GET YOUR PAWS ON THESE TODAY!

Hey, Packmates!

Claw and Order drops today and it’s action Pack’d!

Hearts are broken, wild girls are tamed into submission (or at least pretend to be), and Sadie is on the verge of being expelled from Charm House. Is starting a cheerleading squad a good way to make Miss Flora give her another chance? Obviously, not. But it’s a great way to spend more time with Beak, her football-player crush. For a little while, at least. Before long, reality returns with a roar, and Sadie, once a mighty pack leader, finds herself frizzy-haired and alone.

Here’s an excerpt of a LONGER EXCERPT :

(Wait, before you get started, is it me, or does the word “excerpt” look Russian right now?)

Sadie gazed beyond the metal-framed windows. Those smoke-gray clouds were still hovering. Oppressive and suffocating, they loomed above the private grounds of the Charm House boarding school like an overbearing parent, there to put a damper on her plans and, even worse, her new hairstyle. Hair that Sadie spent most of the day admiring in the reflection of her dead laptop screen.

She’d meant to charge her computer the night before, but…

STOP!

Why am I doing this when you can get the actual book?!

Buy it, download it, listen to it, or hack my computer and steal the manuscript. I don’t care how you get *it* as long as you enjoy it.

xoxo Lisi

*Fine, I do care. I don’t want to be hacked.

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xoxo Lisi

-Smart Woman.

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If you subscribed my weekly Blah-g post from 2006-2014 then you, my loyal friend, have been in the Lisi Harrison Path of Totality. That’s right, I went dark. Not for a few moments, mind you. For a few years. No more unsolicited advice about relationships, writing, and friendship. No more updates about my latest novels. No more embarrassing stories ripped from the soy-sauce stained pages of my life. The weekly Wednesday Blah-g posts were gone–I was gone. And you deserve an explanation.

Since attention spans have rapidly decreased since we last spoke I’ll leave it at this: My light was eclipsed by the three D’s—divorce, deadlines, and “don’t say anything at all.” Yeah, that last D was me realizing that I didn’t have anything nice to say, so…

It was an incredibly sad and stressful time. One that is finally behind me. And for that I am proud and wildly grateful. I am stronger, more confident, and loaded with wisdom. I have tons to say about relationships, writing, friendship, and the sorry state of denim.  More than ever before. You’ll see; no solar filter glasses necessary. You might need readers, though as it has been a while.

TTYW (Talk To You Wednesday)

Lisi

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I know I haven’t had much face time with you lately. In case you miss my mug Google “Lisi Harrison images,” then drain all color from my face and replace my ah-dorable outfit with something ill-fitting and typically worn when flu-like symptoms kick in. Yes, I’ve spent the winter hibernating in my writer’s cave working on my adult novel The Dirty Book Club and mama misses the wonderful world of YA. To prove it, I’ll be at Yallwest Saturday, April 11th. What’s Yallwest? Only the most ah-mazing YA book festival eva! Here’s a rundown of where you can find me.

On Saturday, April 11th at Santa Monica High School:

* I’ll be moderating the panel “Do Popular Things Automatically Suck?” with lovely YA authors Victoria Aveyard, Danielle Paige, Morgan Rhodes, and Maya Van Wagenen in the Gallery from 11:00am-12:00pm.

* Then, I will be signing books in the Science Quad from 12:00-1:00pm.

* I will be hustling my butt over to the Cafetorium from 1:00pm-2:00pm to be part of the panel for “That Time I Sucked,” which should not be missed.

Still not sold on coming out next weekend? Check out all the ah-mazing authors who will also be at YallWest April 11-12 here, and watch the video below for the rest of the event’s details. Can’t wait to see you there!

TTYW,

Lisi

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Last week I hinted at seeing some of your faces in person very soon. See that blue state on the map? If you live in it, or if you can get yourself to that little yellow dot on April 11th and 12th, you’re in luck. I’ll be at YALLWEST (YALLFEST’s sassy younger sister) with a gang of my author friends ready to get in some face time with you. I hope you’ll join me.

Check out the details below:

Want tickets? Click the image below. I hope to see you there! 

If you can’t make it, don’t fret. You can still keep tabs on event happenings over at YALLWEST’s Twitter page. Follow them here: 

And while you’re at it, help @YALLWEST kick off their new hashtag #PoseWithABook. Just take a picture of yourself reading in a weird position/place and post it online with the hashtag, and throw on a #YALLWEST so I can find you. I’m working on mine now–stay tuned.

TTYW,

Lisi

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In no specific order…

1) DIY your Valentine’s card by cutting out a heart from a map of the city where you met your boyfriend/girlfriend. *Star* the exact spot you two first crossed paths.

