What made me laugh this week

I'm behind on everything--my newsletter, reader mail, even my pocket pacy contest (I have so many wonderful entries that I can't wait to share! I'll announce winners next week, promise!). The reason why I am so behind is that I've been doing a marathon of school visits (which I will also post about later) which have been fun as well as funny. How funny? Well, this is how I was asked to personalize some of the books I autographed (last name photoshopped out to protect the innocent):

It says to sign books to 1. Elliot 2. Little  Elliot Pelliot Smelliot 3. Master Elliot Edward...a year of the Monkey Child

This made me laugh but I signed as directed! However, I couldn't help wondering if some older sibling was getting in a joke on little Elliot...

fortune cookie friday

"A great rock is not disturbed by the wind; the mind of a wise man is not disturbed by either honor or abuse."
-Chinese Proverb

booktalk tuesday

The Girl with the Silver Eyes, by Willo Davis Roberts

IndieBound Description:

Katie Welker is used to being alone. She would much rather read a book than deal with other people. Other people don’t have silver eyes—and other people can’t make things happen just by thinking about them.

Katie has a hard time making friends because of her telekinetic powers—the people around her just don’t understand. Katie knows she’s different, but she would never try to hurt anyone. When she finds herself in trouble, Katie seeks out other kids who have silver eyes like hers. But can her newfound friends help her? Should they use their special powers? Will they be forced to?

This beloved classic from Willo Davis Roberts, originally published in hardcover in 1980, is now available as an Aladdin paperback and will enthrall a new generation of eager readers.

My Thoughts:
This was one of my first forays into a "sci-fi" genre, but I didn't know it at the time. I loved the idea of having special powers and this book is one of the best books written about that. I'm so glad it was reissued and with this mysterious cover!

on my desk monday

It's Where the Mountain Meets the Moon in Hebrew:

Anyone read Hebrew? I am thinking I might do a giveaway later of some of my foreign language editions...

Sunday Chinese School

Welcome to Sunday Chinese School, where we learn a Chinese word (or phrase) a week with my mom!

Today's word is:
worms
qiūyǐn
蚯蚓

on the way to the grocery store

it's spring!

fortune cookie friday

"A man must despise himself before others will."
-Chinese Proverb

on the way to the grocery store

some fun public art!

I think those are feet inside there!

a tweet away

I have a twitter account (@pacylin) but I have to admit I am a pretty poor tweeter (twitterer?). I usually forget that I even have the account (my blog posts auto feed into the account so it does look like I do tweet regularly), but every once and a while I check in. Luckily, I recently checked in, because @maggiedoyne (a tweeter previously unknown to me) sent me this photo:

Isn't it lovely? Apparently Where the Mountain Meets the Moon is being read in Nepal! I'm so amazed, honored and thrilled that the book is being read all over the world. So humbling.

booktalk tuesday

The Hero and the Crown, by Robin McKinley

IndieBound Description:

Robin McKinley's mesmerizing history of Damar is the stuff that legends are made of. The Hero and the Crown is a dazzling "prequel" to The Blue Sword.

Aerin is the only child of the king of Damar, and should be his rightful heir. But she is also the daughter of a witchwoman of the North, who died when she was born, and the Damarians cannot trust her.

But Aerin's destiny is greater than her father's people know, for it leads her to battle with Maur, the Black Dragon, and into the wilder Damarian Hills, where she meets the wizard Luthe. It is he who at last tells her the truth about her mother, and he also gives over to her hand the Blue Sword, Gonturan. But such gifts as these bear a great price, a price Aerin only begins to realize when she faces the evil mage, Agsded, who has seized the Hero's Crown, greatest treasure and secret strength of Damar.

My Thoughts:
This was one of the first real fantasy books I ever read and I adored it. But I also wished I knew how to pronounce Aerin. Was it like Erin?  Or Air-ee-rin?

on my desk monday

At my recent school visit in Portland, Oregon, the librarians surprised me with this adorable baby gift:

It's an Ugly Vegetable baby hat! I'm pretty sure this is a fu gua (bitter melon). Awww! Isn't it the cutest thing? I can't wait for the Rain Dragon to wear it.

Sunday Chinese School

Welcome to Sunday Chinese School, where we learn a Chinese word (or phrase) a week with my mom!

