Lisa Yee's Blog, page 24

Neil Gaiman Meets the Peep

Am I the only one who gets confused and sometimes can't figure out what month it is and where I am? (Don't answer that.)

Okay, let's pick up where we left off last blog. That's right. San Diego for the ALA Midwinter Conference and the Newbery (and other) awards.

BTW, I cannot believe that The Today Show declined to continue their tradition of having the Newbery and Caldecott winners on the day after the announcement.

But not to despair. They did have an author on that morning . . .



Okay, back to the blog. After running into these bad boys on the convention floor . . .



. . . it was rehearsal time. Rehearsal for what? Rehearsal for this . . .



YES! A dancing/chatting show featuring these seven Scholastic authors . . .



And here we are, unblurred . . .



(That's Trent Reedy, Angelina Jolie, Katherine Applegate, Blake Nelson, Judy Blundell, Roland Smith and Pam Munoz Ryan.)

Soon it was time to get serious about having fun. Here's Lizette Serrano (1st photo, on left) going over the show with us, and the "heavenly hunk" in the tux is our host, John Mason . . .



There was even a live band, cameras, microphones, the whole shebang . . .



My editor Arthur Levine was there to cheer us on, and look, it's Katherine Applegate of Animorph's fame getting writing advice from Peepy . . .


(Son is a HUGE fan of her book HOME OF THE BRAVE.)

In a rare moment, the camera caught the authors sitting down and behaving . . .





While we were practicing behaving well, the reception began . . .



Then the audience entered and it was SHOW TIME!



John Mason was hysterical as he introduced each of us (and had props for all our books). I was enthralled by everyone's interview. However, I was HORRIFIED by the other author's entrances because . . . THEY DANCED onto the stage. Yes, danced.

I was up last, so I turned to Roland Smith who was sitting next to me and asked him, "Can you lift me?" Bravely, he said, "Yes."

And so when it was my turn, we ran up together, holding hands, then he hoisted me into the air and I struck a pose . . .



Thank you, Mr. Smith!

The next day, I attended this . . .



Nancy Pearl is an amazing librarian, and she's even talked about my book MILLICENT MIN, GIRL GENIUS on NPR!!! Plus, she's been to my house to blow up things . . .



(I suspect that Neil Gaiman would appreciate the carnage.)

The room was packed and both were witty and wonderful . . .



After, Neil signed copies of his Newbery winning THE GRAVEYARD BOOK . . .



I was sort of in awe of him, but you know Peepy, she's not shy. She went right up to Neil . . .



And of course, he was smitten by her . . .



Neil Gaiman even asked if he could hold Peepy . . .



Lucky Peep, and lucky me!



Here's Neil's blog, only he forgot to mention meeting Peepy!

That night, we had a delicious meal with our friend, San Francisco librarian, Carla Kozak . . .


(You can see more of "Cousin Carla" in this video.)

Ah, what a awesome time at ALA!!!



Next blog: The dancing continues when I am forced to hula in Hawaii . . .




Disclaimer: No proofreaders were harmed (or even used) in the creation of this blog.

Want to win a free copy of WARP SPEED, Lisa's new book that will debut in March? If so CLICK HERE.



Want some fun? CLICK HERE to visit the Lisa Yee and Son YouTube Channel.

Lisa Yee







Subscribe to Lisa Yee's Blog and get her fresh baked blogs e-mailed to you!



Email:




Or you can click this for a RSS feed...

Wooo! Newbery and Other Awards LIVE, Plus More ALA Action

What? We were just surfing in Hawaii, and now we're in San Diego? What gives?



The ALA Midwinter Conference -- that's what!



We'll blog back to Hawaii and the grueling research I had to do to write the American Girl books. But we wanted to tell you all about the conference and the BIG AWARD WINNERS.

It was my first time attending the ALA Youth Media Awards Press Conference. This is equivalent of the Oscars for children's/YA books! I wasn't sure what to wear and finally threw on this outfit . . .



I got up early (a big deal for me since I'm not a morning person) and met my Scholastic friends in the hotel lobby. We walked over together and got there as they were opening the ballroom doors. However, unlike soccer games, everyone entered in an orderly, even classy, fashion (would you expect anything less from librarians?) and there was no stampede and (as far as I know), and no one got a black eye (that I could see).



