. I'll be updating websites to say "FADE is now available!" or something. Chatting on Twitter or Facebook. General goofing off.)


*Wednesday, February 11, 2009, 7:00 p.m.
Barnes and Noble
Chandler Fashion Mall (Fwy 101 & Chandler)
3111 W. Chandler Blvd #2054
Chandler, AZ 85226
480-792-1312


*Thursday, February 12, 2009, 7:00 p.m.
Changing Hands Bookstore
6428 S McClintock Dr
Tempe, AZ 85283
480-730-0205
(McClintock at Guadalupe)

From Publisher's Marketplace today...

"Author of the NYT bestseller WAKE Lisa McMann's next paranormal stand-alone, again to Jennifer Klonsky at Simon Pulse, for publication in spring 2011, by Michael Bourret at Dystel & Goderich Literary Management (World)."

25 Random Things...about Cabe

In honor of the release of FADE (Wake, Book 2), and also on behalf of the 859 people who have tagged me for 25 Random Things on Facebook, I give you a glimpse behind the scenes of Cabel Strumheller, book character extraordinaire.


25 Random Things about Cabe:

1. Sometimes, when I think about my mom, I can’t really remember what she looks like. I hate that.

2. I feel kind of guilty that I don’t think about her much at all, and then I wonder if she ever thinks about me. Probably not.

3. When I was in the hospital, I read a lot. Like, everything on the book cart. Even the Judy Blume stuff, which wasn’t too bad, actually.

4. I hate mowing the grass, especially the back yard behind the shed. My heart always pounds a little, like something’s going to jump out at me, even though I know it won’t. You know what I mean?

5. When I’m at school, I usually feel like I’m acting. Most people there have never seen the real me.

6. Sometimes I miss living with my brother Charlie. Back when it was just the two of us, I mean. After dad, but before Megan came into the picture, even though she’s totally cool and I like her a lot.

7. But if I think about it, I really do like being alone sometimes...I like that quiet house creakiness right before I fall asleep.

8. I like the sound of Janie breathing even better, all quiet and smooth, when she’s just falling asleep.

9. I’ve always wanted a pet. A dog, probably. But I really get scared sometimes that I wouldn’t be around enough for it. That I’d let it down and it would be all lonely ‘n shit. There’s enough of that in the world.

10. After I met Janie and figured her out a little, I started watching The X-Files reruns. She’s not so strange after all, you know? Compared to that, I mean.

11. I would totally never do a Facebook page unless I had to for work. I mean, what’s the point? It would just be acting all over again. That gets a little tiring.

12. Unless Janie signed up too.

13. Which she totally wouldn’t.

14. Hell, though...I dunno. She might, now that I think of it. Just so she could spy on people.

15. You know, that’s not a bad idea...

16. Changing the subject: my favorite color is green. Not like Kelly green or grass green or that disgusting mint color that reminds me of old people and babies. More like the color of dried herbs. Sage green. That’s it.

17. Sometimes after dark I get the board out. There’s a skate park by the school. I’m pretty good, still.

18. I really freaking hope I can keep this car forever.

19. I have no idea what to think of Janie’s mother. She is the strangest person I’ve seen, and believe me, I know some strange people.

20. I can’t stand it when I don’t know what’s going on.

21. I enjoy reading the news. I also like knowing a lot of random shit. It amuses me to see people’s reactions.

22. That time when Janie hit me in the gut with the door handle after the dance? I almost didn’t follow her. I mean, god. Who would follow a girl like that?

23. I know, I know. Me.

24. I really like to cook, and if anybody wants to give me shit about that, I’ll f*cking punch their lights out. Cooking’s dope. It’s like getting a chemistry formula right or putting a car together. Recipes, instructions, formulas...it’s all the same.

25. Some people think guys like me don’t exist. That’s a lie. Don’t believe it. I’m right here. We’re everywhere. The quiet ones. If you can look away from the shiny for a minute, you’ll see us.

Pulse SPRING FLING Contest!!

A reminder -- lots of books to win here! Easy entry. Click on the image.




To enter, simply send an email to pulsespringfling@gmail.com with the words Pulse Spring Fling! in the subject line and answer the question, "Who is your favorite fictional couple?" in the body of the email.

One entry per person, US residents only. Contest begins January 1, 2009 and ends February 14, 2009. Winners will be announced Monday, March 2nd, with prizes delivered mid-March.

