Happy Holidays from Las Vegas!
Happy Holidays! This is just a fun blog to share some of my adventures on our annual Xmas in Vegas vacation as well as some end-of-the-year news updates. We’ve been celebrating Christmas in Las Vegas every year since 1999. And yes, believe it or not, some of my best writing gets done while in Vegas. So it’s also a good luck writing tradition for me as well.
(Keep reading after the jump for more news updates, fun pics & adventures!)
SIXTEEN YEARS IN SIXTEEN SECONDS: THE SAMMY LEE STORY (Lee & Low 2005) written by Paula Yoo and illustrated by Dom Lee
Today marks the opening ceremonies of the 2012 Summer Olympics in London! You know what that means… I will disappear into my Olympics batcave for the next two weeks! I’ve always been a HUGE Olympics fanatic (both summer & winter events). Although I’m not athletic and I don’t watch any sports, for some reason, I’m HOOKED on the Olympics. Which makes it fitting that my first children’s picture book, SIXTEEN YEARS IN SIXTEEN SECONDS: THE SAMMY LEE STORY (Lee & Low Books 2005, illustrated by Dom Lee), was about Olympic Gold Medalist diving champion Dr. Sammy Lee. (For more info on my book, go here: http://paulayoo.com/books-sixteen.html)
To celebrate the 2012 Summer Olympics, I am presenting a fun photo album of what it was like to meet Dr. Lee and write about his life for children. He is an amazing man – he’s surprisingly down to earth and funny, too! It was such a pleasure and privilege to meet him. I even got to see his Olympic medals and the torches he carried for later Olympics as well! Dr. Lee won gold medals in diving at the 1948 London Olympics and the 1952 Helsinki Olympics, becoming the first male diver to win back-to-back gold medals. He later coached diver Greg Louganis to the Silver Medal in the 1976 Olympics.
Dr. Sammy Lee, Olympic Gold Medalist!
(Keep reading after the jump for more stories and photos of Dr. Sammy Lee!)
"The Choke Artist: Confessions of a Chronic Overachiever" by David Yoo (Grand Central Publishing 2012)
I’m proud to announce the latest book debut of my brother DAVID YOO! My brother is an acclaimed YA and middle grade novelist. His books include GIRLS FOR BREAKFAST (Delacorte ’05), an NYPL Books For the Teen Age selection and a Reading Rants Top Ten Books for Teens choice; STOP ME IF YOU’VE HEARD THIS ONE BEFORE (Hyperion ’09), a Chicago Best of the Best selection; and THE DETENTION CLUB (re-released in paperback this June 26, 2012 from Balzer & Bray!)
And now he’s debuting his first adult book! It’s a collection of hilarious yet poignant coming of age essays called THE CHOKE ARTIST: CONFESSIONS OF A CHRONIC UNDERACHIEVER (Grand Central Publishing 2012). The book debuted this month.
You can find out more about my brother at his website here: http://www.daveyoo.com/author/
(For more info, please keep reading after the jump!)
Welcome to SyFy's EUREKA Season 5.0 2012!
Yooreka! It’s that time again… another episode of EUREKA airs tonight on SyFy. I’m especially excited about tonight’s episode, “SMARTER CARTER,” because it was co-written by yours truly and the wonderful ED FOWLER. Our episode finally explores what happens when Carter becomes smarter than everyone else in Eureka. 
In “SMARTER CARTER,” which airs Monday June 18th at 9 PM/8C on SyFy: “Dosed with a smart drug, Carter’s genius gets out of control as he starts to re-write the laws of physics, putting his friends and the whole town in danger.”
For a sneak peak, check out this video link: http://www.syfy.com/videos/Eureka/vid:18135470
For those of you new to EUREKA, it’s a wonderful family dramedy about Sheriff Jack Carter, a regular Everyman in charge of keeping a town filled with genius scientists working on top secret government experiments safe. Which is easier than it sounds, considering how genius scientists tend to get bogged down in the details and can’t see the forest for the trees like our Sheriff Carter. Our fifth and final season has been airing all summer on Monday nights on SyFy at 9 PM/8C. Our series finale will air in July. For more info, check out our official SyFy website here: http://www.syfy.com/eureka And you can also follow our Twitter Eureka Writers feed here: http://twitter.com/#!/eurekawriters
I had the pleasure of working on this script not only with our amazing writing staff but also with fellow co-writer ED FOWLER. You can follow Ed on Twitter here: http://twitter.com/#!/edfowler Ed and I also worked together on the Lifetime series, SIDE ORDER OF LIFE. Ed is one of the nicest people in the world and a super talented writer and sci fi/music/overall pop culture geek.
Although our series is winding down, it was such an honor and privilege to work as a writer/producer on this show for Seasons 4.0, 4.5 and 5.0. I learned a lot about TV writing and production at this job, and best of all, I made some lifetime friends from our writing staff, cast and crew. I hope you enjoy tonight’s episode!
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!
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…)
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!)
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!
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!
ALL MEN OF GENIUS by Lev AC Rosen (Tor 2011)
Welcome to WRITER WEDNESDAY! Today we announce the lucky winner of our most recent signed book contest giveaway drawing with TOR debut novelist LEV AC ROSEN (“ALL MEN OF GENIUS”/Tor 2011).
We interviewed Lev earlier this month. You can read that original Q&A blog here: http://paulayoo.com/blog/?p=1226
This month’s winner, picked at random, is… TIM LEWIS!
Tim wins a personally autographed copy of Lev AC Rosen’s debut novel ALL MEN OF GENIUS (Tor ’11). Congratulations, Tim! We’ll contact you shortly to make arrangements!
In the meantime, Lev AC Rosen is also speaking on Monday January 30, 2012 at the Mid-Manhattan Library at 6:30 PM (455 Fifth Ave. New York, NY, first floor corner room). If you’re in the area, please RSVP at http://www.nypl.org/events/programs/2012/01/30/author-reading-signing-lev-ac-rosen For more info on Lev, please visit his website here: http://www.levacrosen.com/
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Congratulations again to our winner Tim! And grateful thanks as always to everyone for visiting my blog and participating in our writer contests!
Please stay tuned for our next Q&A blog and signed book contest with YA novelist SARA WILSON ETIENNE, whose debut YA novel HARBINGER launches February 2nd from Putnam. The Q&A blog with Sara will be posted on Wednesday February 8, 2012. (Her website: http://www.sarawilsonetienne.com/)
Until the next blog, HAPPY WRITING! Remember… WRITE LIKE YOU MEAN IT!
My band, the Great Deceivers, is a King Crimson tribute band! (http://myspace.com/tgdkingcrimson)
Happy Martin Luther King Jr. Day! And welcome to MUSIC MONDAY. Today’s blog is about my band, THE GREAT DECEIVERS. We’re a King Crimson tribute band. We have a few gigs lined up, including one this Friday January 20th at 10 PM at the Universal Bar & Grill.
(Keep reading after the jump for more details…)
