3 books in one!

Over ten years ago, I wrote a book that has become one of the most popular books I've written: IT'S RAINING CUPCAKES. I didn't start out thinking I'd write two more companion books, but lots of kids wrote to me with questions after they finished the first and so, because of those emails and letters, I wrote a second book and then a third.

And now - something really fun is happening with those books.

Simon and Schuster is releasing a paperback bind-up of all three books for one very inexpensive price.

I love the cover so much. The artist took details from each of the three books and put them in the cover art. SO fun!

Available May 24, 2022. Happy reading!

Reading a book, over and over again

I get a lot of notes from kids and teens that go something like, "I love this book so much, I've read it XX times."

And I'm always like, wow. That's a LOT. I mean, to me, anything over three times is a lot. I rarely re-read books, so I'm easily impressed, I think.

For the middle grade set, they often say this about IT'S RAINING CUPCAKES.

For the Young Adult crowd, the book that gets that kind of comment the most is CHASING BROOKLYN.

I'll usually respond with a thank you note, and say how glad I am that she's enjoyed the book. And I go on to tell her I do have other books, if she might be interested?

But it's kind of a strange thing - sometimes I don't think she really is interested. Because there will never be another book like THIS book. And I realize, of course she is right. A favorite book is a special thing. They probably do read other things, but for whatever reason, they return to their favorite books again and again.

We never know what might happen with a book when we're in the middle of creating it. Some end up being semi-hits, some are misses, and very rarely, they are hits far and wide. Once we release it, we hope the book finds someone (maybe a lot of someones) who likes and appreciates it. Every time I get a note from a reader telling me a book is a favorite, that she has chosen to spend countless hours emerged in the pages, I smile. No matter what else I do in my life, I am honored to have done that.

Sometimes I think about these books and what it is about them that makes readers feel this way about them. I think it's probably not one thing, but a lot of things rolled up together. It would be great if we could find the magic formula. But each book is unique and different and you just never know... With every book we read, we begin anew, to decide where this particular book falls on the list of favorites. Or least favorites, as the case may be.

After all, what fun would it be, really, if it was all predetermined, and we didn't have to do that? It's the beauty of reading - beginning each book and letting it take you on an unknown journey. The possibilities are endless - and I love that!

I love school visits!!

I've just returned from two days of school visits in Southern Oregon. I don't like the four hour drive much, but the students and teachers and the awesome librarians made up for that!

My first visits were at South Middle School, where I did four presentations on Monday and two presentations on Tuesday, and had lunch both days with a select group of students. The kids were amazing - so many of them came up to tell me super nice things about my books and writing. A lot of the kids bought books and had me sign them. One girl told me she saved her dog-walking money so she could buy four of my books. FOUR! It must be her favorite number, because when I asked her how many dogs she walks, the answer to that question was four as well.

One of the language arts teachers reads CHASING BROOKLYN to her 7th graders every year. When someone told me that, I was like, oh my gosh, doesn't she get sick of it? He replied, "She just really loves it. You can tell." As a result, I had lots of fans of that book there, both boys and girls, which is always awesome to see. Another language arts teacher was reading IT'S RAINING CUPCAKES to his 6th grade students. Really appreciate that teacher support, let me tell you.

We got one of the lunch groups to pose for a picture. Here we are, getting our jazz hands on.

Tuesday afternoon I hopped over to North Middle School (that totally makes me sound like the Easter bunny, doesn't it?) where I met with another great group of students. They were in the middle of this awesome contest the librarian puts on every year involving peeps and dioramas. SO cool! Check out this Harry Potter one:

I've always said I write my YA novels with middle school kids in mind. They are my core audience, and I love spending time with them!

So, I'm back home and back to work on the current work-in-progress. But not this morning. Author Cynthia Lord is in town, and presenting very near my house, so I'm going to go and listen to her presentation this morning!

These are the days I really love my job.

When the idea hits

Wow, I haven't blogged in a while. I'm just so busy, writing books and editing other books and basically trying to keep my head above water at this point. It's all good, of course. The work now means many books to come next year and the year after, but still. It's work, and my brain is tired, so it's hard to find the brain energy to do much of anything beyond the work that is required.

