American Thanksgiving is almost here! The holidays are upon us, which means people are in gift-buying mode. Here are a couple of things I have going on these days, for people who want to add some Raina-centric cheer to the mix:

***Barnes & Noble has a Black Friday promotion I'm a part of: They created a special, limited edition of Smile with a new page -- and every copy is signed!! That's right, I signed several thousand copies of Smile (it took about two weeks!), and they will be in-store at B&Ns while supplies last, THIS WEEKEND ONLY. That's Nov. 28-30! Once they're gone, they're gone! For more information and to find a store near you, click here.

***If you can't make it to a Barnes & Noble but you still want a signed/personalized copy of any of my books, you can order one from my local indie bookstore, Astoria Bookshop, and they will ship it to you! Please submit orders by December 17 (Dec. 10 for int'l orders) to assure they arrive in time for Christmas.

***SMILE T-shirts are BACK! We're taking orders for the holiday season over on THE COMICS BAKERY website. Please place your holiday orders by December 17 at the very latest to receive them in time for Christmas!

***If you're looking for original artwork, I sell pages from the Baby-sitters Club graphic novels right here on my site! Please order by December 10, as the packages are a specialized size and therefore sometimes take a little longer for the post office to process and send.

***ALA SMILE posters are available from ALA's website!

And, whew...I think that's it. Here's to a happy, safe and healthy holiday to all of you.

~raina

Many of you have asked about it, and finally, I'm pleased to announce that SMILE T-shirts are BACK! We're taking orders for the holiday season over on THE COMICS BAKERY website. Please place your holiday orders by December 17 at the very latest to receive them in time for Christmas!

Also, I'm doing two final events to ring out the year! I'll be in Miami, FL and in DC for the Miami Book Fair and NCTE, respectively.

Miami Book Fair International Miami, FL Saturday, Nov 22

11:30am – 12:30pm Storytorium Stage Panel Event with Michael Fry and Grace Ellis

12:30 – 2pm Centre Gallery, Building 1, 3rd Floor, Room 1365 Best American Comics 2014 with Charles Burns, Ben Katchor, Aydin Koch, and Ed Piskor, moderated by series editor, Bill Kartapoulos

NCTE Conference Washington, DC Sunday, Nov 23 & Monday, Nov 24

I believe NCTE events are only open to conference attendees, but I encourage anyone in attendance to join me at my programs! I'll be signing Sunday at the Scholastic booth from 9-10am, then speaking on the graphic novels panel at 10:30. Monday, I'll be at the 9:05 ALAN session!

Just a few other notes & news bites for you guys:

***I recently created a new poster for the ALA Reads campaign, and you can order a copy here! There are also bookmarks available (in packs of 100).

***Want a signed/personalized book for the holidays? You can order one from my local indie bookstore, Astoria Bookshop, and they will ship it to you! Please submit orders by December 17 (Dec. 10 for int'l orders) to assure they arrive in time for Christmas.

***In honor of SISTERS being in the semifinal round of the Goodreads Choice Awards, I've opened up the ASK THE AUTHOR feature on Goodreads for a few days -- ask me anything until the end of the day Saturday (11/15) and I'll see what I can do! I'm not able to answer all of the letters I receive these days, so doing this sort of public Q&A is really useful for me!

That's all for now!

Hey, neat! SISTERS has been nominated for a Goodreads Choice Award in the Middle Grade & Children's category! Which means YOU can vote for it! This is the preliminary round of voting. If my book progresses, there will be another round of voting, and then a winner will be announced next month!

To vote, simply follow this link, click the cover of Sisters, and proceed to the next category if you so desire! (You must be registered for Goodreads in order to vote.)

This would be super cool to win, so please tell your friends and help me spread the word! :)

Whew!!!!! My book tour has (mostly) come to an end. I had the best time!

I tried to use the hashtag #sistour across social media, so if you want to see pictures and posts from the past several weeks, look it up on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. And, for the events I did with Kazu Kibuishi, we used #therainakazupowertour. (And Jeff Smith joined us for our Columbus event, so we added JEFF to the hashtag...)

