ALA 2011 or how I ran out of marbles: Part 3

And finally, on my last day in New Orleans, was the event I was especially there for. The Geisel Award ceremony!

If you remember during my search for my Geisel dress, the Geisel Award ceremony is not a banquet or a breakfast. It was in the middle of the day (before lunch) and in a room in the convention center. Room 268, if I remember correctly. This was a bit problematic for me as the signs read as follows:

I wasn't really sure which way I should go.

But, eventually, with the help of Rebecca (agent) and Alvina (editor), the room was found.

I feel like we look so colorful together!

After receiving my program I found my seat--it was reserved just for me!

As well as the Geisel, the award ceremony was also for the Seibert (best non-fiction book), the Batchelder (best translation) and the Carnegie (best movie/video adaptation). The winners all gave lovely speeches. I was particularly moved by Sy Montgomery's impassioned speech about the Kakapo parrot (an animal I never heard of before). One line she said, which I'll paraphrase, went something like, "These birds should be treasured more than diamonds because they are real living creatures and even more rare."

But all deep thoughts and musings quickly disappeared when they got to the Geisel portion of the ceremony...

There is Kate DiCamillo in front of me and Mo Willems next to me!

And it was time to receive my award!

YAY!!! YAY!! (twin cheers for Ling & Ting!)

As I mentioned in my other posts, I'd been slowly running out of marbles. I think this is where I lost them all.

I was, of course, thrilled and my lucky jade bracelet got me through the rest of the day, to the airport andthe plane ride home...

where I completely collapsed and now look like this:

This is a voodoo doll a got for the Sasquatch. He asked me to get one that looked like him, but by the end of the conference I felt like it was more of a self-portrait!

Looking forward to a quiet summer of reading and writing and putting marbles back into the jar!

did I forget anything?

All packed to go to the big Newbery Banquet(hope my dress doesn't get too wrinkled.)! This time I packed the jade bracelet, but I think it is already bringing me luck because to see me off was ANOTHER STARRED REVIEW for Ling & Ting!!!

This one is from the School Library Journal:

Lin brings her talents to these charming stories about Chinese-American twins who like to stick together but are not as alike as everyone thinks. The six short chapters are the perfect length for beginning readers. In the first story, the girls get haircuts. Ting “moves her legs and her fingers. Ting can never sit still.” When her snipped hair falls on her nose, she sneezes and the barber cuts a little too much off her bangs. The simple illustrations follow this mishap throughout the book, making the sisters easily identifiable. In the other vignettes, Ling and Ting make very different dumplings, Ling cannot eat with chopsticks no matter how hard Ting tries to teach her, and they visit the library. Each story ends with an amusing punch line that will make readers laugh. The last chapter ties all of the tales together, showing the fun and friendship that the girls share. This relationship, combined with the simple sentence structure, repetitive text, and straightforward illustrations that reinforce new vocabulary words, will put this easy reader in the same category as Arnold Lobel’s “Frog and Toad” books (HarperCollins).

WOW! That means Ling & Ting have received four starred reviews! That is the most stars I have gotten for ANY book!!!

A good omen for the weekend, don't you think?

my dumpling days

A couple of weeks ago, I ended my school visit year with a whirlwind. First, I rushed into NYC for for Book Expo America, where they were going to announce the winner of the EB White Award. We came early just so I could eat my favorite soup dumplings (now that I am writing "Dumpling Days," dumplings are on my mind quite a bit) at Joe Shanghai's:

Yum! Just as good as in China!

But it was in the middle of eating, that I realized that I forgot my lucky jade bracelet. Darn. I would have to go to the EB White event without.

Which was quite an event! My publisher, Little Brown, did me proud with big banners and signs:

What I thought was hilarious was that the publisher tried to encourage booksellers to meet the authors by printing their photos, to help recognition. However, they used my glamour shot author photo, which looks nothing like me! I imagine booksellers were confused.

After passing on the electric blue martinis, the festivities began with music and singing and ending with the announcement of the winner of the EB White Award which was...
not me.

The winner was The Brilliant Fall of Gianna Z by the lovely Kate Messner(Congrats, Kate!). Oh well. I knew I was doomed when I forgot the jade bracelet.

But to drown my sorrows, afterwards for dinner we went for soup dumplings AGAIN! There is no disappointment that dumplings cannot comfort.


Then I was off to my last school visits of the year. The first one was in Ct, where there was a lovely welcome banner:

and a wonderful longtime fan, who brought me this photo of the first time we met:

which we retook: Isn't that neat? I can't tell you how much I love when readers grow up with my books. I'm going to start giving prizes away to kids that do this.

