Random Conversaton with Child #3

Child #3 is my 9th grader son. (In case you've forgotten. ;) )

Child #3 (spoken offhandedly): I saw a guy at school reading one of your books.

Me (excited): Really? Wow! Which one?

Child #3: The pink one.

Me: Wow! A high school guy reading I SO DON'T DO SPOOKY! Wow!

Child #3: Yeah. I said to him, "Hey, my mom wrote that."

Me: Really! You said that to him! What did he say?

Child #3: He said, "Yeah, right."

Me: "Yeah, right"???? He didn't believe you??!! Did you tell him you're a suspect in the 3rd book? Did you tell him that???

Child #3 (says nonchalantly over his shoulder as he leaves the kitchen): Nah. I went to lunch.

Keep in mind this is the same kid who, a couple of years ago, after doing a book talk on I SO DON'T DO MYSTERIES, informed me he'd told the class he couldn't remember the name of the author!!!

And the countdown is on...

I SO DON'T DO MAKEUP comes out in paperback in just 12 days (April 5)!

(Every family needs a dozen or so. :) )

Sherry spotted in Scholastic Catalog

Child #4 raced in from school. She couldn't get her Scholastic Book Catalog out of her backpack fast enough!

"You will be so surprised, Mom!" she said.

Awww....brings tears to my eyes.


And here's a look from afar. Just so you can see who else we're hanging out with on the page.

Thank you, Scholastic!

More from New York City . . .

We started today on an open-air double-decker Greyline tour bus, headed downtown to the southern-most tip of Manhattan: Battery Park. The weather was beautiful, and we sat up top. No doubt Child #4 and I brought this spring-like weather with us from California. When we leave on Thursday, we'll be taking it back with us. New Yorkers, you have been warned. ;)

Anyway, we learned all manner of New York trivia during our tour. I managed to jot down a couple of facts. Mostly though, I enjoyed the ride, eavesdropped on the Quebeckers sitting behind us (I don't hear Quebec French very often, and that's my excuse for listening in!), and laughed at all the tour guide's jokes.

Here's a little trivia for you:
-Manhattan comes from an Indian (Algonquin??) word meaning "island of rolling hills."
-Lombardi's Pizzaria, 32 Spring Street, was the first American pizzeria, licenced in 1905. Apparently, it really is good New York pizza. Child #4 and I added it to our to-do list, but I have my doubts as to us making it there. The list is too long for the number of remaining days.
-Disney bought the New Amsterdam Theatre (where we saw Mary Poppins) when it was still part of the red-light district of 42nd Street. Child #4 had a couple of questions about this!

The Sphere was originally located between the Twin Towers. It was resurrected from the rubble following 9-11 and set in Battery Park as a reminder. You can see how battered it is.

I took this cell-phone picture of the Statue of Liberty from the Staten Island ferry. Child #4 got a much clearer and closer shot, but I forgot to bring the usb cable that goes to her camera. The statue is very majestic. There's so much history down here by the harbor; Child #4 and I are really not doing it justice. We could've spent our entire trip, poking around this area. BTW, the Staten Island ferry is free.

This is a street in China Town, on the Lower East Side. We'd like to get back here for a meal. And that establishment in the photo that offers back and feet rubs looks tempting. We've been doing A LOT of walking!


Here I am at the door of the Folio Literary Agency. There's something surreal about visiting a place you've only emailed and phoned. See the sparkle on the door? It almost looks like Sherry's mother (a ghost in the I SO DON'T DO mystery series) is dropping in on Folio with me. ;)

Rachel Vater, my agent, holding up a copy of I SO DON'T DO SPOOKY, which actually goes on sale in paperback TOMORROW! Rachel is as smart and vivacious as she looks.

Off to dinner we went. Good company, good food, good music!

Here's a picture way out in left field. Where do you set your American Girl doll in the restroom at the American Girl store? Why there's a special hook, just the right size for holding an American Girl doll, in each cubicle.

Tomorrow: Greenwich Village

School Visits, MAKEUP reviews and a Contest!!

Today, I'm guest posting over at The Divining Wand about weird and wonderful questions I've been asked at school visits!

Thank you to the following blogs for lovely reviews of I SO DON'T DO MAKEUP: Carrie's YA Book Shelf, Library Lounge Lizard and YA Book Central!

