This is supposed to be where I tell you everything you ever wanted to know about Lisa Schroeder. Okay. Got it. The difficult part, however, is making this life story somewhat interesting when I have lived a fairly uninteresting life. There’s this one author who has swam with dolphins, lived in the rainforest with monkeys and flown with Superman (or at least, I like to imagine her flying with Superman). See, now you want to know her name so you can go and read HER life story. Well, too bad, I’m not telling you. For now, you’re stuck with me, no matter how boring it gets. You ready? Okay, here we go. (To get the official, condensed bio, please click here) Boring Thing #1 – I have lived in Oregon my whole life. Yes, like Isabel in my mid-grade novel, IT’S RAINING CUPCAKES, I am a true-blue Oregonian. I actually really love where I live and can’t imagine living anywhere else. But there are no dolphins to ride or monkeys to laugh at. Just rainy winter days to write by and beautiful summer days to read by. Boring Thing #2 – I was a good student in high school and college, and not only that, I had a great time. I went to high school at Lebanon Union High school and then on to college at Oregon State University, where I majored in Business. Why business? I have no idea. If I could go back, I’d major in English or Music or something else much more fun. As for high school, I pretty much loved it. I know, I know, how’s that possible? So many people, my husband included, were miserable in high school. I know some of you reading this now are miserable in high school. I wish I had advice, but I really don’t. Wait, maybe I do. When I’m feeling down about something, one thing that works for me is to think about someone else, somewhere else, who would give anything to have a life like mine. There are kids in other parts of the world who have to walk miles to get to a one-room hut where they sit on a floor and don’t eat all day, just so they can get an education. That’s how bad they want it. We are so blessed to live where we live and to have the opportunities we do. So, remember that the next time you are moaning about your calculus homework. You are extremely lucky to have that homework!! Boring Thing #3 – I have been married quite a long time to a very sweet, hard working man and we live in a cute house surrounded by lots of plants and flowers with our two sons, our cat Sparkles, and our dog Stormy. One of the favorite parts of my day is taking Stormy on a walk around our hilly neighborhood with my IPod playing in my ears. I often become so happy, my walk turns into a dance, and I have been known to sing while I walk/dance too. People do sometimes look at me funny. But I don’t care. That is one great thing about getting older. After awhile, you just don’t care what people think. If it makes you happy, you do it. Boring Thing #4 – I’m often asked why I write books. The truth is, writing is not easy. In fact, most days, it’s plain hard. But there is such a feeling of accomplishment when I’ve finished a first draft, or revised so that a good story is now an even better story. And in the end, it’s about telling a story that people won’t just read, but feel. I love stories that hit an emotional chord. When I hear from readers that one of my books has touched them, I know I’ve done my job. And so, YOU dear readers - YOU are why I write. Boring Thing #5 – When I’m not writing or working or walking the dog, what else do I enjoy doing? Well, I love to bake. My family will tell you I make an awesome blackberry pie. And of course I love to bake cupcakes. Did you know that in the back of the book, IT’S RAINING CUPCAKES, there are two delicious cupcake recipes JUST FOR YOU!? Yes, you! Oh, sorry, back to the topic of things I like to do. I love good movies, fun trips with my family (although I haven’t swam with the dolphins, I did see one at Sea World one time), reading, reading and more reading, and playing Rock Band with my kids. So, that’s my plain and boring life in one web page. If you got this far, thanks for reading. Now, go bake some cupcakes and curl up with a good book. That’s boring life at its best, and I speak from experience, right? Bio: Lisa Schroeder is a native Oregonian, which means her childhood summers were spent camping, fishing, reading books (of course!), and playing in the sun, when it finally came out. These days, Lisa spends her summers, and every other part of the year, sharing all the wonderful things Oregon has to offer with her husband and two sons. She is the author of three verse novels for young adults published by Simon Pulse - I Heart You, You Haunt Me, an ALA 2009 Quick Pick for Reluctant Readers, Far From You, a Texas TAYSHAS selection, and Chasing Brooklyn. She is also the author of It's Raining Cupcakes, a middle-grade novel published by Aladdin.