It's summer, though, my favorite season here in rainy Oregon, so I've tried to get out and have fun on the weekends as much as I can. Here's a picture of me on a hike last weekend in the Columbia River Gorge. (Wahclella Falls, Exit 40, if you're local and looking for an easy and pretty hike to do. It's only a mile in to see the falls, and this trail is much less crowded than the popular trail to Punchbowl Falls).

Anyway, I was thinking last night about the cupcake "series" that will soon be coming to an end. (One more month, as of today, and Frosting and Friendship will hit the shelves!) I cannot even tell you how grateful I am to have had the original idea to write a book about cupcakes and friendship.

I can still remember the exact place and the exact time when the idea for what eventually became It's Raining Cupcakes came to me. Not all books have this exact moment kind of thing as far as the idea goes. And it's kind of fascinating to me.

There are really only two books out of the eight novels I've published thus far when there was this big "A-Ha" moment about the book and it was so strong and so powerful, I remember it like it happened yesterday. The other books came about more slowly, maybe after writing in my idea journal or after playing around with words or even entire books that eventually led me to the right place.

The interesting thing, however, is that those two books (the ones where the ideas hit me like a bolt of lightening and I couldn't wait to get to the computer to start writing) have been my most popular books.
I'm going to be honest and say that I kind of feel like it's divine intervention, giving me what I need at the moment I need it. It's a wonderful thing.

The first time it happened, I had a dream about a girl whose boyfriend died, but he loved her so much, he didn't want to let her go and so, he came back as a ghost. I woke up with this strong sense of love, and it was like - BAM, this is going to be your next book! I couldn't wait to get to the computer and start writing down this girl's story, and I did, that very morning, before I had to get ready for work. I Heart You, You Haunt Me came from that dream.

With It's Raining Cupcakes, I was brainstorming ideas on the drive home from work, desperately wanting to write a middle grade novel that would be fun and happy-making. I hadn't published any middle grade novels, and I really wanted to, because I have such fond memories of books and reading during that time in my own life. When the idea for setting a book in and around a cupcake shop popped into my brain, again, I couldn't wait to get home and start writing. It was just what I needed at the time, and Isabel's story poured out of me.

I love that excitement and sense of urgency, when you know you're on to something good. I was recently reading something on the internet when an idea struck and I'm in love with the idea, but unfortunately, right now, I'm too buried in other work to even begin to think about it. So, I've scribbled in my idea journal for now, and that will have to do.

Kids love to ask authors where they get their ideas. I always say mine come to me in lots of different ways, and give some examples. But I can't deny my favorite way is when the idea hits in a big, big way and you know you're on to something good.

Happy weekend!

From my mail

Every few months, I like to stop and take a minute to say thank you to my readers for your e-mails and letters. I try hard to reply to each and every one individually, but I think it can be fun to give a shout out to some of the awesome notes here as well.

This is a picture a reader named Zainab sent to me a couple of years ago, and I wanted to point out that her creativity around an all-girl band was the inspiration for one of the story lines in my upcoming novel, Frosting and Friendship. So thank you, Zainab!

Here are some snippets from letters and e-mails I've received from readers recently:

"Sometimes I have problems with my friends in school, but your books inspired me to talk it out and say sorry." ~ Chelsea, soon-to-be 5th grader

"When I was looking for a book at Barnes & Noble, your book caught my eye, and once I started to read it, I felt as if I was there. My most favorite book is It's Raining Cupcakes." ~ Jessica

"My best friends and I liked Sprinkles and Secrets so much, we did a video book report on it. We had a lot of fun doing it. I wish I could send the disc to you but I can't, it's way too fragile for the mail." ~ Elly

"I enjoyed It's Raining Cupcakes because it taught me that you can do anything you set your heart to. My mom and I made the Grandma's Applesauce Cupcakes and they were delicious." ~ Brooke, 5th grader

"I have read all of your books at least three times and I own all of them. They are really fun to read. Your books are just amazing. My favorite one is your newest one Falling For You. My second favorite is The Day Before; that one made me cry." ~ Emily, 13

"Your book [Falling for You] had me in tears because I realized that I wasn't the only one who had been in a situation like that. Even though it's fiction, it made me really connect with Rae." ~ Rebecca

"I just wanted to let you know that I love your books.

