When I ran the DRAMAday contest back in September, one of the prizes was a chance to interview me live on the air on the show Comics Are Great--and the winner of this prize was 13-year-old Cassie! We recorded this a couple of weeks ago, and now you can watch the interview.

Cassie, Jerzy (the show's host) and I talked about many things related to DRAMA--so if you've been curious about the characters, how the story ties into my own life, or what I think about when I'm writing, this may answer some of your questions!

For complete show notes (including links to all of the books, movies, and everything else we discuss, see the Comics Are Great website!

Enjoy!

Oh MAN!! Kidsbooks in Vancouver is known for their amazing window displays...check out their holiday display for 2012! The whole store was decorated to resemble a bookshelf...with a certain familiar book included. ;-) Thanks, Kidsbooks! If you're in Vancouver and get a chance to stop by the store, tell them I said hello. They are second to none.

My final event of my tour was a smashing success! Friends and fans packed Bergen Street Comics to the gills, and I had a fabulous time signing books and spending time with everyone who came. Thanks for braving a chilly Saturday evening to hang out with me!

Signing signing signing

Loooong line inside the store

The windows of Bergen Street Comics, foggy with condensation!

The goodie table. Concession candies, "Callie" cupcakes (pink and purple!), note-shaped cookies...

...and heart-shaped cookies! What to do with those?...

Ah, yes. Reenact the cover of DRAMA, of course! Here's my awesome editor, Cassandra, posing with a cookie.

Some of my readers get in on the action.

It was all the rage.

The crowd patiently awaiting the start of my presentation...

Awash in the light of comics on the screen.

Thank you again to everyone who came to Bergen Street Comics, as well as everyone I met over the last three months. These were some of the best times I've ever had, and I appreciate every single one of you!

I'm taking a break from events until March, but I still have some leftover photos, bits of news, and more coming between now and then. Hope to see you around! Here's to a happy holiday season!

My rescheduled DRAMA signing at Bergen Street Comics is happening THIS Saturday, December 1, at 7pm! Come one, come all.

DRAMA HOMECOMING PARTY & BOOKS SIGNING! Saturday, December 1 7pm Bergen Street Comics 470 Bergen Street (near Flatbush Avenue) Brooklyn, New York 11217 (718) 230-5600

Kids and adults are welcome. Please feel free to bring your friends! There will be snacks, beverages, prizes, live readings, music, and shenanigans! And books, of course. In fact, the store is generously offering a 20% discount on ALL kids’ comics and graphic novels on Saturday!

Bergen Street Comics is accessible by subway, bus, and LIRR. Check the store’s website for transportation info and maps! See you soon!

With the holiday season officially in gear, I wanted to let you guys know about some neat items in my web store! If you're looking for a unique gift, may I suggest a page of original comic art from my books--signed, sealed, and ready for framing! I've got hundreds of original pages of artwork from the BSC Graphix series available. Each page is on 11" x 14" Bristol board, created with blue colored pencil, graphite pencil, and India ink. Each page will be signed. If you'd like me to write anything extra, like a dedication or a "To...", please let me know. I ship all pages flat, packed in cardboard, via Ground rate. (And yes, I take international orders!) I only accept PayPal for payments. You must submit your order by December 14, 2012 in order to ship in time for Christmas.

You have two options for page purchases:

OPTION 1:

Specially-priced, NON-REQUEST pages. You get to choose the book, but I get to choose the page - for a flat rate of $30 USD, plus shipping. These are still full-sized, published, original pages of art. It might not be your favorite page, or the most exciting page. It might not have all of the main characters on it (but I promise it will have at least one!). But since you get to choose which book your page comes from, you get to narrow down your options a tiny bit! Either way, it's a surprise! These are quick and easy to purchase, using the PayPal button below.

Specially-priced, Non-Request Pages - $30 USD, Plus shipping:

From which book?

Kristy's Great Idea The Truth About Stacey Mary Anne Saves the Day Claudia and Mean Janine

OPTION 2:

If you're interested in a specific page, you can email me directly (goRaina@gmail.com) with your request. Typically, these pages range from $50 - $150 (most are in the $60 - $80 range). If the page is still available, I will let you know the price. Discounts always given if you buy two pages or more! I accept payments via PayPal. Please note that I am NOT selling pages from Smile or Drama. The only pages available at this time are those included in The Baby-sitters Club graphic novels: Kristy's Great Idea, The Truth About Stacey, Mary Anne Saves the Day, and Claudia and Mean Janine. Thank you!