THANK YOU DC, Arlington, Bethesda, Princeton, Rhinebeck, Seattle, Vancouver, Toronto, Boston, New York, Sheboygan, Las Vegas, La Jolla, Los Angeles, Alameda, Pleasanton, San Carlos, Naperville, Delaware, and Cincinnati! And all of the schools we visited in nearby towns and territories. I really do have the best fans. I wish I could visit every town in America and Canada!

This was the scene that greeted us at basically EVERY stop on the tour!

In a few weeks I'll be at the Miami Book Fair and NCTE in DC, but will make another post about that later. For now, here are just a couple of photos from the road. At the moment, I'm back in Queens, working on a new script and enjoying fall in the northeast...

Thanks again, everyone! Talk to you soon!

~raina

Hi from the road! I had a nice time at the Vegas Valley Book Fest and visiting schools in Las Vegas -- so, this leg of my tour is off to a great start! I've now landed in the GOLDEN STATE, and will be making my way up the coast to the following places: Monday, October 20 Warwick's Event (with Kazu Kibuishi) 7812 Girard Ave La Jolla, CA 4:00pm

Tuesday, October 21 Children's Book World Event (with Kazu Kibuishi) 10580 1/2 W. Pico Blvd Los Angeles, CA 4:00pm

Wednesday, October 22 Alameda Free Library Event (with Kazu Kibuishi) Alameda, CA 6:30pm

Friday, October 24 Pleasanton Public Library Event (with Kazu Kibuishi) 400 Old Bernal Ave Pleasanton, CA 7pm

Saturday, October 25 Reading Bug Event (with Kazu Kibuishi) San Carlos, CA 2pm

Hope to see you! Yes, YOU.

Fans at the VVBF!

I've added a couple of new dates to my calendar, including stops in Southern California!! Here's where I'll be over the next couple of weeks:

Saturday, October 18 Vegas Valley Book Festival Las Vegas, NV

**BAM! It’s a Picture Book Panel Discussion Fifth Street School, Auditorium 401 S. Fourth St. 10am

**Raina Telgemeier Presents! Fifth Street School, Storytelling Tent 401 S. Fourth St. 1:55 PM

**Book Signing: 2:15-2:45pm

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA EVENTS!

Monday, October 20 Warwick's Event (with Kazu Kibuishi) 7812 Girard Ave La Jolla, CA 4:00pm

Tuesday, October 21 Children's Book World Event (with Kazu Kibuishi) 10580 1/2 W. Pico Blvd Los Angeles, CA 4:00pm

SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA EVENTS!

Wednesday, October 22 Alameda Free Library Event (with Kazu Kibuishi) Alameda, CA 6:30pm

Friday, October 24 Pleasanton Public Library Event (with Kazu Kibuishi) 400 Old Bernal Ave Pleasanton, CA 7pm

Saturday, October 25 Reading Bug Event (with Kazu Kibuishi) San Carlos, CA 2pm

CHICAGO EVENT!

Monday, October 27 Anderson's Event at Wentz Hall (with Kazu Kibuishi) 171 E. Chicago Ave Naperville, IL 7pm

OHIO EVENTS!

Wednesday, October 29 Fundamentals at Delaware Cty District Library (with Kazu Kibuishi) 83 East Winter Street Delaware, OH 7pm

Thursday, October 30 Joseph-Beth Booksellers Event (with Kazu Kibuishi) 2692 Madison Road Cincinnati, OH 4:30pm

Can't wait to see you all!

Oh yes...you read that right! This is a long time in the making, and I can finally reveal the news: in 2015, Scholastic/Graphix is re-releasing the first two of my Baby-sitters Club graphic novel adaptations in full color! Here are the covers:

The interiors are being colored by Braden Lamb, whom you might recognize as the colorist of SISTERS! I've seen the first round of pages from the first book and they are gorgeous. More details coming soon. I can't wait to share the final product with you all!

