Lisa Schroeder, Author

Lists are nice, but...

2012-01-26T08:31:00.000-08:00

Yesterday YALSA announced some of their annual lists, including Best Fiction for Young Adults (BFYA), Quick Picks for Reluctant Readers, and Popular Paperbacks.

THE DAY BEFORE was nominated for the BFYA and Quick Picks, and CHASING BROOKLYN for the Popular Paperbacks list (a huge thank you to the people who nominated them).

In the end, one panned out - THE DAY BEFORE made the 2012 Quick Pick List for Reluctant Readers. I love that there is a list like this to help librarians when teens come to them and say, I have to read a book for xyz, but I hate reading. I think this happens more than we might think. And I'm really honored and appreciative that THE DAY BEFORE made the list. My book, I HEART YOU, YOU HAUNT ME, made the same list in 2009. And it's true, my books are great for reluctant readers. I know because I get notes all the time that say, "I usually hate to read but I love your books."

But honestly, I always sort of dread the day the lists are announced. Because while there are many happy people, I also know there are just as many disappointed people. People who have written wonderful books, and get no recognition on any of the lists.

Making one of those lists, especially the BFYA list, feels good. Well, I can only assume it does, because I've never made that list. It means a committee of librarians, after getting teen feedback, felt your book deserved to be named "one of the best of the year." It's a huge honor!

So, somehow, when you don't make the list, you have to come to terms with the fact that yours is not one of "the best."

Except, I'm here to tell you, it is.

Your book may not be one of the best to that group of librarians. But somewhere, I'm pretty sure, there is a kid who loves YOUR book more than any other book. And that's what you, and I, have to hold in our hearts.

Occasionally I find myself wishing I could write like Sara Zarr or John Green or Nina LaCour or Lindsey Leavitt or Stephanie Perkins or Sarah Ockler or... (I could go on forever). But as I've talked about before, that will never happen. I am who I am. I write what I write. And lists or no lists, stars or no stars, riches or no riches, my books do have a place on the shelves.

AND SO DO YOURS.

It is hard to feel "less than." I know, because I feel it sometimes as a writer. And I hate that. This isn't high school. I shouldn't feel like I don't fit in because I don't have the best jeans and the cutest shoes. My YA novels are different, and sometimes different is ground breaking and transcending, and sometimes it's just... different. And like I tell kids all the time at school visits, it's okay to be different! But different isn't always popular, and that's what's hard.

Anyway... I guess I just wanted to send out a note to anyone who might be feeling a little down about not making one of the lists yesterday. Or any of the "Best of" lists that come out at the end of every year.

As Sara Zarr once said, one of my favorite quotes of all time: "A book is a wonderful, miraculous thing. But in some sense, it's also just a book."

It's all about perspective, really.

Last year, when CHASING BROOKLYN didn't make any of the lists, I remember it didn't phase me at all. I was so consumed with worry, and praying and hoping for my friend, Lisa Madigan, who had recently been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and was fighting for her life. There's some perspective, right there. I remember reading tweets and blog posts about the lists and all I could think was, who cares? My friend is dying.

No BFYA for me. Oh well. Life goes on, and because it does, I get to write more books, and that's really the thing worth celebrating, right there, I believe!

Authors and Reviews

2012-01-20T10:44:00.000-08:00

True story:

My very first full-time job after college was working for this woman who yelled a lot. She would be in her office, sitting at her desk, and instead of coming to get me, she would yell.

"Lisa, what is wrong with this? Please come in here, I don't understand it."

"Lisa, did you do that PAF I asked you to do? I can't find it."

"Lisa, where is that posting listed? Is it in the spot it's supposed to be in?"

And so it would go.

And the way she asked the questions made me feel like I was on the defensive *all* the time.

In case you've never worked for someone like that, let me tell you, it isn't very fun.

Now, some people probably have no problem with this style. They simply accept that's how she is, and it doesn't bother them.

Remember, this was my first "real" job. I was a 22-year-old college graduate, and I hadn't been around long enough to not take it personally.

It felt personal.

The more time that went by, the more it got to me. I didn't like being yelled at all the time. Even when I walked into her office, she'd fire questions at me. "Did you... " Why did you..." "How come..." And her voice was harsh as she asked. I constantly felt like a child who had done something wrong and needed to figure out how to get myself out of trouble.

I finally called the Employee Assistance Program and made an appointment with a counselor to try and get some help with how to deal with it. You can guess what happened. "You have to tell her how you feel."

Are you kidding me?

"You have to tell her how you feel. There's no way anything will change unless you two talk it out."

I'm pretty sure it was one of the scariest moments of my life, walking into that lady's office, asking if I could talk to her for a few minutes, shutting the door, and telling her how her yelling made me feel.

Do you know what she told me? She had no idea she'd been doing that. She had no idea I felt like she didn't like my work all the time. She had no idea she made me feel that way.

I can't say things got better, really. I think maybe she tried, for a little while, but she was the way she was and I was the way I was - more sensitive than most, probably

And so it is with authors. Some authors are more sensitive than others. Some authors are able to let things roll off their backs while others take it all in and it becomes a part of them. And so, here is where problems can happen between reviewers and authors.

I think everyone can agree - reviews are not for authors. But I don't know that it's realistic to simply tell authors, stay away from reviews, because everyone is different. Some really want to read them and to learn from them.

What's important, I think, is for you to know yourself. And then, come up with a policy that is going to make sense for you. In developing that policy, you need to ask yourself questions. Are you sensitive? Is it going to do more harm than good for you to read reviews? What are you looking for when you go looking for reviews? Be HONEST with yourself.

I think many of us, deep down, whether we want to admit it or not, are sensitive creatures who long for love and approval. Maybe we didn't get enough of it growing up. Maybe we didn't get it when we were 22 years old and worked our first job. Maybe we don't get it now from our life partners the way we wish we would.

But whatever it is that we're missing? Here's what we need to understand - we're not going to find it in reviews. All the wonderful, glowing praise about a book I wrote will feel good for a minute. Maybe even five minutes. But it eventually goes away. Because that's not really what I'm looking for. Is it? No. It's not.

And responding to reviews, getting worked up about them, trying to change them? None of that is going to help. It really isn't. Those reviewers aren't like a boss, who I have to work with day in and day out. Those reviewers have nothing to do with me and my life. And no matter how upset I get in regards to a review, it is NOT appropriate to talk it out the way I tried to talk things out with that boss.

I think sometimes we get confused and think, well, if this were someone I had to work with, I'd say something. So maybe I should say something. Do we not remember what we've already agreed on? Okay, so we forget from time to time. But let's all try to remember - reviews are not for authors.

I worked that job for a year and a half, and I finally had enough and decided it was time to move on. That lady and I were not a very good match. I needed different things from a boss than she could give me.

It's not always easy figuring out what we need. What's missing. Or if we do figure it out, how to get it. I have a hole in my life right now because of some things outside of my control. I'm trying to figure out how to fill that hole. How to find the joy I'm longing for in that particular area of my life.

But I want to assure you, readers and reviewers - I know you are not the answer. I appreciate you reading my books, I appreciate your kind notes to me, and I appreciate that because of you, I'm still doing a job that fulfills me in a way other things don't.

Appreciation is one thing. Expecting you to satisfy my soul and to fill me up with peace and love is quite another. And I promise I'm not going to put that on you.

Happy Friday!

2012-01-13T05:00:00.000-08:00

Muppets and cupcakes?

Want, want, want! Although, how could I eat Kermit's darling, green head?

photo credit

Have a great weekend!

Two happy things for a Monday

2012-01-09T09:06:00.000-08:00

First!

THE DAY BEFORE is an Oregon Book Award finalist. I'm thrilled to be among friends April Henry, Emily Whitman, Jen Violi and Heather Vogel Frederick!

Next!

I was so excited to see I HEART YOU, YOU HAUNT ME mentioned alongside titles by Sarah Dessen and John Green (two of my favorite authors!) in this article in School Library Journal titled "What Teens Are Really Reading."

Now that is what I call a wonderful Monday.

And now, time to get started on a new book.

From my mail

2012-01-07T13:32:00.000-08:00

It's time for another edition of "From my mail!" This is where I share with you lines from mail that I receive from readers. Thanks to all of you who e-mail me and send me letters - I love hearing from you!

"I really love Ava and how she is in love with a ghost." ~Amethyst, 12

"Hi, I would just like to tell you I love all of your books in verse. I just finished The Day Before in one day! I cried... It is amazing! Keep writing verse books YOU ARE AMAZING!" ~Hayley (My fragile ego really thanks you, Hayley) :)

"I'm one of your biggest fans. I absolutely love your books, and you are my favorite author! The way you write verse is just beautiful, and you make me laugh and cry at the same time." ~Tatum

"I wasn't a big reader until a girl about the age of 16 came up to me in the bookstore and told me to read one of your books called I Heart You, You Haunt Me. I was searching for a book for an English project. I couldn't put that book down, so we went back to the bookstore and got all of your books." ~Chelsea, 13 (Yay for bookstore elves!!)

"I just finished reading your book It's Raining Cupcakes! It was the best book I've ever read. When I was reading the book it felt so real. Is Lisa Schroeder your real name or your pen name?" ~Madision

"Are you going to write a 3rd book to add to the 2 book series of It's Raining Cupcakes? If you do you should write it from Jack's point of view. You can write about Penney's Pie Place and maybe Isabel and Sophie can visit him again." ~Micaela

"I love your book It's Raining Cupcakes because I love baking/cooking, especially cupcakes. My favorite color is green and my favorite animal is a hedgehog. Do you like animals, if you do what is your favorite?" ~Charlotte, 9

"Sprinkles and Secrets was honestly one of my favorite books I have read in my entire life. Oh, and I have read a lot! I kept on reading and reading. You are one of my favorite authors!" ~Charlotte, 9 (different letter, different Charlotte)

Hi there 2012

2012-01-05T06:42:00.000-08:00

I've been thinking about what I want my theme to be for 2012. One year it was "Fun and Laughter." Another year it was "Don't worry, be happy." Those are good ones for me, Ms. Tends-to-be-too-Serious.

2012 is a big year in a lot of ways. The year my first-born son graduates from high school and starts college a few months later. (Gulp). The year my husband gets recognized for twenty years with NIKE, and we take a fun family vacation to celebrate. The year I have no books coming out.

Wait. Does that make it a big year? Well, in a way, it does. I should have lots of time to write. Along with lots of time to play.

On my run yesterday, I kept thinking about what I want for myself this year and the word that kept coming to mind was LIVE.

Which is weird, I know, since we are living every day. But I think it's more like, Live BIG. Go. Do things. Take Risks. Be all that I can be (except I won't be joining the army).

Last year was a hard year. I sort of just did what I needed to do to get through each day most of the time. Sometimes, when life throws us curve balls, that's all we can do. This year, I want more than that. For both my writing and my life. So there it is. This is what I want to do in 2012.

Great BN.com sale until 1/12/12

2012-01-03T19:37:00.000-08:00

If you use coupon code F3Y9V4J at BN.com, you’ll get 50% off your ENTIRE purchase of teen books!

Yes, really! I tried it and it works!

So often people write to me and say they have trouble finding my books in the book stores. All of my books can be found at BN.com, so if you've been hoping to pick some up, now is the time to do it! All of my paperback books will be less than $5.00 with this deal! And if you buy more than $25.00 total, your order qualifies for free shipping as well.

What are you waiting for? Go! Buy books! Read! YAY!!!

My year in writing - 2011

2011-12-30T09:05:00.000-08:00

I did this last year, and thought I'd do it again this year. It's nice to have a summary of the year to remember all the fun I had.

January

Baby it's cold in Utah

January marked my one year anniversary of quitting the day job. It felt so good to make it to that year mark. As for writing, I was revising a YA novel I'd written in the fall. I worked on it during a writing retreat my friend, Lindsey Leavitt, hosted in Utah. So much fun. That's me with rock star author, Becca Fitzpatrick.

February

One day, forever changed

I have written books about love and loss, healing and hope. But nothing can really prepare you for losing a dear friend. On February 23rd, I got the call that Lisa had passed away. A few hours later, I got the call that I had sold my first fantasy middle-grade novel to Holt. As it says in THE DAY BEFORE, "Life is the bad with all the good. The deadly sharks with the beautiful sea stars."

March

Tri-Cities, here I come and Hello, are you serious?

I attended the Cavalcade of Authors in Washington the first part of March and it was SO much fun! Look at all of those kids, excited about reading and writing. I did three back-to-back workshops on revising and then spent the afternoon signing and answering questions. Later in the month, I got the call that CHASING BROOKLYN was a RITA finalist. I'd finally get to go to NYC!!!

April

Paperback releases and YAY Scholastic
IT'S RAINING CUPCAKES and CHASING BROOKLYN both came out in paperback in April. I also got word that Scholastic had picked up I HEART YOU, YOU HAUNT ME and CHASING BROOKLYN for book clubs/fairs in the fall. This made me all kinds of happy. Honestly, getting books picked up by Scholastic has been one of the best things that has happened to me career-wise.

May

I love Oregon Trail Elementary!
The highlight of May was definitely the elementary school visit I did. The K-2nd graders went on an imagination safari with me and Little Chimp from LITTLE CHIMP'S BIG DAY while the 3rd-5th graders learned how baking up cupcakes is a lot like baking up stories. Thanks to my friend Jenn who helped make the school visit happen. I loved every minute of it.

June

THE DAY BEFORE and NYC!!

My fourth YA novel released in June and for the most part, was positively received by readers. The end of June, I headed to New York City for the RITA awards, where I had lunch with my agent, met my fabulous editors in person, had a cupcake party at the S&S offices, and signed books at Books of Wonder. June was an amazing month. More months like June, please!

July

Vegas, baby!

When you combine Lindsey Leavitt and Lifehouse, Lisa Schroeder will be unable to say no. Lindsey tweeted me one day - Lifehouse will be here in two weeks. Wanna come visit? Yes. Yes I do. And so off I went. And what a fun weekend we had, even if it was about 133 degrees outside. Crystal Perkins, the amazing bookseller at B&N even threw together a signing for me. Awesome.

August
Summer time, fun time
August was all about enjoying the nice weather that we'd been longing for here in Oregon and preparing for the release of SPRINKLES AND SECRETS. I made a bunch of videos dressed as a cupcake, which you can see on youtube if you'd like by searching for "Fun with Cupcakes Lisa Schroeder."

September

SPRINKLES AND SECRETS
Yay, after months and months of kids asking if there would be another book about Isabel and Sophie, I could finally say Yes there is and you can read the book now! I also started writing a new book - a YA novel with four different POVs. Oh boy.

October

Wordstock with special thanks to Sara Gundell

I love this picture like WHOA! Hung out with my pals Lindsey Leavitt, Suzanne Young, Sara Gundell, and Corey Whaley, who I hadn't met until Wordstock but fell madly in love with because he is the type of guy you just can't help but adore. The panel with Lindsey, Corey and myself was awesome and I want to do it again. Please, someone invite us - we're an entertaining trio and you will LOVE us! Thanks Sara, for making it happen!

November

Hit me Vegas, one more time

I couldn't resist. I went to Vegas again! My sweet friend, Suzanne Young, and I shared a room and participated in the Vegas Book Festival with a whole bunch of amazing authors. We also played the Wizard of Oz penny slots while drinking Coronas and had a magical night with Dorothy. I'm ready to go again. Suz??

December

First draft done!!

I finished the year with a new YA manuscript. Yay! I'm getting ready to send it off to a beta reader and after that, to my agent. The new year will bring revisions on contracted books (one of which I haven't even announced yet, but hopefully SOON), a new middle grade fantasy I want to write, and a couple of trips I'm really excited about. The best one? A trip to Rhode Island in March to participate as a JUDGE at an event called Cupcake Madness!

I have the best job in the world!! And I just realized I saw Lindsey four months out of twelve this year. Thank you, God. You obviously gave me what I really needed.

Here's to a happy, healthy, and prosperous new year for everyone!

xoxo
Lisa

Winner!

2011-12-29T06:00:00.000-08:00

Thanks to everyone who entered the contest!! I appreciate all the comments and tweets, really and truly.

The winner, according to the random number generator, is Bookish Sarah!

Sarah, drop me a note with your address so we can get your goodies in the mail to you.

Thanks again, everyone!

Contest Time - Happy Holidays!

2011-12-21T00:01:00.000-08:00

Welcome to another stop on the Mid-Winters Eve Blog Hop! Thanks to Kathy at I am a Reader, Not a Writer and Jessie Harrell at Oasis for YA for hosting another fabulous giveaway hop.

What am I giving away, you ask?

First of all, you get an amazing couple of YA reads written by my friend, Daisy Whitney. I loved THE MOCKINGBIRDS, and you have a chance to win a signed copy from Daisy!