Today's word is:
test
cèyàn
测验

fortune cookie friday

Luck is like having a rice dumpling fly into your mouth."
-Japanese Proverb

Pocket Pacy goes to a museum

Another Pocket Pacy on a fun trip! Priya, a lovely reader, took her Pocket Pacy with her to her recent trip to the Portland Museum of Art in Portland, Maine:

Here is Pocket Pacy standing on the ledge on the highest floor in the Portland Museum of Art in Portland, Maine.

Here is Pocket Pacy resting on a bench near the staircases in the Portland Museum of Art in Portland, Maine.

Here is Pocket Pacy standing in front of a pretty painting at the Portland Museum of Art in Portland, Maine.

And finally, here is Pocket Pacy standing in front of a beautiful plant at the Museum Cafe in the Portland Museum of Art in Portland, Maine.

Well, I think Pocket Pacy had a fun time, don't you?

Don't forget, you can win your own Pocket Pacy! See details HERE!

school visit days

It's March and it's my school visit month. I've (perhaps unwisely) filled my month with traveling and visiting schools. Would you like to know what does a typical school visit presentation entail? Well, this is how my  "How a Book is Made" presentation usually goes (from a recent local visit):

First, a lovely welcome:

isn't this cute? this is also encouraging because it tells me the students are enthusiastic and knowledgeable about my books 

Then a short intro about my work and making sure students know the difference between a published book and non-published book:

Next, I go through the steps of publishing, calling up students in the audience to play the parts of editor, art director, etc:

Until I show all the steps it takes to make a published book:

Then, I read a short excerpt from one of my published books:

And then--my favorite part-- teaching the students how to draw a dragon:

And that is the presentation! This is the presentation I usually do for 1-3 graders, I do completely different ones for the older grades. However, I'll be doing this quite a bit this month!

booktalk tuesday

Hannah West in the Belltower
by Linda Johns

IndieBound Description:
In this first book of a lively new mystery series, 12-year-old Hannah West and her mother move into Seattle's swanky high-rise, the Belltown Towers. As they're getting settled, someone tries to steal a valuable piece of artwork from one of their new neighbors.

My Thoughts:
I've been longing to write a mystery and have been reading many to get an idea of how to do it. This mystery series featured a great character--Hannah West is a spunky, smart girl who also happens to have been adopted from China. I love how her racial heritage is identified and is a feature but not a main focus of the story.

on my desk monday

I'm racing to finish the art for Starry River of the Sky! It needs to be done soon if it's to come out for the October 2012 release date, there's already an Amazon pre-order link!. In a way, I actually don't mind because I want to get it done before Rain Dragon appears anyway. Above is the cover. Here is a close-up of it:

The final cover will probably look something like this (considering how the color shifts when they print, though I know they'll adjust it better than what I've done):

I hope people like it!!!

Sunday Chinese School

Welcome to Sunday Chinese School, where we learn a Chinese word (or phrase) a week with my mom!

Today's word is:
clover
sān yè cǎo
三叶草

fortune cookie friday

"You cannot lose what you never had."
-Chinese Proverb

Pocket Pacy among elephants and butterflies

A lovely reader brought her Pocket Pacy to Washington, DC!

There, Pocket Pacy went to the Natural History Museum and saw the elephants:

and frolicked in the Butterfly Garden:

 Doesn't Pocket Pacy look happy?


Don't forget, you can win your own Pocket Pacy! See details HERE!

surprise!

The other day, the Sasquatch and I were supposed to meet my friend Anna Alter at this cute little tea room:

But, when we went I was a bit surprised:

Because it wasn't just my friend Anna inside, but a whole troupe of my my friends and family:

Yes, it was a surprise baby shower! I was definitely surprised!

I couldn't believe the Sasquatch tricked me!

And also a super lovely one. It was all my girly dreams come true:

pretty plates

pretty teapots

pretty tea room!

We also had a pretty tea with sandwiches (crusts cut off), the most delicious scones ever and chocolate covered strawberries. I forgot to take pictures of the food but it was highly enjoyed:

But, of course, it was the company that was the most beautiful:

some of the blue rose girls! 

There were also presents!

I loved all of them, but my favorite one is the upcoming 100 Wishes Quilt. This is a Chinese tradition where the newborn's friends and family contribute cloth to make a quilt--with the quilt full of loving wishes of the gift givers. Everyone brought some material for the quilt  (my niece Lily & friend Carri are going to make it, since I don't know how to quilt) and also cut a little swatches from their material in a scrapbook with the giver's wish for our upcoming baby. Isn't that sweet? I ♥ this soooo much!

With all this, I feel sure our baby is going to be very lucky. I know I'm a very lucky upcoming baby mama!