Well, this is the first week I've been up and about. I went to work, went to my friend Aimee Friedman's book release party for her awesome new novel, SEA CHANGE, and got some more fun news: The fabulous divas at readergirlz chose A MAP OF THE KNOWN WORLD as one of their recommended reads! Check it out: http://www.readergirlz.com/issue200907.html.

Considering the fact that it's rained every single, stinkin' day, and I've been trapped at home for nearly all of June, it's turned out to be a pretty sweet month.

I hope everybody has a wonderful weekend. Happy 4th of July!
xo
lisa

Well, ths is the first week I've been up and about. Went to work, went to my friend Aimee Friedman's book release party for her awesome new novel, SEA CHANGE, and got some more fun news: the fabulous divas at readergirlz chose A MAP OF THE KNOWN WORLD as one of their recommended reads! Check it out: http://www.readergirlz.com/issue200907.html.

Considering the fact that it's rained every single, stinkin' day, and I've been trapped at home for most of the month of June, it's turned out to be a pretty sweet month.

I hope everybody has a wonderful weekend. Happy 4th of July!
xo
lisa

Oh my goodness, oh my goodness! A Map of the Known World is featured on Seventeen magazine's web site (http://www.seventeen.com/fun-stuff/17-buzz/). I used to read Seventeen--now I'm in Seventeen! How totally cool.... This makes my month!

Please check it out and leave a comment on Seventeen's web site!

Yay!

Well, where do I start? It's been a long time, yes, I know. And I have a really good excuse this time. I had surgery. Here's the harrowing (not really, very) story of my last month or so.

Here goes: Mid-April, I got sick...nasty cold, icky cough, heavy head that felt filled with stones. Overall, I felt gross. I went to the doctor and was told I had a sinus infection. Antibiotics, better.

Then a couple of weeks later, I rode my bike in the New York City Five Borough Bike Tour, and it was cold and rainy. I mean, I was soaked to the bone. I had a backpack wrapped in a plastic bag, and everything inside of it was soaked by the end of the ride. There was no relief from the cold and the wet. So, of course, I got sick all over again.

Went back to the doctor. Another course of antibiotics, and then a really, really bad stomachache. Back to the doctor. He sent me to a surgeon, who sent me for a CAT scan, which detected a mass in my colon. I went to a gastroenterologist, then for another battery of tests--many yucky. And ended up with a cancer diagnosis.

I was rushed to surgery, and the mass was removed, and guess what--it's not cancer! So, for the past month, I've been on a very scary, trippy roller coaster, which still doesn't feel entirely real to me. Very surreal--like it's happening to someone else. Even though there is some significant residual pain from the surgery. But it's real, and the ending is a happy one. A very happy, lucky one. And now I'm just recuperating from the operation, and watching Law & Order reruns and trying to catch up on all the emails and work that I got behind on.

Whew! I look forward to a summer of celebrating--celebrating life! I hope everyone is well and healthy and enjoying the start of summer!

I finally took my bike out for a long ride (and it didn't break, which was exciting), and it was marvelous. Oh, I'm so happy fair weather is here. Now I am thoroughly pink and crispy, having forgotten to apply sunscreen. Hopefully it won't sting too badly.

Last week My Favorite Author ran a review of SONG OF THE SPARROW, which was absolutely lovely, and an interview with yours truly. Check them out here:
Review: http://myfavoriteauthor.blogspot.com/2009/04/review-song-of-sparrow-by-lisa-ann.html
and here:
Interview: http://myfavoriteauthor.blogspot.com/2009/04/author-interview-lisa-ann-sandell.html

I love how it's five o'clock in the evening and still broad daylight out! Yay!

Publication day was officially last Wednesday, but I'm still riding the high. Sadly, I was super sick last week and couldn't fully enjoy the excitement. But, now I'm all better (well, except for a pretty gross cough), and back online, back on my bike, back at work, back in the world. It's awesome.

If you guys read A Map of the Known World, or have any thoughts about it, or have seen it out in the world anywhere, drop me a line, leave a comment--anything! I want to hear from you. And don't forget about the online gallery...it's still up and it looks fabulous: www.photobucket.com/lisaannsandell

Finally, have you guys seen this before--it's pretty amazing! It's really cool to see what can be created, through collaboration and putting together the art of lots of people.

Hi guys,
It's been a busy couple of weeks, between work and the NYC Teen Author Festival. The Biggest Teen Author Signing Ever at Books of Wonder last Sunday was really fun--a little bit of mayhem, but so awesome and fun.

I wanted to let everyone know that I've received some more artwork--some really striking photographs, which have been posted to the online gallery. Check out: http://photobucket.com/lisaannsandell.