But, wait, There's more!! Because she's also throwing in an Advanced Reader's Copy of THE RIVALS, a follow-up to THE MOCKINGBIRDS that doesn't come out until February. So this is a rare chance to get the book early!

Here's what the book is about:

When Alex Patrick was assaulted by another student last year, her elite boarding school wouldn't do anything about it. This year Alex is head of the Mockingbirds, a secret society of students who police and protect the student body. While she desperately wants to live up to the legacy that's been given to her, she's now dealing with a case unlike any the Mockingbirds have seen before.

It isn't rape. It isn't bullying. It isn't hate speech. A far-reaching prescription drug ring has sprung up, and students are using the drugs to cheat. But how do you try a case with no obvious victim? Especially when the facts don't add up, and each new clue drives a wedge between Alex and the people she loves most: her friends, her boyfriend, and her fellow Mockingbirds.

As Alex unravels the layers of deceit within the school, the administration, and even the student body the Mockingbirds protect, her struggle to navigate the murky waters of vigilante justice may reveal more about herself than she ever expected.

In addition to those two fantastic books, I'll throw in one more thing - a $20.00 Barnes and Noble gift card!!

GIVEAWAY DETAILS: (must be 16 or older to enter this giveaway)

1 easy entry - leave a comment

+1 tweeting about this contest (tell me in the comments)
+1 follow me on twitter (@lisa_schroeder)

Please make sure you give me a way to contact you if you should win. The contest runs from December 21st all the way through 11:59, December 27th, and is open to anyone who has a US address.

I will announce the winner on December 29th!!

If you're new to my blog, thanks for stopping by! If you're one of my regular readers, thanks, as always for reading!

Click on the link below to find the list of the participating blogs - hop away!

http://iamareadernotawriter.blogspot.com/2011/10/mid-winters-eve-giveaway-hop.html

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-19T07:38:00.001-08:00

Happy Nat'l Cupcake Day - Dr. Seuss Cupcake Recipe!

2011-12-15T09:11:00.000-08:00

December 15th is National Cupcake Day - hooray!

To celebrate, and as a special holiday gift from me to you, I'm going to give everyone the Dr. Seuss cupcake recipe.

If you've read IT'S RAINING CUPCAKES, you know that Isabel visits a cupcake shop in New York City and there she decides to try the Dr. Seuss cupcake. It's a secret what's in it, until she tastes it! Here's an excerpt from IT'S RAINING CUPCAKES:

I reached down and took a bite. First I tasted chocolate. Then I tasted something sweet and crunchy. Jelly beans! But there was something else I couldn't quite figure out.

I sat there chewing and thinking. "I know. Bananas! Chocolate, jelly beans, and bananas. It's so good! It's like they threw a bunch of stuff into a bowl, not sure how it would turn out, and surprise, it turned out fantastic!"

I get asked for recipes from the book all the time, but this recipe is the one kids wanted to have the most. So, I went to my kitchen, and tried to come up with something using the ingredients I came up with as I wrote the book. See, there really wasn't a Dr. Seuss cupcake when I wrote the book.

But now there is!! Here's the recipe - enjoy!

Dr. Seuss Cupcakes

1 3/4 cups granulated white sugar

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (regular or Dutch-processed)

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 large eggs

1 cup mashed ripe bananas (2-3 medium sized bananas)

1/2 cup warm water

1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup canola or corn oil

1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

24 Jelly Belly jelly beans in flavors that will compliment, like banana, vanilla, tutti-fruiti, etc.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and place rack in the center of the oven. Line 24 regular-sized muffin cups with paper liners or spray each cup with a non-stick vegetable spray.

Take the jelly beans and carefully chop each one into 3-4 pieces with a sharp knife. This is something an adult should do. (If you don’t chop them in to pieces, they’ll sink to the bottom and burn.)

In a large bowl whisk together the sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In another large bowl, whisk together the eggs, mashed bananas, water, milk, oil, and vanilla extract. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir until combined. Carefully pour the batter into the muffin cups, about 3⁄4 full. Stick just a few pieces of jelly beans on top, and bake for about 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a cupcake comes out clean.

Cool completely before frosting. Makes about 24 regular sized cupcakes.

Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

2 cups (16 ounces) unsalted butter at room temperature

5 cups powdered sugar

2 tsp vanilla extract

8 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, melted and cooled

Whip the butter on medium-high speed for 3 minutes, stopping to scrape the bowl once or twice. (If you have a stand mixer, use the wire whisk attachment). Reduce the speed to low and slowly add the powdered sugar. After all of the powdered sugar has been added, increase the speed to medium-high and add the vanilla, continuing to mix. Add the melted chocolate and whip at medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about two minutes, scraping the bowl as needed. Pipe onto cupcakes. Top with a slice of banana and/or chocolate sprinkles and/or a jelly bean.

The Friday Five - Cookie edition

2011-12-09T07:57:00.001-08:00

I have such fond memories of getting together with my best friend, Laurie, when I was nine, ten and eleven, and spending an entire day baking cookies during Christmas vacation. The one I remember most vividly were these candy cane cookies. They were tricky!

What are your favorites to make? To receive? Is it impossible to narrow it down to five? I know, I know, I feel your pain.

I'm going to attempt to do it, though. I'm going to do the ones that are my favorite to eat. And usually, the ones I like to eat are the ones I make, because hello, I may give away some of them, but I'm keeping some too!

1. Sugar cookies

I love them. LOVE them. They are a bit of work, I know, but when all is said and done, they're pretty and delicious and they just say Christmas like nothing else does.

I posted my favorite recipe HERE. Mmmm, so good. This year, I have two new cookie cutters, a candy cane and a snowflake. So exciting, right!?

2. Peanut Butter Bon Bons (click on link for recipe)

Okay, so maybe these are more of a candy than a cookie, but either way, how can you go wrong with the combination of chocolate and peanut butter? They're messy to make, but well worth it, I think. In fact, be careful. They're kind of addictive!

3. Russian Tea Cakes

No one in my family likes these except me. Which is just fine, because when a plate comes from a friend or neighbor and there are a couple of these on there, I know they are MINE. I just love the nutty flavor combined with the sweet powered sugar. They are really so simple and yet, so delicious.

4. Peanut Butter Blossoms

My grandma Beavens always made these and so, they remind me of her, which is a special thing. But aside from that, they are just SO FREAKING GOOD. Again, like the bon bons, we have the combination of peanut butter and chocolate, but it's not just that. When they are cooled somewhat, but still warm, and the soft peanut butter cookie gets eaten alongside the Hershey's chocolate, it's like heaven in a cookie. Seriously. In fact, I microwave them just a few seconds before I eat them after they've cooled completely because I like the chocolate melted just a little bit.

5. Mounds Bars

These are my husband's favorite. Every year, his mom makes some for all of us to have on Christmas Eve, so it's a bit of a tradition now. The graham cracker crust, coconut, and chocolate all work together to make something that is really special. Of course, if you're not a fan of coconut, you won't like them, but I am, along with a fan of graham crackers and chocolate. So, another perfect cookie, in my book!

So there you have it! My top five Christmas cookies (or top six, if you count the candy cane cookies, which are really good, just tedious to make).

Happy Baking!!!

Draft is Done!

2011-12-06T07:47:00.001-08:00

It was like this in my house last night.

Yes, I finished the draft. SO happy to be done.

The manuscript needs a lot of work, and I'm making a long list of things I need to tackle when I revise. But for now, I'm making plans to bake some of these:

To do a lot of this:

And dream of Christmas morning, when we get to see what the guy in the red suit left in these:

19 days, people.
19 days!!

It's the final countdown

2011-12-05T07:51:00.001-08:00

Two chapters to go on this first draft.

Just two more!!

It's a really messy first draft and is going to need a LOT of work in revision. But I'm trying not to think about that now. I am so close to the end, I can taste it. One chapter today. One chapter tomorrow. And then, I can do my Christmas cards and bake cookies and go shopping, while the book rests.

I'm a big believer in that "resting" time. Even if it's only a few weeks, stepping away from the manuscript can help you see the story with fresh eyes.

I bought Cheryl Klein's book about revision, Second Sight, so I'm looking forward to reading that while the manuscript sits for a while.

I Skyped with some teens at the Salem Public Library last week and many of them asked about how you finish a draft when you feel like what you're writing is so bad. I told them, it comes down to total will. There really is no magic answer. Most of the time, it's just powering through. I told her ALL writers hit those low points where we feel like there is no point in finishing. Even Neil Gaiman.

I had a number of those moments throughout this manuscript. But I kept writing and now, I'm almost finished! Whew.

I best get to work!

Happy December!

2011-12-01T06:31:00.001-08:00

I can't believe December is here!

I will not panic, I will not panic.

Here are some cute cupcakes, to help get us in the holiday spirit.

photo credit: cakemommy

A look at Goodreads ads (long)

2011-11-29T07:23:00.001-08:00

I have to preface this post about my experience with a Goodreads advertisement by saying, I know a lot of authors don't like Goodreads. They don't like the mean-spirited reviews that are allowed, the bad language that's allowed, the sorting system that can put one of those horrible, mean-spirited reviews at the top because a bunch of people "like" it, and more.

And I get it. I do. There was huge thread about it on Verla's message board awhile back, and I know some authors have really strong feelings about Goodreads, and have encouraged other authors to leave the site to send a message to the people managing the site. If you are one of those authors, please don't be mad at me for supporting the site.

I guess my take on it is that anywhere that books can be reviewed, bad things can and will be said. It's the nature of the beast. I have read some terrible reviews on Amazon. Mean reviews. It's not just Goodreads where this happens.

I'm not saying I agree with it. And I'm certainly not saying I like negative reviews. Ugh, no, I am as sensitive as the next guy. Probably even more so.

But stepping back, and looking at it from a different perspective, Goodreads is a popular site with readers. And in my opinion, there are too few places for readers to gather and discuss books. And whether I like it or not, readers are there. And so, knowing that, I decided I wanted to try and reach some of them.

When THE DAY BEFORE came out, I spent $45.00 to run a small ad on the site. They call it a "campaign." I was curious if an ad on Goodreads would help get my book exposure it might not otherwise get, and I was willing to spend around fifty dollars as an experiment, of sorts. Now I'm going to share the results of that experiment with you.

When you set up a campaign, you decide how much you are willing to spend per click. Apparently the higher the amount of the click, the better your chances of getting your ad seen. I set the amount per click at 20 cents, which is on the lower end. I wanted a long life for my ad versus a ton of exposure for a short time. As you'll see in a minute, this amount got me plenty of visibility. You can also set a cap as to how much you spend per day. I think I set the amount at $2.00 per day, but now that I've done this, I know your chances of getting even a click or two per day are pretty small.

After you figure out the money part of your ad - how much you are willing to spend, how much you want your "per click" rate to be, etc., then it's time to figure out the targeting of your ad. I think this is HUGE, and I wonder how many authors err on the side of a wide audience. I didn't want a wide audience. I wanted a narrow one. I wanted my ad to target readers who would be most likely to like my book.

I left age blank, chose United States as the country, turned off "target specific genres" and selected about twenty YA authors to target. What does that mean? Let's say someone goes to the site to look up books by NYT bestselling author Jenny Han. Along the side, that person will see ads for books as she pokes around, reading reviews for Jenny Han's books or perhaps logging her own reviews. I decided I would like the ad for my book to be one that potentially shows up around that author. To make this feature work well, you want to think like a librarian. If a reader likes THESE books, she might also like THESE books. Where would your books fit well? If you write fantasy, think of other fantasy writers. If you write contemporary, probably want to target other contemporary authors. One of the best things about this strategy is I can list myself. That way, if someone goes to review another one of my books, hopefully they might see the ad and discover that I have a new book out.

Please know, the ad won't show up *every* time. My understanding is ads are rotated, trying to give everyone a share of the ad time. You have campaign stats you can see at any time on your author page if you set up an ad. You also get e-mails sent on a daily basis that show how many clicks your ad received that day, and how many times readers added your book. Because they may see the ad, not click on it, and still add the book.

For me, it wasn't about the clicks. It was about the cover of my book popping up for people to see. If they saw it enough, maybe they'd want to check out. It was all about exposure!

In November, the graph shows that sometimes my ad was shown 700 times, other days it was shown 2,500 times. The most clicks (that is, where someone clicks on the ad and goes to the goodreads page of that book to read more about the book and read reviews) was 5.

It's almost December, and I have just a few dollars left in my "campaign." Yes, that $45.00 lasted about six months. So now the question... was it worth it? I believe it was. Would I do it again? Absolutely. And here's why.

Right now, out of all my books, including I Heart You, You Haunt Me, which has been out for almost 4 years and was recently available through Scholastic book fairs and clubs, The Day Before has the highest number of people marking it as "to read." Of course I realize, marking a book "to read" doesn't mean a person will actually buy it or read it. In fact, most won't. To me it means, I'm thinking about it. I might like to pick it up at some point. Something about the book intrigues me enough to remember it.

Out of all the thousands of books, a reader has decided she wants to remember mine. I'll take that!!! Because maybe in the future, she'll see my book mentioned again, and this time she'll decide to act and pick up the book. Again, it's about exposure, and helping people to notice my book.

So let's look at my "to read" numbers for all of my YA novels.

Far From You: 1,831 people
Chasing Brooklyn: 3,697 people
I Heart You, You Haunt Me: 4,612 people
The Day Before: 6,359 people

But what about sales, Lisa? That's what you're thinking, right? We will never be able to know for certain how many books were sold because of an ad on Goodreads. I do know that almost 1,000 have "rated" the book (which, in my mind, means they read it). I think that's a decent number. Not phenomenal, mind you. Maybe not even great. But decent. Compare that to Far From You, which has been out for a couple of years and hasn't sold all that well, with only 919 ratings. And I Heart You, You Haunt Me, which has sold very well, has been out four years and is in its tenth printing, and has 3,555 ratings.

Sorry this got so long, but I hope you found some helpful information here, if you've been considering an ad on Goodreads. I certainly think it's worth a try, given that you can spend a small amount of money for quite a bit of exposure. I should also mention you can change the campaign at any time, if you decide you want to change the text of your ad, who you're targeting, the cost per click, etc. I actually changed the text of my ad after a couple of months, and I do think it helped get me more clicks.

Any questions you have for me about this - let me know in the comments and I'll try to answer them.

Limited Time Offer - Signed Bookplates

2011-11-21T14:22:00.001-08:00

Are you planning on giving one of my books this year to someone on your Christmas list? If you are, THANK YOU!!!

To help make your gift extra special, for one week only, I'm offering FREE personalized and signed bookplates (3 maximum).

I can't offer this up all the time, because of a) the time it takes and b) the expense, but because it's Thanksgiving week and I'm feeling especially thankful for all of my readers, I wanted to do something special to show my appreciation.

To get a personalized and signed bookplate that you can stick on the title page, all you need to do is send me the following via e-mail at lisaschroederbooks@gmail.com

Name of person the book is for (yes, it can be for yourself - just let me know that)
Which of my books the bookplate is going inside
Your mailing address

I use clear bookplates, so when you peel off the backing and stick it in the book, the bookplate is barely visible. It looks clean and professional, I promise.

So hurry - this offer is good through Monday, November 28th, 2011.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!

Friday Five - TV show edition and what I take away for my writing

2011-11-18T07:43:00.001-08:00

1. "New Girl" CRACKS ME UP. I love it. Love, love, love it. Every time they showed the turkey in the dryer, I laughed.

2. I love "Modern Family" for the same reason - funny!

3. My new obsession is Downton Abbey. I've watched five episodes and cannot wait to watch the rest. Season 2 starts up January 8th on PBS and I will be there with bells on. The characters. The setting. The dresses! And Matthew. Ohhhhhh Matthew.

4. "Vampire Diaries" has been excellent this season. I've loved finding out about the history of the originals and seeing a different side to both Damon and Stefan.

5. "Once Upon a Time" is a new one I've been watching. I love how the show flashes back and shows us the characters' history, and feeds our desire to see the fairy tale aspect alongside the present day, contemporary characters.

Wow, what a varied list. And yet, what it shows me, what I take away as I go back to work on my YA WIP, is that whether the story is about vampires or aristocrats or a gay couple, what pulls me in, what makes me want to keep watching, are the characters.

And so it is in the fiction that I read as well.

We must remember, as writers, that yes, a great hook and fascinating plot are well and good, but in the end, it's the characters the reader wants to connect with. Give me an interesting character, someone I can relate to on some level, or admire, or want to be, or maybe even despise and want to see change, or SOMETHING, and I will follow that character anywhere. Yep, character is where it's at.

Happy weekend!

Book Recommendation - Daughter of Smoke and Bone

2011-11-15T08:33:00.001-08:00

Have you read DAUGHTER OF SMOKE AND BONE?

