There is a fascinating dialog going on about The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks over at Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast. A serious CONVERSATION warms a writer's heart. Or mine, at least.

MJ, author of Suite Scarlett (go read it, now) has revealed all. (Scroll halfway down the post to learn the secret).

I am on a short break from touring. We go to California on Monday. Tour dates here.

And now for something completely different. Gacked from Debbi Michiko Florence, a meme! You know I can't resist them.

What were you doing 10 years ago?

Living in a 400 square Chelsea walk-up, publishing my 2nd book and graduating from grad school.

What are 5 things you need to do today?

1. Walk through the apartment I am trying to buy with lead inspector and architect friend.
2. Attend the Ezra Jack Keats award ceremony.
3. Pay bills.
4. Unpack from tour and re-pack so I can carry my bag on the plane.
5. Deal with all the backed up mail.

What are some snacks you enjoy?

strawberries
guacamole
cheese nips

What would you do if you were a billionaire?

I would secure my parents retirement. I would pay for education for people in my extended family. I would give a big hunk to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, and another big hunk to the Jane Goodall Foundation (my two favorite charities). I would buy some serious clothes.

What are 3 bad habits?

nail biting
leaving dishes in the sink
complaining

Name 5 places you have lived.

cheap room in Kentish town, London, bare of everything except mattress
Columbia University housing with a born-again Christian who never rinsed out her recycling
communal household with wall-to-wall carpeting and rooms devoid of furniture
renovated firehouse with 30-foot ceilings
farmhouse with a slide that went out one 2nd story window. we had chickens

What are 5 jobs you've had?

birkenstock salesgirl
Harrod's department store salesgirl
aerobics teacher
college professor
PW reviewer

Tagged: anyone in the mood!

Oh, I know I need to do the FAQ and the John Belushi quiz answers! I am sorry! I am on tour an it is madness!

We have left Florida without further mishap, amazingly.
Now, Chicago!
We are in the same building Oprah lives in.
My room is pink! I love it.

Yesterday we did a school visit at York high school and then had an early dinner with a great group of students, teachers librarians from Glenbard South. All the girls (they were all girls) had read How to Be Bad and had great questions. We also debated whether Edward in Twilight is a healthy kind of boyfriend for a girl to have.

There were balloons and a cookie-cake that said How to Be Bad!

Then we went to the lovely and well-stocked Anderson's bookshop (where you can buy the book online), and did a great event. Lots of people, lots of excellent questions. Thanks to everyone who came.

Lauren has been the video maven. She is getting extremely creative. We are hoping to have hilarious video footage for you by the end of the week.
Here are some hints:

a weed wacker
a hall monitor
a police officer
an escalator
dancing in the hallways

more later

xo
E

Hello from Chicago!
Pizza. That thick Chicago-style pizza.
A fancy hotel!
So tall that I had to change my room because I was scared to be up that high. Now I am on a sane floor (15). (Sarah and Lauren like being up high. They are not as neurotic as me.)

I want to write about stuff properly and post photos, but it will have to wait until morning. For now, here is a list of our upcoming events (including one new one!)

THE HOW TO BE BAD TOUR

May 13, 2008
7:00 pm Barnes & Noble 55 Old Orchard Center Skokie, IL 60077 847-676-2230

May 14th, 2008
7:00 pm Tattered Cover bookstore 9315 Dorchester St Littleton, CO 80129
(303) 470-7050 NOTE: This event is Myracle and Mlynoswki only, no Lockhart.

May 19, 2008
3:30 PM Flintridge Bookstore and Coffeehouse 964 Foothill Blvd. La Canada, CA 91011

May 19, 2008
7:00 pm B&N Thousand Oaks 160 S. Westlake Blvd. Thousand Oaks, CA 91362 (805) 446-2820

May 20, 2008
6:30pm Vroman's Bookstore 695 E. Colorado Blvd Pasadena, CA 91101 626-449-5320

May 21, 2008
7:00 pm Not Your Mother's Book Club Books Inc. in Opera Plaza 601 Van Ness
San Francisco, CA 94102 (415) 776-1111

May 22, 2008
3:00pm Hicklebee's Childrens Books 1378 Lincoln Ave San Jose, CA 95125 408-292-8880

May 22, 2008
7:30pm Copperfields Books 140 Kentucky St Petaluma, CA 94952 (707) 762-0563

May 29, 2008
4:00 pm Borders 1499 Post Rd Fairfield, CT 06824 203-256-1619

May 30, 2008
7:00 pm Outback Teen Center, hosted by Elm Street Books, 71 Main St. New Canaan, CT 06840 (203) 966-4545

May 31, 2008
2:00 pm Barnes & Noble Country Glen Center 91 Old Country Road Carle Place, NY 11514 516-741-9850

June 1, 2008
1:00 pm Books of Wonder 18 West 18th St. New York, NY 10011 (212) 989-3270

Today Lauren, Sarah and I head to Chicago for more How to Be Bad excitement. Times and dates are here.