The way you write,

the way you describe,

the way you understand how teens feel,

I just love it.

I have just finished Falling For You and it had me crying at the end. I'm already looking forward to your next book." ~ Xiu

~*~

Please note: In August, I will be sending out fun postcards I ordered specifically for the release of Frosting and Friendship. If you would like to receive one of these postcards with a little note from me and signed by me, I just need your address. Please send it to: lisaschroederbooks(at)gmail(dot)com. Make sure your parents are okay with giving me your address. Thanks!

It's Raining Cupcakes birthday party!!

A month or so ago, a friend from high school e-mailed me to let me know her niece wanted her birthday party to be around the theme of "It's Raining Cupcakes." Apparently the birthday girl (who turned 8) loved the book and thought it would be a fun party to have.

Check out the adorable photos, which I was told I could share on my blog. So impressed with all of the details that went into the decorations and everything!

Each girl took home a paperback copy of the book with a personalized and signed bookplate. Isn't a book the best goody bag gift ever? I love it.

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So fun, right? There you go - your next birthday party all planned, right down to the cupcake shaped pinata!!

I love saying "SURPRISE!"

A month or so ago, a woman named Thereasa got in touch with me to ask for the reading/discussion guide for IT'S RAINING CUPCAKES. She and her daughter, Emily, are in a mother/daughter book club and her daughter had chosen CUPCAKES for when they would be hosting the club. She told me Emily had been reading the book every night and hadn't been that excited about a book in a while. I offered to send some signed postcards, as I often do (I usually offer to send bookmarks, but I'm out and waiting for the third book cover before printing some more) so Thereasa sent me her address. Turned out she only lived about 20 minutes away from me.

At some point, Thereasa asked me if I might be willing to Skype with the group for a few minutes, and since I was free that evening, I said sure.

The day arrived, and it was a beautiful day. Sunny and warm. My husband and I took a walk with the dog in Laurelhurst Park, a lovely park in NE Portland, and had a really nice afternoon. When we got home, I was thinking more and more about the scheduled Skype visit and how the club was meeting just twenty minutes away from me. I told my husband, "I think I'm going to go and surprise them." He asked me some questions, to make sure I had really thought it through, and after answering them, I knew what I wanted to do. I wanted to go!

When I arrived, I walked up to the house and rang the bell. A woman answered and I asked, "Are you Thereasa?" She smiled and said, "No." She stared at me and then a hint of recognition passed over her face. "Are you the author?" I whispered, "Yes. I'm here to surprise everyone. I hope Thereasa likes surprises!"

A girl came around the corner as we walked into the house and I asked, "Are you Emily?" She gave me a big smile and said, "Yes!" I said, "Emily, I wanted to meet you! So I decided to come and see you in person instead of through the computer."

I walked into the family room where everyone was gathered, and the look on their faces was priceless. They were happy to see me and I was soon signing books and after that, answering lots and lots of questions. It was a great group of girls and moms and they made me feel so welcome.

Here are a couple of pictures from the evening.

Like I told them - writing can be a lonely job at times. Connecting with readers is one of the best parts of being an author, so as much as I wanted to make it a special evening for them, it was something I did for myself too. I knew they would remember the surprise for a long time to come, and the evening spent chatting with them would be something I would carry with me as well.

Thanks to the Moms and girls who so kindly welcomed me into their club for the evening. I had a great time and I hope you did too!!!

Exciting News - Another "Cupcake" Book!!

This was in PW Children's Bookshelf yesterday:

Lisa Schroeder (The Day Before) has signed with Simon & Schuster for two new books. Annette Pollert at Simon Pulse has acquired her fifth YA novel, Falling for You, which will pub in spring 2013. Her first YA novel not in verse, it tells the story of a teen girl who relives the love of a dangerous boy as she hovers between life and death. At Aladdin, Alyson Heller signed Schroeder for Frosting and Friendship, a companion novel to It’s Raining Cupcakes and Sprinkles and Secrets. Scheduled for fall 2013, it’s about a girl who wishes she shared her friend’s talent for baking. Sara Crowe at Harvey Klinger brokered the deals, both for world rights.