There's a discussion on the hardback vs the paperback covers of I SO DON'T DO MYSTERIES over at Pop Culture Junkie

And there's a contest!!
There will be FOUR winners.

One Grand Prize winner will receive autographed copies of the three books in the series, I SO DON'T DO MAKEUP, I SO DON'T DO SPOOKY, and I SO DON'T DO MYSTERIES, plus a tote bag and t-shirt! Three lucky runners up will win an autographed copy of I SO DON'T DO MAKEUP and a t-shirt!

To enter, send an email to ISoDontDoMakeup@gmail.com
(note: no apostrophe!) with the subject line "Pick Me!" In the body of the email, include your name and email address (if you're under 13, submit a parent's name and email address). One entry per person and prizes will only be shipped to US or Canadian addresses. Entries must be received by midnight (PDT) on June 30. Winners will be selected in a random drawing on July 1 and notified via email. Check back here after July 6 for the list of winners!

Please feel free to repost the contest details hither and yon! ;)

From my inbox...

The following is a true story.

A loving and caring aunt gave her niece a copy of I SO DON'T DO SPOOKY for Christmas.

The niece sent the email below to the aunt (who forwarded it to me):

Aunt M,

Thank you SO much for I So Don't Do Spooky. I am enjoying it SO much.
I try not to read it too fast so that I don't get to the end too quickly.
Thanks again!

The happy niece. And look how neat and tidy her room is!


"I try not to read it too fast so that I don't get to the end too quickly."
This is the kind of sentence that stops an author's heart.

Thank you for the forward, Aunt M.

I will be basically incommunicado this weekend. Yes, dear children, this counts for you too. I'm going to a writers' retreat through my local SCBWI. We're spending the weekend at the San Luis Rey Mission in Oceanside, CA. I will be writing up a storm. And eating meals prepared by monks. Yes, you read that right. I hope we're not talking unleavened bread and water. I'll post about the experience on Monday.

Incredible Signing!!! And a giveaway!! (My Town Monday: The Yellow Book Road, La Mesa, CA)

Yesterday afternoon was an INCREDIBLE INCREDIBLE HEART-STOPPING signing event at the Yellow Book Road, San Diego's largest independent children's bookstore. Seriously, it's THE place to shop. The people who work there know EVERYTHING about kid lit.

Here are some photos of the event. They were taken by various people who picked up my camera and clicked away. Be sure to scroll down to the bottom of the post for a link to Vodka Mom's blog and a great giveaway.

There were A LOT of people. As in over one hundred! A huge thank-you to all these folks who came out during a busy season.

This is me and Detective Sergeant Joe Bulkowski of the San Diego PD. Joe's my go-to guy when I have questions for the books about police procedure and evidence and crime. I talk about some of the stuff I've asked him and how that's shown up in i so don't do mysteries, i so don't do spooky and i so don't do makeup. This detective has actually won an award for catching so many San Diego crooks via fingerprints. He talks about one of the cases, does a fingerprinting demonstration and then fingerprints kids for free. It's a pretty fun presentation. Joe and I have known each other for forever and we can really kibbitz around. Although I'm funnier than he is. Oh, hi Joe!

My good friends, the Eileens, setting up the food table. These women are THE best with the best name. My mother was also named Eileen. And my daughter's middle name is Eileen. Pretty much, I've never met an Eileen I didn't love!

The cupcake cake! Ta da! Thank you, Judie McElroy. Cute AND scrumptious.

The fam! Except for Child #1 who was home with a yucky fever :(

Last but not least, a shout-out to Sydney from Encinitas. She's a very bright, articulate, interesting 8th grader I met at a Barnes & Noble signing last year. I was THRILLED that she talked her dad into driving all the way to this event. Watch out for this kid. She's going FAR!

What can I say about Vodka Mom? She's hilarious. She has a huge heart. She's a teacher. A mom. A blogger. And she has a couple of i so don't do spooky giveaways--a book and a t-shirt! You'll love her. You can find her and details on the giveaways right here.

And click here to see what the other My Town Monday folks are posting about.

On the day of I SO DON'T DO SPOOKY's release...the unexpected happens

Yesterday, i so don't do spooky was unpacked and set up on shelves in bookstores all over the U.S. and Canada. No doubt the unpacking will continue the rest of this week (maybe Random House releases books on Tuesdays so that they're out of boxes and ready to be bought by Saturday?). Nonetheless, Sherry and company were out and about in the world yesterday, and I'd planned a nice day to celebrate.