Here's my editor Arthur Levine, Lizette Serrano, our conference goddess, and Peepy, placing bets on which books/authors/illustrators lives will change when their names are announced . . .


(Peepy put all her money on herself.)

It was sort of nerve-wracking for me because even though I don't Tweet, I am a facebook junkie, and promised to post the awards as they were announced on my facebook wall. However, I have spelling issues, and typing issues, and I was trying to spell and type fast. Here are some of my posts totally out of order of when they were announced. (I APOLOGIZE to those whose names I mangled).





Super Editor/Author David Levithan and WILL GRAYSON, WILL GRAYSON, which was co-written by John Green, won a Stonewall Honor and WGWG also garnered an Odyssey Honor for best audiobook! Here's David at the ceremony . . .



And here's the room in the dark during the announcements . . .


So then, after we left the ballroom, we were handed this list of winners . . .


For a full list of winners/books with names spelled correctly, CLICK HERE.

What a morning! Congratulations to all the winners!!!!

Wait, wait, wait . . . but weren't the announcements at THE END of the conference? Well, yep. So, let's jump into my Time Machine and go back to the beginning.

On Friday, Peepy and I boarded the train to journey to the San Diego Convention Center . . .



That night Pam Munoz Ryan WHO WON THE PURA BELPRE AUTHOR AWARD for THE DREAMER (and didn't know it yet because she does not own a Time Machine like we do) hosted our Scholastic Family Dinner. We all road a disco bus/limo to Pam's abode . . .


Here's our hostess, plus Scholastic authors Judy Blundell, Blake Nelson, and Trent Reedy . . .

,

And look! It's Roland Smith and Arthur Levine . . .



"Isn't Arthur your editor?" you ask.



Yes, but his picture book, MONDAY IS ONE DAY will be out soon!

Here's the whole group o' authors in a candid photo . . .



And WOW, get a load of some of the other attractive Scholastic party people. Oh look, who is John Mason talking to in that first photo? Well, it's David Levithan and he DOES'T KNOW YET that soon he will be winning TWO MAJOR HONOR AWARDS.



However, the real drama took place when Pam asked me, "Is Peepy seeing anyone?" It seems she had a plan to set Peeps up on a blind date with BB . . .



It was going great until editor Anamika Bhatnager introduced Peepy to this bad boy . . .


Peeps was smitten. (They always go for the bad boys don't they?) But later BB found true love with Penguin . . .


The next day it was time to roam around the convention floor. Hey, is that WARP SPEED we see?



It was fun running into our author pals, like Mary Pearson, R.L. LaFevers, and Sonya Sones . . .



Peeps saw Dan Santat and also made some new friends . . .



She was also greeted by Brent Hartinger, Marlene Perez and Justin Bieber . . .



Plus, we saw Mitali Perkins, Darth Vadar, and Melissa Wiley . . .


Peepy also enjoyed shopping at the ALA Store and tried to decide whether she should get the Newbery or Caldecott stickers for her book . . .

(I had to explain to her that before she put a Newbery medal on her book, she needs to write it first.)

We were having sooooo much fun gathering ARCs (Advanced Reader Copies of new books that haven't been released yet) . . .



Then THE INCIDENT happened. WARNING: Violence ahead . . .



Yep. You guessed it. Peepy and Walter Mayes got into a BIG argument over whether or not books should have prologues.

It got ugly, but after visiting the Nurse's Station, Walter recovered from the beating Peepy gave him, and the two made up . . .



NEXT BLOG: DANCING (or CHATTING) WITH THE STARS . . .



OH!!! And if you live in the Los Angeles area, on Tuesday, January 11th I will be on KCAL9 News at Noon for a LIVE INTERVIEW about my new American Girl books!!!! (I hope I don't mumble.)

Disclaimer: No proofreaders were harmed (or even used) in the creation of this blog.

Want to win a free copy of WARP SPEED, Lisa's new book that will debut in March? If so CLICK HERE.



Want some fun? CLICK HERE to visit the Lisa Yee and Son YouTube Channel.

Lisa Yee







Subscribe to Lisa Yee's Blog and get her fresh baked blogs e-mailed to you!



Email:




Or you can click this for a RSS feed...

I Am Now a Professional Surfer . . . or maybe not

Where were we? Oh, that's right. We were here and that leads us to . . . HAWAII!!!!!!



