ALA, here I come!

It is no secret that I LOVE librarians and everything they do to promote literature and put books in the hands of readers.

And I have to admit, anytime I get to attend the big librarian conference known as ALA, I am SO HAPPY!

This year, I'll be at ALA in Anaheim on Sunday only. I'm doing the YA coffee klatch in the morning, going from table to table talking to a bunch of librarians in the course of an hour. The first year I did this, I was in the green room before hand with some of my YA heroes like Sarah Dessen, E. Lockhart, Libba Bray, and many others and it was so weird to be there alongside them. I introduced myself to Sarah and said, I'm the one who comments on your blog all the time and loves Friday Night Lights as much as you do. Yeah, when all else fails, talk about a TV show, that's my philosophy.

Even more exciting than the coffee klatch, however, is that I'll be signing Advanced Review Copies (ARCs) of FALLING FOR YOU at 1:00 in the Simon and Schuster booth.

FALLING FOR YOU doesn't come out until January, 2013, so this is a chance for librarians and bloggers to read the book early. Eep! Exciting and kind of anxiety-producing!!

I know at the IRA conference, S&S was doing this thing where you had to buy a previous title for $5.00 and then you'd get the ARC for free. I don't know what they have planned, if they'll do that with THE DAY BEFORE and FALLING FOR YOU, because these things aren't up to me, but I do know that usually there are very few ARCs of my books to be had, so I'm super excited they are offering these up at this conference.

So if you will be at ALA, I hope you'll come and see me! Even if you don't want an ARC, stop by and say hi. I'll have shiny new bookmarks you can have, if you want one or two or ten.

Sunday, June 24th, 1:00, S&S booth - Hope to see you then!

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!