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