For every page of art sold through my website, I will make a $5 donation to First Book, which provides brand new books to children in need. On all page orders made between now and December 14, I will also donate $5 to the Red Cross in support of Hurricane Sandy victims.

And don't forget, I have SMILE t-shirts available in the store as well!

Hope you all have a happy, healthy, safe and warm holiday season!

Hi, everyone! How are you? I'm doing great, except for the fact that Hurricane Sandy wiped out the cable in my area...that means I haven't had TV or internet in over a week. I'm able to see emails and info over my smartphone, but replying and keeping on top of things has been kind of tricky. I'm hopeful things will be back up to speed soon, but in the meantime, here is the info for my upcoming trip to the Miami Book Fair! Miami Book Fair International

Thursday, November 15 Teacher Fun Day Mini-Conference I'll be the keynote speaker at this mini-conference, which you need to register to attend. The registration form and more information are on this page. From the site: this special event at Miami Book Fair International brings together teachers, librarians and educators, including homeschooling parents, for an informative and inspirational day of workshops and special presentations with well-known authors.

Saturday, November 17 Presentation: “Girls Lives” 2:30-4:00 PM Rm 1164 (Bldg 1, 1st Fl) Joint presentation with Sonia Manzano & Meg Haston! Book signing to follow.

After that, I'm heading to Las Vegas for ALAN, an all-YA offshoot conference at NCTE. I'll be on one panel at ALAN, on Tuesday morning--this isn't open to the public, you need to be registered for the conference to attend. Hoping to see some of my teacher friends in Las Vegas!

ALAN

Tuesday, November 20 ALAN Las Vegas, NV 8:45-9:20am​ Graphic Novels Panel with Faith Erin Hicks, Mark Siegel, Dave Roman & Raina Telgemeier

And then, I come home in time for Thanksgiving--and my one, final tour event, the re-secheduled Bergen Street Comics DRAMA Homecoming Party! Here's all the info:

DRAMA HOMECOMING PARTY & BOOKS SIGNING! Saturday, December 1 7pm Bergen Street Comics 470 Bergen Street (near Flatbush Avenue) Brooklyn, New York 11217 (718) 230-5600

Kids and adults are welcome. Please feel free to bring your friends! There will be snacks, beverages, prizes, live readings, music, and shenanigans! And books, of course. In fact, the store is generously offering a 20% discount on ALL kids’ comics and graphic novels on Saturday!

Bergen Street Comics is accessible by subway, bus, and LIRR. Check the store's website for transportation info and maps! See you then!

Sorry, everyone--Bergen Street Comics and I have decided to postpone my DRAMA Homecoming Party. We apologize for waiting till the last minute to make a final call, but the truth is that most of Brooklyn is still a mess, the subways aren't up to speed yet, and it's hard to want to have a celebration when there are so many others in need so close by. The good news is, we're going to have the party on Saturday, December 1 instead! So please join me on Saturday, December 1, 7pm at Bergen Street Comics, for the belated DRAMA book party!

First of all, I'd like to thank my readers who have taken the time to email, tweet, Facebook, and otherwise check in to see how I'm doing. Dave and I survived Hurricane Sandy just fine: our neighborhood stayed dry, we never lost power, and we are feeling VERY lucky right now. Much of New York is still out of commission, and if you want to make a donation to the Red Cross, there are thousands upon thousands of people who would really appreciate it. People have also been asking if the DRAMA HOMECOMING PARTY is still on. It is! Bergen Street Comics is open and ready for us, so if you're close and would like to join me on Saturday, I'd love to see you.

DRAMA HOMECOMING PARTY & BOOKS SIGNING! Saturday, November 3 7pm Bergen Street Comics 470 Bergen Street (near Flatbush Avenue) Brooklyn, New York 11217 (718) 230-5600

Kids and adults are welcome. Please feel free to bring your friends! There will be snacks, beverages, prizes, live readings, music, and shenanigans! And books, of course. In fact, the store is generously offering a 20% discount on ALL kids' comics and graphic novels on Saturday!