Here's what happened. More than a year ago I got a phone call from American Girl editor Jennifer Hirsch. We had worked together when I wrote GOOD LUCK, IVY.



Jennifer asked if I would consider writing American Girl's 2011 Girl of the Year books. Oh, and they would be set in Hawaii, and I would have to go there to research. (Squeeeeeee!!!)

So I began doing an outline for the (two) novels. I knew that there would be surfing and snorkeling in the stories, and possibly stand-up paddleboarding. Therefore, it was imperative that I learned how to do all three.

I imagined that I would be EXACTLY like Gidget, except Asian, less coordinated and not nearly as spunky . . .



I had tons of excuses for not being a good surfer. The primary one being that I was old. That's what I decided to tell my instructor. "I am old and therefore won't be good at this."

Then my surfing instructor showed up and didn't buy my excuses. He was in his seventies . . .


(The board I actually surfed on was much smaller. This one is the one Hagrid uses when he goes to Hawaii.)

In GOOD JOB, KANANI, Kanani realizes that even though her best friend is an expert surfer, she is not. Here I am learning to surf . . .





OMG, I LOVED it!!! Surfing was sooooo much fun! I'm normally a very clumsy person, but for some weird reason, I could surf!

Next up was stand-up paddleboard. In ALOHA, KANANI, Kanani helps teach her cousin how to paddleboard, so I needed to know how . . .



For some reason, I found paddleboarding harder than surfing. Maybe it was because with surfing every inch of me was alert and maneuvering the waves. With paddleboarding, you are gliding across the water and don't need to think. Plus, I found my instructor to be distracting and I'd just be standing there, and then SPLASH! I'd fall into the ocean.



Next up was snorkling. We were out all day and went to several places around Oahu. It was absolutely gorgeous. In the novels, Kanani loves snorkeling and sees Hawaiian sea turtles or "honu" and so did I! Plus, I swam with the dolphin and later I sat at the table with all the people who got sea sick (but I won't show you that).



Can you believe my dedication to my craft? Inspirational, isn't it? Stay tuned for more of the grueling research I had to conduct to write ALOHA, KANANI and GOOD JOB, KANANI.



Do you live in the LA area? If so, I'll be LIVE on KCAL9 NEWS this Tuesday, January 11 (around 11:45 - noonish) talking about the Kanani books!!!!

And remember, if you're at the ALA Conference in San Diego this weekend, look for me roaming the convention floor, or here . . .



Disclaimer: No proofreaders were harmed (or even used) in the creation of this blog.

Want to win a free copy of WARP SPEED, Lisa's new book that will debut in March? If so CLICK HERE.



Want some fun? CLICK HERE to visit the Lisa Yee and Son YouTube Channel.

Lisa Yee







Subscribe to Lisa Yee's Blog and get her fresh baked blogs e-mailed to you!



Email:




Or you can click this for a RSS feed...

Ringing in the New Year

Where were you on 1/1/11?

At the stroke of midnight, I was watching the Rose Parade floats being lined up and readied for the parade . . .



Since we live in South Pasadena (which is actually a separate city and not part of Pasadena) . . .



. . . and the parade is in Pasadena, this is something Peepy and I do every year. Plus, everyone knows that Peepy brings good luck for the New Year.



It was freezing cold (well, for this Southern California gal), but still lots of last minute flowers were being placed on the floats . . .



Here are some of the gorgeous sites we saw. Keep in mind that EVERYTHING you see are made from flowers and plants!



Because we saw the float prior to the Parade, we got to sleep in on New Year's Day. Then it was off to the American Girl Place in Los Angeles.
It was so exciting, because I got to see my books, ALOHA, KANANI and GOOD JOB, KANANI, on display, and to see the gorgeous Kanani doll and all her friends and accessories!!!


(Isn't Kanani gorgeous? Illustrator, Sarah Davis, did an amazing job!)

There were lots of special events to celebrate Kanani being the 2011 Girl of the Year. Like hula lessons!!!



In ALOHA, KANANI, Kanani and her friend Celina hula dance. So, as research, when I was in Hawaii, I had a lesson. I'll have incriminating photos of that on an upcoming blog, but in the meantime, here the girls learning the hula at the American Girl Place in Los Angeles . . .