The #sistour continues! Here are my events coming up this week. Wednesday, October 8 Best American Comics Event :: BUY TICKETS The Strand Bookstore, NYC 7pm

Thursday, October 9 Graphic Novelists PICTIONARY with Jarrett Krosoczka, Sara Varon, Kazu Kibuishi and Frank Cammuso McNally Jackson Booksellers 52 Prince Street, NYC 7pm

Saturday, October 11 Sheboygan Children’s Book Festival Sheboygan, WI Here are four places/times to find me on Saturday!

**COMIC INSPIRATION with Dave Roman and Raina Telgemeier Mead Public Library, Maas Teen Learning Center 11-11:45am Ages 7+. Snacks provided!

**BOOK SIGNING Mead Public Library, Book Signing Area 11:45-12:15pm

**SISTERS, SMILE AND ME: Raina Telgemeier Mead Public Library, Maas Teen Learning Center 1:00-1:45pm Ages 8+. Snacks provided!

**BOOK SIGNING Mead Public Library, Book Signing Area 1:45-2:15pm

Me and 200 of my friends at Chapters Brampton in Ontario!

Anyway you guys, I just got home from Boston (by way of Seattle, Vancouver, and Toronto) and so far this tour has been craaaazy. I had a great time with Kazu on the west coast, and continued seeing capacity crowds as I headed east!

My wrist is holding up after signing literally thousands of books over the last two weeks, and I am not done yet! Stay tuned for details on my next round of west coast and midwest dates--including some new events in southern California!!...

I guess you could call this the NORTHERN LEG of my book tour! And for the Seattle and Vancouver events, I'll be joined by my good pal Kazu Kibuishi -- come see us together in the following places!

SEATTLE! Two events, two locations:

Thursday, Sept 25 University Bookstore Event Seattle, WA 7pm

Friday, Sept 26 Seattle Public Library Event (sponsored by Secret Garden) SPL Northeast Branch 6801 35th Ave. N.E Seattle, WA 6:30pm

VANCOUVER! Two events, two locations:

Sunday, Sept 28 North Vancouver Event (sponsored by Kidsbooks) :: BUY TICKETS Highlands United Church 3255 Edgemont Blvd. North Vancouver Info: 604-986-6190 7pm

Monday, Sept 29 Vancouver Event (sponsored by Kidsbooks) :: BUY TICKETS West Point Grey United Church 4595 W 8th Ave. Vancouver Info: 604-738-5335 or general@kidsbooks.ca 7pm

TORONTO area! One event!

Thursday, Oct 2 Chapters Brampton Event Brampton, Ontario 7pm

BOSTON! Three events in four days:

Friday, October 3 Brookline Public Library Event (sponsored by Booksmith) Brookline, MA 3pm Seating is limited! Availability is first come, first served.

October 4-5 MICE (Massachusetts Independent Comic Expo) Boston, MA Special guest! Panel Sat 1-2pm; workshop Sun 12:30pm; find me at my table the rest of the weekend signing books!

Monday, Oct 6 Wellesley Bookstore Event at the Morse Institute Natick, MA 7pm

I've got two events coming up in the next few days--TriState area represent!

Saturday, September 20 Princeton Book Festival! 65 Witherspoon St. Princeton, NJ 11am-4pm Presentation from 2:00-2:10pm. Signing in the BLUE TENT the rest of the day! FREE!!

Monday, September 22 Oblong Books & Music Event! 6422 Montgomery St. Rhinebeck, NY 4:30pm

All right...the list of tour stops is now 99.9% complete! I'm hitting the road to visit a good chunk of North America over the next couple of months -- will I see you at one of these events?

THE SISTERS TOUR!!

Books will be for sale at every event. Events are free unless otherwise noted. Ticketed events may sell out quickly, so be sure to reserve soon!

Sept 13-14 Small Press Expo (SPX) :: Tickets $15/Sat, $10/Sun, $20/Weekend Marriott Bethesda North Hotel & Conference Center Bethesda, MD My table: H1-H2 My spotlight panel is on Saturday at 1pm!