I announced Falling For You last week, But Frosting and Friendship is brand new news,  and I am SO EXCITED! Like, this is me right now:

I need to say a big thank you to all of the kids, parents, teachers and librarians who have bought and shared and loved It's Raining Cupcakes and Sprinkles and Secrets. It's because of YOU there will be another book! Writers can only keep writing when there is a demand, so thank you from the bottom of my heart for embracing Isabel and Sophie so there can be another book.


I don't want to say too much about the third book, because I am still writing it, and that's a fragile place to be. First and foremost, I need to get lost in the story and FINISH it!! But I can tell you the main character is Lily, and she is a disaster in the kitchen, but longs to be a great baker like Sophie and Isabel, who are in the book a lot too.


So excited for 2013! Now... back to that book!!

Videos courtesy of Simon and Schuster

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!

Fun with Cupcakes video series

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.

Give the gift of IT'S RAINING CUPCAKES

Yesterday, I was looking at the weather report, as we had plans to go to a tulip farm with my in-laws for Mother's day.

80% chance of rain, chance of thunderstorms and the possibility of hail in some areas. Awesome, I thought. Just SO awesome. Well, we went anyway. It was the last day it'd be open to the public, and I desperately needed a good dose of spring in my life, even if it came with some rainy spring weather that I'm so very sick of at this point.

Last spring was a horrible, soggy mess. This spring, it's even worse, and I'm pretty sure I didn't think that was possible.

If only it were raining cupcakes instead! So, I'm going to make it do that, in my own special way. Because, whenever I start going "Woe is me" it's time to do something for other people.

I have ten *signed* copies of IT'S RAINING CUPCAKES I want to give away. YA author Matthew Quick did this last week with his fabulous teen novel, SORTA LIKE A ROCK STAR (which I loved and HIGHLY recommend), so yeah, I'm pretty much copying him. But I checked with him, and just as I thought, he's the kind of person who doesn't mind if I borrow his great idea. Because really, can there ever be too much giving in the world? I think not.

Send me an e-mail at lisaschroederbooks (at) gmail.com and tell me the name of a friend or family member or perhaps a teacher, librarian, or student - anyone who you think might like this book, along with a sentence of two as to why you are nominating this person to get a signed and personalized copy. Please send a mailing address along for the person as well. I promise all mailing addresses will be deleted as soon as the mailing is complete. If you are unsure about giving out someone's address, please do check with them first. The last thing I want to do is make someone angry!!

From those e-mails, I'll choose ten people and send them each a book.

You have until Friday, May 13th to send me your nomination.

And let me take this opportunity to say thank you to all of you who have purchased this book, or read it and recommended it to other people. I *really* appreciate it!! Remember it is available in paperback now, so if you haven't had a chance to read it and you've wanted to, you can visit your local bookstore and pick up a copy. The new paperback edition has a sneak peek of the companion novel, SPRINKLES AND SECRETS, at the very back of the book.

OH, and if you shop at Barnes and Noble this week (through May 14th), make sure to use code bookfair #1048605 (on-line or in the store) because 10% of sales using this code will go to the United Way's West Alabama chapter to help tornado relief efforts.

In other news, look what I baked this weekend! Do you know what these are? I'm not going to tell you quite yet, but I'll give you a hint. I get asked for this recipe more than any other one from all of the cupcakes mentioned in IT'S RAINING CUPCAKES. And in the next couple of months, I'm going to tell you all about this recipe and how you can get yourself your very own copy! (They are really good. Even my son, who wasn't sure if he'd like them, said so!)

It's April 19th - do you know what that means?

These two books are now available in paperback!! I found IT'S RAINING CUPCAKES at Barnes and Noble yesterday. If you go searching for one of them and the bookstore you're in doesn't carry it, remember, you can always ask to order it.