The displays in the store were amazing . . .



Here's Kanani looking good!



It was weird (in a good way!) to see Kanani and her friends, like her dog Barksee, and Malana, the baby Hawaiian monk seal she helps rescue. I mean, it's one thing to sit in your office and dream up stories, but then to see them come to life like this is incredible . . .



BTW, for every plush monk seal sold, American Girl will donate $1 to the National Wildlife Federation!



In GOOD JOB, KANANI, Kanani works at a shave ice stand to earn money to help raise awareness of the plight of the monk seal . . .



An elderly friend of hers makes leis, so while I was in Hawaii I learned to do that, too. The girls who came to Kanani's debut got to make leis, too . . .



And here's Kanani's paddleboard and hula outfit . . .



I've probably tired out your eyeballs with all these photos! So that's it for now. I'll be visiting all the American Girl Places, but until then, stay tuned for the next blog when I show proof that I learned how to surf!!!!



Oh! And this weekend, I'll be in San Diego attending the American Library Association Conference . . .



Disclaimer: No proofreaders were harmed (or even used) in the creation of this blog.

Want to win a free copy of WARP SPEED, Lisa's new book that will debut in March? If so CLICK HERE.



Want some fun? CLICK HERE to visit the Lisa Yee and Son YouTube Channel.

Lisa Yee







Subscribe to Lisa Yee's Blog and get her fresh baked blogs e-mailed to you!



Email:




Or you can click this for a RSS feed...

lisayee @ 2011-01-03T23:42:00

Where were you on 1/1/11?

At the stroke of midnight, I was watching the Rose Parade floats being lined up and readied for the parade . . .



Since we live in South Pasadena (which is actually a separate city and not part of Pasadena) . . .



. . . and the parade is in Pasadena, this is something Peepy and I do every year. Plus, everyone knows that Peepy brings good luck for the New Year.



It was freezing cold (well, for this Southern California gal), but still lots of last minute flowers were being placed on the floats . . .



Here are some of the gorgeous sites we saw. Keep in mind that EVERYTHING you see are made from flowers and plants!



Because we saw the float prior to the Parade, we got to sleep in on New Year's Day. Then it was off to the American Girl Place in Los Angeles.
It was so exciting, because I got to see my books, ALOHA, KANANI and GOOD JOB, KANANI, on display, and to see the gorgeous Kanani doll and all her friends and accessories!!!


(Isn't Kanani gorgeous? Illustrator, Sarah Davis, did an amazing job!)

There were lots of special events to celebrate Kanani being the 2011 Girl of the Year. Like hula lessons!!!



In ALOHA, KANANI, Kanani and her friend Celina hula dance. So, as research, when I was in Hawaii, I had a lesson. I'll have incriminating photos of that on an upcoming blog, but in the meantime, here the girls learning the hula at the American Girl Place in Los Angeles . . .



The displays in the store were amazing . . .



Here's Kanani looking good!



It was weird (in a good way!) to see Kanani and her friends, like her dog Barksee, and Malana, the baby Hawaiian monk seal she helps rescue. I mean, it's one thing to sit in your office and dream up stories, but then to see them come to life like this is incredible . . .



BTW, for every plush monk seal sold, American Girl will donate $1 to the National Wildlife Federation!



In GOOD JOB, KANANI, Kanani works at a shave ice stand to earn money to help raise awareness of the plight of the monk seal . . .



An elderly friend of hers makes leis, so while I was in Hawaii I learned to do that, too. The girls who came to Kanani's debut got to make leis, too . . .



And here's Kanani's paddleboard and hula outfit . . .



I've probably tired out your eyeballs with all these photos! So that's it for now. I'll be visiting all the American Girl Places, but until then, stay tuned for the next blog when I show proof that I learned how to surf!!!!



Oh! And this weekend, I'll be in San Diego attending the American Library Association Conference . . .



Disclaimer: No proofreaders were harmed (or even used) in the creation of this blog.

Want to win a free copy of WARP SPEED, Lisa's new book that will debut in March? If so CLICK HERE.



Want some fun? CLICK HERE to visit the Lisa Yee and Son YouTube Channel.

Lisa Yee







Subscribe to Lisa Yee's Blog and get her fresh baked blogs e-mailed to you!



Email:




Or you can click this for a RSS feed...