When it comes to YA, I'm partial to contemporary. I read other things, and often enjoy them, but I still find myself most excited about a new book by my favorite contemporary authors - John Green, Sara Zarr, Sarah Ockler, Lindsey Leavitt, to name a few.

But Laini Taylor's latest, a YA fantasy, I had been excited about reading for at least a good year. First of all, I know the girl has a magical way with words, as is evidenced by her DREAMDARK books as well as LIPS TOUCH. Second of all, there were so many cool things that piqued my interest as I read about the various parties held to celebrate the book, both here and in the UK. Wish bones? Teeth? Blue hair? Marionettes? I could go on and on! Finally, the early reviews raved about it. I mean, RAVED.

And so, a few weeks ago, I finally got to read it. I really have no words for how much I loved this book. The writing is gorgeous, and the story original and fascinating. The worlds she created blew me away. And the mysteries she weaved into the story kept me guessing, and when things were revealed toward the end, it all made perfect sense and yet, I hadn't seen any of it coming.

It's made PW's and Amazon's Best Books of 2011 lists and I'm sure we'll see it on many more lists to come. And rightly so.

I'm not one who gets into trilogies, most of the time. I read the first book, a year goes by, I can't remember much of what happened in the first book to care enough to read the second book. I can't tell you how many books I've read that were the first in a trilogy and then I never read beyond that first book. The exception to this would be THE HUNGER GAMES.

But this trilogy, I'm in it for the long haul. I cannot wait for the second book. Like, I'm DYING to read the next one.

I think Laini Taylor is one of the greatest writers of our time. Yes, I'm lucky to call Laini a friend, but just go and read all of the 5-star reviews on Amazon, and you'll see that many, MANY people feel the way I do. She is one very talented lady!

Don't miss this book. Seriously.

Chasing Brooklyn in German

2011-11-11T08:18:00.001-08:00

Yesterday I got a package from my editor. I was so surprised when I opened it.

Small, adorable books, written in German!

Here is IN LIEBE, BROOKLYN next to her big sister, CHASING BROOKLYN, so you get an idea of the size. It's almost pocket-sized.

And check out the bookmark that is sewn into the book:

I would love to give away a couple. If you read German or know someone who does and might like to read this book of love and loss, healing and hope, let me know with an e-mail address and I'll get in touch with you.

Danke!

Two things every middle grade author should do

2011-11-09T09:15:00.000-08:00

It can be hard to figure out where your money is best spent when it comes to promotional activities.

I did a checklist and timeline a year or two ago to help authors organize those activities. You can find that HERE.

But two things I've discovered over the past year I wanted to share here, in regards to middle grade novels.

First - a reading/discussion guide is one of the BEST things you can do for your book. I paid to have one done for It's Raining Cupcakes, because I wasn't sure what went into one and I wanted to make sure it was done well. For Sprinkles and Secrets, I decided to try and do one on my own. As I got into it, I found it wasn't really that hard, and I'm happy with how it turned out. Check with your publisher too - they may be willing to do one for you!

Because I'm using a web site that doesn't allow for documents to be uploaded, I state in a couple of different places on my site to drop me an e-mail and I'll send the document along that way.

I'm actually glad now that I did it this way, and here's why. When a teacher or parent or book club member e-mails me, I can reply with the document she's requested for AND ask if she'd like some signed bookmarks to give out at the meeting or event. They seem to really love that I do this.

(By the way, I get a lot of mother-daughter book clubs requesting my discussion guide. Do you know how happy this makes me? VERY happy!)

Which leads me to the second thing I think you should do if you're publishing a middle grade novel. Have bookmarks made! I can't find a digital copy of the ones I had done with both covers on the front, but here are the ones I had made before It's Raining Cupcakes came out.

Anytime someone e-mails you about the book, offer to send some. Especially if you've written a series - as soon as you have the cover for the second book, get bookmarks made with both books and send them to everyone you can. This way, they have a visual that lets them know there's a second book coming. (Make sure to list the release date of that second book too).

As far as where to get bookmarks made? I LOVE www.iconix.biz. Ask for Kelly - she's great!

Vegas Book Festival Recap

2011-11-07T08:17:00.000-08:00

I flew to Vegas this weekend to be a part of the Vegas Book Festival. This was the first year they had a Teen Book Festival as a part of it. So much fun! Thanks to all the teens, parents, teachers and librarians who came out. It was great to meet you!

Below are some pictures, courtesy of Suzanne Young, Crystal Perkins and Heather Davis, because I seem to forget to take many pictures. Okay, actually, it's just that I don't have an iphone and everyone else does and they snap pictures right and left while I seem to just get in them and smile.

Friday Night:

Suzanne Young, Liz Gallagher and me, as we looked for a place to eat

After we saw Blue Man Group - what an ~~strange~~ amazing show!

Me, Suzanne Young, and Lindsey Leavitt waiting in the freezing cold to eat at Serendipity's.

The large topiary outside Serendipity's. Is that a milkshake? Yeah, I think it's a milkshake.

Saturday:

Contemporary panel w/ Lindsey Leavitt, Emily Wing Smith, Daisy Whitney, me, Liz Gallagher, Jay Asher

All of the YA authors with Crystal Perkins, B&N bookseller extraordinaire

Saturday Night (Paranormal Ball):

Suzanne Young and I dressed up like vampire slayers.

James Dashner (The Maze Runner series) was dressed in black. And scared of us.

Be careful James. Sometimes when you least expect it...

Cute kitty Heather Davis (latest book is WHEREVER YOU ARE) and me

A great time was had by all. Now, back to work!

From my mail

2011-11-03T11:43:00.000-07:00

Author Cynthia Lord does a blog post every few months with lines from her mail that made her smile or touched her.I've never done one of these, but today, I'm going to!

These are from both e-mails and actual letters I've received over the past few weeks.

Thank you readers - I love hearing from you!

"I actually hated reading until I discovered I Heart You, You Haunt Me at the book fair at my school. I am reading Chasing Brooklyn at the moment. I love how you wrote them in verse form." ~Candie, 14

"I read Chasing Brooklyn last night. I couldn't put it down! My mom said 30 more minutes and you have to go to bed. I stayed up until 1:45 reading it!" ~Caitlynn, 12

"I would like a reading/discussion guide for It's Raining Cupcakes and Sprinkles and Secrets. Thanks so much. I am a school librarian and my kids LOVE them." ~Christy

"I stayed home sick today and my dad said NO TV!!!! At first I was terrified ~ and my mom finally came home, she got me a brand new copy of Sprinkles and Secrets. On the first page I fell in love with your book. I looked on your web site to see if there are any other books in this series. I was devastated when I found out there are no more." ~Kaitlyn

"I was trying so hard to be patient for the ending (of Sprinkles and Secrets) but it was hard and so intriguing. I am so sad it's over. Please write a third because I would be thrilled." ~Samara

"I'm going to give you come special things too. A handmade bookmark signed by me!" ~Isabelle

"I just read your books It's Raining Cupcakes and Sprinkles and Secrets. They are my favorite books in the world." ~Brianna

"Will there be an It's Raining Cupcakes 3? This is just an idea, don't you think you could do a donut one?" ~Ashlee

I'm off to Vegas bright and early tomorrow morning. If you're in the area, come and see me at the Vegas Book Festival. I'm on a YA teen panel Saturday afternoon at 11:25.

Have a great weekend!

Inspiration

2011-11-02T07:35:00.000-07:00

Authors get asked about inspiration a lot.

It's not always a cut and dry answer for me. And I think there's different kinds of inspiration, too. The kind that provides story ideas. The kind that keeps you writing day after day. The kind that picks you up when you're feeling down. Some of it is not inspiration as much as it's perspiration, right? But still, I think it can be helpful to spend time thinking about what inspires you. Because when you are in need of a little inspriration, then you know where to look!

Nova Ren Suma, author of Imaginary Girls, is doing a month-long event at her blog to provide inspiration to people doing NaNoWriMo this month.

You can read my post about inspiration HERE.

Goodreads giveaway - SPRINKLES AND SECRETS

2011-11-01T07:47:00.000-07:00

I dressed up as a cupcake for Halloween!

I'm all out of candy to give away, so I'm giving you a chance to win a signed and personalized copy of SPRINKLES AND SECRETS over at www.goodreads.com, hoping to help get the word out that there is another book out about Isabel and Sophie!

Go HERE to enter!

Good luck!

Also, if you have read SPRINKLES AND SECRETS enjoyed it, please consider reviewing it over at Amazon. It only has a couple of reviews over there and I would love to have more. Thanks!!

The Lisa's Confidence Needs a Boost Project

2011-10-31T09:19:00.000-07:00

I'm about 35,000 words into a first draft. It's a YA novel with four points of view. Yes. Four. I'm pretty sure I am certifiably insane.

I woke up one morning last week at 4 am, freaking out that I needed to scrap the book and start over on something new. Thank goodness my friend Lindsey talked me off that ledge. She said, "35k is always panic stage. Everything sucks at 35k. Middles are ridiculously hard, it's amazing we ever get past them."

So did I dive back in, telling myself, the only way out is through? Well, yes. But it was so painful and slow. And I was miserable. I walked out of my office, which is near the living room, and said, I hate this room. I want to redo it.

A lot of times, I'll hear writers say cleaning is a great procrastination tool. I actually think what happens is that we need to see that we CAN tackle a project and have it turn out well. So by cleaning out the refrigerator or a closet, or redecorating a room, it gives us the confidence we need to do the work necessary in the WIP.

So back to the living room, otherwise known as The Lisa's Confidence Needs a Boost Project. At first, I was convinced I needed new furniture. My 17 YO son set me straight on that. He's so wise. And practical. He convinced me that there's really nothing wrong with the stuff we have now. I'm just tired of it. But there are plenty more important things to spend money on, and so, I decided the challenge was to fix up the room using the sofa and loveseat we have.

I should have taken a before picture! Here is one from Christmas last year, I think, with a mess on the floor so you can't see the rug, which I was really tired of. But you can see the pathetic picture we hung on the wall behind the dining room table because we had nothing else, and oh fine, it's good enough. And the ugly table lamp that sat in the corner.

I went to one of my favorite stores in our town called Consignment Northwest. It's a huge showroom with items people want to sell. If the store sells an item, the person who owned that item gets a percentage of the sale, of course. It's a nice way to buy "gently used" without having to sort through junk and deal with weird people on Craig's List. The coffee table and the art behind the table came from Consignment Northwest. The end table and lamp I found at Ikea. And the new accent pillows came from Ross Dress for Less (only $6.99 each).

The boys do their homework at the dining table, so books and papers and things are around the dining table, but that's okay. It looks ten times better than it did.

Now I have to get back to my mess of a first draft. But when I was in Ikea, I started dreaming of a new office for myself.

I think that will be my next project. But not until I finish this %&$^ book! :)

Switched at birth stories

2011-10-25T07:56:00.000-07:00

Do you find switched at birth stories fascinating?

Me too!

A new story was released yesterday - you can read about it HERE.

When I wrote The Day Before, I used a real-life switched at birth story that happened in another country (England, I believe) as inspiration. I've since tried to find that story, and haven't been able to. Basically, two parents realized something was wrong when their daughter needed a blood transfusion and neither of them were a match for her blood type.

The mystery surrounding Amber in my book isn't revealed right away. Her history, and why she wants to get away to the beach to spend the day, unravels slowly. So the flap copy doesn't talk about the switched at birth thing. But today, I'm sharing that plot element because maybe you are like me, and find switched at birth stories fascinating. And if you do, you might like to read The Day Before!

Monday Motivation - On disappointment

2011-10-24T08:54:00.000-07:00

"If I could only sell a book to a publisher, then..."

"If I could only get a large advance and a big marketing push, then..."

"If I could only get some starred reviews, then..."

"If I could only make some lists, then..."

Then, I wouldn't feel so disappointed.

Sometimes it feels like disappointment is a writer's best friend.

I will not lie. When B&N decided to skip The Day Before, I was pretty disappointed. I knew that meant sales would be affected in a big way. And they have been.

Readers, for the most part, have enjoyed the book. It's also on some YALSA nomination lists, though I'm trying not to get my hopes up. I've had other books on these nomination lists in years past, and they didn't make the final cut. My YA novels thus far are this strange breed of verse, which not everyone likes in the first place, paired with a more commercial story. I think some people like their verse, if they like it at all, much more literary. Sometimes, I don't think reviewers or other professionals "get" what I'm trying to do with these books. And at some point, when that happens, you just have to shrug your shoulders and go, oh well. My reader e-mails tell me there are lots of teens who DO get them, and that's what I try to focus on.

Anyway, there are a hundred ways to be disappointed and discouraged in this business. At least. I could easily be discouraged right now because sales haven't been what I'd hoped they'd be for The Day Before.

But do I feel washed up? Like my career is over? No way. And here's why.

Each book is separate and distinct from the one before it. Each book is a new opportunity. I write each book with hope that good things will happen! Because why not?

Do you think Kate DiCamillo knew which of her books would become movies and which ones wouldn't? Do you think she could predict which ones would become Newbery winners and which ones wouldn't? No. She had no idea. She just wrote the best book she could each time, and then released it out into the world, and waited, like any other author, to see what would happen.

My next YA novel, not out until 2013, will be completely different. I'm trying something new, and with that, I have a new sense of hope that good things might happen. Onward and upward, I say!

My strategy for keeping disappointment at bay is pretty simple:

1) Keep writing. With each book, try to improve. Play to my strengths while at the same time, be open to trying new and different things. Sometimes changing it up a little bit is the best thing a person can do.

2) Do not compare myself to others. Some days, this is SO hard. But really, there is no way that will end well. I have to focus on me and my books and let everyone else do what they do well. I read a lot partly because it's a way to love authors I might otherwise be envious of. :)

3) Remember there are many ways to define success, and numbers are only one way. If you haven't, I encourage you to read this great post by Erin Murphy on the Shrinking Violet's blog.

We can't let disappointment get the best of us. I battle it by writing a new book and keeping hope alive.

I'm curious. How do you battle it?

I love this ad

2011-10-21T07:33:00.000-07:00

There is something about old photos, and how time goes by, that just... gets me. Pair that with America the Beautiful sung by the great Ray Charles, and WOW.

This ad is genius. I love it.

My great grandparents had an old Chevy truck, and I can remember riding to church in it with my great grandma.

How to combat the fear of rejection

2011-10-18T09:31:00.000-07:00

Last night, I went to see Matt de la Pena at the 2011 Teen Author Lecture here in Portland, made possible by the Library Foundation.

First of all, if you ever get a chance to hear Matt speak, GO. He is personable, relatable and funny! I told him afterwards I want to steal all his stories, because they are that good. The audience was filled with teens, which was so awesome to see. It was an amazing event, and I'm really glad I went.

Plus, I've been meaning to read one of Matt's books for a long time, so I'm happy that I now have a personalized copy of WE WERE HERE to dive into soon.

One of the questions an audience member asked him got me thinking, and I wanted to talk about that a little bit today.

A man said he'd been writing for a long time, but he was afraid of rejection, and did Matt have any advice for him?

Matt said something like, even when you're a published author, there is still rejection. Basically, it comes with the territory. Because, after all, not everyone who reads our books likes our books. Sometimes we get bad reviews, and all that fun stuff. Matt said when he was submitting stories to magazines, he made a game out of the rejections. When he got one, he celebrated. It made the rejections easier to take.

I love that idea!

And he's right - in order to be an author, you have to develop a thick skin. But how do you DO that? Here are some of my thoughts on the subject.

1. Separate yourself from the story. Just because they reject a story, it does not mean they are rejecting YOU. Pretend the story is a fruit cake. You are sending the fruit cake out to people to see if they like it. You KNOW some people don't like fruit cake. But obviously, some do, or fruit cakes wouldn't even exist. You are trying to find the person who likes fruit cake. When you get the fruit cake back in the mail, saying, "No thanks," it's not about YOU. The person simply does not like fruit cake. No big deal.

Years ago, I submitted stories over and over to one editor in particular. They were an open house at the time, and I really wanted to work with her, as I'd heard amazing things about her. Each time, she sent me a nice little rejection letter, and I'd file it away. I'm guessing I have close to ten rejection letters from this ONE editor. Yikes. Fast forward six or seven years, and my agent suggests sending my middle grade fantasy to this same editor. Oh no, I thought, what if she remembers all those awful stories I sent her in the beginning of my writing career, and doesn't want anything to do with me?

I don't know if she remembered or not, but she loved the story we sent her, and she bought it. This batch of fruit cake, she loved, and the other batches didn't matter to her.

