Grace Lin's Blog, page 129

Celebrate LING & TING!!!!

guess what?

Ling and Ting is NOW AVAILABLE!!!

IndieBound Description:
Ling and Ting are two adorable identical twins, and they stick together, whether they are making dumplings, getting their hair cut, or practicing magic tricks. But looks are deceiving--people can be very different, even if they look exactly the same.

My Thoughts:
So, for today's Book Talk Tuesday I'm going to indulge and tell you about MY book! ha ha. I can't tell you how excited I am about this book, my very first early reader....

on my desk monday

don't we look like a happily married couple?

or how I will spend my 4th of July weekend!

P.s.- Check here on Tuesday for Ling and Ting festivities!

this makes me sad

"Stars don't just happen out of thin air, Hollywood helps make them. This was an opportunity to give the chance to some Asian kids to become stars for the future generation and we missed it."

-Dante Basco, voice actor for Zuko in the original cartoon (read his entire thoughts HERE).

I rarely like to call out others on "racefail" as I think it is an extremely difficult and tricky thing with many layers which is easy to be guilty of (especially for creators). Honestly, I've been ...

fortune cookie friday

"Were I to await perfection, my book would never be finished."
-Chinese Proverb

The Newbery Banquet or my Cinderella night

Once upon a time, there was a Cinderella who received an amazing invitation program to a ball banquet.
It even had her name on it!
As she sat in the ballroom banquet hall, she looked in awe all around her. She was really there! She knew it was magic that got her there. But, unlike other well-known Cinderellas who only have one, measly fairy godmother, this Cinderella had many.

First there was the Dress Fairy... Dress Fairy Cindy Pon who is the nicest & loveliest person to dress stalk as well as...

ALA, part 2.75

After the luncheon, there was just enough time for me to run to Listening Library's ( Where the Mountain Meets the Moon audiobook makers!) Lend your Voice mobile: This was a really neat event! Listening Library was making a "crowd-sourced" audio book of The Wizard of Oz-- anyone interested in recording a section could come by to participate!

Now, I have a little bit of a Wizard of Oz fixation. For any of you who have read The Year of the Dog, you'll know that the main character in the book want...

ALA, part 2.5

So after my signing, I was whisked off to a luncheon Little, Brown was giving to the Newbery Comittee & me. This is another thing to file under "something really neat & cool that my publisher did for me," especially because it was at this beautiful restaurant set up with this lovely display:
with coordinating menus!
At the luncheon, the gracious Megan Tingley (publisher of LB) gave a warm speech to introduce my editor Alvina Ling, describing, amongst other things, how Alvina's passion convinced...

ALA, part 2

I had time getting to sleep the night before the Newbery banquet. I was so excited! I felt like the next day was going to be Christmas and instead of stockings hanging on the mantelpiece, I had all my pretty dresses hanging in the closet. So, when the day came, I was awake really early! So early, that I indulged in ROOM SERVICE!
This is where I have to spout about how great my publisher Little, Brown & Co. is. If you ever publish a Newbery Honor book, publish it with them. One of the many nea...

ALA, part one

So, it was time to go! My trip to ALA and the Newbery Banquet began with a game of iphone pacman on the airplane:

It was about the time that I lost my 5th game that I realized I did forget something! I had remembered the jade bracelet this time, but I had forgotten my blue rose! It was a specially made rose to match my dress and to match the other blue rose girls whom I had gotten banquet tickets for. It was laying on the table at home:
I tried really hard not to be a whiner about it but I kind...