First, I had breakfast with my writing critique group, and you know how much I love them. Next, I bought a beautiful gold stamp pad to use with the new acrylic stamp (cute robot) that I'll use at signings. Then, a couple of bookstores emailed to ask me to come in and sign stock. Which I happily did. Very fun.

And then I picked up Child #3 and drove him to the high school for his math class. (Remember he's my brilliant 8th grader who inherited his father's math gene and goes to high school for math). Child #3 asked me to wait in the parking lot for him as a treat so that he didn't have to walk back to middle school. I had my laptop and had left Sherry and Josh in a bit of an argument, so was glad to sit in my van and write for an hour.

Which turned into more than an hour BECAUSE THE HIGH SCHOOL WAS PLACED UNDER LOCKDOWN!!! Two men were burglarizing a nearby house. The owner came home, interrupted them. They stabbed him, then ran out. At least one of the suspects, THE ONE WITH A GUN, ran onto the high school campus!

Child #3 was barely in the classroom, when the door was locked behind him. Which means my curly, blond-haired angel was walking outside on campus at the exact same time as a crazy criminal with a gun! Yikes. Yikes. Yikes.

Anyway....no students were injured. I'm not sure about the condition of the homeowner, but I think he's okay based on the wording of last night's news report. The suspects are still at large.

And that, my dear bloggy friends, is story of i so don't do spooky's release day!!!

Now, on a happy note, please pop over to Shelf Elf's blog where she has a delightful interview with me. Seriously, she asked some very fun, very different questions. And she still has falling snow!

Oh, and Happy Birthday to my sister!

My Town Monday: San Diego Gingerbread Houses

Sunday morning, I ate breakfast next to this gingerbread house. Mr. Summy and I were at the swanky San Diego Marriott Hotel and Marina for Mr. Summy's office holiday party. Remember how I did not want to go? Well, I ended up having a really good time. We even won $150 in Target (my home away from home!) gift cards!!! Then we stayed over. Hence, the breakfast next to the gingerbread house.



In the lobby, there's a display of three gingerbread houses. If you look closely, you will see it's based on the story of the three little pigs! Adorable and creative. I love the angel pasta used to represent straw.

Each year, around the end of November to the beginning of the December, a hotel in our fine city hosts the San Diego Gingerbread City Contest for the Epilepsy Foundation of San Diego County. (That's quite a mouthful! But a good cause, nonetheless.)

In interesting trivia...
-National Gingerbread Day is actually in June.
-The gingerbread man first showed up in the court of Elizabeth I of England when she had gingerbread men baked in the likeness of some of her guests.
-The Crusaders introduced gingerbread to Europe.
-Ginger has been used in Chinese medicine for thousands of years, especially as a digestive aid.
-In medieval times, gingerbread was more of a candy.

Totally changing tacks....



i so don't do spooky will be in bookstores TOMORROW!!! As in Tuesday, December 8!!! I am very excited. And a little nervous. It's a bit like leaving your child at school on the first day. Good luck, Sherry! I will be thinking of you. Choose your friends carefully. Be yourself. Have fun.

Please visit The Divining Wand where Larramie has gone to a lot of trouble to write a review/introduction to i so don't do spooky. You'll enjoy it.

And, of course, you'll want to visit our My Town Monday blog to see what the rest of the gang is up to!


sources:
http://www.beachcalifornia.com/beach/gingerbread-contest-sandiego.html
http://www.beachcalifornia.com/california/gingerbread-house-contests-california.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gingerbread_man
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gingerbread
http://www.godecookery.com/ginger/ginger.htm

I So Don't Do Spooky BOOK TRAILER!!

The biggest hugest thank-you to Bookworm who made this book trailer. Just made it as a surprise for me and then posted it on YouTube and on her blog. How incredibly wonderful it that?!

I'm in Oklahoma doing school presentations and participating in an author panel for EncycloMedia (a conference for educators).

I'm showing this beautiful, fun, snappy, excellent book trailer to everyone who will watch it!

And we have a cover!

Yes, we have a final cover for...

I SO DON'T DO MAKEUP!!

I So Don't Do Makeup--Book #3 in the Sherry Holmes Baldwin humorous middle-grade/tween mystery series will be in bookstores, May 11, 2010



And, in case you've been tossing and turning at night, worrying that you're not in the know, here you go...