2. Don't be afraid to fail. Markus Zusak gave this advice at a book signing I went to a few years back. Although, with his adorable accent, it sounded like, Don't be afraid to file, haha. He went on to explain that he felt like he had failed thousands of times writing THE BOOK THIEF. Can you imagine? The award-winning, NYT best-selling book?

Yes, because when we are writing, it is hard and it is painful and we ask ourselves over and over, why are you doing this, no one is going to want this failure of a book. But write anyway. Revise anyway. Make it the best it can be and maybe, in the end, it won't be a failure after all. But if it is, at least you tried!

3. Which leads me to the next point. You will never know unless you try. Are you going to be on your death bed regretting that you tried and got 100 rejections? No. Are you going to be on your death bed wondering what might have happened to that novel you spent years on and never sent out? Yes. Live so you have no regrets.

4. Rejection is part of the job. It's that simple. If you want to be an author, rejection is part of the job description. Every job has an aspect that isn't very fun. Teachers have to deal with angry parents. Maintenance techs have to unclog toilets. It *never* goes away for an author. But the good parts of the job, like getting letters from readers who felt a connection to your book, make the sucky part totally worth it.

5. Life can't be all pleasure and no pain. Working out is hard. Painful some days. But the results - a healthy and fit body, make it worth it. And so it is with rejection. It's going to be painful some days, there's no way around it. But you have to go through the pain to get to the pleasure of seeing a book YOU wrote on the shelves. You *have* to go through it. Just like every traditionally published author before you.

Is the fear of rejection holding you back? Well, go on, submit something. And if you get a rejection letter, I hope you'll pop a bottle of champagne and celebrate. You're in the same league as Markus Zusak now - just like him, you're not afraid to fail!

The Little Book That Could

2011-10-14T08:17:00.000-07:00

Once upon a time a girl wrote a novel.

A strange novel.

A short novel. Maybe it wasn't even a novel. One agent replied, after receiving a query, "this isn't a novel. It's too short. What you have here is most likely a novella."

Mmm-hmm.

It started out like this:

A Day of Black

I've never been
to a funeral
until today.

I see
dazzling arrangements of
red, yellow, and purple flowers
with long, green stems.

And so it went.

Page after page like that.

Only one agent was curious enough to read it. Lucky for the girl, that agent loved it and said she wanted to try and sell it.

Editor after editor said, "not for me."
"Not for me."
"Not for me."

And so it went.

Rejection after rejection like that.

One of the editors sent it to a different division of the publishing house. It landed in a pile. An editorial assistant picked it up out of that pile and took it home to read on the train. The next day, he passed it around. He didn't have the ability to acquire it, but he worked to garner enthusiasm for that strange, little book.

And eventually, they bought it. The editorial assistant was given his very first book to edit. The girl was pretty sure expectations for that book weren't very high, but it didn't matter. She'd finally achieved her dream of having a novel published.

The book came out in January, 2008. A month later, the editor called the girl, back from vacation, and said, "All I've heard since I've come back is how well I HEART YOU, YOU HAUNT ME is selling."

Over and over, agents and editors said no.

But readers, oh those dear, dear readers, they said yes. They said, I don't care if it's a little different or a little short or a little this or a little that. (Well, you know, maybe a few care, but we won't talk about those).

Today, almost four years later, the book is in its tenth printing. It's still selling. AND a few months ago, Scholastic picked it up to sell in their book fairs and clubs.

Too strange? Too short? Apparently not:

http://booktalk.scholastic.com/2011/10/11/october-bestsellers/

When I wrote this book, my heart told me I had something special. And so today, I just want to say, if you are writing something or submitting something that you think is special, and you keep getting no's, remember:

It only takes one yes!

Wordstock - part 2

2011-10-12T06:28:00.000-07:00

Friday night we went to the author reception for a little while, and then six of us ventured out for dinner. Before we found a restaurant, we took our out-of-town guests to Powell's, and bought each other's books, of course. I really, really love this picture!!

Lindsey Leavitt, Me, Suzanne Young, Corey Whaley

Saturday was a middle grade panel I moderated, and after that, a bunch of us went out to dinner. Yes, apparently Wordstock means eating well.

Sunday I arrived a little early, and sat in on Suzanne Young's panel, with Maggie Stiefvater and Isaac Marion. They were very entertaining.

I got to share the stage not once, but twice with Lindsey Leavitt. The first panel was called Smells Like Teen Spirit, and it was Corey Whaley, whose book, WHERE THINGS COME BACK, is EXCELLENT, me and Lindsey Leavitt, whose book SEAN GRISWOLD'S HEAD is also AMAZING, moderated by the fabulous Sara Ryan. Here are a couple of photos Vania took of us. Yeah. We had fun.

After that, Lindsey and I did our cupcake/princess chat on the children's stage and it went really well. Here we are, hanging out before the big event. Lindsey dressed up. I wore a t-shirt with a cupcake on it that says, "Chance of Sprinkles." I think I should have dressed up. But it was the third day and jeans and a t-shirt sounded so good.

So now, it's back to writing, and some various library visits this month, which is always good. And then in November... the Las Vegas Book Festival! I have a cute dress all picked out for that one.

Wordstock - Part 1

2011-10-10T08:04:00.000-07:00

Wordstock was pretty awesome.Mostly because I got to hang out with Lindsey Leavitt a little bit AND share the stage with her, which was great fun. She is funny, smart, and when I say, I think it's time to break out in song, she goes with it.

The iconic Wordstock red chair, which cannot be passed by w/out taking a picture. Or ten.

I want to tell you about fun adventures, new friends, and awesome panels, but I need to collect some pictures first. And catch up on sleep. Lots and lots of sleep.

The best photo I took was this one. I moderated a panel with three middle grade authors on Saturday, and at one point, I looked out into the audience, and this is what I saw. Talk about making an author's day. And yes, because I was the moderator, I had to give them a shout-out.

"The two girls in the back who I see reading my book? I just want you to know I like you very, very much."

Wordstock Book Festival, Portland, OR

2011-10-06T06:06:00.001-07:00

Wordstock is THIS coming weekend, October 8th and 9th. What a great line-up of middle grade and young adult authors they have!

Admission for adults is $7.00 for one day, $10.00 for both days, kids 13 and under are FREE!!

Here are the times I will be there. I'd love to see you! Each session lasts forty to forty-five minutes, followed by fifteen to twenty minutes of book signing. Copies of Sprinkles and Secrets will be there for sure, and I'm hoping they'll have The Day Before as well, although it's not guaranteed.

Saturday, 4:00, moderating the panel: The Murky Middle Ground of Middle Grade Books (Kid's Stage)

Sunday, 2:00, participating on the panel: Smells Like Teen Spirit (Oregon Cultural Trust Stage)

Sunday, 4:00, a royal cupcake chat with me and Lindsey Leavitt, author of the Princess For Hire series (Kid's Stage)

Hope to see you there!! (Oregon Convention Center, 777 NE MLK Jr. Blvd.)

Sprinkles and Secrets release party! SO FUN!!!

2011-10-03T17:39:00.000-07:00

I celebrated the release of Sprinkles and Secrets on Sunday at Powell's Bookstore in Beaverton. We had a nice turnout, and I'm really thankful to the people who came out to celebrate with me. Thank you!

Here are some pictures the amazing Sara of Novel Novice took.

I talked about how the book came to be, then read a couple of pages.

Sometimes when I'm writing I have to say, Stop! No more cupcakes!

Can you see the cookies? All the kids in attendance got one!

Lots of beautiful books! Thank you Powell's!

All of my little cupcakes, lining up to have their books signed.

Please take some bookmarks!

And pick which color pen you'd like

"May you always love cupcakes and reading!"

Look really adorable and make sure you show the book to everyone you know!

Thank you, Sara, for all of the great pictures and for being awesome!

Oh boy, I sure do love my young cupcakes, I mean, readers!!!

Come see me at Powells!

2011-10-01T15:39:00.000-07:00

I'll be celebrating the release of SPRINKLES AND SECRETS at Powell's (Beaverton location) on Sunday, October 2nd, 2:00. I'll talk a little bit about the book and how it came to be, read a tiny bit, answer questions and of course, sign books.

Sweet treats WILL be served!

If you're in the area, would love to see you!!

Dr. Seuss Cupcakes

2011-09-27T06:27:00.000-07:00

Mmmmm... Dr. Seuss Cupcakes!!!

Want the recipe?

All you have to do is answer the following question. You'll find the answer in my new novel, Sprinkles and Secrets:

What is the name of Sophie's Mom's home-based business?

Isabel's Mom's business is It's Raining Cupcakes. But what is Sophie's Mom's called?

Send the answer to: lisaschroederbooks(at)gmail.com (with @ instead of at) no later than Friday, October 14th, and I'll send everyone who gets it right the recipe on October 14th.

Good luck and happy reading!

Monday Motivation - the first draft is YOUR story

2011-09-26T08:26:00.000-07:00

"Writing is rewriting... If you fall in love with the vision you want of your work and not your words, the rewriting will become easier." - Nora DeLoach

I love that quote. The first draft is about getting the story down that you want to tell. The words might not be the right ones. The scenes might not be the right ones. The characters may be flat and dull. But it's okay. Write because you have a story to tell and fall in love with that story. Later, you will revise to take care of all those things.

Just get the story down - and let yourself fall in love with it.

I've been writing 1,000 words a day on my WIP. Sometimes I go back and tinker with earlier chapters, and I know some writers don't let themselves do that because they'll do that forever. But for ME, that tinkering often helps me get back into the story - back into the world that can be hard to reenter at times.

That's the thing about first drafts. We have to figure out what works for each of us. I've learned what works for me. I now know I can do 1,000 words a day pretty easily in an hour or two, if I open the document, read some of the previous day's work, tinker if necessary, and start writing.

I also know that the reentry is easiest if I leave off in the middle of a scene, in a place where I can pick right up and keep going. Sometimes I leave myself notes to remind myself what I want to happen. But I now know it's so much easier to get writing when I've left off in the middle of something rather than the beginning of a new chapter. Blank pages are HARD, so I try to avoid them as much as possible when writing a first draft.

Figure out what works for you. Write to get the story down. Remember, it's YOUR story in the first draft. Don't worry about anyone else. Write for yourself. Fall in love with it.

There's plenty of time later to do the work to make other people fall in love with it.

Winner!!

2011-09-23T08:07:00.000-07:00

Thanks to everyone who entered for the Leisl & Po contest.

The winner is Kate!!!

Kate I'll be e-mailing you to get your mailing address.Congratulations and thanks again.Happy Friday!!

I love my job

2011-09-22T05:00:00.000-07:00

Tuesday, the US women's soccer team was at NIKE World Headquarters, where my husband works. They had let employees know that they were allowed to come out from 3:30 to 5:30 and see the women play, get some autographs, have hamburgers and hot dogs, etc. It was really meant to be a celebration of this great team. My husband asked me if I wanted to come down, and it was such a beautiful afternoon, how could I say no?

The CEO of NIKE took the field with a microphone and asked Coach Pia and Abby Wambach some questions before the women started playing.

There was a moment, toward the end, where Abby said, "I feel so lucky to do what I love. I have the best job in the world." Coach Pia then piped up with, "No, I think I have the best job in the world." And then the CEO said, "And I think I do."

I thought to myself, Well, really, I do.

And as I watched Abby kick the ball around with her teammates later, I thought, every day, they go out there and do their best. They play because they love it. Yes, girls look up to them, and yes, they inspire others to be the best they can be, and so much more.

But ultimately, it's all about the love they have for the game they are playing.

And so it is with us, writers.

I love books. I love reading. I love writing. Yes, there are bad days. Yes, some days it's really, really hard. I bet Abby would say the same thing about her job.

But in the end, I really do love it. And that's what it comes down to in the end.

Happy Book Birthday and Dr. Seuss Cupcakes

2011-09-20T04:00:00.000-07:00

It's here, it's here, September 20th is here!

It's the official release date of Sprinkles and Secrets.

Here's my final surprise for you!

Because SO many kids e-mailed me asking if I had the Dr. Seuss cupcake recipe from It's Raining Cupcakes, I went ahead and developed a recipe! Do you remember the Dr. Seuss cupcakes? She decides to try a Dr. Seuss cupcake at a very special bakery toward the end of It's Raining Cupcakes.

If you'd like to have the recipe, all you have to do is e-mail me the answer to this question at lisaschroederbooks(at)gmail.com (replace (at) with @) by Friday, October 14th, and on October 15th, I'll send everyone who gets the question right the recipe as an attachment.

Here is the question:What is the name of Sophie's Mom's home-based business?

Keep in mind, this is SOPHIE, not Isabel. The answer is NOT It's Raining Cupcakes. You have to read Sprinkles and Secrets to find out the answer to this question!

Happy reading and good luck!

And finally, here is the last Fun with Cupcakes video. Guess what I'm reading to my cupcake friends?

Giveaway - ARC of LEISL & PO

2011-09-19T07:38:00.000-07:00

As you probably know, the day we've been counting down to is almost here!! Make sure you stop by tomorrow because I have a one last surprise to announce, and if you plan on reading Sprinkles and Secrets, you definitely want to hear about this surprise!

But today is a different kind of surprise. Today I want to give away a really special middle grade novel because as much as I love reading YA, MG novels have a special place in my heart. I love them in a different way. The 10-year-old reader in me gets SO excited about a heart-warming MG read.

A friend picked up an Advanced Review Copy of this book for me at ALA, and I really enjoyed it. And I want to give some lucky reader a chance to enjoy it too.

Yes, this is the highly anticipated LEISL AND PO, written by NYT bestselling author Lauren Oliver. Lauren, like me, writes YA and MG, and she does both with incredible talent. Wow.

I loved this book. Loved with a capital L. It's really like nothing I've ever read before. Here's the description from Goodreads:

Leisl lives in a tiny attic bedroom, locked away by her cruel stepmother. Her only friends are the shadows and the mice -- until one night a ghost appears from the darkness. It is Po, who comes from the Other Side. Both Leisl and Po are lonely, but together they are less alone.

That same night, alchemist's apprentice, Will, bungles an important delivery. He accidentally switches a box containing the most powerful magic in the world with one containing something decidedly less remarkable.

Will's mistake has tremendous consequences for Leisl and Po, it draws the three of them together on an extraordinary journey.

So what do you have to do to enter to win?

For one entry - just comment here.

For another entry, I'd love it if you'd help spread the word about Sprinkles and Secrets somehow. I don't care how, you can tweet about this contest, post the cover of my book on your facebook or blog, share one of my "Fun with Cupcakes" videos somewhere. It's up to you! Just help spread the word, and you are entered again. And this contest is open INTERNATIONALLY!!!!

In the comments, just let me know what you did, and that's it! (Make sure you let me know how to contact you, too, if you don't have contact info. on your blog).

GOOD LUCK!!! I'll pick a winner Wednesday, September 21st, 9:00 pm EST.

The Friday Five

2011-09-16T07:30:00.000-07:00

1. Let's start with this, shall we? Oh Vampire Diaries, you did NOT disappoint. I laughed when Damon got out of the bubble bath and walked through the house. Yeah, the director knows how to give the viewers what they want. That scene at the end, where Stefan calls Elana? *Sob* Overall, what a fantastic episode - so much going on!

2. I said on twitter one day this week, when lots of people seemed to be talking about new shows this season, that I am glad I'm not alone in my love for good TV. For me, it can be really hard to turn the writerly brain off. And a good TV show helps me do that. I also think studying story, in whatever means, is never a bad thing.

3. My teens seem to be adjusting to the school year okay. Partly because I am the sleep nazi, and make them go to bed between 9 and 9:30. My older one reads for a while, which is fine, I just want to make sure they get 8-9 hours of sleep on school nights. They need it! And the bus comes at 7:10, which is early. An interesting side note, this summer, when they could sleep in, they would sleep 10-12 hours a night. The 16 YO grew 2 inches over the summer, the 14 YO 3 inches!! Wow.

4. Some exciting nomination news - The Day Before is on the consideration lists for YALSA's Quick Picks AND Best Fiction for Young Adults. Yay!!! And I'm thrilled Chasing Brooklyn is a Missouri Gateway Preliminary Nominee. My agent has 3 clients on that list, which I think is awesome.

5. Sorry the blog has pretty much been all Sprinkles all the time! I'm sure regular readers are tired of it, but for people who happen to stop by after reading It's Raining Cupcakes, I wanted to make sure the information about Sprinkles and Secrets was front and center. I have a couple of more things planned next week, and then no more book releases for a long time. Kind of sad. But you know what I'll be doing - writing new books!!! Oh, and revising the ones I sold this year I suppose. :)

My favorite game - with cupcakes!

2011-09-15T10:10:00.000-07:00

Reading Guide available for Sprinkles and Secrets!

2011-09-13T05:00:00.000-07:00

Woo hoo, one more WEEK!!!!