Aloha 2011!!!!!

I've had this secret for a looooong time, and now, at last, I can spill the beans!

Recently, I this was shipped to my house . . .



Yes, it's an American Girl doll, but why did I get one sent to me?

Maybe it's because . . . I AM THE AUTHOR OF THE TWO AMERICAN GIRL "2011 GIRL OF THE YEAR BOOKS!!!!" They're called ALOHA, KANANI and GOOD JOB, KANANI . . .



I'd like you to meet Kanani . . .



Here's Kanani bonding with Ivy, who's from another American Girl book I wrote, GOOD LUCK, IVY . . .



Who had to go to Hawaii for a week to "research"? That's right. ME!!!!!

I took surf lessons and learned how to paddleboard (that's my teacher!) in Oahu, and got a special helicopter tour of Kaua'i . . .


(Yes, it was tough, but someone had to do it.)

Kanani's books are about a girl living in a small seaside town on the island of Kaua'i. I'll be blogging more about the books and how they were created. In the meantime, here's another secret. See that man with the white hair? That's my dad, and today's his birthday!!!!



ALOHA 2011!!!!!



Disclaimer: No proofreaders were harmed (or even used) in the creation of this blog.

Want to win a free copy of WARP SPEED, Lisa's new book that will debut in March? If so CLICK HERE.



Want some fun? CLICK HERE to visit the Lisa Yee and Son YouTube Channel.

Lisa Yee







Subscribe to Lisa Yee's Blog and get her fresh baked blogs e-mailed to you!



Email:




Or you can click this for a RSS feed...

Farewell 2010

Phew. It's been a busy year.

January kicked off my travels with a couple of trips to Santa Barbara. Everywhere we went people fought over Peepy . . .



February was freezing on the East Coast, but it was heartwarming to hang out with book friends and check out cool bathrooms . . .



March is known as the month when Peepy and David Hasselhoff's lives intersected . . .



April was Aloha time . . .



In May, I attempted to murder R.L. Stine . . .



June was when I blogged about my writing process for WARP SPEED . . .



July marked the month I first visited Hicklebee's . . .



In August the star of FIREFLY and CASTLE, Nathan Fillion, came to my house. . .



Peepy took over Paris in September, plus BOBBY THE BRAVE (SOMETIMES) debuted to great reviews . . .



Puppy and I celebrated my seventh anniversary of being a published author in October . . .



Peepy was quite the diva in November, and famous authors gathered Orlando just to meet her . . .



Which brings us to this month. We've had the most marvelous year. It was so much fun traveling across the country and making new friends. I especially loved hearing from readers . . .



Oh hey! If you're going to be at the Midwinter ALA Conference in San Diego next week, come see me!!!!





And stay tuned. I've got a secret that I'll tell you about really, really, really soon. In the meantime, want to be one of the first to read WARP SPEED? If so, CLICK HERE to win your own copy!



Disclaimer: No proofreaders were harmed (or even used) in the creation of this blog.

Want some fun? CLICK HERE to visit the Lisa Yee and Son YouTube Channel.

Lisa Yee







Subscribe to Lisa Yee's Blog and get her fresh baked blogs e-mailed to you!



Email:




Or you can click this for a RSS feed...

Merry Seussy Christmas!

In keeping with our recent theme of I-Meant-To-Blog-This-Earier-But-A-Lot-Of-Other-Stuff-Was-Happening, we will now board our nifty Time Machine and go back to Florida . . .

In order to get to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter in Orlando . . .



. . . one needs to pass through this . . .



Yes--it's Seuss Landing! Here's more . . .



So then, Peepy reminded me that a while ago, on our way back home after visiting friends, we visited one of her favorite authors in Springfield, MA. Can you guess who?

Um, if you said Richard Castle, you'd be close . . .


Okay, if the photos from Orlando don't hold enough clues, here's another hint . . .



Yes! Yes! It was Dr. Seuss!

You might not be aware of this tidbit of literary trivia but here it goes -- rumor has it that Peepy was his inspiration!!! (Here are a few of the other authors Peepy has inspired.)





Pretty cool, don't you think?

Merry Christmas, everyone!!! Doesn't my house look great . . .

[image error]

Um . . . okay, so maybe that's not my house. And maybe we didn't do Christmas lights this year, but Happy Holidays nonetheless!!!