I SO DON'T DO MYSTERIES--Book #1, paperback version, Nov. 10, 2009

A girl. A guy. A ghost. A heist. Yikes!
Meet reluctant sleuth Sherry Holmes Baldwin!



I SO DON'T DO SPOOKY--Book #2 in the series, hardback,

in stores December 8, 2009.

(Which is practically right around the corner. Ack!)

Sherry Holmes Baldwin is baaack!! Sherry and her ghost mother team up in a new mystery involving The Ruler (Sherry's stepmom) and a stalker. It's scary. It's spooky. It's fun. Oooooo.
(And for those of you have emailed, yes, Josh is back too!)


All these books are available for pre-order.

In the U.S.: amazon and Barnes and Noble

In Canada: Chapters Indigo



And so as not to leave out any of the covers: Book #1, hardback version, is currently available all over the place.








Many thank-yous for indulging me this blatant self-promotion post. At least you know I don't do this very often. ;)

End of commercial.

A Cover Story

This is a true cover story story.

Once upon a time, a wonderful publisher by the name of Delacorte Press/Random House decided to change the cover for the trade paperback version of I So Don't Do Mysteries.

They looked and they looked through lots and lots of stock photos and finally found two brilliant and magic pictures of the perfect girl to represent Sherry (short for Sherlock) Holmes Baldwin.

Why two photos? One for I So Don't Do Mysteries. One for I So Don't Do Spooky.

Enter Book #3: I So Don't Do Makeup. A book who deserves a brilliant and magic cover with the same perfect girl. But, alas, there are no more stock photos of this girl.

I get an email from Editor Wendy which cautions me in upper case letters not to get my hopes up. It's highly unlikely that this perfect girl will be located. And if she even is located, the odds are slim that she'll be the right age.

Three days later, I get an email from a dad. From a dad who got a phone call from a local photographer who got a phone call from Delacorte. Yes, it was the perfect girl's dad. I'm guessing he googled I So Don't Do Mysteries or I So Don't Do Spooky or me. I'm guessing he found this blog and saw on the sidebar jpegs of the covers with the perfect girl.

Guess what? She wants to be on the cover of I So Don't Do Makeup.

Guess what else? She's the right age.

Guess what else? Last weekend, a bunch of photos were shot of the perfect girl in order to choose a brilliant and magic cover for I So Don't Do Makeup.

This is SO exciting!

p.s. I am dying to see these photos. HINT, HINT! :)

Available now!                      Coming November 2009           Coming December 2009

Winner and Introducing My Beautiful Book #2

Congratulations to Sara of Around the Barrios who is the proud winner of a signed copy of PJ Hoover's fantabulous middle-grade fantasy THE EMERALD TABLET! Sara, email me at barrieDOTsummyATgmailDOTcom. Then my people will get in touch with PJ's people who will get in touch with your people. Or you can leave a comment on PJ's blog. Or PJ will find you at your blog. She's tenacious that way. Also, thank you to everyone who entered.

I hope you're all enjoying the above photo with Child #4's current winner-choosing shoes. I swear that child has more footwear than the rest of the family put together. We can only afford her shoe habit because she's eight and her shoes don't break the bank. I predict that about five years from now, we'll be living on pinto beans.

And now, loud obnoxious drum roll, I'd like to introduce the cover of I So Don't Do Spooky!!!! Sherry short for Sherlock) Holmes Baldwin returns to solve a second mystery in this series. A mystery involving a stalker and her step-mother, The Ruler. Yikes! I So Don't Do Spooky will be in bookstores this fall 2009.



ISN'T THIS A VERY VERY GORGEOUS COVER? I wish I had a high resolution jpeg of it and I'd post a cover HUGE enough to take over your screen! Maybe your entire house!




Here is a little shrine of ARCs (Advance Reader Copies). See how they gleam and glimmer? No, it's not just my amateur photography.




And here's the brand new cover for the trade paperback edition of I So Don't Do Mysteries. It should be out sometime in the fall too.

Ah....but life is grand.

mini-interview on the Class of 2k8's blog

If you've got a sec, come see me over at the Class of 2k8's blog.

There's a mini-mini-mini-interview about I So Don't Do Spooky (Book #2)! I swear, it's short. But cute.

Click here.

My Town Monday + Bye Book #2 + Birthday Wishes!

