A day at the beach

Cannon Beach, Oregon

"Back outside
we stand
at the edge
of a cliff
and look out
at the endless supply
of blue.

              It takes my breath away.

Him
and me
and the sky
and the sea.

It's like a dream.
The kind of dream
you wish for again and again,
night after night,
because it was so good
the first time."

~from The Day Before
by Lisa Schroeder

Verse Novel Week and a Poem by Moi

I'm thrilled to be a guest on the Clear Eyes, Full Shelves podcast this week as they kick off Verse Novel Week. In this hour-long episode, we talk about verse novels and Friday Night Lights because, you know, that's how we roll.

I've found podcasts are great to listen to when you have boring chores to do, like mopping the floor or cleaning the bathroom. They have lots of other great ones to listen to - definitely check out their library of past episodes!

Here's the link to the one I'm on: http://cleareyesfullshelves.com/blog/podcast-22

National Poetry Month is almost over, and today I thought I'd share one of my favorite poems from one of my own books. This one comes from The Day Before, and I still remember how satisfied I felt after I wrote it. It was the perfect metaphor for what was happening to Amber at that point in the book. I also remember that when I got the (very) marked-up manuscript from my editor, this poem only had one mark on it - a big, red heart. Wheee!

tell me your story

Many times
when I read a book,
I want to savor
each word,
each phrase,
each page,
loving the prose
so much,
I don't want it
to end.

Other times
the story pulls me in,
and I can hardly
read fast enough,
the details flying by,
some of them lost
because all that matters
is making sure
the character
is all right
when it's over.

This day
is like the best kinds
of books.

I want to cherish
each moment and yet,
I've got to know
that this character
named Cade
will be okay
when this story
ends.

A Hang in There kind of post

The past twelve months have been a bit... strange.

I don't want to go into specifics, but those of you who are published authors will understand when I say that this business is not for wimps.

I hike a lot with my family, and it reminds me of the hikes that have steep hills to climb and as you go along, you wonder if there will be anything up ahead that will make the hard work worth it. You tell yourself to enjoy the here and now, to not focus on what's ahead, but that's easier said than done sometimes, especially when the hill just goes on and on and on. You wonder if it will ever end. You sit down, take a rest, and it's then when it's easy to become discouraged.

You wonder if you should just give up and go home. You start to feel like maybe you don't belong. Like maybe only the best hikers belong here, and you are certainly not one of the best.

There have been a few times over the past twelve months where I've felt pretty discouraged. One disappointment can be hard, but when you have a string of them, it can be especially so. And yes, once or twice, I was so discouraged, I thought about giving up. But I kept telling myself it's always darkest before dawn. And sitting on the couch, feeling sorry for myself, wasn't really going to solve anything.

I also kept telling myself that maybe things happen for a reason and maybe I just needed to trust that everything would work out in the end, if I just hung in there. I've certainly seen it happen before. Right after I quit my full-time job a few years ago, I had a full manuscript rejected along with some proposals, and I seriously began to think I had just made the biggest mistake of my life.

And then, inspired by P!nk's "Glitter in the Air,"  I wrote THE DAY BEFORE. That book saved me. Those characters, Amber and Cade, and their magical day at the beach, became my escape from all of my worries. Every day, when I opened that document, I got to escape to the beach too. I have never loved writing a book as much as I loved writing that one, because it was exactly what I needed at the time.

So this time, I reminded myself of Cade and Amber and THE DAY BEFORE, and I told myself what I needed to do was to find a story I cared about. Characters who could help me escape the worry and heartache, and let me be me, in the best way possible.

So I kept writing.

Seven or eight months ago, I felt like this:

Now, I pretty much feel like this:

taken 4/28/13 at Wooden Shoe Tulip Farm

So, in case there is anyone out there right now who is in that dark, discouraging place, I just want to say - hang in there. This business is HARD. The set-backs and disappointments can get inside your head and mess with your confidence in the worst way.

I know. I understand. I have been there, more than once.

Find a story only you can tell. Create characters you can fall in love with. Don't worry about whether others will love the story. That's not the most important thing when things are looking dark - the most important thing is that YOU love the story.

Find a story and let it save you.

One of my books coming to Brazil!

Look, look! Isn't it pretty?

This is THE DAY BEFORE, brazilian style. When I plug the title into google translator, it comes up as HAPPENED YESTERDAY.

If you speak portuguese, you can read all about it here. I believe it says it will be released October 11th, so not long at all!

I'm so excited - I've had people from Brazil e-mailing me over the years, asking when my books might be published there. These things aren't up to the author, so I'm thrilled it's finally happening!

THE DAY BEFORE is out in paperback!!

I tried to think of what I could do today to announce the paperback release of THE DAY BEFORE, besides telling you that it's summertime and this is the PERFECT SUMMER READ!!