I have a couple of surprises to share with you, but I'm not going to tell you about them all at once. No, see, I must keep you on the edge of your seat!

I will share one surprise with you today, though.

I have developed a reading/discussion guide for teachers or book clubs or even just individuals who might like to have one while they read Sprinkles and Secrets.

To have a copy sent to you, just send an e-mail to: lisaschroederbooks(at)gmail.com (with the (at) removed and the @ sign in its place). I will e-mail you back and send the document as an attachment.

I have just a few more Fun with Cupcakes videos to share with you, and I've saved the best for last! Here is one where my kitty, Sparkles, shows us that she loves cupcakes too. Awwwwww...

Another book is born

2011-09-09T07:53:00.000-07:00

Yesterday a few early copies of Sprinkles and Secrets arrived in the mail.

Yay! I'm sososososoSO excited about this book, mostly because of all the wonderful notes I've gotten from young readers who have enjoyed It's Raining Cupcakes. I worked hard on this book to make it another fun read about Sophie and Isabel. See, this is me saying, I worked hard, I REALLY hope you like it!

I have to say, though, when I got the package, it was hard to open up the book, because I knew something inside was going to make me tear up. Back in January, my editor had asked me to submit the acknowledgements and dedication. At that time, my friend Lisa Wolfson (Madigan) was fighting for her life. I was hoping for a miracle, and I really believed she would see this dedication when the book came out. Sadly, as some of you know, she lost her life to pancreatic cancer in February.

Here's the dedication:

Yes, the musical WICKED is a part of the book. And that's all I'm going to say, because, you have to read it, of course!!!!

I have to say, seeing your words made into a beautiful book never, ever gets old. I'm really proud of this book and can't wait until it's out in the world for kids to enjoy!!!

A little yard work with my friends

2011-09-08T07:20:00.001-07:00

Cupcakes make everything prettier, don't you think?

Speak Now with Taylor Swift

2011-09-07T13:10:00.000-07:00

When I heard Taylor Swift was coming to Portland, I knew I wanted to take my 12 year old niece. She's a fan, as I am. I find Taylor's music so very honest, and the reason she is so popular is because she writes what it feels like to be a teen girl.

What. A. Show.

The set changed again and again. She changed (clothes, about 6 or 7 times, I lost count). Each song was like a short theatrical performance, with musicians and dancers and at times, fireworks and acrobats! It was amazing.

Yes, each song was a little story she played out on stage. And the fans ate it up. I couldn't help it, I teared up a few times as the voices of thousands of people joined in, singing her songs that we all know by heart. And what I loved was Taylor took all of it in too. All of the love in that room, for her and her music, she would stop and just take in the cheering, smiling and smiling, sometimes for an entire minute, just standing there. That's what really moved me, I think - all of the joy and love in that huge arena.

At one point, she walked through the crowd and sat against a lovely tree that was all lit up and slowly spun around. There, she played her guitar and sang to the other end of the arena. So magical.

For her encore, she came out on a couch in a beautiful gown with her guitar and sang Fifteen, the song that speaks to every teenage girl about what it feels like to BE that age, when every little thing is such a BIG thing, and the first love feels like it's going to be it forever and ever.

The arena lit up with lights and you could hardly hear Taylor because the crowd was singing so loud.

Magical. That's really the only way to describe it. I truly feel honored to have been a part of it for one night!

Get your sweet treat recipes!!

2011-09-07T04:00:00.000-07:00

I want to make sure you know that over at Novel Novice, they are counting down the days to Sprinkles and Secrets by posting some favorite sweet treat recipes by other middle grade authors!!

Last week, to kick off the series, Sara from Novel Novice gave us a recipe for peanut butter cup brownies. (YUM! I will definitely make these - sounds SO good!)

On Monday, author Lindsey Leavitt shared her recipe for banana pudding. (I am also going to make this - it sounds like an easy version of banana cream pie, which is my FAVORITE).

You'll get a new recipe every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, all the way up to September 20th. Only a couple of more weeks and the book will be here! Yay!!!

One of my favorite things to do!

2011-09-06T07:48:00.001-07:00

It's so nice to be nominated!

2011-09-05T12:37:00.000-07:00

I haven't been blogging much lately - sorry about that! I haven't felt well for the past week, mostly with a headache that won't quit, and being on the computer doesn't help it, of course. Although this morning I did power through 1,500 words on a new project I'm really excited about.

I have things to talk about, things I want to say, but I have a feeling I'm going to have to limit my computer time for a while longer, until whatever this thing is decides to give me a break. (Please, let that be soon).

SO, making a list is an exciting thing for an author. And I have the chance to make a few of them, so I just wanted to say here, because I want the universe to hear me, I would love, love, LOVE to make the final lists of the following:

Chasing Brooklyn is a preliminary nominee on the 2012-2013 Missouri Association of School Librarians Gateway Readers Award.

Chasing Brooklyn is also a nominee for YALSA's 2012 popular paperback list - yay!!!

And finally, The Day Before is a nominee for YALSA's 2012 Quick Picks for Reluctant Readers list. I Heart You, You Haunt Me made this list a few years ago, and it was such a great thing for my book.

Thanks so much to the librarians who helped me get on these lists, and if I don't make any of them, it was really nice to be nominated. Maybe I should go buy myself a cute dress to have as a consolation prize?

Another fun with cupcakes video!

2011-09-02T08:06:00.000-07:00

Look what's in the October Scholastic TAB

2011-09-01T07:12:00.000-07:00

I was so excited when my friend, Lindsey Leavitt, let me know we were in the October Scholastic TAB together. In case you don't know what TAB is, that's Scholastic's book club for middle schoolers. If you go HERE, you'll see her book is even mentioned in the video! Cool!! My editor sent me the actual flyer a couple of days ago, which was fun to see.

I HEART YOU, YOU HAUNT ME came out in January, 2008. And while it's still on shelves and continues to sell, which makes me happy, I love that this will help it reach a whole new group of readers!

I love this video, which shows what Scholastic book clubs means to kids and schools. I'm so happy to be a part of it!

More fun with cupcakes!

2011-08-30T07:06:00.000-07:00

Videos courtesy of Simon and Schuster

2011-08-26T04:00:00.000-07:00

When I was in New York City the end of June, I visited the S&S offices, and they took me into their studio and had me answer some questions.

Here are the results from that time in the studio!

Playing croquet with cupcakes

2011-08-25T04:00:00.000-07:00

I had to be careful - didn't want to squish my friends!

More fun with cupcakes!

2011-08-23T06:00:00.000-07:00

In case you missed it, every Tuesday and Thursday leading up to the release of Sprinkles and Secrets, I'm posting a video. Yes, a silly video with cupcakes.

What do we do when it gets hot?

Go swimming, of course!!

On buying books

2011-08-22T11:32:00.000-07:00

Sometimes people make fun of me because when one of my favorite bands or singers has a new CD that comes out, I go to the store and I buy the CD.

Yes. I do.

Here is why. Buying the CD is the very best way I can support those bands and singers I love. I want them to keep making music. And although music is going more and more digital every day, CD sales still matter. And so, I want to do as much for them as I can. Buying the CD says - what you do matters to me. I value you as an artist.

The same can be said for books.

Yes, it's true, we may not get the same mileage out of books that we do out of a CD, since we usually are happy to listen to music over and over again and don't reread books like that. Although I will say, I have a lot of girls who have e-mailed me to tell me they've read my books many times. I think one girl told me she'd read It's Raining Cupcakes seventeen times. Wow!! Sometimes a good book feels like an old friend. I know people who pull out Harry Potter, for example, as a "comfort read."

Anyway, regardless of whether I'll read a book once or five times, I try to do my share of buying books. In fact, I have a book budget - every month, there is a certain amount of money set aside for me to spend on books. I don't always buy for myself - books make GREAT gifts. If I max out my budget, then I hold off and buy the books I really want the next month. And I may have to get a couple at the library.

But the important thing is that I'm buying books!

I've heard from so many people who are sad to see Borders go. If we want bookstores to stay in business, we HAVE to support them. That is, we have to go to the stores, and buy books. It's really that simple.

The same can be said for authors. If you want your favorite author to stay in business, to be able to keep writing books, you HAVE to support them. You have to buy their books.

So let's say you are one of those who says - I just don't have the money. And you may not. And if that's the case, then the library is your best friend. But some day, you will have money. And I hope when you do, you'll do as I do and allocate a certain amount of money every month to be spent on books.

Sometimes people complain about the cost of books. And I have to bite my tongue so I don't ask them the following questions:

How often do you spend $5.00 on a coffee drink?
How often do you spend $6.00 on a frozen yogurt?
How often do you spend $10.00 - $15.00 on a pizza?
How often do you spend $40.00 on a pair of shoes because they're "cute", when you don't really need them?

Three less coffee drinks a month, and you could buy a book.
One less pizza a month, and you could buy a book.
One less pair of cute shoes a month, and you could buy two or three or even four books (if they're paperback).

I hardly ever buy new clothes. I mean, I go shopping maybe twice a year, if that, and often, I shop at thrift stores.

That's what I give up in order to buy books. I wear the same things over and over until I can't stand it anymore, and then I try to find clothes that are cheap when I do shop.

So when you meet me, please, be kind in regard to my wardrobe, okay? I can't wear books, or I would be golden! Maybe I should just get a bunch of t-shirts that say "Buy Books" and wear those every where I go. Or something like this one would be good too.

I know I'm probably singing to the choir here, but every once in a while, I feel the need to do a post about buying books. Thanks for indulging me!!

And thank you to everyone who has bought my books - I appreciate it!

Only one more month!!

2011-08-20T08:41:00.000-07:00

Today is August 20th, which means, just one more month until this book comes out!!!

I didn't have a second book planned. But when so many readers e-mailed me, asking if there would be another book, I decided to write one. This book is my gift to all of the fans of It's Raining Cupcakes, and I can't wait for you to read it!

If you are planning on getting it when it comes out, it would actually help me out a lot if you went to your local book store and pre-ordered it in the next couple of weeks. This means you buy it now, and when it comes in, they let you know it's in, and you have your very own copy, guaranteed. If a book gets a lot of pre-orders (at a bookstore), that's a good thing for an author, and they are likely to order more copies than they usually do. I've heard many people are saddened by the closing of Borders. The truth is, if we want book stores to stay in business, we must support them.

Anyway, I know some kids have been waiting a long time for September 20th to get here. I'm so happy it's almost here!! In a few weeks, I'll be announcing a special SURPRISE for everyone who gets the book and reads it in the first few weeks. There will be a special question you answer, via e-mail, and when you do, I send you something really fun!!

Fun with Cupcakes - It's Picnic Time!

2011-08-18T03:00:00.000-07:00

When you take cupcakes on a picnic, you don't EAT them, do you???

Because, look, they really want to join in on the fun!

WriteOn Con

2011-08-17T07:35:00.000-07:00

I hope you've been checking out this great conference with authors, editors and agents. Lots of great blog posts, vlogs, forums to submit samples, and more.

The schedule is HERE.

To read blog posts and watch vlogs that have already been posted, just go to the main site, scroll through, and see what interests you!

I did a vlog on beginnings, which you can watch HERE.

The organizers put a TON of time into this conference, and did a fabulous job.

Fun with Cupcakes video series

2011-08-16T07:38:00.000-07:00

Leading up to a book release, some authors hold fabulous contests.

Others vlog about interesting and/or entertaining points of interest.

Me? I dress up in a cupcake costume and do a series of videos called Fun with Cupcakes.

I'm going to post one every Tuesday and Thursday up to the release of Sprinkles and Secrets on September 20th.

My husband wanted to do evil things with cupcakes. Like run over them with the car. Who knows, by the time I'm done with these, I may agree to that.

A giveaway and tune in tomorrow!

2011-08-15T07:57:00.000-07:00

1. YA Books Central is hosting a giveaway for THE DAY BEFORE - three people will win the following prize pack:

To enter, go here: http://www.yabookscentral.com/component/rsform/form/17-the-day-before

2. Tomorrow you will want to tune in here to see...um, me making a fool of myself? I have a series of videos planned every Tuesday and Thursday up to the release of Sprinkles and Secrets. The series is called "Fun with Cupcakes." The twist? I am one of the cupcakes.

Oh boy. The things we do to help make people aware of our books.

Happy Monday!

So You Think You Can Dance

2011-08-12T07:42:00.000-07:00

Did you watch the finale last night?

So many great performances that were chosen to be done again from the season. I think this one is my favorite though. I just love it. I have watched it more times than I will admit.

What a final four! Wow. I won't say anything about the winner in case you haven't watched yet.

I'm just sad it's over!

Things to Remember when Writing a First Draft

2011-08-11T11:25:00.000-07:00

I've started a new project, and every time, it amazes me how it always feels scary. Overwhelming. Impossible even. I don't even know how many books I've written, published and unpublished, and still, here I am, doubting myself up, down and sideways.

I did get myself the screenwriting book SAVE THE CAT by Blake Snyder I've heard SO many authors talk about, and I have to say, I love it. He breaks down the making of a story in such an easy-to-understand way.

Yes, it's geared toward writing screenplays, but it easily transfers to writing novels as well. Want to know what makes a good catalyst moment? Want to know what strategies to use when it's time to give your readers a breather, and where that should happen? I could go on and on, but I won't. It's good. Period.

As I'm writing this draft, I'm reading the book every night, based on where I'm at with the draft, and keeping in mind what my purpose is for the very section I'm writing. It's been incredibly helpful.

Anyway, back to why I'm doing this blog post. :) I was thinking about the things that help me when I'm drafting a story, that I want to remember, and thought I'd share them. So here is my "Things to Remember When Writing a First Draft List," in no particular order.

1) Sometimes it is fun and sometimes it is not. I think we want it to be fun all the time, but it just won't be. There will always be hard parts. Fight your way through them, and don't let them win.

2) Free writing in a different document is okay, to sort out thoughts, to ask yourself questions, whatever. Any writing is helpful writing, even if it doesn't necessarily add to the word count.

3) Some days, the hardest part is opening the document. So make it as easy as possible, by leaving off in an exciting spot and leaving yourself notes as to what you envision happening next. It's so much easier to reenter with little notes than simply a blank page.

4) Doubt is your biggest enemy. It will sneak up on you when you least expect it. It till make you cranky as you battle it, day after day after day.

I try very hard to think of the story as something I'm writing just for me. It may be good, it may be bad, it doesn't matter, I'm the only one who will read it and I have to keep writing because I want to see how it turns out. I really think it's when we imagine other people reading it, thinking about whether there's a place in the market for it or not, those kinds of things, that's when we find ourselves getting anxious. The first draft is not the time to worry about any of that, and as much as we can, we need to rid ourselves of those thoughts somehow.

Some days, if the doubt is really, really bad, I allow myself a break. And that means a break from all things publishing-related. I go see a movie or I go somewhere with my family. At that point, I need to get "out of my head" and gain some perspective. It's just a book!!

5) Be kind to yourself. If a little chocolate or some delicious caffeinated drink makes opening the document easier, why not? Once you get going, get in the zone, a lot of times, the need to munch or sip or whatever falls away.

6) Every little bit helps. Leave the document open and when there's time, sit down and work for 15 minutes. A big chunk of time may be hard some days, and don't let that keep you from getting in some words.

7) It doesn't have to be perfect. Let's repeat that, shall we?

8) It doesn't have to be perfect!!!

I'm curious, what's on your "Things to Remember when Writing a First Draft" list??

What Kirkus has to say about SPRINKLES AND SECRETS

2011-08-09T08:13:00.000-07:00

"Twelve-year-old Sophie faces a difficult dilemma; deciding between loyalty to her best friend and seizing the opportunity of a life time.

An aspiring actress, Sophie's upcoming audition for a commercial may be the big break she has been waiting for. When she discovers the commercial is for the rival of her best friend's faltering family business, Sophie experiences a crisis of conscience. In this sequel to It's Raining Cupcakes (2010), Schroeder delves into the complexity of middle-school friendships. Sophie struggles with a confusing kaleidoscope of feelings, including her jealousy over Isabel's chance to compete in a bake-off and her elation/guilt over the audition. Sophie and Isabel's friendship is jeopardized when Sophie's impulsive decision to lie is revealed. With the help of her new friend Dennis, Sophie may be able to achieve her dreams and salvage her friendship with Isabel. While there are the many references to A Bridge to Terabithia in a potentially intriguing subplot, its story line is not fully developed, and the connection may be too ambiguous for readers unfamiliar with the classic tale.

Schroeder skillfully evokes the turbulence of pre-adolescence as she explores the delicate balance of being a true friend while remaining true to yourself. (Fiction. 8-12)"

Only about 40 more days until its release - I'm so excited for fans of the first book to read this one!!

