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May 10, 2012

“Fact to Fiction: API Authors Panel” (2 PM) Saturday May 12, 2012

Filed under: Asian American issues — Tags: , , , , , , — paulayoo @ 4:57 pm

GOOD ENOUGH by Paula Yoo (HarperTeen paperback edition May 8, 2012)

Hi! Just a quick blog to remind everyone that I’m speaking on an author panel entitled, “Fact to Fiction,” this Saturday May 12th at 2 PM at the Japanese American National Museum’s author panel for their annual Asian Pacific American Heritage Month celebration!

MAY is the annual ASIAN-PACIFIC AMERICAN HERITAGE MONTH. This month features nation-wide festivals and events celebrating the contributions of Asian-Pacific Americans to our country. (For more info on that, go here: http://asianpacificheritage.gov/) I will be one of the panel speakers at the Japanese American National Museum‘s family festival, “Target Free Family Saturday: Celebrate Asian Pacific Heritage” on Saturday May 12, 2012. The festival is all day from 11 AM to 4 PM.

The panel I’m speaking on is called, “Fact to Fiction: API Authors Panel.” It will be held at 2 PM.

The panel description: “Join a remarkable panel of novelists featuring New York Times bestselling author Jamie Ford (Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet), Kristina McMorris (Bridge of Scarlet Leaves), Margaret Dilloway (How to Be an American Housewife), and Paula Yoo (Good Enough). Topics will include the influence of Asian American history on today’s literature, weaving true and personal accounts into fiction, and cultural education through storytelling.”

To find out more about the other awesome authors on our panel, please visit their websites here:

JAMIE FORD (Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet): http://www.jamieford.com/

KRISTINA MCMORRIS (Bridge of Scarlet Leaves): http://www.kristinamcmorris.com/

MARGARET DILLOWAY (How to Be An American Housewife): http://margaretdilloway.com/

For more info on the event, please visit the Japanese American National Museum website here: http://www.janm.org/

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Hope to see you there! :) The rest of my May will be busy with the usual writing deadlines. I’ll be back to more regular blogging this summer, starting in June. You can always check out the YOO INK section of my main homepage to see the latest headlines/news updates. You can also follow me on Twitter: @paulayoo

Until the next blog, remember… HAPPY WRITING! WRITE LIKE YOU MEAN IT! :)

May 8, 2012

My YA Novel GOOD ENOUGH debuts in Paperback Today! May 8, 2012!

Filed under: Good Enough — Tags: , , , , , , , — paulayoo @ 10:29 am

GOOD ENOUGH by Paula Yoo (HarperTeen paperback edition May 8, 2012)

I am proud to announce that my YA novel GOOD ENOUGH (HarperCollins 2008) has just been released in paperback by HarperTeen. The paperback release date is TODAY! (May 8, 2012)

GOOD ENOUGH was also chosen as one of the books for the New York Public Libraries SUMMER READING 2012 list! For more info on this program, go here: http://www.summerreading.org/index.html

The entire summer reading list for 2012 is here (just click on the Teens link): http://www.summerreading.org/content.html

(Keep reading after the break to find out more about the GOOD ENOUGH paperback release, as well as other updates and breaking news…)

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April 17, 2012

NaPiBoWriWee May 1-7, 2012 Update – http://paulayoo.com/napi

Filed under: Children's Picture Books — Tags: , , , , , — paulayoo @ 8:00 am

National Picture Book Writing Week ("NaPiBoWriWee") is this May 1-7, 2012!

PLEASE NOTE: This is my last blog posting for now at the regular blog site (http://paulayoo.com/blog)

From today until May 7, 2012, I will be posting daily blogs at the official NaPiBoWriWee site: http://paulayoo.com/napi

I will return to this regular blog on May 8, 2012, which also marks the debut of the paperback edition of my YA novel GOOD ENOUGH (HarperCollins 2008/hardcover; 2012/paperback). http://paulayoo.com/books-good.html

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So… what is NAPIBOWRIWEE?