Bergen Street Comics is accessible by subway, bus, and LIRR. For up to the minute transportation info, this is a useful website. Please check before you head out!

Last week, I had a wonderful trip up to Maine! I was invited to Portland, for several school and library visits as well as a store event at Casablanca Comics. Here are some photos and a video!

This is Cole, a deaf student who invented a sign for my name! It's the sign for the letter R, plus the sign for the word "smile." Cole explained that only a deaf person can give someone a sign language name, and I was very honored to receive it!

Cole teaches me how to sign "Raina."

Getting ready to speak to 500 middle school students.

The very stylish crowd at the Portland Public Library!

Laney helps me out with some fashion design. Portland Public Library.

A lovely crowd awaited me at Casablanca Comics on Saturday morning!

Amaaaaazing! Livv came to my signing in Raina/Smile cosplay!! This was a true first. I was pretty emotional when I saw her!

My sentiments exactly! Thanks to Casablanca Comics for a terrific time.

Hey, New York! I've had a wild and wonderful two months touring North America promoting DRAMA...but now I'm back home (and especially glad to be cozy in my own apartment, while this hurricane terrorizes the neighborhood), and I want to celebrate...so, I'm having a book party and signing this Saturday, November 3, at Bergen Street Comics!

Kids and adults are welcome. Please feel free to bring your friends!

DRAMA HOMECOMING PARTY & BOOKS SIGNING! Saturday, November 3 7pm Bergen Street Comics 470 Bergen Street (near Flatbush Avenue) Brooklyn, New York 11217 (718) 230-5600

There will be snacks, beverages, prizes, live readings, music, and shenanigans! And books, of course. I hope you can join me.

Subway directions: 2/3 to Bergen Street 4, 5, B, and Q trains to Atlantic Avenue D, M, N, and R trains to Pacific Street Long Island Rail Road to the Atlantic Avenue Terminal Bus routes B65, B63, and B67

At the MIBA Movable Feast. Renaissance Depot Hotel in Minneapolis, which doubles as a pretty sweet train museum.

Thank you to EVERYONE who made the last three weeks simply amazing for me: the booksellers, reps, drivers, publicists, and event coordinators; friends, family, and those who count as both; authors, illustrators, and speakers; librarians, teachers, principals, and secretaries; my tirelessly awesome husband Dave, and most importantly, the fans. Everywhere. You are so humbling and amazing and I am lucky to have you in my life.

Live reading from DRAMA with Jen Vincent, David Levithan, and Heather Brewer at Anderson's Bookshop, Chicago.

These young ladies introduced me at a school visit, Chicago.

School visit, St. Louis. We found this speaker exactly like this, and the bookseller used it to set up the stock!

Being introduced by awesome bookseller Shane, at Left Bank Books, St. Louis.

Cousins on my Telgemeier side, at Left Bank Books, St. Louis.

Possibly the coolest bookstore ever: Wild Rumpus, Minneapolis.

With my hardworking Scholastic publicist, Sheila Marie, in Minneapolis.

A fabulous school crowd, Minneapolis.

Signing for a great group at The Bookcase, Minneapolis.

Cartoonists with their co-creation, Portland.

The crowd at A Children's Place bookstore, Portland.

Renata, who helped me draw the soccer ball, at A Children's Place bookstore, Portland.

The sweetest father-son combo you could ever hope to meet, at Bridge City Comics, Portland.

An adorable fan at my first Kidsbooks event, Vancouver.

Bookseller extraordinaire, Maggie, introducing me at Kidsbooks South Surrey, Vancouver.

Young artists, Vancouver.

Super-enthusiastic students at an all-boys school, Vancouver.

Indigo branch bestseller wall, Vancouver.

Shelf-talker at University Bookstore, Seattle.

Going Graphic panel at Tweens Read Book Festival, Houston.

Going Graphic panelists Rachel Renee Russell, me, Dave Roman, and Amy Ignatow!

My view for the past three weeks.

(See more photos here!)