2) Have some self love while giving it to others this year. They’ll respect you more if you do.

3) Or lay it out on the line and let them know they’re all you’ve got. It works.

click through image to find where you can nab this card

4) Be up front with what matters most and why they make the cut.

5) Test their observational skills with this fake-out Valentine. 6) Or keep it simple, keep it real.

7) Give this one to your parents. They’ll love it.

8) Or if you don’t want your Valentine to get a big head, this will send the right message.

click through image to get this card

9) For the undying love(r):

10) And for anyone else I’ve missed, this ought to cover it. Check off the pet name you see fit. How many of you marked Cover Stealer?

click through image to get this card

Next week I’ll let you know what’s in the cards for me. [HINT: I’ll hopefully be seeing some of your lovely faces in person very soon].

TTYW,

Lisi

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… But what if it doesn’t?

What if your January finds you lifting weight, but dropping none?  What if that high GPA is still MIA after midterms? What if you spend Valentine’s Day with a pair of binoculars and a bottle of Windex, a-gain!

Then what?

I’ll tell you what. You’ll decide your goals are no longer worth the effort and you’ll quit. Unless, of course, you adopt my new technique (by “my” I mean I stole it from my sister Carly: http://www.balance-the-mother-load.com), which focuses more on the process than the goal.

As an author, I live for the process. To me, writing isn’t about the finished piece, it’s about the time, effort, and occasional joy spent creating it. It’s about the journey, for better and worse. Process, not progress. So I’m really good at this. Check it:

Your goal might be to lose five pounds by February 1st, but what if you only lose two? Most of us would get down on ourselves, thinking there’s something wrong with our metabolisms, willpower, scale, existence. Soon, we’d give up. But if you got rid of the added pressure of the date, you’d be free to focus on what you have accomplished versus what you haven’t. So instead of saying, “I was supposed to lose five pounds but I only lost two,” you could try, “I am in the process of losing five pounds. I’ve already lost two!” That feels better, doesn’t it? Less pressure, more positive. Suddenly that two pounds feels triumphant.

Go on, try it. It works for everything.

I am in the process of increasing my grades. I am in the process of finding the courage to call you. I am in the process of writing a masterpiece. I am in the process of never making resolutions again.

The word “process” reminds me that meaningful change takes time. And that I should expect some bumps along the way. Sometimes I will get lost, other times I will need a rest stop. But I’ll keep moving forward. Chances are I’ll be late. So if you need to move on without me, I understand. Just know that I’ll get there eventually. Quietly. Confidently. Hopefully before 2015.

TTYW,

Lisi

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Will there be homework? Uh, yeah. Sorry. I need to make it legit or they won’t take me seriously. But it will be cool homework.

Like this: Name three people in your life that you know really well. Now think of a single scenario. Write journal entries in all three characters’ voices about that one scenario.

For example: The three people I pick are my mom, by best friend, and BeeBee, my chihuahua.

The scenario: There is a wallet full of cash on the street. Now I have to become my mom and write what she would write about the wallet. Then I do the same thing as my friend, and then my dog. I’d do my best to use their expressions and process the scenario the way they would. It’s a great way to teach you about different “voices” and character distinction and it’s actually fun.

If this is something you guys would be into, let me know and I’ll be there. I’ll be the one driving the jazzy boutique truck.

Lots to look forward to in 2014! Have a Happy Holiday season and I’ll see you back here on January 8th with a brand new website. Keeping it fresh, baby.

Thank you Laila N. for making this incredible Pretenders post. I ah-dore it. Not pretending.

Impossibly-Tiger Blogspot

TTY1.8.14,

Mrs. Harrison (your teacher.)

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Here’s the scoop on the event:

The Holiday Live at the Lounge on December 17th will feature LBYR YA authors Holly Black, Kami Garcia, A.S. King, Megan McCafferty, Margaret Stohl, and I chatting about everything from holiday plans, to new years resolutions, to our favorite holiday memory, to what to expect from each of us in 2014.  I’ll be wearing my ugliest holiday sweater and I hope you’ll join in on the chat wearing your finest tacky attire, too. Some of the authors attending the Holiday Live party will be crafting throughout and viewers will get to see how much artistic talent we have, which we’ll show on screen that evening. If I can eat the craft after, then I’m game. Gingerbread men anyone? Help me decide which Pretenders character I’ll be turning into an edible holiday treat by leaving your suggestion in the comments section.

Little Brown also plans to give away an e-reader loaded with all of the participating authors’ books during the chat. 

The only hitch? You must RSVP. You can do that here.

The more the merrier!

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Shoot. Gotta run.

Shalom out.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Lisi

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