“NAPIBOWRIWEE” is the nickname for an event called “National Picture Book Writing Week.” I started this event in 2009 to promote my latest picture book, SHINING STAR: THE ANNA MAY WONG STORY (Lee & Low ’09). My brainstorm was to challenge myself and others to write 7 picture books in 7 days. It was my attempt to stop procrastinating on all these fun ideas and outlines I had for various picture books that I never seemed to find the time to sit down and write a first draft. I was inspired of course by the famous NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month: http://www.nanowrimo.org/)

To my surprise, the event took off like hotcakes! :) People from all over the country and even internationally (France, Japan, Hong Kong, and even Egypt!) participated in the event. I featured fun Q&A blogs with published picture book authors and illustrators and even hosted book contest drawings and other prizes for our participants.

2012 marks the fourth year I have hosted NaPiBoWriWee. It’s been fun and I’ve enjoyed meeting many participants in real life at various SCBWI (Society of Children’s Book Writers & Illustrators) events.

(PLEASE NOTE: It takes a LONG TIME to write and edit and revise and perfect a picture book draft. The point of my NaPiBoWriWee event is to encourage people to write FIRST DRAFTS of their picture book ideas. You CANNOT write a publishable perfect picture book in one day, let alone 7 drafts in 7 days, obviously. I am just encouraging people to attempt 7 picture books in 7 days so they can have 7 wonderful rough first drafts to revise later and perfect for submission later. Just wanted to make that clear so everyone is aware that I know that writing a picture book is a labor of love. This event is a fun event to encourage people to stop procrastinating and at least to get some rough drafts finished!)

Starting this week, every Wednesday I will feature a pre-NaPiBoWriWee 2012 blog to get everyone excited for the upcoming event, which will take place May 1-7, 2012. But please note – I have a DIFFERENT blog for NaPiBoWriWee. It’s located at the “NaPiBoWriWee” link you see at the  top of my website’s home page. Just click that “NaPiBoWriWee” link to read this year’s blogs. You can also bookmark that link here: http://paulayoo.com/napi

Our Pre-NaPiBoWriWee Blog Schedule:

Wednesday April 18, 2012 – CRAFT

Please visit http://paulayoo.com/napi to read a blog about picture book writing craft issues to get prepared for our May 1-7 picture book writing marathon!

Wednesday April 25, 2012 – Q&A INTERVIEWS

Please visit http://paulayoo.com/napi for a list of Q&A author/illustrator blog interviews I posted from last year’s 2011 NaPiBoWriWee!

Official NaPiBoWriWee Schedule:

Tuesday May 1st to Monday May 7th, 2012 – NAPIBOWRIWEE

Please visit http://paulayoo.com/napi for DAILY live blogging, prize contest information, special guest author/illustrator Q&As and more information about NaPiBoWriWee. We start writing at MIDNIGHT on TUESDAY MAY 1st and we STOP writing by 11:59 PM on MONDAY MAY 7th.

NaPiBoWriWee Store: You can also visit our store here to purchase your 2012 NaPiBoWriWee souvenir T-shirts, coffee mugs and journals! The new 2012 logos were designed by professional designer SANDY TANAKA. Participants have proudly worn their NaPiBoWriWee T-shirts at SCBWI events and I highly recommend the mugs and journals for your writing week. The journals are especially cute and fun to use to jot down your ideas and drafts in the “old school” way. :) STORE LINK HERE: http://www.cafepress.com/npbww2012

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Thanks for catching up on my blogs. Remember, I will be ONLY blogging starting next week at the NaPiBoWriWee blog from now through May 7th. Our NaPiBoWriWee event is this May 1-7, 2012. I’ll be blogging here: http://paulayoo.com/napi

For those of you who are participating in this year’s NaPiBoWriWee, please comment on my http://paulayoo.com/napi site (NOT here) about how you plan to prepare for the event. Everyone who comments on my blogs and/or emails me at paula at paulayoo dot com will be automatically included in our prize contest drawing!

Happy Writing! WRITE LIKE YOU MEAN IT! :)

April 16, 2012

EUREKA Season 5.0 Debut on SyFy Tonight! (April 16, 2012)

Filed under: Eureka/SyFy — Tags: , , , , , , — paulayoo @ 8:00 am

Welcome to SyFy's EUREKA Season 5.0 2012!