This latest edition of IT'S RAINING CUPCAKES has a little taste of SPRINKLES AND SECRETS at the end. And CHASING BROOKLYN has a sneak peek of THE DAY BEFORE.

Happy reading!

Video for National Read Aloud Day, March 9th

I am packing and traveling on March 9th, so I'm not able to do Skype visits like some authors are doing on National Read Aloud Day.

BUT, I have recorded myself reading from my book, IT'S RAINING CUPCAKES as well as a little snippet from the upcoming companion novel, SPRINKLES AND SECRETS, coming out September 20, 2011.

Feel free to share this video with your class if you are a teacher!

Video Sunday

Oh Isabella, thank you for this delicious review of IT'S RAINING CUPCAKES.

You made my day.
My week.
My year!!!

Reading and Discussion Guide for IT'S RAINING CUPCAKES

Yay!!!

I'm thrilled to announce that there is now a Reading and Discussion Guide available for my middle-grade novel, IT'S RAINING CUPCAKES.

It was prepared by the fabulous Tracie Vaughn Zimmer, and I hope teachers and book clubs will check it out and consider reading my book and having some great discussions about it.

If you would like a copy of the reading guide, please send me an e-mail at lisaschroederbooks(at)gmail(dot)com.

Happy reading!!!

It's Raining Cupcakes Questions and Answers

Question #1 - Why didn't you include more recipes? All those cupcake flavors sound SO good!

I didn't include more recipes because every recipe we put in the book, I had to make up myself. My publisher wouldn't allow me to "copy" recipes from any cookbook or from the internet. While I love to bake, I'm an author, not a professional baker.

If you would like to make more of the cupcakes you read about in the book, try doing an on-line search of the cupcake flavor you are interested in. There are all kinds of great recipe sites, www.allrecipes.com being one of my personal favorites. More than likely, you will find a recipe for the cupcakes you'd like to make. If not, you might find something close, and then you can experiment and see what you can come up with! Happy baking!!

Question #2 - What is wrong with Isabel's mother? Why did you make her that way?

There are all kinds of people in this world. And sadly, not everyone is a great parent. I think Isabel's mom, Caroline, probably needs some professional therapy. But sometimes families have a hard time recognizing that and seeking it out. Does Isabel take on more than a 12-year-old girl should in regards to her mother's issues? Yes, she does. And so do millions of other kids across our country who have parents who are alcoholics or drug addicts or any number of mental illnesses. I'm not advocating that children take on their parents' problems or take on the parental role as children. But I am acknowledging that in some families, this happens. And I hope some kids read this book and feel a little less alone in the problems going on in their homes.

Question #3 - I would love to have a discussion guide for my students or book club members. Is this something you might be willing to provide?

Good news! The fabulous Tracie Vaughn Zimmer helped me prepare one. If you'd like a copy, just e-mail me at lisaschroederbooks(at)gmail.com and I'm happy to send it to you.

Question #4 - Did Isabel win the baking contest? Why didn't you tell us if she won or not?

Isabel wanted to travel more than anything in the world. She wanted to get out of her small town of Willow and see other interesting places. The baking contest was a way for Isabel to do that. Sometimes I don't like how our society is so focused on WINNING. Isn't the journey to the final game, contest, show, whatever, really what's important? We learn things about ourselves, our world, and other people through those journeys, and I wanted readers to see that. As for whether she won or not, see the next question and answer.

Question #5 - Is there going to be another book?

Yes!!! I'm so excited, there will be another book! It's going to be a companion novel rather than a sequel, told from Sophie's (Isabel's best friend) point of view. It's scheduled to come out September 20, 2011, and is called SPRINKLES AND SECRETS. And yes, I will make sure you find out if Isabel won the baking contest or not, okay? Okay!

Thanks to those of you who have read IT'S RAINING CUPCAKES and enjoyed it. The fact I get notes from readers, even if some of them are a bit unhappy that they have questions left at the end of it, shows I did what I set out to do - write a book that people would enjoy and remember.

Here you go - have a cupcake, awesome readers!!