Happy release day, A.S. King!

THE DUST OF 100 DOGS is officially out. Congrats, Amy!! Can you believe the day has finally come?

Readers, check out what Reviewer X has up her sleeve in celebration. Win stuff...including signed copies of WAKE and FADE.

Dear librarians,

Thank you for choosing WAKE as a Top Ten Quick Pick for Reluctant Young Adult Readers. I have a heart for reluctant readers and wrote WAKE with them in mind. Such an honor.

Also, my sympathies in the tragic loss of two of your own after the convention. Warm thoughts to the families and all those readers and co-workers affected by this...I'm sure there are many.

FADE signings coming up!

Hello lovely friends! Guess what?

I have in my hands an official copy of the FADE hardcover. It's freaking gorgeous. And it's about 40 pages longer than WAKE (for the same price as the WAKE hardcover, which I thought was pretty cool).

If you live in the Phoenix area like I do, the B&N in the Chandler Mall already has copies of FADE in stock. Seriously. I just bought one there yesterday. Go.

I'll be doing a signing there on Wed., Feb 11 at 7pm. Please come!

And if you don't live nearby but you want a personalized/signed copy, call this store now and order one (or five). Or if you want WAKE, hardcover or paperback. I'll sign 'em all while I'm there on Feb 11, and they'll ship them to you (you'll need a credit card):

Barnes and Noble
Chandler Fashion Mall (Fwy 101 & Chandler)
3111 W. Chandler Blvd #2054
Chandler, AZ 85226
480-792-1312 (ask for Sibley, Melissa, or Cathi...tho' anyone should be able to help you)

The next night, Thursday, Feb. 12, 7:00pm, I'll be signing at my local independent bookstore, Changing Hands in Tempe. They'll take phone purchases too!

Changing Hands Bookstore
6428 S McClintock Dr
Tempe, AZ 85283
480-730-0205
(McClintock at Guadalupe)

You can call them ahead and order signed copies of WAKE or FADE, too, and they will ship them to you. I'm happy to personalize and sign, especially since these are stores close to home and I don't have, like, a plane to catch an hour after the event. :)


Please keep an eye on my website tour page for updates -- I'll be doing a 10-day U.S. tour in March with Cassandra Clare (City of Glass). More info when I have it! Here's the page to watch and bookmark: http://lisamcmann.com/html/tour.php

Much love! Please help spread the word. I really appreciate your awesome support of me and the WAKE series. You rock. Truly.

Lisa

FADE countdown clock

(another one!)


Visit www.LisaMcMann.com!

We get fan mail

There is a form on my website where you can send me your comments or just say hello.

If you would like a response, please double-check the email address you put into the form. I've replied to a few of you whose emails have bounced. That makes me sad, because then you think I didn't even try. Wah.

As of this moment, 12:10 pm mountain time on Saturday, Jan 17, I have replied to all fan mail. Yes, I am caught up. Yaaaaaaaaaaaa-- *plink*

Er...scratch that. :)

Seriously, though, if you sent me mail through my website form before today and did not get a response, feel free to try again if you want to (and double-check that you spelled your email address correctly).

Thanks!

The Dust of 100 Dogs by A.S. King

I want to tell you about a wonderful new author and her new book.

It's called THE DUST OF 100 DOGS, by A.S. King.

I first met A.S. King on a message board for writers, but I didn't know her very well. Her book sounded interesting, and so I asked her about it. I offered to read it for a possible blurb -- and there are a few out there who know that I won't blurb just anything. I really have to love it.

Well, I loved it. Here's the story in 1.5 minutes.




And now, this much-awaited book is almost out. In fact, I noticed that it's shipping from at least one online store. Ask your local bookstore for it, and your local library. If they don't have it, please ask them to carry it.

It's on the mature side of YA, so keep that in mind. 14-15+ feels about right as a rough guideline.

WAKE is a 2008 Cybils Award Finalist!

The review is up on the Cybils website, which makes this wonderful honor so real.

I can't believe I'm a finalist in something with Neil Gaiman. NEIL GAIMAN, people. OMG. And Graceling, and Hunger Games, and all the others in the sci-fi/fantasy category...it's overwhelming.