Authors, it's really okay to keep your money

2011-08-08T05:00:00.000-07:00

Some authors make a lot of money.

Some authors make an okay amount of money.

Some authors make very little money.

And sometimes I feel like there is a bit of pressure for the authors in the last two categories to act as if they are in the top category and spend all kinds of money they really don't have on promotional things. And I do not understand this.

It's kind of like the - how much time should I spend on social networking thing, except it's - how much money should I throw at all of these authorly things.

After doing this for a while, I think the answer is the same. You don't *have* to spend anything and it's perfectly okay, just like you don't *have* to spend time doing the social networking thing unless you want to.

In the end, how many books you sell is not dependent on how much you spent on your web site, how many fancy bookmarks you bought, how pretty your author photo is, how incredible your book trailer is, etc. How many books you sell is going to be dependent on what kind of push you get from your publisher, whether the book stores pick it up or not, whether it's the kind of book that gets people talking, and honestly, quite a bit of luck.

I commented on a thread on a message board recently where someone asked about web sites. I replied that I am currently using blogger for my site, because A) it's free and B) I can update it whenever I want to. So many people pointed the person asking the question to all of these awesome designers, and all of them cost money. Some of them a LOT OF MONEY.

We need to remember, not everyone has a lot of money to spend, and I wanted to speak up and show the person that I am one author who is keeping that $1000-$3000 I could spend on a web site to pay for my kid's braces, and I'm not going to go into debt just so I can have a site that makes people oooh and ahhh.

Do some people come to my site and go, eww, she's using blogger? Probably so. Do I believe that most kids/teens/parents/librarians/teachers coming to my site, who are the ones reading my books, really care? No, I don't.

When I built my site by myself, using blogger's tools, I kept in mind the things that are important to me when I'm going to someone else's site. I wanted the site to be clean, easy to navigate, and have the information at their fingertips that they were looking for. Do you know how many professional sites I've been to where I thought it was too busy or hard to find things or any number of things? A LOT! Professional doesn't always mean good.

I know some people have strong feelings about authors and what their web site looks like. Just like some people have strong feelings about book trailers. And some people have strong feelings about bookmarks. And some people have strong feelings about author photos.

In the perfect world, every author would have all kinds of money to spend on these things. But we don't live in a perfect world, and here is what I want really want to say on the subject, maybe for myself more than anyone.

If you don't have the money to spend on these things, (and I'm going to go out on a limb and say 85% of authors don't), then keep your hard earned money for yourself and please DO NOT FEEL BAD about that. Do the best with what you have. When you get your advance, come up with a budget for promotional things that is realistic for you and your family, and then stick to it by figuring out what is most important to you!

I got my author photos when a studio was having a sale. I waited patiently until it was something I could afford. Some authors have their spouse or friend take lots and lots and lots of photos with a digital camera until they have one that's good enough to use. Will the professional ones look better? Maybe. But isn't it true that we can always do better, that money can always BUY better?

It's the same with book trailers. Some people will say - don't do a book trailer unless you can do a REALLY incredible one with actors and a script and on and on. Well, I don't have that kind of money, so does that mean I shouldn't do one at all? I don't think so. I made mine myself, for free, and yeah, there are lots of trailers that are better, but does it matter? I did what I could and I shouldn't have to apologize for that. Because really, am I out to A) outdo most authors, or am I out to B) do what I can for my book without breaking the bank?

For me, the answer will always be B. It can be really easy to get caught up in what everyone else is doing, and I just felt the need to post this today and say, if you are an author who is feeling pressured to spend, spend, spend to keep up with the Joneses who are around the corner on the internet, put the credit card down and get back to work writing the best book you can.

Like we've heard a million times already, but seem to need to be reminded from time to time, it's the writing that matters more than anything else.

Bookmarks, get your bookmarks!

2011-08-04T08:28:00.000-07:00

Over the past six months, I've sent a lot of signed bookmarks out to fans of IT'S RAINING CUPCAKES. The bookmarks are really fun, with pictures of both of the covers on them.

As we get closer to the release of SPRINKLES AND SECRETS (September 20th!!), I'd love to send you some if you are a teacher, librarian, blogger who reviews MG fiction, or parent, and you may pass them on to whomever you'd like. I've sent quite a few to mother/daughter book clubs, so if you're in one of those, consider getting some for a future meeting!

All you have to do is drop me an e-mail at lisaschroederbooks(at)gmail.com (with the @ sign in place of (at)), let me know how many you'd like, and I'll sign some and put them in the mail to you.

Stay tuned for some fun things planned as we get closer to September 20th. I can't wait to share SPRINKLES AND SECRETS with you next month!!

My WAY FUN weekend in Vegas and Seattle

2011-08-01T10:36:00.000-07:00

What a weekend!

I flew to Vegas on Friday to see the lovely and talented Lindsey Leavitt. Have you read her Princess for Hire books or her awesome YA novel, Sean Griswold's Head? If not, you should! I love Lindsey so much. We have known each other a long time, before she had any kids. Now she has three! And they are SO cute. I woke up this morning and was sad I didn't have a baby hug to look forward to not to mention a fun friend to talk to.

Anyway, we only got one picture of us - how did that happen? Oh, because we were too busy having fun!

Friday night we went to a Lifehouse concert. It was at the Red Rock hotel and casino and what a great venue for a concert. It was outside, where there are lots of swimming pools, so we sat poolside for a while, with our feet in the water, and then walked around, finding different spots to watch the show.

My favorite part, by far, was when the band took a break (it was SO hot that night) and the lead singer, Jason Wade, grabbed his acoustic guitar and took requests from the audience, and just sang with his guitar. SO awesome. I didn't take a picture of that, but here's a pretty good picture of him.

And one more of the view we had toward the end of the show when we stood at the end of one pool and looked straight on at the band as they sang one of my favorite songs, "Everything."

We visited a darling bakery called Retro Bakery. Lindsey bought us a dozen cupcakes, and I am not kidding when I say they were some of the best cupcakes I have EVER had. Seriously, if you are in Las Vegas, check them out.

Saturday I signed books at the Barnes and Noble on N. Rainbow and met the fabulous bookseller, Crystal, who is known far and wide as one of the best advocates of YA fiction out there. Thanks to those of you who came out and bought books, it was GREAT to meet you. Here's a picture of me and Crystal.

On Sunday, I flew to Seattle to meet up with five other YA authors for a Summer YA Extravaganza at Third Place Books. Here we all are (from right to left): Kimberly Derting, Suzanne Young, Cat Patrick, Me, Mandy Hubbard, and Eileen Cook. (Picture courtesy of the marvelous Heather Davis). I had a piece of candy in my mouth when she decided to shoot this picture, thus the reason I am not smiling. I can't help it, I LOVE CANDY and Cat brought a LOT of candy!!

One of the highlights for me was meeting Maddie, a teen who wrote to me shortly after I Heart You, You Haunt Me came out, and we've stayed in touch ever since. This is me with Maddie (on the right) and her friend Lauren.

I drove home with Suzanne last night, and from now on I will only drive to/from Seattle with Suzanne and her husband because it was REALLY fun and the 3 hours flew by!

Now, there are chores to do and bills to pay and kids to catch up with and SUNSHINE to enjoy! It's supposed to be 80 and sunny ALL WEEK LONG!!! While much of the country has been burning up, it has been a cool summer here, so it feels like summer has finally arrived here! I can't believe it's already August 1st already. YIKES!

Have a great week!

Wordless Wednesday

2011-07-27T04:00:00.000-07:00

Motivational Monday - being the odd one out

2011-07-25T08:58:00.000-07:00

"If there's any message to my work, it is ultimately that it's OK to be different, that it's good to be different, that we should question ourselves before we pass judgment on someone who looks different, behaves different, talks different, is a different color." ~Johnny Depp

Last week, an editor asked twitter about verse novels. "Do you feel there's a love-em-or-hate-em attitude about verse novels? Do you love 'em? Hate 'em? Why?"

I sat back and watched the responses, searching on the editor's name to see what people said. I'm going to leave the names off, but I'll identify the profession of the person.

"I've never met one I liked. They're hard to get into." ~Author

"It only works if it's brilliant, like Virginia Euwer Wolf, Sharon Creech, etc." ~Agent

"I am not a fan of verse novels. It feels more gimmick than substance, though I know there are exceptions out there." ~Agent

"Neither love nor hate. More 'don't get it.'" ~Agent

"I usually stop within a few pages. I'm sure there are good ones out there, but I don't have patience to get into them." ~Freelance writer and editor

"Most of the time they're filled with poor 'verse' and there's no reason for the form." ~Writer and educator

I suppose I am a glutton for punishment. What did I expect? I go through this with every book - I am reminded how hard it is to do something different. To put yourself out there with a book that isn't something the majority of the people can get into.

I wish someone had said SOMETHING completely positive. "They're great for reluctant readers." Or "obviously Ellen Hopkins has shown us that many teens love them." Or even, "I don't like them, but I think it's great to have various choices on the shelves for different kinds of readers."

When I talk to middle schoolers and high schoolers, I tell them, I write books that are different. I say, what I want you to know is that it's okay to be different. It's not always easy. But it's definitely okay.

Still, it's times like this that I'm reminded how hard it really can be, to stick your neck out there and do something that isn't universally accepted. So to those of you who, like me, often feel like the odd one out, I just want you to know, I admire you. I know there are days it's really hard to hear the criticism. To wonder if what you're doing is different like The Beatles were different or different like Charlie Sheen is different.

Friday night, Casey at The Bookish Type blog sent me an e-mail, letting me know she read THE DAY BEFORE and loved it and wondered if I'd be up for an interview. I try not to read a lot of reviews, but she said, "Here's my 5 star review" and provided the link, so I clicked over. It's such a thoughtful and articulate review, I want to share it here. The line I especially love? "I honestly didn't think I could read an entire novel written in verse, but by the second or third page, I'd completely forgotten about the style and was engrossed in Lisa Schroeder's tale."

That's what I like to hear.

The PLEASE COME SEE ME Friday Five

2011-07-22T07:55:00.000-07:00

1. It all started with these guys:

If you know me, you know I LOVE them. My friend and amazing author, Lindsey Leavitt, said, some see me, they're playing in Vegas. Well, how could I resist? I couldn't! I just couldn't. So, next Friday I jet off to Vegas, and Lindsey will see a band with me she cares nothing about. Because she's that kind of awesome friend!

2. Once that was settled, I asked her, do you think we could get a signing thrown together for Saturday? And because her awesomeness apparently has no limits, she said: Sure!

3. So...I will be signing at the Barnes and Noble on N. Rainbow in Las Vegas at 2:00 on Saturday, July 30th. If you're anywhere near there, you should come see me. Please!! Lindsey might sign with me, I'm not sure. Remember, we just whipped this whole thing together, like, yesterday.

4. I already had a signing scheduled with five other great authors for Sunday in Seattle. So I will jet from Vegas to Seattle and meet up with these amazing authors:

Suzanne Young, A NEED SO BEAUTIFUL

Kimberly Derting, THE BODY FINDER series

Mandy Hubbard, RIPPLE

Cat Patrick, FORGOTTEN

Eileen Cook, THE EDUCATION OF HAILEY KENDRICK

and me, THE DAY BEFORE

5. So if you are in the Seattle area, please come see us at Third Place Books in Lake Forest Park, Washington at 4:00 on Sunday, July 31st.

After that I will drive home with my friend Suzanne. And collapse.

Have a great weekend!

Relay for Life

2011-07-19T09:47:00.000-07:00

This past weekend I participated in Relay for Life. Relay for Life is done all across the country over various weekends in the summer, where teams of people gather and for 24 hours, they walk or run, raising money to fight cancer. It was fun. And inspirational. And during the Luminaria Ceremony, heartbreaking.

I met Jennifer Manullang years ago when I was doing Pampered Chef. She is so fun and funny and I feel really blessed that we've stayed in touch over the years. She's lucky because if I didn't live on the other side of town, I'd probably bug her. A lot. I just really adore her.

In 2009, she learned she had a tumor near her spine. Lymphoma. She blogged about the tumor, which was the size of a FREAKING ORANGE, HERE.

I saw her twice in 2010, both times because she came to my book signings. I was touched and honored she did that when she most likely wasn't feeling that great, as she was doing chemotherapy. I continued to watch for updates on-line, cheering for her as she fought hard to kick cancer's ass.

And kick its ass she did. I can remember crying tears of joy when I read it was official. Her cancer was in complete remission.

It came at a time when I was praying hard for my dear friend, Lisa. At that time, we didn't know her diagnosis. But things were getting worse. It would be a couple of weeks later before her diagnosis would come - pancreatic cancer.

2011, as most of you know, has been a really sad year for me personally. Lisa lost her life to cancer on February 23rd, and in May, Bridget Zinn lost her battle as well.

When Jennifer asked me if I'd like to be a part of her relay for life team, I knew it was something I could do to honor my friends. First of all, I wanted to honor Jennifer and how hard she fought. She is now a survivor, and a shining light in this world and proof that cancer doesn't always win. And of course, I wanted to honor my friends who are no longer here. To say - I miss you and I will never forget you. And whenever I can, I will do what I can so we can find a cure for this terrible disease.

Jen did a complete recap of the day HERE. I'm snagging a couple of pictures (hope you don't mind, Jen!) in case you don't have time to click over. There was a Western theme going on this year, so Jen gave our team the name, The Hoe Downs. Or, you know, The Hoes for short. hahaha

Some of us hanging out in the Hoe Downs tent

the track lined with luminaria bags, most with names honoring those affected by cancer

I had told myself I wouldn't get emotional during the Luminaria Ceremony, but I quickly saw it was impossible not to. So many people remembering their friends and loved ones who lost their lives to this terrible disease. I found the bags I had decorated for Bridget and Lisa in the dark, although I hadn't found them earlier in the daylight hours, when I looked for them. It might sound strange, but it felt like Bridget and Lisa were there with me.

Anyway... thanks SO VERY MUCH to those of you who donated money for this worthwhile cause. The overall total for the North Clackamas Relay for Life was over $44,000. The Hoe-Downs brought in about $10,000 of that. All money that will go to cancer research.

If any of you have a chance to be involved in a Relay for Life event near you, I highly recommend it. It's an amazing thing - seeing all those people gather and give, give, give of their time and money.

Thank you, Jen, for letting me be a part of your team. Hoes for the win!!!

What I have in common with Friday Night Lights

2011-07-16T09:10:00.000-07:00

I watched the finale of Friday Night Lights last night and it was everything I wanted and more. Okay, maybe I wanted a little more Landry, but I'll forgive them of that. The one scene he was in made me laugh, and it was like old times between Landry and Matt and I adored every second of it.

I'm pretty sure I have never loved a TV show as much as I've loved this one. And it's hard for me to put into words exactly why. If you watch the show, of course, you know. I think it's the little moments the show was so good at showing. The little moments that make life worth it. The little moments you have to work for, that don't come easily. But then one comes, and it's good. Really good and it's like catching that pass in the end zone after you've practiced for months and wondered if you'd survive the season. You feel victorious, because those moments are so very sweet.

One thing I've been thinking about this morning is how Friday Night Lights is like a mid-list author. It never got the ratings and attention so many others shows on television received. The people who discovered the show became die-hard fans, and those fans are what pushed the producers, I believe, to get creative and strike a deal with DirecTV so the show would continue on a couple of more seasons.

So many people will never know the incredible beauty of this show. And yet, the show worked hard to give the fans one hell of a last season. In the end, it wasn't about ratings or the possibility of getting picked up another season or bottom line or any of that.

It was about writing a series of shows full of heart that the fans had come to expect, and staying true to the original vision of the show.

Those of us who are struggling mid-list authors must remember that in the end, fans don't care whether a book is labeled a bestseller or not. Publishers care, but fans? All they want is a book that touches them somehow. That when they put the book down, they feel like their life has been changed for the better in some way. They want to know that the author did everything he/she could to give them a reading experience they've come to expect from that author.

I will never be a Cassandra Clare or a Becca Fitzpatrick or a Maggie Stiefvater.

I will be me, Lisa Schroeder who writes YA novels that are kind of different. That require the reader to start in and trust me that I will not overwhelm them with poetry that's hard to follow. That I will not forget that first and foremost, no matter what format a book is written in, story is number one! That I will take the reader on an emotional journey because THAT is what I try my hardest to do. That is why I write. That is what I love when I read and so, it is what I try to do in every one of my young adult novels.

Because my books are a bit different, there will be a struggle with every release to find an audience. But the fans who have been with me from the beginning, who read I HEART YOU, YOU HAUNT ME and have read every book since then, the fact of the matter is, I write for you. Did you hear me?

I write for YOU!