Disney and Vroman's Recap

Thought I'd share a few pictures from our trip last week. The weather was really nice - not too hot except the last day we were there it got pretty warm. I stood in line and got tickets to see the new World of Color show and that was really cool. If any of you have a trip planned to Disney this summer, here is my tip - get to California Adventure at 9:30 am, not 10:00, which is supposedly opening time for that park. They open the gates early, and you can get a good place in line for the fast pass tickets for World of Color. Some people waited 2+ hours to get tickets - crazy!



My 13 year old son, towering over me. When did THAT happen?




I don't know if you can see, but what they did is as the water sprayed up, they showed film clips ON the water. It was amazing.





My signing at Vroman's was really nice, and I couldn't have done it without the amazing and very sweet Shannon Messenger (whose blog you should check out because she is funny. And did I say sweet?) who got me there and back to my hotel. Driving in LA is quite the adventure, and I'm SO grateful to her for doing that for me. I took her out for margaritas and dinner and here is a picture of her in a very empty restaurant at that point. Don't worry, we behaved ourselves. Sort of.




When we arrived at the bookstore, we found this LOVELY display, complete with CUPCAKES!! LOTS OF CUPCAKES! A wonderful lady who owns a cupcake shop in Pasadena brought them down from her shop, called Polkatots Cupcake Shop. She even gave me a dozen to take home to my family. Can you say AWESOMESAUCE??? They were absolutely delicious.





Some very, VERY wonderful people came out to see me - the smart and wonderful khyrinthia of the Frenetic Reader blog, author extraordinaire and extremely nice human being Michael Reisman, educator and sweet twitter friend Alyson Beecher who runs a kidlit blog HERE and is giving away a signed copy of CHASING BROOKLYN if you're interested, and long-time LJ and Facebook friend, Christine Henderson, aka christine444.

Vroman's had me sign a LOT of stock, so if you've been wishing for your own signed copy of IT'S RAINING CUPCAKES, they have one! I mentioned to Connie, the events coordinator, that I knew Linda Urban, who used to work there, and she said, oh yes, Linda used to have my job!! Connie was so sweet, she actually had me sign a book for her and bought one to take home. Awwww. 

Okay, tomorrow I promise a bookish post in which I rave about two recent reads.

Hope everyone is having a great summer!

Another authorly first!

Most of the time, I like getting out of my office. I like meeting up with my writer friends, doing group events, attending signings. Let's face it, there are lots of fun things about being an author.

But I'm pretty sure, after my experience yesterday, I will *never* be excited about getting out of my office in order to do an interview for television. This was my first time, and I was nervous. Yes, I know, most people would be. And I did find some comfort in that. The whole way there, I told myself, just talk to Brooke like she's a friend, and forget about the camera. And for the most part, I think I did that. But it's hard to forget about it completely, you know?

Here is a picture of me and Brooke Carlson before the interview, taken by the very nice cameraman whose name escapes me now:



I wish I had gone shopping and gotten something new to wear. I think I would have felt more confident. But I hate shopping. And money is tight. So I made do with what I had. And then I had a bad hair day. And the wind and rain outside made it more so. And, and, and...

You know what? It's fine. It's fine!! I got to talk about my book on TV, and some people may learn about it that didn't know about it before. That's the important thing.

The owners of Cupcake Jones, Peter and Lisa, were super sweet and I got to walk around the kitchen and see the private staff bathroom that has stuff written on the walls I was "sworn to forget." I'd tell you what they said, but I can't seem to remember???

Oh, and they sent me home with these, which definitely helped soothe the pain of the experience.

A sweet day

I made these applesauce cupcakes (the recipe is in the back of the book):



and received these from my family:



because today is the official release day of this:



For a delicious blog post with lots of beautiful cupcakes and a very sweet review, head over to Jama's blog and tell her your favorite kind of cupcake for a chance to win one of two copies!!!

This day is a dream come true for me. I've dreamt of having a middle-grade novel on the shelves for a VERY long time. And the ten-year-old Lisa who loved to bake and dreamt of traveling, like Isabel (the main character), is pretty darn happy today too.