I'm moving into the home stretch of this here tour! Day 16 away from home is wrapping up, and I have just been having the best time. Thank you SO much to everyone who has showed up, bought a book, and made me feel welcome at my events all over the continent! I have the best readers of all time. From the road. A well-loved copy of Smile.

Here are the remainder of my events, going right up till Thanksgiving.

Ravenna Third Place Books DRAMA signing! 6504 20th Ave. N.E. Seattle, WA Tuesday, October 16 7pm

Tweens Read Festival Bobby Shaw Middle School 1201 Houston Avenue Pasadena, TX Saturday, October 20 (all day) I'll be on the graphic novelists panel track with Dave Roman, Amy Ignatow, and Rachel Renee Russell!

Portland Public Library 5 Monument Square Portland, ME Thursday, October 25 4pm

Curtis Library Author Event Curtis Memorial Library, Morrell Meeting Room 23 Pleasant Street Brunswick, ME Friday, October 26 4pm "This free event is geared to elementary and middle school age students and older. Grown up fans of comics will also enjoy her talk." To sign up, contact Melissa Orth, Teen Librarian, 725-5242 x227, morth@curtislibrary.com

Awesome Casablanca Comics flier by Melanie Tingdahl

Casablanca Comics DRAMA signing! 151 Middle St Portland, ME Saturday, October 27 11am-2pm

Bergen Street Comics DRAMA HOMECOMING PARTY!! 470 Bergen Street Brooklyn, NY Saturday, Nov. 3 7pm Well I HAD to have a signing at my favorite NYC comic shop, right?! Friends, I hope you'll join me for an evening of celebration, music, snacks, live readings, and shenanigans! Kids and adults welcome.

Miami Book Fair Miami, FL November 15-17 I don't have my panel schedule yet, but I'll announce it when I do!

NCTE Las Vegas, NV November 20 This is a trade show and not open to the public, but I hope to see many of my teacher and author friends there! My panel is eeeeearly on Tuesday morning, so come watch me talk comics as I blink away the tiredness! This is also my final, final tour stop...so it'll be a little bittersweet.

Now, I'm off to bed before one last Vancouver event tomorrow afternoon! (Tickets are already sold out, sorry!) And then I'm coming back to you, lovely United States...see you all soon!

~raina

Hello from my hotel room in Portland, OR. Day...14 of my tour, I believe? Figured I should make a quick post about my upcoming Vancouver, BC events! They're all hosted by the amazing Kidsbooks (one of the best children's bookstores in North America).

Each event requires a purchased ticket to enter. Be sure to click on the links below to purchase your tickets!

Westpoint Grey United Church Purchase tickets here 4595 W 8th Ave Vancouver BC Thursday, October 11 7pm

Kidsbooks South Surrey Event Purchase tickets here The Boulevard at South Point Exchange 15033 - 32 Ave Vancouver BC Friday, October 12 7pm

Capilano Branch of North Vancouver District Library Please call the store for remaining tickets: 604-738-5335 3045 Highland Blvd North Vancouver BC Saturday, October 13 2pm

After Vancouver, I'll be heading back to Washington State. *****UPDATE!!! HERE IS MY SEATTLE EVENT INFO!

Tuesday, October 16 Ravenna Third Place Books 6504 20th Ave. N.E. Seattle, WA 98115

Come say hi! See you soon! 7pm

Hello to my west coast friends--I'll be visiting Portland, OR in just about a week! I've added two last-minute events to my calendar. I hope to see some of you there. Saturday, October 6 A Children's Place Bookstore 4807 NE Fremont Street Portland, OR I'll be at ACPB at 2 pm, talking about and signing my books!

Wednesday, October 10 Bridge City Comics 3725 N. Mississippi Ave Portland, OR 6-8pm Join me for an informal talk and DRAMA signing!

Please help me spread the word! See you soon, PDX!

I'm at home today recovering from an astounding weekend in Washington, DC, for the Library of Congress National Book Festival! I got to hang out with some of my fellow Scholastic authors...including Sonia Manzano, also known as Maria from Sesame Street!! Talk about a lifelong role model. Sonia is warm and funny, and so genuine. I was extremely honored to meet her, and may have done a little bit of fangirling, too.