I feel a need to say something to all of you bloggers out there. And I get a little emotional sometimes, so if you don't like that, you can go ahead and bite me (or just skip this next bit):

You have been there for this book, and I am ever grateful. So many of you read WAKE and spread the word, and you interviewed me and reviewed the book and recommended it, and people listened to you. You told your teen friends and Twilight Moms and college students and paranormal geeks and so many people who said they hate reading about WAKE and they found me on twitter and facebook and myspace, and they told me they bought WAKE because they'd heard so much about it, and they read it and it meant something. You are a powerful group -- and I'm thrilled to have spent this last year getting to know so many of you.

The WAKE paperback came out Dec 23, and in an economy that makes every author cringe, it came out with a huge bang. No, we didn't hit the NYT list with it, not yet anyway, but you know what I think? I think it came out so strongly because of the Cybils shortlist. What fabulous timing. And maybe there's hope for that NYT list soon -- we'll keep trying. I hope you'll remember FADE when the time comes, February 10.

So thank you, book reviewers, teachers, librarians, and teen reviewers. And thank you to all the wonderful judges who read SO many books and, when the dust settled, chose WAKE to sit alongside all the amazing titles on the shortlist.

Thanks for spreading the love. And don't miss my little attempt at spreading the love back to you -- see the posts below this one for two great contests, one prize being books and the other, Cold. Hard. Cash.

xox
Lisa

FADE Countdown Clock

Get this widget!

Pulse SPRING FLING Contest!!

Happy New Year!!

I'm so excited to post about this new contest not only because we have some great prizes, but also because I get to share this contest with two awesome Pulse authors who are also releasing new books this season, Elizabeth Scott (SOMETHING, MAYBE) and Lisa Schroeder (FAR FROM YOU).

It's so easy to enter. Just follow the instructions in the graphic. And feel free to grab the photo and post it in your own blog.

Just in case you can't see the image, here's the contest info:

Pulse Spring Fling Contest!

Grand prize: One signed copy each of Far From You, Fade, and Something, Maybe along with a phone call from your choice of one of the three featured authors

Second prize: A box full of Pulse books

Third prize: Your choice of a signed copy of any one of the featured author's backlist titles


To enter, simply send an email to pulsespringfling@gmail.com with the words Pulse Spring Fling! in the subject line and answer the question, "Who is your favorite fictional couple?" in the body of the email.

One entry per person, US residents only. Contest begins January 1, 2009 and ends February 14, 2009. Winners will be announced Monday, March 2nd, with prizes delivered mid-March.

Enjoy!

Also, if you like to write, S&S and I are having an essay contest as well with another great prize. See my website, http://lisamcmann.com for details.

Fund Your Dreams Contest!!

It starts at midnight in honor of WAKE coming out in paperback, yay!! The Fund Your Dreams essay contest is for U.S. teens ages 14-18 (as of the day you enter - see official rules), 500 words or less, answering the question found on the contest page on my website. Just follow the FUND YOUR DREAMS link.

The prize is ONE THOUSAND DOLLARS to further your life goals, courtesy of Simon and Schuster and yours truly.

ONE. THOUSAND. DOLLARS.

This was a contest that I've wanted to do since before WAKE came out, because I believe in giving back to readers.

Growing up, my parents did all they could for us kids but times were a bit tough financially. I started working odd jobs at age 11 and from that time on, I bought all my own clothes, school books, and put myself through college. It took ten years after college to pay off those loans.

If you've read WAKE, you know what Miss Stubin gives Janie, and also what Captain does at the end. I would have given anything as a teen to have that kind of opportunity. But now I have an opportunity to be on the giving side of things, and I am so honored to have a publisher who understands this passion and was willing to envision it and get behind the idea.

We ran into some problems last year when we were trying to put this project together and I thought the idea was dead. However, a few months ago, my awesome marketing director and team at Simon & Schuster revived it and surprised me with this new concept.

In this crazy economy, I know there are teens out there who could really use some cash to fund a dream. Or maybe you need a little help buying your own clothes and books for school, or you're heading for college someday and are trying to save for that. Or maybe you can't find a part-time job because there just isn't any work out there for teens right now, and your family needs help. Whatever the case, this contest is for you. I wish there could be more than one winner.

Now. I am one of the judges, and I want to suggest a few things:

1. Don't hurry to enter. You only get one shot at it, so make it good. Here's how I'd do it -- I'd think it through for a couple days and then write the best essay I knew how to write and edit it a few times, and then I'd show it to a teacher to get a good critique. Then I'd fix it and put it away for a couple days to get some distance from it, then read through it one last time and fix anything else I wanted to fix before submitting it. Spelling, grammar, and punctuation are all important.

