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!