Scholastic authors James Dashner, Maggie Stiefvater and I in front of the Washington Post offices, where we all attended an author breakfast.

The Festival's opening reception was held at the Library of Congress. That building is jaw-dropping. I spent a fun hour running around looking at Thomas Jefferson's library, the Reading Room, and a gallery of 100 Books That Shaped America. A really fun evening.

Here are some photos from the festival itself! A crowd of 200,000 gathers on the lawn of the National Mall each September for this event. It's well organized, friendly, and free. I absolutely loved it.

My presentation! Each speaker got their own sign language interpreter, which I loved. I made an improv comic based on an audience member's crazy story! It was a blast!

A sea of faces.

Another view of the sea.

The audience rushes to the front of the stage to take the mic during Q&A...

Superfan Emily and I! It was Emily's story I drew during my improv comic presentation.

Superfan Molly and I!

Jarrett Krosoczka and I! I've known Jarrett since...well, we met on MySpace, if that tells you anything. He's such a rad guy and a fabulous author/cartoonist/illustrator!

My signing line awaits...

...and rushes forward!

To summarize: Go to the National Book Festival if you get a chance. I certainly hope to go back in the future! I also had a wonderful time visiting the DC area in general--I went to the National Portrait Gallery, ate at some great restaurants, and met some really really nice people.

I visited some awesome bookstores in the area, too!

Barston's Child's Play in Chevy Chase...

Big Planet Comics in Vienna, VA...

Big Planet Comics in College Park, MD...

...and Children's Book World in Haverford, PA! Here, CBW sets up the window display for my visit...

The readers gather...

My delightful, smiling crowd at CBW!

Thank you so much to the booksellers, readers, festival hosts and organizers, and of course, Scholastic for helping make this whole thing happen!

Later this week I head to the midwestern states! I'm visiting Chicago, St. Louis, and Minneapolis before heading to the west coast for the next leg of the tour. Looking forward to it!

Quick tour post! Just want to get my next round of events up in one chunk! I'll post my photos from my amazing weekend at the National Book Fest soon. Here's the midwest locations where you can find me during the next couple of weeks:

Young Adult Event at Anderson's Bookshop 123 West Jefferson Naperville, IL 60540 Friday, Sept. 28 7pm

Anderson's Young Adult Literature Conference Purchase tickets here Hotel Arista 2139 CityGate Lane Naperville, IL Saturday, Sept. 29 8:15am-4pm

Left Bank Books DRAMA signing! 399 N. Euclid Ave. Saint Louis, MO Monday, October 1 7pm

Wild Rumpus Bookstore DRAMA signing! 2720 West 43rd St. Minneapolis, MN Wednesday, October 3 6pm

The Book Case DRAMA signing! 607 Lake St E Wayzata, Minnesota Thursday, October 4 7pm

After these, I'm going to the Pacific Northwest: Portland OR, Vancouver BC, and Seattle! I'll post dates and info AS SOON AS I HAVE THEM--Vancouver events are listed on the sidebar up there, and Portland and Seattle are coming ASAP. Promise!

Have a wonderful first week of autumn!

Here's a roundup of events I'll be doing within the next week or so, all on the east coast!

Brooklyn Comics & More DRAMA Signing! Wednesday, September 19 Join me and Dave Roman as we sign copies of DRAMA, Astronaut Academy, and Teen Boat! Brooklyn Comics & More 493 7th Avenue Brooklyn, NY 3-5pm

Big Planet Comics Vienna DRAMA Signing! Saturday, September 22 Big Planet Comics 426 Maple Ave. East Vienna, VA 11am-1pm

Big Planet Comics College Park DRAMA Signing! Saturday, September 22 Big Planet Comics 7315 Baltimore Ave. College Park, MD 20740 3pm-5pm

National Book Festival Sunday September 23 The National Mall Washington, DC 2:45-3:30: Presentation in the Sci-Fi, Fantasy & Graphic Novels Pavilion! 4:30-5:30: Book signing!

Children's Book World DRAMA Signing! Monday, September 24 17 Haverford Station Rd Haverford, PA 4pm

All events are free to attend. Hope to see some friendly faces!