That would be a very short blog post, however. So, here's what I've decided to do. There have been so many amazing reviews of this book over the past year, and I have collected a few of my favorite lines from some of them, (along with a link to the full review, of course) and hope that maybe if you've been on the fence about picking up this book, some of these lines might change your mind. I'm also going to write a reply to each of the lines I've chosen, to make it a bit more... fun! Okay, here we go:

"I'm always surprised by how Schroeder continues to dazzle me with heartfelt story after story." ~Tina at Fantastic Book Review (Read the full review HERE)

My response: Man, how much do I love the word dazzle? It is like one of my FAVORITE words. Say it three times fast: dazzle, dazzle, dazzle. Isn't it just so fun? Doesn't it make you want to get up and dance? No? Okay, well, personally, I love it. Thanks, Tina, for using that word in your review. 

"From an emotional perspective, I fell in love with Cade and Amber at the beach. I felt electrified along with the jellyfish, I mourned the loss of the damp sand, I wished for the smell of the ocean and the wind on my face and I cried when Cade wrapped himself up in the feel of the sea and distanced himself from Amber's worry." ~The Book Memoirs (Read the full review HERE)

My response: There is nothing more an author wants than for a reader to fall in love with the characters she writes about. The fact that the setting affected you so much is an added bonus. I want you to know, Amber and Cade love you too. Really! I talked to them yesterday, and they said to pass that along to you.

"I refuse to give any spoilers away to this story, because part of the magic of this book is the discovery of what tomorrow will bring for both characters. But I will say that what Amber faces is worth the stress she's feeling and it is something that has refused to leave my mind in the two months since I read this book." ~Ashley, Books from Bleh to Basically Amazing (Read the full review HERE)

My response: Ashley, you have been such a huge supporter of this book, I can't even tell you how huge. I'm pretty sure half the copies I've sold up to this point have been because of you. I've said it before, but please know how much I appreciate you sharing the love you have for this book with others.

"I absolutely loved this book. It's such a compelling and beautiful story, and it ended up being completely different than what I was expecting. This is not a book about a great love story, or even a tragic one. It is about two people that find something unexpected in each other and give each other the courage to face whatever happens tomorrow." ~Rachel's Reading Timbits (Read the full review HERE) 

My response: Rachel, I really like how you nail what's at the heart and soul of this novel. I also think it's kind of amazing that you have a day job where you buy books for a Canadian wholesaler, because that means you read a LOT of books. I'm honored you used the precious "L" word in your blog post about my book.

"What does make me run for the hills, pull the covers over my head, and scream one of those high pitched 'girlie' screams though? Books written in verse. They terrify me! But all that was before I met Lisa Schroeder. I highly recommend this wonder of a story of how one day and one meeting can change everything." ~Laura at GalleySmith (Read the full review HERE)

My response: I wish verse novels didn't scare people, but they do. If you are someone, reading this post right now who has been scared to try one, well, here is living, breathing proof that you can read a verse novel and live to tell about it! Who knew, right? I'm glad I could help ease your fears, Laura!


And if you need one more reason to pick up the paperback of THE DAY BEFORE, then I have it! At the back of the book you'll find the FIRST TEN PAGES of my next YA novel, FALLING FOR YOU, to be released January, 2013.

You can order the book from any of these retailers:

Amazon
Barnes and Noble
Powell's
BooksAMillion
The Book Depository (free shipping worldwide)
Find an independent bookstore near you

I wish you all a happy summer full of good books and great memories!

Sequels and Lack Thereof

I love getting notes from readers. It is one of the best parts of being an author!

Just this weekend, I got a very sweet e-mail from a girl named Sarah, 15

"I just finished reading The Day Before and I absolutely loved it!! It was beautifully written and moved me to tears. Now I'm begging you to write a sequel. I desperately need to know how Amber and Cade's story turns out. Please continue writing your amazing stories."

Some readers, like Sarah, are like curious kittens. They want to know more!

But this kind of e-mail, the one that asks for a sequel, is one of the hardest for me to respond to.

You see, I know what it's like to love a book so much, you don't want it to end. To fall in love with the characters and to want to continue living through their eyes. And as an author, one of the highest compliments you can pay me is to tell me you'd love another book featuring the same character(s). But then, I feel like I have to break your heart in my reply, and tell you that no, there is no sequel planned at this time.

Today, I thought I'd share with you why I haven't written any sequels to my YA novels that are out now, and talk about sequels a little bit in general.

Each one of my four YA novels that are out now were written with a clear beginning, middle and end in mind. Each one was meant to stand on its own. And if you were to compare the endings of the four books, I think you would see they all have one big thing in common.

They end in a place of hope.

The character has made it through the hard stuff. She doesn't really know what lies ahead, but she feels much more hopeful about it than she did at the beginning.

When readers ask for a sequel, I *think*, like Sarah, they want to know what happens to the boy/girl relationships. In I HEART YOU, YOU HAUNT ME, does Lyric go out with Cali, or does he keep pursuing Ava, and if so, does she finally give in? In CHASING BROOKLYN, what happens with Nico and Brooklyn? Do they grow closer? Does she come to love him the way she loved Lucca? And in THE DAY BEFORE, do Amber and Cade meet up in six months, when she comes home from Texas? Do they fall in love?