And so, the ability for me to continue to write novels and get them published for you to read lies in your hands. I cannot survive as an author unless my fans help me to survive, and that is a fact. Just like Friday Night Lights wouldn't have been given two more seasons if the fans didn't rally big time for a show they loved completely and desperately, and continued to tune in to show their support.

If you've bought one of my books or told your librarians and teachers and friends about my books, thank you! From the bottom of my FNL-loving heart, THANK YOU!

What I'm up to

2011-07-13T08:41:00.000-07:00

1. I'm busy trying to keep my sanity in regards to the recent release (not doing nearly as well at this as I'd like). Let it go, let it go, let it go.

2. I'm busy revising a manuscript for an editor.

3. I'm busy trying not to gain 20 pounds while doing that revising.

4. I'm also busy trying to keep the kids from killing each other while doing that revising.

5. Another 7-10 days and hopefully I'll be done with that revising (second one of the summer, in case anyone is counting. I am. Obviously.)

In other news, this Friday I will be very sad. Please send chocolate. Oh wait, don't (see #2 above). I know many people are sad about the Harry Potter movies coming to an end, but for me, it's all about Friday Night Lights coming to an end.

SOB.

Last Friday's episode, I had tissues all over the couch by the end of the show. Can you even imagine what it's going to be like after the last episode?

SOB SOB SOB

Texas Forever!!!!!!!

SOB

Five things on a Friday - The Day Before edition

2011-07-08T10:47:00.000-07:00

1. Thank you to everyone who has read THE DAY BEFORE and posted nice reviews on goodreads, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, your blog, etc. Seriously, THANK YOU SO MUCH!! In case you want to read a few...

Go HERE (Books, Sweets and Other Treats)

Or HERE (Novel Novice)

Or HERE (Story Siren)

2. Some people are having trouble finding the book. Please do order it if you go to a store and they don't have it. The more people who order it, the higher the chance that the store will end up carrying it. It's all about supply and demand - if you demand it, they'll supply it!

3. There are many signed copies available at Books of Wonder in New York! If you pay with a credit card over the phone, they will SHIP IT TO YOUR DOOR! Call 212-989-3270 to place your order.

4. I did an interview over at YA Highway where I answered *all* of the questions from lines from the book. It's like your own little sneak peek of the book - check it out HERE.

5. I have seven book plates left - e-mail me at lisaschroederbooks (at) gmail (dot) com if you'd like a signed book plate to stick in your copy of THE DAY BEFORE. What I write will be specific for *this* book, so you'll need a copy of this particular book, not one of my other ones. The first seven people will get one. I'll update the blog when the seven are gone.
*update - the book plates are gone, thank you!*

I leave you with one thought today, something Matt Nathanson (one of my favorite singer/songwriters, and he is mentioned in THE DAY BEFORE) tweeted this morning and then Heather Zenzen retweeted with a comment attached. Here it is:

Yes. This! RT @heatherzenzen Or a book. RT @mattnathanson: people spend $4 on a latte. and complain that albums are too expensive. yuck.

Let's support artists, writers and musicians, even if we have to skip a couple of lattes to do it, yes? :)

NYC part 2 - The Rita Awards!

2011-07-07T07:35:00.000-07:00

Kim Derting and I after we went out to dinner, before the awards.

Ready for the ceremony!

Meg Cabot was a fabulous Master of Ceremonies

I snapped a picture when Chasing Brooklyn was announced.

Me and my editor, Annette Pollert

Me with two of the finalists - Simone Elkeles and Heather Davis

Such a fun night!! A huge congratulations to Julie Kagawa who won in the YA category with her book, THE IRON KING.

NYC in pictures

2011-07-01T05:04:00.000-07:00

It has been a really great week. The weather has been incredible - sunny and warm, not humid at all. Highlights include the broadway show Jersey Boys (LOVED it!), walks through Central park, a walk across the Brooklyn Bridge, visiting St. Patrick's cathedral, a visit to Simon and Schuster, lunch at Shake Shack with friends, and a signing at Books of Wonder! Tonight... the Rita awards!

Author Elizabeth Eulberg and I after eating NYC pizza

Found my book on release day at Borders

St. Patrick's Cathedral - so beautiful

Strawberry Fields in Central Park - memorial of John Lennon

I love Central Park so much!

My publisher!

My editors Annette and Alyson

Signing books at a S&S Meet and Greet

Cupcakes from Magnolia Bakery

Chatting with Andy

Walking the Brooklyn Bridge

Inara Scott at Shake Shack

Kimberly Derting and Sophie Jordan at Shake Shack

My first event for THE DAY BEFORE

Books of Wonder event - so fun!!

Kimberly Derting, Adele Griffin, Me and Laurie Faria Stolarz

A teacher and her daughter bought me a cupcake. So pretty!

Fear and Gratitude

2011-06-28T06:15:00.000-07:00

I wrote my first three young adult novels while I worked 32 hours/week in Human Resources. I'd get up early in the mornings to write, and I spent many weekends writing as well.

A number of things led me to a place in January, 2010 where I was now going to give the full-time writing thing a go.

I was SO scared. I didn't know if I would fly or fall.

Maybe deep down, that's why I ended up writing a book that's ultimately about fear. About moving forward even when you're terrified. About finding people who understand and can tell you, when you need to hear it most, It's going to be okay. I began writing The Day Before in February, my first book as a full-time writer.

There are a lot of things in this business that can cause a writer to feel fear. In fact, I think it's safe to say, there's something at every turn.

You have an idea, and what if it's not as good on paper as in your head? Fear.

You finish your manuscript, and now it's time to find beta readers. Fear.

You finish your revisions, and now it's time to write the query letter. Fear.

You finish writing the query letter, and now it's time to send it out. Lots of fear!

You get requests to read the manuscript. More fear.

You sell the book, and realize people are going to actually read it. Fear.

Galleys are printed and sent to reviewers. Fear.

Release day comes. *gulp*

I heard a definition recently that I want to share. "Courage is not the absence of fear, but actually forward motion in the presence of fear."

Still, I know, some days, it's hard to be courageous. And so, this week, here's what I'm doing. I'm focusing on gratitude.

If you had asked me five years ago if I'd have four YA novels and two MG novels on the shelves by 2011, I'd have thought you were totally and completely insane. And yet, thanks to my agent, Sara Crowe and my publishers, Simon Pulse and Aladdin, that's exactly what has happened. I'm SO grateful to them.

I'm thankful for my family, who has supported me in this writing thing from day one, and for the many wonderful friends I've made along the way.

I'm thankful that I'm still here, writing full-time, doing what I *love*.

Each time a book is released, I have to figure out what to do with the fears that start to surface about reviews, sales, etc. If I've learned anything since my first novel, it's that when the book hits the shelves, or the e-reader as the case may be, it's no longer mine. If I'm going to stay sane, I *have* to let it go and give it away. Pass it on to who it belongs to now.

You.

And that brings me to more gratitude. Oh how I'm grateful for my loyal and faithful readers, who buy my books and tell their friends about them.

Thank you, dear readers. Really and truly, THANK YOU! Those are the words I'll play on repeat in the coming days, if the fears start to surface. I'm pretty sure it's impossible to be afraid when you're feeling grateful. And I do have so much to be grateful for!!!

As for my book, I'd just like to say - welcome to the world Amber and Cade. I know it's kind of scary, but I have a feeling you're going to be just fine.

NYC Here I Come

2011-06-26T11:02:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow morning I get up bright and early to head to NYC.

I can hardly believe it!

It's my first trip to the Big Apple and I have so many things planned. I have a date to eat NYC pizza Monday night. On Tuesday, I'm hoping to do lots of touristy stuff, exactly what depends on the weather. I hope to ride the free ferry, stroll Central Park, and visit the Metropolitan Museum of Art. As if that's not enough, I'm seeing Jersey Boys Tuesday night! I got a 9th row seat - woo hoo!

Wednesday I'm meeting publishing people and having an authorly kind of day.

Thursday I hope to hit a workshop or two, plus an awards reception in the afternoon, and then at 6:00, I'll be reading and signing THE DAY BEFORE at Books of Wonder. SO excited about this event!

Friday night, I'll get all dressed up for the awards event, because, as you may or may not remember, Chasing Brooklyn is a Rita finalist in the YA category. Look at the great company I'm in:

From the Romance Writers of America. Source: YA Fresh.

Chasing Brooklyn by Lisa Schroeder (Simon Pulse, 2010)
The Clearing by Heather Davis (Graphia, 2010)
Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare (McElderry, 2010)
I Now Pronounce You Someone Else by Erin McCahan (Arthur A. Levine, 2010)
The Iron King by Julie Kagawa (Turtleback, 2010)
Rules of Attraction by Simone Elkeles
The Summer of Skinny Dipping by Amanda Howells

It's gonna be fun!!!

Answering the question: where's the best place to buy your book?

2011-06-23T06:57:00.000-07:00

Sometimes people ask me this question, so today, I'm answering it!

Now there is a part of me, a big part of me, that simply wants to say - you want to buy my book? You do? For REAL!? SERIOUSLY!?!? OH MY GOSH, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, that is so awesome, just buy it anywhere, it doesn't really matter.

But, if I'm being honest, it does matter a tiny bit. What they mean, I think, is - I want to support you in the best way possible. How do I do that?

So today, I'm going to tell you. And while I'm at it, I'll try to shed light on some things the average Joe Reader may not know about authors and publishing and book sales.

My first preference would be for you to walk or drive down to your local independent book store and buy my book there. A few examples of well-known independent book stores: Powell's in Portland, OR, Books of Wonder in New York City, Vroman's in Pasadena, or Books, Inc in San Francisco. Independent book stores are lovely things. Authors do not want them to go away. But we must support them, that is BUY BOOKS FROM THEM, if they're going to be able to stay in business.

Now, you might say, "But Lisa, I walked down to my local indie store, and they didn't have your book. How can I buy it if it's not there?"

I know this can be frustrating. I do!! But if you think about how many books there are and the amount of shelf space these days, it's not surprising that you may not be able to find every single book you want on the shelves. But here is the great thing - independent book stores WANT to serve you! They want to help you, so you'll come back again and again. So please - ASK someone to order the book for you!

This not only helps the book store, but it really, REALLY helps the author too. Because usually, if they're ordering one book, they'll think, well, maybe I should order a couple of more to put on the shelves. Do you get this? No? Okay, let me explain it to you.

Because of YOU, my books are now in a book store where they didn't use to be. THIS IS VERY GOOD! Because hopefully someone will be strolling along, looking for a good book, pick mine up, read the flap copy and buy it! If the book isn't on the shelf, it's impossible for that to happen.

Some of you are rolling your eyes about now, thinking, yeah, well, I'm not as lucky as those people in Portland or NYC or Pasadena - there is no independent bookstore near me. At all. So go suck on a pickle, Lisa, because you're rubbing it in my face I don't have a great book store like that.

Oh... sorry!! Come visit me and I'll take you to Powell's! :)

If you have a chain store near you (Barnes and Noble, Borders or Books of Wonder), PLEASE go there and pick up the book. I love the chain stores too - they have been very good to me and my books! Sometimes it's more convenient for me to go to a chain store, and so I do buy from them as well. Spreading the love around is a great thing to do if you are lucky, like I am, and have lots of book stores near you. And again, if they don't have the book in stock you're looking for, please ask someone to order it for you, for all of the reasons above.

Another thing you may not know - sales in book stores are tracked very closely by an author's publisher. They want to know how many copies were sold the first week it was out. The first month it was out. The first three months. And six. And twelve. You get the picture.

These numbers come into play the next time we've written a book and want to try and sell it to our publisher. Sometimes, these numbers MAKE OR BREAK an author's career.

They also come into play when the New York Times is determining which books "hit the list." Now, it's a bit of a mystery how any of that works and what's necessary sales-wise any given week for a book to make the list. But I can tell you that sales from book stores the first week a book is out in the world are VERY IMPORTANT for this reason. If you love an author with all of your heart, the very best thing you can do is go out and buy the new book from a book store the week it is released. That right there is awesomesauce for an author. And if I could, I'd send every one of you cupcakes for doing that when one of my books is released.

I know some of you are thinking, but the landscape is changing. More and more people are downloading what they read. Believe me, I get it! And publishers should probably start paying more attention and putting more weight in digital sales. But for now, print sales from brick and mortar stores still matter the most as far as I can tell.

You've probably figured out by now - Amazon would be my last choice. But sometimes, I know the discount Amazon offers up is the reason people are buying books at all. If the choice is - buy my books from Amazon or don't buy them at all, guess what? I want you to buy books and support authors as much as possible! (Note: Another thing you can do is request that your library order a copy. Most libraries have a process in place to request titles to be ordered. Just ask one of the librarians next time you're in how to do that).

I do know more and more people have e-readers and they're just not going to buy regular books anymore. If that's you, then great - download the book and enjoy!! I thank you for that purchase as well, because I know you have thousands of e-books at your finger tips to choose from.

Sorry, this post got long, but hopefully it sheds light on why authors prefer you buy from book stores and why we love you a whole whole lot when you make that purchase the first week a book is out. For most of us, the NYT is a pie-in-the-sky dream, but your support the first week does make a difference for authors with a big push from their publishers and good distribution.

For other ways you can support authors, please check out this post I wrote a couple of years ago called Supporting Authors When Your Heart is Bigger Than Your Wallet.

Happy reading!

Celebrating A NEED SO BEAUTIFUL with Random Acts of Kindness

2011-06-21T03:00:00.000-07:00

Today is the release date of Suzanne Young's gorgeous YA novel, A NEED SO BEAUTIFUL. I've read this book and it's amazing.

To help celebrate the release, I'm participating in a special event around the blogosphere where a bunch of us are sharing how someone's act of kindness or self-sacrifice has changed our lives.

One thing I know about Suzanne - she loved her grandma. And I'm sure on special days like this one, she wishes her grandma was here to be a part of the celebration. I know, however, her grandma is looking down and smiling, so proud of all that Suzanne has accomplished.

So today, in honor of my friend Suzanne and her lovely book, I'm going to talk about my grandma Ellamae, one of the kindest people I've ever known. Like Suzanne, my grandma helped shape the person I am today.

My grandma was down-to-earth, practical, and showed love to the people close to her in small but meaningful ways. They didn't have a lot of money. At Christmas time, I usually got a little gift of some kind along with a jar of her homemade strawberry jam. When I was a teen, I probably didn't think much of that strawberry jam. But oh how I miss it now.

However, there is one thing my grandma gave me over and over again that meant more to me than anything. Her time.

She took me camping, fishing, skiing, and hiking. In the summer, we'd go strawberry picking and bike riding where we'd pick up cans along the side of the road.

When I was about ten, she told me she wanted to take me on a hike around Silver Creek Falls. It was something like a 12-mile hike, that would take just about all day. I was a surprised that she thought I could do it. And I think I worried about whether I could do it. But she never doubted for a second whether or not I could do it, and she was SO excited about it.

It was a wonderful day. We had such a great time. I can still remember moments on that hike, walking along with her on the beautiful trail. She taught me this saying then, that I still remember today. "When you're out in nature, taking nothing but photos and leave nothing but footprints."

When I went away to college and for years after, when I didn't see her as much, she continued to be a part of my life by writing me letters. Let me tell you, my grandma loved her typewriter. She spent hours at her typewriter, writing letters to the editor of the newspaper and letters to people in congress about issues that mattered to her. And she wrote letters to keep in touch with people she cared about. In college, she was so faithful in her letter writing to me, and it meant the world to me. She remembered what it was like to be away at college. And in fact, recently, my mom found a box of letters she had saved between her and her parents during her college years. Those letters are so fun to read!

My grandma's kindness to me throughout the years made a difference in my life more than words can even describe. And here's my takeaway that we can all remember - the most important thing we can give to the people we care about is our TIME. Children, especially, want and I'd argue *need* that time with people they love. So as summer time stretches out before us, make the most of it. Go on a hike with your family. Or a bike ride. Or go fishing - a funny hat like my grandma liked to wear is optional. :)

Thanks for stopping by and reading about my grandma and the kindness she gave to me throughout my life. Here's a list of people celebrating the release and some of the prizes you can win:

First 3 chapter critique (Jessica at Confessions of a Bookaholic: http://www.totalbookaholic.com/)

YA Lit Swag Bag (Sara at Novel Novice: www.novelnovice.com)

Hourglass Order from TBD – Int (Corrine at Lost for Words: http://lostforwords-corrine.blogspot.com)

Random Books (Jessi at The Elliott Review: http://elliottreview.blogspot.com)

2 Header/Button Packs (Jessica at Hopelessly Devoted Bibliophile: http://www.hopelessbibliophile.com/)

First 3 chapters Critique (Cindy at Books Complete Me: http://www.bookscompleteme.com/)

First 15 pages Critique (Kari at A Good Addiction: http://agoodaddiction.blogspot.com/)

Signed ARC of Hereafter (Kari at A Good Addiction: http://agoodaddiction.blogspot.com/)

Query Letter Critique (Shannon Messenger: http://ramblingsofawannabescribe.blogspot.com/)

Signed copy of Invincible Summer – US/Can (Hannah Moskowitz: hannahmosk.blogspot.com)

First Chapter Critique and a Skype Chat (Keri Mikulski: http://kerimikulski.com/books/pay-it-forward-the-author-edition/)

Signed copy of Tell Me a Secret with signed TMAS art print - US (Holly Cupala: http://www.hollycupala.com/search/label/blog)

Signed copy of Chasing Brooklyn – US (Lisa Schroeder: www.lisaschroederbooks.com)

The Pledge Swag Pack including ARC (Kimberly Derting: http://kimberlyderting.blogspot.com/)

Daisy Whitney's Blog: http://daisywhitney.com/blog/

How can you enter to win?