From there, we went to Upstate NY, just a couple hours away from where I grew up. I felt extremely welcome there, as well, because the first thing I saw was this craft activity the students had done with Dim Sum For Everyone!Isn't it neat? The students made their own dim sum cart and filled it with drawings of their favorite foods. And what was right on top? My favorite food!

A great way to end my school visit year and a good omen as I begin writing "Dumpling Days," don't you think?

#9 on the Indie List!

Hey, look WHERE THE MOUNTAIN MEETS THE MOON is number 9 on the Indie Bestseller List!! YAY!!!


In Chinese culture, the #9 symbolizes longevity. Maybe that means the book will be on the list for a long time! I think I need to go buy myself another jade bracelet...

4 minutes, 58 seconds of fame

So, Thursday night, the night before my Today Show appearance, I slept very badly. I had a bad dream that I was on my way to the TV studio when I tripped and fell into a muddy pond...and then had to go on air with half covered in mud. Also, Mo Willems was the guest before me. Yes, it was a nightmare and not a very subtle one.

But, luckily, it was just a dream (though I had to repeat that to myself a couple of times in the morning), and any part of it that wanted to come to fruition was thwarted by my trusty accompanying entourage:

my publicist (well, not my publicist but rather my publisher's) Ames, my editor (well, not just my editor but other people's too) Alvina, and my agent (also shared) Rebecca. That's me in the red dress and the jade bracelet. If there had been any muddy ponds to be had, I feel confident they would have safely steered me away.

And if I had gotten muddy, the hair and make-up people would've taken care of it:

And when I met the kids from the book club, they were so sweet and enthusiastic that my anxiety about not being a super-famous author (like Mo) disappeared. They peppered me with questions that, under strict rules by the show, I did not answer. Apparently, if I answer the questions in the green room, the kids don't ask the good ones on TV (the kids' questions are not pre-screened, no one knows what they are going to ask). But I was allowed to sign the books.


and then we all got the call to the set...
and we were LIVE!!!
It went by so quickly! According to the youtube clip, it was exactly 4 minutes and 58 seconds. I was a bit surprised at some of the questions (they were not the ones they were asking in the green room) and I spent a good portion of my time thinking that I had to stop my legs from jiggling. However, in those few moments that my mind was calm, I marveled at the group.

The truth is, I think I have always put limitations on the appeal of my books. I've always thought my books were "Asian-niched" or "for girls" but for the first time, I realized how close-minded I've been about the audience that I write for. As we waited on set, the kids' excitement and enjoyment of my book was honest and real. "This book should be made into a movie," one boy said. "This book and that other blue cover book were the best ones we've read!" another said, the others echoing their approval. And then live, during the show, when one boy HAD to say, "By the way, I liked your book," before asking his question something clicked.

None of these kids were obviously Asian (I think one might have been a mix) and the boys were just as, if not more, enthusiastic than the girls. They did not think of my book as a Chinese book or a girl book. Those things didn't matter or even occur to them. This was just a book they enjoyed. It was perhaps the most truly multicultural moment I have ever had in my writing path so far-- a moment where the race and gender melted away, a moment that was so multicultural that the label faded away.

So, even if I never get my remaining 2 seconds of fame, I will always cherish the quality of my 4 minutes and 58 seconds.

Thanks, Book Club Kids!

good luck charm

So, in an effort to prepare myself for Friday's TODAY Show interview I have been focusing on the "important" things. You know--what clothes to wear, getting my bangs trimmed, cleaning my shoes...yes, the very, very important things.

And while I was getting the very important bang trim, I noticed my hairdresser had on a jade bracelet. It reminded me of my trip to China, one of the inspirations of Where the Mountain Meets the Moon, and the jade bracelets I saw there. And then, suddenly, I felt like I HAD to wear a jade bracelet with my outfit. It was quite irrational.

But what to do? There wasn't time for me to go down to Boston's Chinatown. I could, perhaps, get one when I was in NYC but the schedule looked packed. In fact, the only time I had to shop was right then. I'd just have to hope I could find one locally on the way home from the hairdresser.

And it didn't seem promising. Libby, who was visiting (we always seem to do hair escapades together), was with me and we walked from one store to the next--Tibetan shops to thrift stores. Finally, at the very last store before home, we found one!



It was like fate! I hope it will be my good luck charm for the interview--in fact, Libby bought it for me because she thought it would be luckier if it was a gift. I really hope so...

9:45 AM on Friday, Dec. 4th
The TODAY Show on NBC

eeeks!