EUREKA! We’re BAAAACK!!!! :)

The fifth and final season of SyFy’s EUREKA airs tonight, Monday April 16, 2012, at 9 PM/8C on SyFy! I was a writer/producer for Season 4.0, 4.5 and 5.0 of this wonderful show. It was an honor and privilege to work with the awesome cast, crew, producers, and of course, the writers of EUREKA.

EUREKA is about a secret small town of genius scientists who work on classified projects for the government. We don’t have flying cars but boy do a lot of things go, um, awry with the experiments, and it’s up to our hero, Sheriff Jack Carter, to save the day. Carter may be the only one in town without a genius IQ, but his Everyman common sense always wins the day because unlike the geniuses, Carter can see the forest for the trees. It’s a very funny show with a lot of heart. We have appreciated our fan support from Day 1, and it’s been such a fun job. I really miss our EUREKA gang.

As a special treat for our Eureka fans, below is a list of links of blogs I have written over my past two years on the show, featuring fun on-the-set photos from my trips to Vancouver with the cast and crew of EUREKA, as well as blogs about the adventures we’ve had in the writers’ room. I hope you enjoy this trip down memory lane.

And here’s a recent interview with EUREKA co-creator and executive producer Jaime Paglia, who says our final season is a “love letter” to our fans. Awww. http://blastr.com/2012/04/jaime-paglia-on-eurekas-f.php

(Keep reading after the jump for all the blog links!)

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April 15, 2012

Happy “Birthday”/”Gotcha Day” to Oreo!

Filed under: Pets — Tags: , , , , — paulayoo @ 11:23 am

Happy Birthday, Oreo! (Adopted April 15, 2008)

A quick blog to say HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my wonderful cat, Oreo. As many of you know, I think I am beginning to be more well known for my insane love of my cats versus my writing career. :) My cat Oreo even has his own Twitter page (http://twitter.com/oreothecatyoo) where he posts silly Tweets and pics about his adventures with brother & sister Beethoven & Charlotte. :) Anyway, this short blog is to wish Oreo a happy “birthday.” Today – April 15, 2008 – marks Oreo’s fourth year of adoption! I heard it’s also known as “Gotcha Day.”

Oreo and his minions! (Beethoven & Charlotte)

Oreo’s Story: In March 2008, a huge but very dirty black and white stray cat started hanging outside the screen window door of my old condo office. I fed him tuna because I did not own pets and that was the closest to cat food that I had in the kitchen. I was writing from home so we ended up bonding. I started going outside to play games with him, like holding up a shoestring so he could playfully paw at it. Then on April 15, 2008, this cat failed to show up one morning for his tuna. I panicked and burst into tears. I walked a mile around our condo, trying to find him. I came home, sobbing, and there he was, waiting for me outside my window door! I opened the screen door and brought him inside the condo. I called a friend who owned a cat cage. We brought him to the vet who fixed him up. The vet estimated that this cat was about 2 or 3 years old and definitely abandoned. I named him Oreo. And he has never left my side since as a healthy indoor cat who now has two siblings, Charlotte and Beethoven. He is about 6 to 7 years old now. Happy Adoption Anniversary/Birthday/Gotcha Day, Oreo. I love you so much!

Please remember to spay/neuter your pets. For more information: http://www.humanesociety.org/

Full disclosure: Okay, so sometimes Oreo needs a little help with his Twitter page (@oreothecatyoo)!

Oreo can't believe what I'm writing!

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Thanks for reading my self-indulgent Crazy Cat Lady blog! :) Happy Birthday Oreo! Stay tuned for a special EUREKA blog that will be posted on Monday April 16, 2012. Our final Season 5.0 debuts tomorrow night on SyFy. I’ll post a fun blog about my experience as a producer on EUREKA with some special tidbits on what we have in store for you this season!

And for those of you who participate in my annual “NAPIBOWRIWEE” (National Picture Book Writing Week), the dates are May 1-7, 2012. I’ve posted an initial blog here: http://paulayoo.com/napi/?p=342 Our NaPiBoWriWee Store is now open so you can get your 2012 NaPiBoWriWee coffee mugs, T-shirts, and journals! Our Store Link: http://www.cafepress.com/npbww2012 I will be posting more pre-NaPiBoWriWee blogs at the official site – http://paulayoo.com/napi – in the next several days, so stay tuned for that, too!