Guess what?

I SO DON'T DO SPOOKY has left my house!!

Yes, Book #2 has wended its merry way through cyberspace to Editor Wendy at Delacorte Press/Random House. A little advice to Book #2: put your best foot (page?) forward, make your mother proud, come home to visit.

Child #4 was beyond thrilled to see me push the "send" button because now her mother will definitely be bar-b-cueing at tomorrow's 2nd grade picnic. Such joy for both of us. I am thinking of grilling something a little experimental for the classmates. Never fear, I will do the regular hot dogs and whatever else I'm handed. But...I did see an interesting recipe for grilled bananas...

But that is tomorrow and today is today. And today is My Town Monday!


Now, doesn't this sound uber fun? We rent a kayak (that seats one or two or three people). These are kayaks designed for your everyday blogger. Which means we can all do this, not just those of us who are athletic. We kayak into sea caves nestled in 75 million year old sandstone cliffs. There are 7 sea caves facing north from La Jolla Shores. Six of them are only accessible by kayak. We will get wet. We might lose our glasses. We will wear ugly helmets. We will get some excellent pics if we bring a waterproof camera. We might see leopard sharks. We might see seals and sea lions and dolphins. And who knows what else.

Tours of the 7 caves last about two hours. And cost about $45 if you want a kayak to yourself, $75 if you share with a friend, $105 if you share with two friends. I will not share with Travis or Patti-o as I would be laughing far too hard to pull my weight paddling. At which point, Travis and Patti would no doubt toss me overboard.


Here's a photo of Sunny Jim's Cave, (named by Frank Baum, author of The Wizard of Oz) which is accessible by land.

It's wise to reserve your spot. There are at least a couple of different companies who offer sea cave tours:
http://www.sandiegobikeandkayaktours.com/
http://www.lajollaseacavekayaks.com/caves.php

You can save money by just renting the kayak and not doing the tours. But, for me, I'd end up lost for seven years in one of the seven caves. So, at least for my first sea cave foray, I'm going with a guide.

My Town Monday comes to us via Travis Erwin. Thanks, Travis! Click on his site to read his post about the Texas panhandle. AND to find links to the other participants.

Oh,oh, oh! I just got an email from a little bird who informed me that today is my former English teacher's 67th birthday. HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MR. MAGEE!

Missing in Action

Sorry to be so missing in action...

BUT I HAVE A DEADLINE NEXT WEEK!

Yes, the revisions for book #2, I So Don't Do Spooky, are due. Editor Wendy wrote a lovely revision letter, full of really wonderful solid suggestions. I'm very lucky in that I have the best editor who writes the best letters. I'm sure there are other authors out there who feel their editors write the best revision letters. Sadly, they're mistaken.

A little housekeeping before I get back to the grind...












Last week, I got together by the Giant Dipper roller coaster (Yes, I did a My Town Monday post about it) here in San Diego with fellow 2k8er Nancy Viau, debut middle grade author of Samantha Hansen Has Rocks in Her Head. We went for a l-o-n-g walk on the beach. I mention this last detail to explain my frizzy hair. Then we stopped for drinks at a somewhat seedy place in PB (Pacific Beach). We had planned to meet and chat for an hour or two, but ended up talking for FOUR AND A HALF HOURS. Nancy did most of the talking. Okay, so that's not even close to true. We both talked so much that we barely even breathed. It was loads of fun (and a little scary) discovering just how much we have in common.



It's debut author, Teri Brown's launch week on the Class of 2k8's blog. Her YA novel, Read My Lips, is on shelves now. I'm going to ask Teri if she'd like to be interviewed by Kelly Couric and do a book giveaway on this blog. And, really, now that I've published this post, how can she say no? :)

I owe ARCs to Larramie and Angela and a gag gift to Brian. I haven't forgotten. I just haven't gotten to the post office yet. And I haven't figured out anything heinous enough for Brian. But I will get it all taken care of; I promise.

My high school English teacher did a book review for us, and I'll get it up on the blog after my deadline.

Not sure what made me realize today that I never posted about meeting Agent Rachel Vater in Phoenix. I better get on that.

Okay. My break time is over. Very nice spending it with my bloggy friends. I probably won't be able to play until next week. So, now you know not to worry about me. I'm not sick. I'm not hurt. I'm not off galavanting.

I'M JUST IN REVISIONS!