2. Please, please, please read the directions very carefully before entering. You are smart and you know how to do this. I trust you and I have faith in you. All questions you have should be answered in the rules. If you don't find the answer, read the rules again.

3. This is a personal essay contest. An essay is not fiction. I want to read about real things -- about one real obstacle you've overcome in your life.

I can't wait to read them and learn more about you. Really. I'm getting all teary-eyed just thinking about it. Happy writing!

A lot of things, like contests

Hello dear readers, there is a lot going on.

First, I want to tell you about a contest that I hope will seriously blow you away. And I hope, in return, you will seriously blow me away.

Starting Tuesday, Dec. 23, my publisher (Simon Pulse) and I are having an essay contest for teens in the U.S. ages 14-18. I'll give out the topic and the complete rules on my website on December 23 (or you can find the topic in the back cover of the WAKE paperback, in many stores now) and you will have a couple months to write the best 500-words-or-less essay you can write. There is a prize...a big one. Remember when we gave away a Wake-skinned Wii in March? This prize is bigger than that. You'll find out what it is on Tuesday.

Second, there will be ANOTHER cool contest coming up beginning January 1 for those of you who don't want to write an essay or don't fit into the 14-18 age bracket. So stay tuned for that one too.

Third, I want to know what you are doing for your holiday break. Are you bored or having a blast? Or maybe not having a break at all?

Reasons why you should subscribe to my blog

1. Because I finally updated it to the new layout thingy thing, yay me! I am hip!

2. Because I am bringing back the word hip! Yay!

3. Because you are cool. Yay you!

4. Because in the next few weeks and months, you are NOT going to want to miss the new fabulous contests I'll be having. You thought the Contest-O-Thanks was big? That was NOTHING compared to what's coming up. NOTHING, I say, and I say it again. (Nothing!)****

5. Because I already spent years as a mortified teenager who didn't have any followers and I would be mortified if I still didn't have any.


So, what does following this blog do for you? I don't know! But I feel very strongly that you should. I won't be able to see into your dreams or anything if you do it...(she says, glancing nervously about the interroom)

****this is the real reason you should do it, in case it got lost in the mutual hippy coolness of us

A great review of FADE from Booklist

Here's an excerpt (I don't have the full review yet):

“A great blend of mystery, romance, and supernatural elements, and featuring a strong but vulnerable female protagonist, this episode ends with an irresistible hook for the final installment.”

WAKE in paperback -- only $8.99

Finally, right? Now you can get your very own copy of WAKE for under ten bucks! And with FADE coming Feb 10, now's a great time to start your WAKE trilogy collection. Plus, you're going to need something to read over winter break.

Now...the WAKE paperback's official release date is December 23, but you can often find books sooner than their official date. I have seen it in stock and shipping already at a couple of well-known online bookstore websites. So it's out there, people! It.is.out there.

But some people don't buy books online, AND more importantly, I like it when you buy your books locally if you can.

So here's what you do: call or go to your local bookstore and ask for WAKE in paperback at the info desk. If they don't have it in yet, ask them to please *please pretty please* order it for you and call you as soon as it is in.

Isn't that easy?

Happy holidays to all, and thank you for spreading the word about WAKE.

xox
Lisa

Buy books as gifts!

They are inexpensive, classy, and they last a lifetime.

WAKE Lexicon

Hey guys, check out the new WAKE Series Lexicon, put together by a cool guy named Alex. Go comment, take a quiz, read an interview...fun times.

Contest-O-Thanks WINNERS!

First, a short commercial: WAKE comes out in paperback Dec 23, and FADE is coming February 10! So...you know what to do. Let's get back on that NYT bestseller list, shall we?
(thank you, that is all)

Here are the eighteen winners. If you are on the list, please scroll down and read carefully to see your instructions for claiming your prize!


Susan259

Shootingstarsmag (Lauren)

Dissappearme

Deanna (anonymous)

Kalie

Jessica Kennedy

The Bookworm

Amee

Pierre Roustan

Pikealicious

Liv

The Book Girl

karinlibrarian

Reading Junky

Emily Rozmus

Shae

H.R. (from Wantmyya)

Devyn Burton


Congratulations to the winners! And sincerest thanks to all of you who entered and have helped spread the word about the WAKE series. I am ever grateful.