Until the next blogs, remember… HAPPY WRITING! WRITE LIKE YOU MEAN IT! :)

March 28, 2012

WRITER WEDNESDAY: Winner of the David Lampson Signed YA Novel Contest Announced!

Filed under: Writing For Young People — Tags: , , , , , , — paulayoo @ 8:00 am

This One Time With Julia by David Lampson (Razorbill 2012)

Welcome to WRITER WEDNESDAY! Today we announce the lucky winner of our most recent signed galley contest giveaway drawing with Young Adult debut author DAVID LAMPSON (“This One Time With Julia”/Razorbill 2012)!

We interviewed David earlier this month. You can read that original Q&A blog here: http://paulayoo.com/blog/?p=1276  And you can visit his website here: http://www.davidlampson.com/

Meet YA novelist and screenwriter David Lampson!

This month’s winner, picked at random, is… BONNIE!

Bonnie wins a personally autographed copy of David Lampson’s debut YA novel THIS ONE TIME WITH JULIA (Razorbill ’12). Congratulations, Bonnie! We’ll contact you shortly to make arrangements!

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Stay tuned for more Guest Author Q&A blogs and signed book contests at my website later this year. And don’t forget – the fourth annual NATIONAL PICTURE BOOK WRITING WEEK (aka “NaPiBoWriWee”) will happen this May 1-7, 2012 at my official NaPiBoWriWee blog (http://paulayoo.com/napi/). I’ll also make an announcement about our latest NaPiBoWriWee souvenir store items for 2012 featuring a sharp new design!

Until the next blog, remember… HAPPY WRITING! WRITE LIKE YOU MEAN IT! :)

March 7, 2012

WRITER WEDNESDAY: Q&A with YA author DAVID LAMPSON!

Filed under: Books,Novels — Tags: , , , , , , — paulayoo @ 8:00 am

This One Time With Julia by David Lampson (Razorbill 2012)

Welcome to WRITER WEDNESDAY! Our Writer of the Month for March 2012 is DAVID LAMPSON, whose debut Young Adult novel THIS ONE TIME WITH JULIA (Razorbill 2012) launched this month.

Publishers Weekly wrote a wonderful review of David’s book:

“Lampson’s debut is narrated by an 18-year-old with an Asperger’s-like condition and a tenuous understanding of the world. Following the death of their parents, Joe and his brothers raised themselves. Since his fraternal twin, Alvin, abandoned him for a girl named Julia, Joe has frittered away his inheritance on poker games while cutting his GED prep class, eating nothing but McDonald’s cheeseburgers, and avoiding his pompous older brother, Marcus. When Alvin returns, he arranges to take a sailing trip with Joe, but then vanishes. Beautiful, anxious Julia soon shows up, persuading Joe to join her on a trip to Tennessee, where Joe finds work as pool boy at Julia’s family’s hotel. As Joe acquires new life skills and falls for Julia, her family’s nefarious nature comes to light–as does the truth about Alvin’s disappearance. Refreshingly, Lampson avoids making Joe’s condition the story’s focus, instead highlighting the emotional isolation of multiple individuals and creating a cinematic effect through well-conceived dialogue, mature characterizations, and a noir-tinged atmosphere. A raw and darkly poignant novel about lost souls. Ages 12–up. (Feb.)”

In addition to our Q&A with David, we are also offering a free signed book from him. Please comment on this blog or email me at paula at paulayoo dot com to be included in our special book prize contest drawing. The winner will be announced in a special blog to be posted on Wednesday March 28th! For more info on David, check out his website here: http://www.davidlampson.com/

(Please keep reading after the jump for our Q&A with David!)

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February 29, 2012

WRITER WEDNESDAY: Winner of the “HARBINGER” Signed Galley Contest Announced!

Filed under: Books,Writing For Young People — Tags: , , , , — paulayoo @ 8:00 am

HARBINGER by Sara Wilson Etienne (Putnam 2012)

Welcome to WRITER WEDNESDAY! Today we announce the lucky winner of our most recent signed galley contest giveaway drawing with Young Adult debut author SARA WILSON ETIENNE (“Harbinger”/Putnam ’11)!