After that, I'll be visiting the midwest and the Pacific Northwest! I'm still adding new events to my calendar, and will be making stops in St. Louis, Chicago, Minneapolis, Portland OR, Vancouver, Seattle, and Spokane! I'll update my site with all the complete info as soon as it's available.

The Bay Area never fails to impress me. Some of the best bookstores, readers, and people live here--including my family and many of my best friends! James, Raina and Doug on top of Twin Peaks

The past week was a fast-paced tour of schools and bookstores all over the bay, with my friends and fellow Graphix authors Doug TenNapel and James Burks! We had a blast, visiting at least one (and sometimes two!) bookstores each day, and visiting seven schools in all! I got to meet so many wonderful new people, and even had some time to visit my favorite spots in the bay. (I was our driver for the week, which meant I could detour to the best burrito places.)

Here are a bunch of photos, just a few highlights of the trip.

Live DRAMA reading at The Reading Bug in San Carlos

My friend Bea's daughter proves SMILE is delicious, at The Reading Bug

Drawing the crowd's suggestions at Green Apple Books in San Francisco

Me and Theresa (from SMILE, remember?) with her delightful kids at Green Apple Books

Talking with everyone at Towne Center Books in Pleasanton

A gigantic crowd gathering at A Great Good Place For Books in Oakland

Squished into the tiny kids' area at AGGPfB

Standing-room-only crowd at Books, Inc. Laurel Village in San Francisco

The Comic Book Club at a middle school in Berkeley

Ava, who struck me immediately as a living embodiment of Callie, exactly how I picture her in my mind...except with blue hair instead of purple! She was helping direct the crowd at her school, totally professional and helpful; part of the drama club; AND a comics fan. Thanks for taking this picture with me, Ava!

Burrito break at La Taqueria! Featuring our Scholastic publicist extraordinaire, Sheila Marie

Meeting & greeting fans at Mrs. Dalloway's in Berkeley

Goofing off with the Drama Club & Gay-Straight Alliance at a middle school in Berkeley!

Dave snuck this photo of six kids reading SMILE at a school in Oakland

Thank you, everyone!!

My next leg of the tour is right here on the east coast, so another post is forthcoming!

Till then!

~raina

Drumroll, please... The winners of the DRAMAday contest are:

Annalisa D'Aguilar! Annalisa wins a piece of original artwork featuring the characters from DRAMA! This photo was taken at my favorite local comic store, Bergen Street Comics--check out the other awesome comics Annalisa is purchasing!

Cassie Block! Cassie wins an opportunity to be on the video podcast COMICS ARE GREAT as my co-star for a day! Check out Cassie's AMAZING Callie cosplay. I was truly blown away by this entry.

gigio2001! Gigio wins a Smile t-shirt! Yay!

And...I had one more entry that I just couldn't resist awarding a runner-up prize to. I know the contest was to take a photo, in a store, of yourself buying Drama...but I got an entry from Alysa Matsunaga, whom I met at the Decatur Book Festival, and it was too excellent to resist:

Here's a drawing of Alysa meeting the main characters from DRAMA!! I just adore this drawing to pieces. Thanks, Alysa. I'm going to send you a Smile t-shirt, too. :)

Winners! If you'll send me your mailing addresses (and t-shirt sizes, for the t-shirt winners!), I'll get your prizes in the mail as soon as possible! Email me at goRaina AT gmail DOT com, or send me a Facebook message. (Cassie, I'll be in touch soon to talk about recording a podcast together!)

Thanks a TON to everyone who entered! I liked all your entries so much, I'll run a selection of honorable mentions on my blog next week. I hope you all had a great DRAMAday!

Hello from San Francisco! Tour is already a whirlwind and I'm enjoying every second of it. More on that later. Also, tomorrow I will announce the winners of the #DRAMAday contest, so check back here for the results! On to other news. I recently recorded a video for Kidsmomo, a website/podcast I'm a huge fan of. They're throwing a contest to win a signed copy of DRAMA--you can enter the here! And not just the book, but the very drawing I do in the video below...!

Hit the link, and watch the video. It's a how-to-draw-Callie demonstration! Curious about the tools I use to make comics? They're all here. You get to see me pencil and brush-ink the drawing, all in my little home studio! See anything familiar on my walls and shelves?

Good luck!