Click on this FORM LINK which will take you to a form to fill out. This link is the same no matter what blog you click from. Multiple entries will be deleted, so PLEASE make sure you have ALL of your entries/links before you enter.

There will be 1 winner per item, and then three people will also be chosen to win a signed copy of ANsB in addition to their other prize. The signed ANsB copies will be US only.

Earn one extra entry for each of the following:

Take a picture of an author's book in the wild and tweet it to us and the author
Post a positive Amazon review for a book you loved
Donate a book to a library or classroom
Tweet a good deed you plan to do this week, using the #ANeedSoBeautiful hashtag

Earn 10 extra entries for each of the following:

Take a picture of A NEED SO BEAUTIFUL in the wild and tweet it to us and Suzanne Young

Post an Amazon review for A NEED SO BEAUTIFUL

Donate a copy of A NEED SO BEAUTIFUL to a library or classroom

Happy release day, Suzanne!! I love you and I'm so glad you are my friend!

A special interview in which my secret creative space is revealed!

2011-06-20T09:55:00.000-07:00

Wait. That makes it sound like I sneak away to work in some special little place deep in the woods where rabbits bring me tea and squirrels bring me cookies.

Oooh, wouldn't that be lovely?

So, it's not really a secret. I mean, I do most of my writing in my house. In my office. Big whoop.

BUT how often do you get to peek inside a writer's creative space and see where the magic, or mayham, or more often than not, madness, happens?

Jennifer Bertman, who has a lovely blog where she shares glimpses into people's creative spaces, interviewed me and it's there you can see what my office looks like. She also asked me about three special things in my office, so pictures of those are there as well.

You can check it out HERE.

If you write in the woods with squirrels and rabbits, I want you to know I'm jealous. Very, very jealous.

Thankful Thursday - a successful shopping trip

2011-06-16T09:25:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, I took the day off from revisions and went to the mall.

The RWA Rita awards in NYC are just two weeks away, and in case you didn't hear the news, CHASING BROOKLYN is a finalist in the YA category. And apparently the Rita awards ceremony is a BIG deal and everyone really dresses to the nines!

I had bought a purple dress that was pretty but every time I tried it on, I thought - I will not be comfortable in this. It had little beads sewn all over it and I knew one wrong move and I'd have beads all over the floor.

I scoured the racks yesterday and luckily, I found a much simpler dress in the same color, which is good because I already had shoes, a bag, a wrap, etc. Plus, I saved $75.00! SCORE!!

I am so excited about my trip to New York City, I can hardly stand it. And remember, if you're in the area, I'll be signing books at Books of Wonder on Thursday, June 30th at 6:00 PM with three other YA authors. YAY!! I'd love it if you'd come and see me!!!!

Look what I found...

2011-06-13T07:31:00.000-07:00

This weekend, my husband and I went for a walk while the sun decided to grace us with its presence. We were walking pretty briskly, as I like to do, so imagine my surprise when I caught a glimpse of what I thought was a four-leaf clover. I stopped, reached down to check, and sure enough, it was.

And sitting right next to it was another one and right next to THAT one was a five-leaf clover!!!

Does this mean I'm due for some good luck three times over? Wheeeee, I hope so, especially if it relates to this $*%& revision I've been working on that is about to do me in!

Look - my book!

2011-06-10T17:07:00.000-07:00

My editor sent me a copy of THE DAY BEFORE today, hot off the presses! On my wrist is a bottle of glitter, which she tied around the book with a pretty, green ribbon. Why glitter? Well, yes, everything is better with glitter. But there's an even better reason. One you have to find out by reading the book. :)

Only a little over two weeks until it's in bookstores. Eep!

Wordless Wednesday

2011-06-08T07:19:00.000-07:00

Three. More. Weeks! And NYC book signing!

2011-06-07T15:06:00.000-07:00

Just three more weeks until THE DAY BEFORE hits stores!

Eeeep!

Some tweets I've accidentally seen tell me some early readers love it. And some, not so much. But that's just the way the pages fall. Ha! I'm trying to avoid reviews right now - lots of bloggers have been reading it, and while I'm working on this huge, difficult revision, I have to stay as strong and as confident as I can.

It is not a secret - my books are different. They just are. I'm not going to apologize for that or feel badly that some people won't like them or get them because they are different. There is a lot on the shelves right now that is similar. Sometimes a change of pace is nice, right?

Man, I hope so.

My friend, Shannon Messenger, who is all kinds of awesome, helped me with a book trailer, so watch for that to be revealed on release day - June 28th!

The most exciting news to share with you today - I'm doing a book signing at Books of Wonder! This is a DREAM COME TRUE! In case you don't know, Books of Wonder is this awesome children's book store in New York City I've always wanted to visit and now I don't get to just visit, I get to be an author reading from my book and signing too! To make it even more fun, my friend, Kimberly Derting is doing it with me, signing copies of her books THE BODY FINDER and DESIRES OF THE DEAD.

If you are in the New York City area, please come and see us! We'll be there Thursday, June 30th at 6:00 p.m.

My first Booklist review

2011-06-02T07:57:00.000-07:00

When the e-mail from my editor landed in my inbox yesterday, I couldn't open it for a minute. Even though I'd heard Booklist doesn't give bad reviews, they only review books they like, I was scared.

Maybe I'm alone in this, but my writerly confidence goes up and down like a roller coaster. Some days it's fine and I feel okay, and some days, not so much. I've been in a lower place these past couple of weeks for some reason. Mostly I try really hard to just keep my head down, ignore it, and put that anxious energy into my work. After all, this is my job now. I need to write whether I am feeling good about my writing and my career or not. Yes, easier said than done some days.

Anyway, I eventually opened the e-mail. And it made me smile. Booklist has never reviewed me before, so it was especially sweet for that reason. Here it is:

Issue: June 1, 2011
The Day Before

Schroeder is the author of several teen books, including I HEART YOU, YOU HAUNT ME (2009), an ALA Quick Pick for Reluctant Young Readers. Reluctant or not, readers will find plenty of appeal factors in this outing. The basic frame is a sort of noir Ferris Bueller's Day Off, in which two teens decide to spend a perfect day together before their respective fates claim them." (Spoilers omitted) "Cade, meanwhile, is handsome and brooding -- and his particular crisis delivers a punch at the novel's end. Schroeder has Amber narrate through free verse, the kind of jottings that might appeal to teens used to texting. This device gives Amber's revelations an immediacy and economy that add up to a surprising amount of tension. Fans of Lisa McMann's Wake series should gobble this up." -- Connie Fletcher

WINNER of THE DAY BEFORE ARC and other goodies

2011-06-01T08:44:00.000-07:00

I am laughing at myself. And you guys!!!

I have no idea why I said - please leave a nice comment for the contest entry.

Why did I include the word "nice?" I have NO idea. But it cracked me up to read some of the entries, because I could tell some people were like - is this a nice enough comment? How nice to I have to be? Do I have to be ALL KISSY-KISSY I LOVE YOU nice?

Oh. My. Gosh. It just cracked me up.

I'm sorry you guys! I really didn't mean anything by it. I meant - just comment. I promise! Please don't think that I was implying you guys *aren't* nice. Okay? Please?

*big sigh after lots of laughter*

That was fun, huh?

Sorry I'm posting this late but HOLY BLOG HOP you guys, over 150 entries, with more than half of those also tweeting about it for an extra entry!? That is INSANE!! It took a while to compile all of the entries and throw them into the random number generator.

I wish I could give all of you a prize! But, if you're interested in reading THE DAY BEFORE it goes on sale June 28, 2011! It's a great beach read, if I do say so myself. :)

Okay, the winner is LIBRARY LADY! Yay, congratulations! I hope you enjoy your jelly beans and CD, and the book, of course. I'll send you an e-mail and get all of your contact information.

Thanks you guys!

The loss of Bridget Zinn, cancer, and sadness

2011-05-27T09:45:00.000-07:00

For Bridget's 33rd birthday, I gave her this Lord of the Rings action figure. I told her Eowyn reminded me of her - beautiful, strong, courageous. I often imagined Bridget, battling the big, ugly monster cancer with her sword, fighting so very hard, but always with a smile on her face.

Ask anyone what they loved about Bridget and you will probably hear many wonderful things. However, all will say her bright and sunny outlook on life, even in the midst of horrible, difficult, painful stuff. Truly, that bright and sunny outlook rarely wavered.

I want to share with you something she wrote on her blog back in 2010. I remembered this post, went looking for it, and found it. You can find the entire thing HERE.

Bridget wrote, "I'm lucky that my 'neutral' is happy. It makes everything a whole lot easier and I realize that a lot of people have to work to get there. I don't know if I was born that way or if it was a product of reading too many Zen Buddhism books at a young age -- I remember being so blown away by the Eternal Now, but then thinking, hey, if it's always now, I don't have to wait until later to be happy. Because there is no later. It's always Now, so unless circumstances overwhelm me otherwise, I'm just going to to always choose to be happy Now."

So you can understand why those of us who knew Bridget are reeling after her death on Wednesday, from complications due to colon cancer. We are going to miss this bright and sunny young woman SO very much.

And many of us are reeling AGAIN. Because of cancer. Again.

Talk about putting things in perspective.

Get a bad review? At least it's not cancer.

When your son drops your laptop and breaks it? At least it's not cancer.

Frustrated you're not losing a few pounds along with the inches when you're working out so hard? You are healthy and alive and thank God you do not have cancer.

In December, my friend Lisa and I got together for coffee, just a week or two before she was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. At the time, they thought she had developed pancreatitis. She was getting used to the idea of a life of on-and-off pain, of having to be careful about the kinds of things she ate and drank. I commiserated with her, imagining a life of avoiding certain foods I loved, like chocolate and other things, and most of all, feeling so bad for her that she had to figure out how to live and work and write around the pain.

She looked at me and said, "At least it's not cancer."

And that's the thing. It can change on a dime. All of it. Any of it. For you, for me, for anyone. All we have is now. And so we think, I better make the most of it.

It's hard though, isn't it? When the sadness is so overwhelming at times.

In a note Oprah wrote on Facebook yesterday, she talked about a passage from Mark Nepo's Book of Awakening. The passage is called "Being Sad."

"The best thing for being sad, replied Merlin, is to learn something. ~ T.H. White

The idea here is not to divert the sadness, but to give it a context from life other than what is making you sad. Just as ginger can lose its bitterness when baked in bread, sadness can be leavened by other life. When feeling the sharpness of being sad or hurt, it helps to take new things in. This pours the water of life on the fire of the heart. So when exhausted from expressing all that hurt, listen to music you've never heard, or ask someone to tell you an old story from before your birth, or take a drive down a road near a ridge you've always meant to look out from. Look with your sad eyes on things new to you that will give you something to do with your sadness. Your sadness is the paint. You must find a canvas."

So that is what I am doing. Looking for the canvas.

For those of us who write, certainly, the pages we write on will be our canvas at times. It is a good place for all of that emotion.

Bridget, of all people, wouldn't want us to be sad for long. After all, she'd be the first to tell you she had a good life, even it was much too short. She was loved and she was happy.

In fact, I think it's safe to say, she would want us to be happy *now.* I'll try, Bridget. For you, I'll try.

Win THE DAY BEFORE and other COOL prizes!!

2011-05-25T05:59:00.000-07:00

Oh yes, please, let's splash into summer, shall we? Thanks to Kathy at I am a Reader, Not a Writer and the Page Turners Blog for hosting another fabulous giveaway hop.

What am I giving away, you ask?

My ONE AND ONLY ARC of THE DAY BEFORE. That's right, I'm going to part with it and hope my author copies come very soon!

But that's not all. You see, I want you to have an amazing reading experience, so I've also bought some lucky person P!nk's greatest hits CD to listen to while you read. The book was inspired by her song, "Glitter in the Air" (which is on this CD) and you'll see she's one of Amber's favorite musical artists. AND, because jelly beans are in the book, I bought you your own bag so you'll have something to snack on as well.

Don't know what THE DAY BEFORE is about? Here is the summary from Amazon:

Amber's life is spinning out of control. All she wants is to turn up the volume on her iPod until all of the demands of her family and friends fade away. So she sneaks off to the beach to spend a day by herself.

Then Amber meets Cade. Their attraction is instant, and Amber can tell he's also looking for an escape. Together they decide to share a perfect day: no pasts, no fears, no regrets.

The more time that Amber spends with Cade, the more she's drawn to him. And the more she's troubled by his darkness. Because Cade's not just living in the now--he's living each moment like it's his last.

"The Day Before is lyrical, vivid and poignant. Like hidden gems that sparkle in the sand, each verse tells its own story; a heartfelt reminder that life's treasures -- friendship, love, and compassion -- are often discovered when we least expect them. ~ Sarah Ockler, bestselling author of Fixing Delilah and Twenty Boy Summer

GIVEAWAY DETAILS:

1 easy entry - leave me a nice comment

+1 blogging about this contest (tell me in the comments)
+1 tweeting about this contest (tell me in the comments)

Please make sure you give me a way to contact you if you should win. The contest runs from May 25th all the way through 11:59, May 31st, and is open to anyone who has a US address.
I will announce the winner on June 1st!!

If you're new to my blog, thanks for stopping by! If you're one of my regular readers, thanks, as always for reading!

To see a list of all the blogs participating in this hop, please visit the link below:
http://iamareadernotawriter.blogspot.com/p/giveaway-hop-page_04.html

Photos from my elementary school visit

2011-05-24T09:09:00.000-07:00

I had so much fun at my school visit a couple of weeks ago.

I took the kindergartners, first, second and third graders on an Imagination Safari, and Little Chimp from my picture book LITTLE CHIMP'S BIG DAY helped us find writing secrets in the jungle.

Here's a picture of me in my safari hat. (Behind me is my Powerpoint presentation that brought the safari to life for the students)

For the fourth, fifth and sixth graders, we talked about how writing is similar to baking cupcakes and I went over the "essential ingredients" necessary to make the students' writing simply delicious!! For that presentation, I wore my cute cupcake apron!

We gave away signed posters to some of the lucky students.

Over three lunch periods, eager readers and writers were selected by their teachers to come and have lunch with me. I made my way around the tables and gave them signed bookmarks and tried to answer all of their questions.

Such a fun day! Thank you Oregon Trail Elementary School students and staff for having me!

Monday Motivation - on revision

2011-05-23T07:52:00.000-07:00

"By your third draft, the main plotline and subplots ought to be clear. If your novel at that point is still muddy and changing enormously from draft to draft, then it's time to stop exploring the story and start looking into yourself. What matters? Who counts the most? What in the story frightens you into avoidance? What is the most essential thing your readers most need to see and understand?" ~ Donald Maass, THE BREAKOUT NOVELIST

I have a big revision ahead of me. I've been turning plot lines and character traits over and over in my head for a month.

It's time to sit down, tear it apart, and then put it back together again. I have a love/hate relationship with revision. I love it because it challenges me. I hate it because it challenges me.

I have a talk I've given to writers at conferences on revision. In it I say, the real writing happens in the rewriting. And it's true. So why are we so scared sometimes to get started?

For me, when I'm deleting old scenes and writing new ones, I'm often scared I'm making the book worse instead of better. And it's so messy - all that deleting and moving things around. When I'm drafting a book, it's not hard to get up and walk away. But when I'm revising? I *hate* getting up and walking away. I feel like I'm leaving behind this huge mess, which I am in a way, and I can't stand messes.

It's painful. It's hard. It's messy. But it's necessary.

Today, I begin. The only way out is through! In the coming weeks, my plan is simple:

Keep up my exercise
Set a time to be done every day, before dinner, and stick to it.
Eat well
Take a short break every hour - get up and walk around outside
Free write in another document if necessary and don't feel bad about it
Remember I've done this before and every time, the book has become so much better

How do you psyche yourself up for a big revision?