And, if you're in the New York City area, remember that I'll be reading from my new book, A MAP OF THE KNOWN WORLD on Wednesday, April 1, at 6pm, at the Jefferson Market Branch of the New York Public Library (425 6th Avenue @ 10th Street). Please come if you are in the neighborhood!

Thanks to Iris and Joanna for sending in their photos! And, guys, keep the artwork coming!

L.

Hi everyone,
Check out the Not So Closet Geek blog Geek Fest this week for some awesome author guest blogs and giveaways. My post will be up on Friday. Visit http://not-so-cg.blogspot

Here's the Geek Fest Schedule:
Day One (Sunday)
Author Guest Blog- Zoe Marriot
Contest- Daughter of the Flames and The Swan Kingdom by Zoe Marriott
Author Note- Cassandra Clare
Author Guest Blog- Justina Chen Headley

Day Two (Monday)
Author Guest Blog- Lisa Mantchev
Author Guest Blog- Laurie Faria Stolarz
Contest- Signed 666 OR Signed Love is Hell (Both include a short story by Laurie Faria Stolarz...winner chooses which book they'd like to recieve)

Day Three (Tuesday)
Author Guest Blog- Eileen Cook
Contest- What Would Emma Do? by Eileen Cook
Author Guest Blog- Jillian Cantor

Day Four (Wednesday)
Author Guest Blog- Tina Ferraro
Contest- How to Hook a Hottie by Tina Ferraro
Blogger Guest Blog- Hope of Hope's Bookshelf
Author Interview- Deb Caletti

Day Five (Thursday)
Author Guest Blog- Lauren Henderson
Contest- Kiss Me Kill Me and Kisses and Lies by Lauren Henderson
Author Note- Nancy Werlin
Blogger Guest Blog- Adele of Persnickety Snark

Day Six (Friday)
Author Guest Blog- Jody Gehrman
Author Guest Blog- Lisa Ann Sandell
Contest- Song of the Sparrow and (ARC) A Map of the Known World by Lisa Ann Sandell

s682.photobucket.com/albums/vv185/lisaannsandell/ 
As promised, the art gallery exhibition begins! 

To celebrate the upcoming publication of my new book A MAP OF THE KNOWN WORLD, I've asked readers, friends, fellow authors, and really, anyone who has an interest in art and a photo of a piece of artwork to share, to send along their work, and I'll post it online. Visit http://s682.photobucket.com/albums/vv185/lisaannsandell/?albumview=grid to check out the artwork that I've received so far. And please, send along whatever piece of art you'd like to share with the world, and at the end of this month, I'll pick three participating artists to receive an ARC of A MAP OF THE KNOWN WORLD! 

Thanks to everyone who has already sent in a piece!

Okay, so I stayed up until two o'clock in the morning and sat in an absurdly hot IMAX theater, lost an hour because of Daylight Savings and went to be at 6am to watch a movie I'd been anticipating with all the glee and excitement of a five year old looking forward to a carnival outing. Watchmen. I read the book about seven months ago and fell in love with it; it's one of the most intriguing, compelling, intelligent books I've read in a long, long time. Maybe ever. We forced ourselves to stay awake and I sat down in that stifling theater giddy and at the same time worried that I'd be very disappointed. The reviews had been mixed, but at the same time I was surprised to find that some of the reviewers were not just trashing the film, but they were really critical of the book (for instance, see the New York Times review: http://movies.nytimes.com/2009/03/06/movies/06Watc.html?scp=2&sq=watchmen&st=cse). To that I say, boo. And this gave me hope. Well, I enjoyed the first half of the movie, but I thought the second half was sort of ridiculous. The opening credits were stunning, and I loved the scenes of Nixon's war room--the way the director gave the setting and the revised history a solid contextual foundation. But the movie was cold. It felt hollow, and for such a deeply moving story to feel such was, in the end, disappointing. It could have been worse, I guess. Has anyone else seen it? I'm wondering what the movie is like for people who haven't read the book? What do you think?


Poll #1362127 Watchmen movie - friend or foe?
Open to: All, detailed results viewable to: All

Is the Watchmen movie worth watching?

Okay, guys, I'm trying my first ever media embedding. If it works, it'll be very apropos. I'm having a technophobic kind of day.

So I'm home today with what I think is a mild case of strep throat, and I'm loaded up on antibiotics, and all I've managed to do is watch Law & Order (there was a marathon on today--woo hoo!) and...well, that's about it. But the other day, I got out of the house and went to see "He's Just Not that Into You." What a turd. Really...I haven't been so insulted by a movie in a long time. Every girl was portrayed as either cartoonishly neurotic or stupidly ignorant. And everything was so superficial--the relationships, the characters, the situations. Ugh! And it was long...two hours, and it felt even longer. This was mildly amusing, though: http://www.imdb.com/video/screenplay/vi3392537369/

Has anyone else seen it? I'd love to hear from you if you have. Leave a comment and let me know what you thought!