Instructions for winners:

Send me an email to: lisa @ lisamcmann.com (no spaces) that includes:
1. WINNER in the subject line
2. your screen name as it is listed above so I know who you are
3. your REAL name and FULL address (reminder to minors -- make sure parents/guardians know what you are doing)
4. anything else you'd like to say in light of these exciting times. :)

I will reply to you so that you know I got your email. So if you don't get a reply from me by Sunday, leave a comment here alerting me to that and we'll try another way.

If I do not hear from you by Monday, Dec. 1, I will pick a new winner in your place.

And guess what?

I'm not going to tell you which book you won. Isn't that mean? I'm going to put them all into identical packages and randomly address them. So it'll really be like a gift. :) To review the prize list, it's two posts below this one.

xox, thanks, peace, and love,

Lisa

Contest Winners posted here later today

The Freaking Huge Contest-O-Thanks is over!

For the obsessive among you who noticed the number of entries going down, that's because I weeded through the entries and pulled out the comments that were double-posts or clarifications or just general comments rather than entries. Everybody gets one shot at winnning a book. And your chances of winning something are better than my chances of winning this. So, yay!

I will post winners here later today, once I have my Diet Coke and get my kids off to school. Thank you for your patience.

xo

Freaking Huge Contest-O-Thanks

Have you reviewed or blogged about WAKE? Or maybe shared the love in another way? If so, you are eligible to win. If not, you still have time to become eligible!

Go to my new, improved website, LisaMcMann.com and take a look around. You’ll find the rules on eligibility and how to enter on the NEWS page.

If you've already found and read the rules, copy your link into the comments of this blog post to enter! Don't know what I'm talking about? Go find the rules and read them!

Contest ends on Cabe's birthday: Tuesday, November 25, 2008.

PRIZES:

Five (5) autographed Advance Reader Copies of FADE (zomg!)

Five (5) autographed copies of WAKE (if you already own it, give it as a gift!)

An autographed copy of PAPER TOWNS by John Green

INVISIBLE TOUCH by Kelly Parra

An autographed copy of STAYING FAT FOR SARAH BYRNES by Chris Crutcher

THE DEMON QUEEN by Richard Lewis

Something by Elizabeth Scott. Maybe LIVING DEAD GIRL, maybe an arc of her upcoming book SOMETHING, MAYBE, or maybe (maybe, probably, maybe) both.

An arc of FAR FROM YOU by Lisa Schroeder (which I may have to read first before giving it away)

ANNNNNNNND... an arc of CITY OF GLASS, the third and final book in the MORTAL INSTRUMENTS TRILOGY, which isn't due out until March 24. (ditto on the reading of it first)

I think that's it.
That's enough for eighteen winners, right? Seriously, you have a really good chance of winning something.


Go!

I'm devising an autumn book giveaway contest

Stay tuned -- details within the week.

Two things.

Also,


View my page on YA for Obama

I've been Spark'd!

I graduated from Calvin College, a Christian liberal arts school in Grand Rapids, Michigan. I had a number of great professors there who were really encouraging and helpful to me as a writer. For those of you who know YA lit, one of my profs was Gary Schmidt, author of two Newbery Honor books.

Recently, I did a phone and e-mail interview with Lynn Rosendale, the Associate Director of Communications and Marketing and managing editor of Spark, the alumni quarterly magazine.

Here is an extensive interview, and here is a book review/interview.

For fellow Calvin grads, the book review/interview will be in this month's print issue of Spark.

Check it out!

Thanks to all who

stopped by the Books of Wonder event. It was a blast!



It was so great to see some old friends and meet new ones. Even the guy I went to my senior prom with was there. (thanks for coming, David!)

NYC - Wednesday, August 6, 6:00 p.m.

I'll be at Books of Wonder. Please come! I'll be reading from FADE, woo hoo!
18 W 18th Street
New York, NY 10020

Here's the info from Books of Wonder's website:

LISA McMANN, LINDA GERBER, MELISSA WALKER, CLAIRE MYSKO, KATIE DAVIS,
and JENNY DAVIDSON


Please join us on Wednesday, August 6, as we host 6 talented authors for teen who will present some of the newest in scintillating teen fiction and non-fiction. Come meet author and scholar JENNY DAVIDSON, whose debut teen novel The Explosionist, set in Scotland in the 1930's, introduces us to sixteen-year-old Sophie, her friend Mikael, and her great-aunt Tabitha as they are caught up in a murder mystery involving terrorists and suicide bombers whose plans have world-shaping consequences; best-selling author KATIE DAVIS, whose latest novel, The Curse of Addy McMahon, is a comic look at the titular hero's attempts to get down to the bottom of a purported family curse even as she tries to repair the fallout after her entire school gets a look at one of the comics from her private journal; LINDA GERBER, whose Death by Bikini introduces us to Aphra Behn Connolly, a lonely girl living on her family's island resort and forced to turn sleuth when a shocking murder and the sudden arrival of smoldering Seth's family seem just a bit too coincidental; LISA McMANN, author of Wake, a spellbinding novel in which seventeen-year-old Janie Hannagan learns she has the supernatural ability to enter into other people's dreams and influence those dreams; CLAIRE MYSKO, author of You're Amazing!: A No-Pressure Guide to Being Your Best Self, a fun-packed advice book that tackles the pressures faced by today's teens by offering inspired wisdom and guidance from older teens, female role models, and activities from Girls Inc., a non-profit organization that inspires all girls to be strong, smart, and bold; Violet series writer MELISSA WALKER, author of Violet in Private, Violet by Design, and Violet on the Runway, which explore the travails of Violet Greenfield, wallflower turned catwalker turned college student, as she encounters romance, the pitfalls of celebrity, and those everyday insecurities of teenage girls; and CHLOE WALSH, author of The Interns:Fashionistas and The Interns: Truth or Fashion, which presents the glamorous yet nerve-wracking world of the four summer interns at Couture magazine--aspiring designer Callie; party-girl photographer Nadine; accommodating Ava, who's about to learn you don't get what you want by standing back and waiting for it to happen; and Aynsley, sexy socialite with an attitude to match. Don't miss your chance to meet these cutting-edge teen fiction and non-fiction authors and get your books signed by them! 6:00-7:30pm. Ages 12 and up.


This event is free and open to all. Please note that you are welcome to bring one book from home to be signed for each book you purchase on the day of the event. If you have any questions, call us at (212) 989-3270.

I know you are so jealous...

because I am this tight with MC Hammer. Don't I look like a total dork with my mouth all askew? :) Here we are at the Ypulse Conference in San Francisco, where I also got to meet the awesome Melissa Walker, author of the Violet on the Runway series which I absolutely love -- I mean, seriously. Violet is this awesome geeky, awkward, freakishly tall and totally unpopular high school girl who gets discovered by a top modeling agency and becomes this amazing model...but guess what? Her problems don't magically go away. And since author Melissa has seen the inside view of the modeling industry (she has an article in the current issue of Teen Vogue, too), she is the perfect author to tell it like it is. I love this series and can't wait to read book three, Violet in Private, which comes out August 5.

I also met Justina Chen Headley, author of Girl Overboard and one of founders of the amazing Readergirlz. With her was her very cool son, who rocked.

And then there was David Levithan who claims half responsibility for Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist. He's also an editor at Scholastic and is involved in the upcoming 39 Clues, which is getting a lot of buzz. David and I shared the stage with Mortified author Dave Nadelberg and spent about 30 minutes embarrassing ourselves talking about our teen experiences.

And I can't forget to mention very cool editor Cindy Eagan from Little, Brown, who was a blast.

Awesome conference! You? Must come next year, okay? Okay.


And hey! Do you Twitter? https://twitter.com/lisa_mcmann

NYC Signing coming up August 6

Hello peeps,

My lazy month is coming to a close and things start speeding up again for me.

I'll be in San Francisco July 13-15 at the Ypulse Mashup (Youth Marketing Convention). I heard MC Hammer is going to be there and if he is, I'm totally getting his autograph for Michigan friend Brian Aulick, who still owns Hammer pants (rumor has it, anyway). I'm excited to meet cool authors like Melissa Walker, Justina Chen Headley, David Levithan and Dave Nadelberg.

Then it's off to see family and friends in Michigan for 10 days. If I have a chance, I'll stop into Holland's bookstores to sign copies of WAKE. Same goes for the "South of Detroit" area.

Then I'll fly out to NYC for the Backspace Conference (details in the post below) for an August 6 signing with fellow YA authors Melissa Walker and Linda Gerber:

BOOKS OF WONDER
18 W 18th Street
New York, NY 10011

(212) 989-3270

The reading/signing is Wednesday August 6 from 6-7:30 pm. Please spread the word!