Writing a sequel means coming up with a new plot, unless the author has written the story line so the arc is set up over two or, in the case of a trilogy, three books. But I wrote each of my YA novels as stand-alones. If I were to write a new book, with the same characters, I would need a new problem for those characters to overcome. Some kind of conflict.

Because remember, plot = conflict.

Although you may think you might want to read 300 pages of Amber and Cade walking around the zoo, having fun, after being away from each other for 6 months, it would just not be very interesting if there weren't problems. How do the characters grow over the course of a story is an important one to ask when writing YA. In order to grow, you need to have obstacles to overcome.

In real life relationships, there usually is conflict. Couples get in fights. They break up. One wants to get back together but the other moves on. And I'm not quite sure that readers really want to see the characters having conflict like that. And to be honest, I'm not sure I want to write it.

I like to imagine Cade and Amber happily ever after. And the thing is, so can you!!

I would be remiss if I didn't mention the business side of publishing in this discussion as well. None of my books have been big sellers. I am very much a mid-list author. So, why should my publisher invest in a sequel for a book that hasn't sold all that well? For illustration purposes, let's say only 3,000 people bought the first book. Well, a year goes by, lots of those people forget about the book, so when the sequel comes out, there may only be 1,500 people getting the second one. It doesn't make much business sense to invest a lot of money in a book that won't appeal to many readers. Now, if we were talking 100,000 people who bought the first book, then yeah, the publisher could probably get behind a sequel. And I would probably be very motivated to write one, if a third of those people were writing to me, asking for one!!

But as it is now, I get that question maybe once every couple of weeks. And while I love my readers, and am so thankful for them, there just isn't a good enough reason to write any sequels at this point.

So... I encourage you to answer your own questions. What happens to Cade and Amber? Whatever it is you WANT for them can happen!!!

The Oregonian Reader's Choice Award

My YA novel, THE DAY BEFORE, is a finalist for the Oregon Book Award.

The awards ceremony is April 23rd, and that's when we find out who wins.

There is also a Reader's Choice Award, and anyone can vote for a favorite book among all the finalists.

Here is the link if that's something you'd like to do:

http://www.zoomerang.com/Survey/WEB22EBL462CP6/

Thanks!

Lists are nice, but...

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!

Two happy things for a Monday

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.

A look at Goodreads ads (long)

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.

Monday Motivation - On disappointment

"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?

The Friday Five

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. :)

It's so nice to be nominated!

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?

Five things on a Friday - The Day Before edition

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 in pictures

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

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.

Look - my book!

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!

Three. More. Weeks! And NYC book signing!

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

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

Thankful Thursday - happy news stuff

1. Thanks to all of you FABULOUS people who bid on the ARC of Sprinkles and Secrets for the kidlit4Japan auction. My little book raised $50.00, which is awesome, and it's because of all of you who kept going back to bid. Wow. THANK YOU!! And thanks to Greg Fishbone who is doing SO much work keeping things on track and organized. If you haven't bid on something, there are still new things being posted everyday. Here is the link: http://kidlit4japan.wordpress.com/

2. I got good news on Monday - we were given a wonderful blurb for The Day Before by the incredibly talented Sarah Ockler, author of Fixing Delilah and Twenty Boy Summer. I am a huge fan of Twenty Boy Summer (and most likely Fixing Delilah, which I, sadly, have not had time to read it yet), so it really is an honor to have her say such lovely things about my book. Here is the blurb in its entirety, although it won't all appear on the book.

"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."

3. I was mentioned in this fun article about a class who wrote letters to their favorite authors. I am mentioned alongside Judy Blume, which is like, whoa!! After reading it, I had two thoughts. First, I don't think my response back was as negative as he made it sound. I hope not anyway! And second, Oh no! I didn't send the girl who wrote to me a bookmark like Christopher Paolini did (I usually do but I had run out). So I found her letter and today I'm mailing the bookmarks to the entire class! I hope they'll be excited to get more mail.

4. On Sunday, in Rhode Island, there was an event going on called Cupcake Madness. One of the many challenges was to bake a cupcake flavor from It's Raining Cupcakes. The winner of the competition was Fatulli's Bakery, who baked strawberry lemonade cupcakes, inspired by my book. There's an article and news clip HERE - at the very end of the video the reporter mentions my book. So fun!! I wish I didn't live across the country, because I want to try those cupcakes!!! I know most people love chocolate, but I'm all about the fruity flavors.

5. Is this a little too much happy happy in one post? It might be, even for a Thankful Thursday post. Okay, here's something - I got Turbo Fire in the mail yesterday. Oh, you don't know what Turbo Fire is? Well, let me enlighten you. It is an intense cardio conditioning program with exercises that supposedly burn up to 9 times more fat than regular cardio does. Some claim they burn 1,000 calories with each workout. I am scared, but I'm going to star it today. I will be very thankful if it doesn't kill me.

Have a great day!