Oh! Oh, and wait . . . I wanted you to see all the goodies I baked . . .

[image error]

Um . . . okay, so maybe I didn't bake all those WONDERFUL treats. But I did eat them. My friend Linda Louie made ALL OF THEM in ONE DAY. Yummy!!!

And finally, a word of Christmas warning: If you have young children at home, don't let this happen to you.

Lisa Yee



Hey, having trouble thinking of what to get that wonderful kid in your life? Here's a list of the best books to give. (You may recognize one of the authors!)

Disclaimer: No proofreaders were harmed (or even used) in the creation of this blog.

Want some fun? CLICK HERE to visit the Lisa Yee and Son YouTube Channel.






Subscribe to Lisa Yee's Blog and get her fresh baked blogs e-mailed to you!



Email:




Or you can click this for a RSS feed...

A Most Marvelous Museum

It's time to put our Time Machine into gear and visit one of my new favorite places in the entire world. (So much has been going on lately that I didn't have time to blog this when it happened.) But look!!!!



"Er . . . what's that I'm looking at?" you ask.

It's City Museum in St. Louis and these lovely librarians, Andrea and Carrie, took me there when I was in town for the library's incredible Read It Forward program . . .



I was so stunned by the glory and the beauty and quirkiness and weirdness of it all, I was speechless. So was Peepy. Imagine, Peepy . . . speechless!

Since there are few words to describe the awesomeness, I'll just show pictures.

The place is in an old shoelace factory, and inside there are enchanted caves and monster bellies you can crawl through . . .



Dinosaurs and other animals are everywhere . . .



Everything is gorgeous. Totally.









There's even a skatepark inside . . .


And a model train exhibit and train rides, plus a CIRCUS and you can take lessons!!!



Cool collections of STUFF are everywhere . . .


Don't forget the area devoted to CORN DOGS and carnivals . . .


Are you getting all this???






There's also a floor dedicated to scavenged and reclaimed architecture and bugs (those are separate exhibits) . . .





Oh, but then it was time to go. Boo hoo!


But I'll be back. I just love the place!!!! Maybe it's because it reminds me of home?




Disclaimer: No proofreaders were harmed (or even used) in the creation of this blog.

Want some fun? CLICK HERE to visit the Lisa Yee and Son YouTube Channel.

Lisa Yee







Subscribe to Lisa Yee's Blog and get her fresh baked blogs e-mailed to you!



Email:




Or you can click this for a RSS feed...

A Posse of One's Own

There are many things an author must have to be able to write well.

See's chocolate(s) . . .

[image error]

Colin Firth as Mr. Darcy . . .



Nathon Fillion on their ceiling . . .



But there was something that else. Something that I had been missing. What could it be?????

Yes! I was missing one of these . . .



That's right. A posse. I mean, how could I ever write without one?

Luckily for me, I have friends in high places. (Or friends who like to procrastinate when they should be writing.) Because LOOK! LOOK at what this totally awesome author gave me . . . my own POSSE!!!!

Here's the totally awesome author, who's/whose identity is concealed, but will be revealed via a secret "click here" later . . .



And here's my posse, starting with the baddest (as in goodest) author/illustrator to ever be in a posse with the Cookie Monster. (HIs identity is concealed, but will be revealed via a secret "click here" later.)



Oh! And let's not forget this dude . . .



Oh! Oh! The leader of my Posse is . . . wait. Here's a hint: Her first novel won the National Book Award. And the answer is . . . this woman.

The dude with the glasses is . . . wait. Here's a hint: His wacky graphic novel series is being turned into a movie starring Amy Poehler. And the answer is . . . this guy.

So then, when some of my office mates saw the Official Posse Cap, they insisted on joining. And, well, who was I to deny them?



However, the downside of having one's own author posse is that you tend to want to goof off instead of write. Here's the proof . . .



HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!!!!!!

Oh, and if you've ever texted or used spell check, you're sure to get a laugh out of this website!!!

Disclaimer: No proofreaders were harmed (or even used) in the creation of this blog.

Want some fun? CLICK HERE to visit the Lisa Yee and Son YouTube Channel.

Lisa Yee







Subscribe to Lisa Yee's Blog and get her fresh baked blogs e-mailed to you!



Email:




Or you can click this for a RSS feed...