Book news -- announcing book 3 in the WAKE series...

WAKE, FADE, ?

NYT bestselling author Lisa McMann's third and final installment in the series that began with WAKE, to Jennifer Klonsky at Simon Pulse, for publication in Spring 2010, by Michael Bourret at Dystel & Goderich Literary Management (World).

No title yet.

Looking for a great writing conference?

The 2008 Backspace Writers Conference (August 7 & 8, Radisson Martinique, New York City) brings together literary agents, acquisitions editors, best-selling authors, and publishing professionals for a two-day, two-track program of workshops, panels, and networking in the heart of the publishing world.

In addition to keynote talks by Mark Tavani, a senior editor at Random House, and New York Times bestselling author Lee Child, program highlights include a conversation with Simon Lipskar and Mark Tavani on agents and editors working together, a marketing discussion by M.J. Rose, a workshop from independent editor Jerry Gross on finding and working with a reputable book doctor, a role-playing workshop from Jeff Kleinman: “Buy This Book!”, agent and editor panel discussions, and panels on the young adult market, short stories, memoir, nonfiction, crime fiction, erotica, children’s picture books, and more.

Attendance is limited to 200. $355 for Backspace members; $395 for non-members. In addition, Mystery Writers of America is offering their members a special discount. Register Now and come meet the people who can make a difference in your career!

Literary Agents: Richard Curtis, Simon Lipskar, Jeff Kleinman, Emmanuelle Alspaugh, Paige Wheeler, Laney Katz Becker, Jenny Bent, Maya Rock, Michael Bourret, Scott Hoffman, Ronnie Gramazio, Elisabeth Weed, Stephany Evans

Authors: M.J. Rose, Harry Hunsicker, Jason Pinter, Jackie Kessler, Heather Brewer, Gail Konop Baker, Laurel Corona, Lisa McMann, Jenny Gardiner, Danielle Younge-Ullman, Claudia Gray, Marlys Pearson, Jessica Keener, Elizabeth Letts, A.S. King, Robin Slick, Susan Henderson, Pam Jenoff, Trish Ryan, Leora Skolkin-Smith, Caroline Leavitt, Reed Farrel Coleman, Chris Grabenstein, William Powers

Editors and Other Publishing Professionals: Hilary Rubin Teeman (editor, St. Martin's), Charis Conn (contributing editor, Harper's Magazine), Kristen Weber (senior editor, New American Library), Bella Stander, Jerry Gross, Lauren Cerand, Eileen Winnick


"Backspace is relatively new but it's the real deal - which is amply proved both by the quality of discourse within and the truly amazing hit-rate its members have already achieved." – Lee Child, New York Times best-selling author

"I love being associated with you guys. Such a class act. Backspace is the pre-eminent writers organization because you guys have made it so. Always innovating, thinking outside the box, and just generally doing conferences bigger and better than they have been done before. I'm just honored to have been there from the start." – Kristin Nelson, Nelson Literary Agency

"I mention Backspace whenever I teach my writers' workshop around the country. The yearly Backspace conference is an invaluable resource. I've taught there and can’t say enough good things about the information, encouragement, and enthusiasm they provide." – David Morrell, New York Times bestselling author

From Attendees:

"I have never had such an excellent time at a conference! The presenters were uniformly accessible and pleasant. The overall mood was also excellent."

"The workshop was so well organized and run. Bravo to all of you who worked to pull together a truly remarkable event, well worth the price of admission!"

"The superlatives just flow whenever I try to describe my experience at the conference. I can't say enough or thank you enough. Superb. As I keep telling folks, it's impossible to convey what I took away from the experience, because the most valuable things are the intangibles."

"It was the best writing conference I've ever attended on all dimensions - the amount of new information, real contact with other writers and people in the industry, and the level of truth-telling made it stand out."

"I thought the conference was absolutely fantastic. The informal atmosphere and seriousness of intent combined into an exciting, very useful, very enjoyable weekend of talks and panels. I learned so much, met so many wonderful people, and got a far stronger handle on how to market my work. Many, many thanks."

Reading/Signing Encinitas, CA

Hey Southern California, I'll be signing copies of WAKE in Encinitas.

Saturday, May 24, 2:00 PM

Barnes & Noble Encinitas
Encinitas Town Center
1040 N. El Camino Real Drive
Encinitas, CA 92024
760-943-6400

Please stop by if you're in the area.

xo
Lisa