We interviewed Sara earlier this month. You can read that original Q&A blog here: http://paulayoo.com/blog/?p=1258

This month’s winner, picked at random, is… VAL MULLER!

Val wins a personally autographed galley copy of Sara Wilson Etienne’s debut YA novel HARBINGER (Putnam’11). Congratulations, Val! We’ll contact you shortly to make arrangements!

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But wait! There’s more! You STILL have a chance to win in a future contest!

Stay tuned for our March 2012 WRITER OF THE MONTH, DAVID LAMPSON (http://www.davidlampson.com/). His YA debut novel, THIS ONE TIME WITH JULIA (Razorbill 2012), just debuted this month. We’ll be doing a fun Q&A with David and featuring a signed book giveaway contest drawing with him as well. David Lampson’s WRITER WEDNESDAY Q&A blog will be posted on Wednesday March 7, 2012. As always, remember to post a comment on his Q&A blog or email me at paula at paulayoo dot com to be included in the drawing. The winner for the David Lampson signed book contest drawing will be announced on Wednesday March 28, 2012!

Until the next blog, remember… HAPPY WRITING! WRITE LIKE YOU MEAN IT! :)

February 13, 2012

MUSIC MONDAY: Another Great Deceivers Gig This Saturday Feb. 18th!

Filed under: Music — Tags: , , , , , — paulayoo @ 5:13 pm

The Great Deceivers, a King Crimson Tribute Band!

Welcome to MUSIC MONDAY! Just a brief blog to remind everyone that my band, THE GREAT DECEIVERS (a King Crimson tribute band) has a gig this Saturday February 18th at Paladino’s in Reseda at 8 PM. For more info, go here: https://www.facebook.com/events/242043365878985/ and here: http://www.paladinosclub.com/Calendar.html#0218 We’re playing with a crazy lineup – bands include a Dio tribute band, a Black Sabbath tribute band, and a Motorhead tribute band. Hmmmm. Maybe you should bring some earplugs! :)

My February has been pretty busy with writing in the batcave. So this month is rather blog-lite. But some quick updates:

– WRITER OF THE MONTH: SARA WILSON ETIENNE: Don’t forget to check out my Q&A with Sara Wilson Etienne, debut YA novelist, whose YA novel HARBINGER was just published by Putnam. We’re featuring a signed galley contest with Sara – please comment on my blog here: http://paulayoo.com/blog/?p=1258 or email me at paula at paulayoo dot com to be included in the drawing. Winner will be announced in a Writer Wednesday blog on Wed. 2/29/12!

– NAPBIOWRIWEE: Yup, National Picture Book Writing Week is coming up in a few months. I’ll be making some huge announcements about this year’s event next month, so please stay tuned. To find out more about this fun event, go to my blog here: http://paulayoo.com/napi/ and check out this article from last year: http://paulayoo.com/napi/?p=11

Well, time to go back into the writing (and violin) batcave. Until the next blog, remember… HAPPY WRITING! WRITE LIKE YOU MEAN IT! :)

 

February 8, 2012

Writer Wednesday: Q&A with HARBINGER YA Novelist SARA WILSON ETIENNE

Filed under: Writing For Young People — Tags: , , , , — paulayoo @ 8:00 am

HARBINGER by Sara Wilson Etienne (Putnam 2012)

Welcome to WRITER WEDNESDAY! Our Writer of the Month for February 2012 is author SARA WILSON ETIENNE, whose debut YA novel HARBINGER (Putnam 2012) launched this month.

In addition to our Q&A with Sara, we are also offering a free signed galley from her. Please comment on this blog or email me at paula at paulayoo dot com to be included in our special galley prize contest drawing. The winner will be announced in a special blog to be posted on Wednesday Feb. 29th! For more info on Sara, check out her website here: http://www.sarawilsonetienne.com/

(Please keep reading after the jump for our Q&A with Sara!)

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Shining Star: The Anna May Wong Story
Good Enough
Sixteen Years in Sixteen Seconds: The Sammy Lee Story
Books by Paula Yoo