Happy Inauguration Day! What a thrilling, renewing, and invigorating morning. I just wanted to take a moment to reflect on President Obama's inaugural address. His call for responsibility, for living our lives with dignity and honesty and hard work and curiosity was the most inspiring message I’ve heard in a long time. I loved being reminded of what a great and varied nation we live in. The principles by which we live, upon which the United States of America were founded ring with the greatest of human truths: We may come from all over the world to this land and choose our own destiny, join in the greatest of common human endeavors, and live free.

For the first time in a long while I remembered how important my loyalty and allegiance to this country is, and how important my citizenship is to me. God bless America!

Hi everyone,

Time for an autumnal update! This week the YA Winter Blog Blast Tour has been happening, and you can visit Bildungsroman (http://slayground.livejournal.com/441711.html) tomorrow (Friday 11/21) to check out Little Willow's interview with yours truly.


Also, my new book, A MAP OF THE KNOWN WORLD, which is coming out April 15, is now up on Amazon (woo-hoo!), so feel free to check it out, and place your pre-orders--hint, hint.
http://www.amazon.com/Map-Known-World-Lisa-Sandell/dp/054506970X/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1226337792&sr=1-4


Hope you're all enjoying the fall, and have a wonderful Thanksgiving!



Yours,

Lisa

Lately, every time I blog, it’s when I’ve had a moment to take a break from writing and work to do something cool. One of the great things about living in New York City is that during the spring and summer, there are all kinds of fun free events. Well, as you may have guessed, I did something cool this weekend: I went to the 26th annual Mermaid Parade on Coney Island. First of all, let me tell you that Coney Island is one of my favorite places on this planet. It’s seedy and dirty and so much fun. I love riding the rides at Astroland, especially the Cyclone roller coaster; playing skee-ball in the arcades; and walking on the boardwalk, which is rickety and crowded and seamy, eating as much junk food—hotdogs, cotton candy usually—as I can find.
So, that’s Coney Island. Now, what, you might ask, is the Mermaid Parade? Well, it’s a parade to celebrate Coney Island and as the name suggests, all of the participants (and some of the observers) dress up like mermaids--there are zombie mermaids, mermen, and other sea creatures and maritime folk. It’s fun and funny and very colorful. But what I loved best was what preceded the masses of merpeople marching down Surf Avenue: a parade of old cars. And, as my very best friend, Sarah, happily announced to my friends and husband, as I gasped joyfully with each car that passed, I seem to have a little bit of the dirtbag in me.
I love muscle cars. It’s weird and I gather not what people who know me would expect. But give me a 1972 El Camino, a ’67 Ford Mustang, a ’68 Chevy Chevelle, and I’d be in heaven. Here’s a glimpse of what I like to think of as the rebel in me: some of the awesome cars I saw and loved at Coney Island. And then there was the pirate on a Segueway. Awesome.

My palms are very sore. Would you like to know why? I’ll tell you. It’s because I just rode my bike for 45 miles through the five boroughs of New York City, from Manhattan to the Bronx to Queens to Brooklyn to Staten Island and back again. I also have a weird sunburn on the back of my hands (and nowhere else). In spite of all strange hand maladies and a sore bum, it was incredibly fun. We got to pedal through streets that are normally clogged with cars and trucks, and hence to scary too ride on, over bridges and past phenomenal views. And through it all, there was this spirit of togetherness that pervaded the whole event that made living here, with all of the insanity, feel so worthwhile, so wonderful. Here are some photos from the tour—riding through Central Park, through the streets of Harlem, me on the promenade next to the Brooklyn Bridge overlooking Manhattan, going over the Queensboro Bridge (remember the cable car from Spiderman?), and riding the Staten Island Ferry back to Manhattan.

It’s hard to believe that a whole week has gone by…just one week ago I was in Switzerland. Gstaad, Switzerland, a tiny, picturesque town nestled in the Alps. Just before that, though, I was in Montclair, New Jersey, for the New Jersey Council of Teachers of English conference, where I was honored to be their keynote speaker. How incredible was it to be in a room full of English teachers who care so much about books and reading. They were an amazing audience, and I so enjoyed meeting everyone there. Moreover, I got to meet Tamora Pierce, one of the coolest writers--people--I've ever had the pleasure of knowing. The afternoon was truly an inspiration.