But first, we get a morning on the BEACH! Sarah has a hot bikini. Lauren has a hot bikini. As you can probably tell from the pictures below, I am temporarily a little pumpkin-shaped, but I, too, have a hot bikini!

We have had some great events and signed loads of stock at wonderful bookstores. Here's Lauren signing on the floor when we found a previously hidden stash of TTYL in the summer reading section:

Touring with Lauren is a little like touring with a really really nice rock star who will show you the sore under her nose (click on that link for lots more tour photos), buy you little presents (lip gloss!) and take care of you when you're sick. Because people who love Lauren's books LOVE LAUREN'S BOOKS SO MUCH they nearly faint when they see her. And she talks to every single person at length and they don't want to leave! It is pretty amazing. This happens even with bookstore owners.

Touring with Sarah, on the other hand is like touring with a very well-dressed and extremely energetic dervish. She has a blackberry. Stuff is going on on the blackberry. She has the best hair of anyone I know. She understands product. Grown ups come to our signings who have read every single grown-up book Sarah ever wrote (which is a lot of books) and they are total Mlynowski fans. And then she has a totally separate group of Bras & Broomsticks readers who I suspect might have magical powers.

Anyway, they are both awesome. I love traveling with them. Here is a backstage photo of primping in a bookshop bathroom before an event:
(Note blackberry; you can click on all these photos to make them bigger)

One highlight of our trip was Books & Books, where Lorena, Erika and Julie made HTBB t-shirts:

And as if that weren't enough, people read our "author tracker" emails and brought us cookies! (Sign up here to get them -- it looks like you're just getting mine but really they're all from all three of us.)

Another favorite shop of mine was Goering's in Gainesville. They have an ice cream parlor in there! For real! I got chocolate dulce du leche, and it was an extremely good ice cream experience. I think all bookstores should consider adding ice cream. What's with all the coffee?

More from the road (and the beach!) soon. Please come see us on tour. Or buy How to Be Bad from Books Inc, where we'll be later this month!

My eyes are rolling back in my head I am so tired, so i am just pointing you guys to Lauren's awesome post about the various debacles of our How to Be Bad tour. We are having adventures, I tell you that.
I have much photos. More tomorrow.

xo
E

So I'm on tour for How to Be Bad!
So far, fun city.
Sarah, Lauren and I started off in Atlanta. Sarah and Lauren did two school visits while I was at IRA (International Reading Association). I was on a panel with Gail Giles, Jerry Spinelli and Court Voorhees, whose debut novel The Brothers Torres is getting lots of buzz. It was a wonderful audience and I had a great time. Although I missed my ski hat. The conference center was incredibly cold.

Then we launched How to Be Bad at a Barnes annd Noble, which was especially fun because we DRESSED UP. Check the How to Be Bad page next week for video footage of us looking foxy.

Lauren's parents threw us a party and served waffles! (There are waffles in the book. Also alligators, a pirate hotel, adventure and romance). It was very glam and we felt very happy. Our friend the uber-cool YA novelist Alan Gratz came to see us (author of Something Wicked, Samurai Shortstop, etc.), which made us all glow with happiness as we stuffed ourselves with waffles. (There were also RED VELVET cupcakes. Ahh, the south!)

Then we drove to Jacksonville in the morning to go to the charming BookMark store.
Stuff happened on the road.
I am not revealing all, but suffice it to say, it was not pretty.
So...
we were late.
But people were still there!
They listened to us read and bought books and the shop itself was adorable.

Then we went to the BEACH, which is only a block away from the shop.
It was gorgeous! We breathed in the negative ions and felt rejuvenated!
Then someone
stole
my
shoes.
My
$14
Lands End
orange
slides
that I wore every day last summer.
I left them near the entrance to the beach so I could walk on the sand.
And now they're gone forever!!
Jacksonville is a hotbed of flip-flop stealers!
Although otherwise it is very nice.

Then we went bikini shopping. Because hey, it's Florida. And that's what people do here in their spare time.

Dudettes and dudes, come see us on the road. Bring your friends. We will be glad to see you!

How to Be Bad is in stores today!