And, then I was off to Switzerland. Liel and I were invited to Gstaad for a wedding, and after a plane ride and four trains, I arrived feeling like I’d made an odyssey. But the travels were not over. There was a long, long cable car ride up and down a mountain and then another train to Paris. Paris, city that I love. I am proud to report that I didn’t do anything in Paris. I sat in cafes and brasseries and next to the River Seine and ate pain au chocolat, bread and cheese and sausage, drank delicious coffee, and, oh it was such a delight. We walked and walked. All we did was walk and sit, read and do some writing. We bought sketchbooks and colored pencils in blues and grays and greens and drew pictures of people and animals that we know. All of this doing not too much made the days stretch out and feel nice and long. We were only in Paris for two days and a bit of a third. Yet, when I came home, although I was only gone for four days, it felt like it had been weeks, and that was a gift. Now I have the hunger again, the hunger to go away, to travel and see other cities. For now, though, I’ll content myself with New York City and the cafes and rivers that we have here.

I have spent the last eight or so weekends in the main branch of the New York Public Library, moving between the periodicals room and the main reading room and writing writing writing my heart out. The new book is coming along, and I am completely enchanted by the characters in it. It’s been a very different experience writing a contemporary story from writing Song of the Sparrow, and while it was sort of terrifying at first (because even though The Weight of the Sky is contemporary, it was so close to my own experience, and it was set in a different country, and I don’t know—it was just different), but now that I’m in it, and really inside the characters’ heads, I am just in love. So, so far, this has been a challenging but exciting book for me.

Working in the library has been wonderful. If you haven’t seen the building on 42nd Street and Fifth Avenue, you should try to pay it a visit—you can see it online at www.nypl.org. The building is beautiful—like a temple to books. Right now there’s a phenomenal exhibit on Jack Kerouac there, and it features the scroll on which Kerouac wrote On the Road. I think the original scroll has been taken away and replaced by a mimeograph of it—the whole thing was 120 feet long, and it’s one giant, long block of text—no chapter or paragraph markers, no breaks or indentations. It’s a solid block of text. Single-spaced. There’s also, right now, a small but really lovely exhibit on John Milton, which features first editions of Paradise Lost and Paradise Regained. Pretty awesome. And the periodicals room is one of the most beautiful rooms I’ve ever seen. It features frescoes of famous buildings in New York City that are/were home to presses. The Rose Reading Room is also stunning and majestic. It feels good to write in a place like this. Especially since I spent virtually my entire childhood in m local library.


So, not much news on my end, I’ve just been writing and writing. Hope all is well!

I’m having a hard time balancing everything right now. Writing, working, blogging, life… I’m sprinting down the home stretch, trying to finish the new book— and I think I’m close, maybe about two-thirds of the way done now—but I am so busy at work and so tired. Last weekend I had the stomach flu or food poisoning or something. That was no fun, and it also meant I wasn’t nearly as productive as I’d hoped to be. So, overall, I’d say I’m not balancing my days very well at all, and it’s stressing me out!

On the other hand, and I can’t remember if I’ve mentioned this before, I’ve been studying sculpting at the Art Students League of New York, and am happy to say that the piece I’m currently working on is coming along rather nicely. Once I figure out how to get photos off my camera and onto the computer (yes, I’m that technologically backward!), I’ll post some pictures of it. It’s a woman’s head. Meanwhile, the photo that is here is the Art Student's League...but that's not how we look now. The place has a really cool history--you can check out their web site at www.theartstudentsleague.org

Meanwhile I’ve also gone to see the same play three times; most of my friends and family think I’m psycho. But, if you’ve seen The Seafarer, you probably can understand. At least a little bit, right? Right???

Well, I’ve managed to let most of this cold, rainy, very dreary Saturday pass me by, without much to show for it. So, it’s back to work for me.

Hi everyone. I am sorry I have been away from the blog for a couple of weeks. I have a good excuse, though. I’ve been writing. I’ve been writing a lot. And to accomplish this, I’ve had to isolate myself. I’ve absconded to places where I have no Internet access, no television access, no access to any distractions at all, actually. So, now, to actually be online feels like getting out of jail. Or house arrest, maybe.
I’ve been combing the streets of Manhattan for quiet, warm places to work. They are rare. It’s really cold here, and it’s really crowded and hard to find an empty table, a free seat anywhere. Today I actually resorted to my sister’s law office. Yikes!
In other news, I saw the most incredible, transforming play I’ve ever seen: The Seafarer, which is currently on Broadway and which was written by Conor McPherson. With themes of redemption and hope and love and friendship, and with the most superb ensemble cast, this play left me speechless for about a full thirty minutes when it ended. If anyone is in the NYC area and has the chance to see it, I can’t recommend it highly enough. It’s gorgeous, and it is an inspiration.
I hope everyone is staying warm.