Monday, Sept 15 One More Page Books Event with Dave Roman Arlington, VA 4:30pm

Saturday, Sept 20 Princeton Book Festival Princeton, NJ 11am-4pm

Monday, Sept 22 Oblong Books Event 6422 Montgomery St. Rhinebeck, NY 4:30pm

Thursday, Sept 25 University Bookstore Event with Kazu Kibuishi Seattle, WA 7pm

Friday, Sept 26 Seattle Public Library Event (sponsored by Secret Garden) with Kazu Kibuishi SPL Northeast Branch 6801 35th Ave. N.E Seattle, WA 6:30pm

Sunday, Sept 28 North Vancouver Event (sponsored by Kidsbooks) :: BUY TICKETS with Kazu Kibuishi Highlands United Church 3255 Edgemont Blvd. North Vancouver Info: 604-986-6190 7pm

Monday, Sept 29 Vancouver Event (sponsored by Kidsbooks) :: BUY TICKETS with Kazu Kibuishi West Point Grey United Church 4595 W 8th Ave. Vancouver Info: 604-738-5335 or general@kidsbooks.ca 7pm

Thursday, Oct 2 Chapters Brampton Event Brampton, Ontario 7pm

Friday, October 3 Brookline Public Library Event (sponsored by Booksmith) Brookline, MA 3pm

October 4-5 MICE (Massachusetts Independent Comic Expo) Boston, MA Special guest! Look for my program on Sunday, and find me at my table the rest of the weekend signing books!

Monday, Oct 6 Wellesley Bookstore Event at the Morse Institute Natick, MA 7pm

Wednesday, October 8 Best American Comics Event :: BUY TICKETS The Strand Bookstore NYC 7pm

Thursday, October 9 Graphic Novelists PICTIONARY with Jarrett Krosoczka, Sara Varon and Frank Cammuso McNally Jackson Booksellers 52 Prince Street, NYC 7pm

Saturday, October 11 Sheboygan Children's Book Festival Sheboygan, WI Here are four places to find me on Saturday!

Saturday, October 18 Vegas Valley Book Fest Las Vegas, NV Program and signing Saturday the 18th!

Wednesday, Oct 22 Alameda Free Library Event (sponsored by Books Inc.) with Kazu Kibuishi Alameda Free Library Alameda, CA 6:30pm

Friday, Oct 24 Pleasanton Library Event (sponsored by Towne Center Books) with Kazu Kibuishi Pleasanton Library Pleasanton, CA 7pm

Saturday, Oct 25 Reading Bug Graphic Novel Event with Kazu Kibuishi San Carlos, CA 2pm

Monday, Oct 27 Anderson's Bookstore Event at Wentz Hall with Kazu Kibuishi Naperville, IL 7pm

Wednesday, October 29 Delaware County District Library (sponsored by Fundamentals) with Kazu Kibuishi 83 East Winter Street Delaware, OH 7pm

Thursday, October 30 Joseph-Beth Booksellers with Kazu Kibuishi Cincinnati, OH 4pm

November 20-23 Miami Book Fair Miami, FL

November 23-25 NCTE Washington, DC

*****

Don't see your city on this list and still want a signed book? My local indie bookstore, The Astoria Bookshop, will ship one to your door!

As promised, here are details for where you can find me this coming weekend in the DC Metro area (again!!!).

September 13-14 Small Press Expo (SPX) Marriott Bethesda North Hotel & Conference Center 5701 Marinelli Road North Bethesda, MD 20852 Bethesda, MD

I'll be stationed at table H1-H2 most of the weekend, and that's where you can find me and (debut!) copies of Sisters. I'll have hardcovers, paperbacks, and a few of the box sets (the ones with the stickers!). I'll also have a limited number of Smiles and Dramas, plus Smile t-shirts and original art! Look for my brand-new SISTERS banner!

I've also got a spotlight panel during SPX, where I'll be chatting with Isaac Cates about my work and how it relates to my life. That's on Saturday 9/13 at 1pm, downstairs in the White Oak room. For more information about SPX, show hours, and ticket prices, visit their website!

Monday, September 15 And because I just love DC bookstores so very much, I'll be speaking and signing at One More Page Books in Arlington on Monday afternoon at 4:30pm. Join my husband Dave and I for some interactive drawing, Q&A, and book signing!

One More Page Books 2200 N Westmoreland Street #101 Arlington, VA 22213 info@onemorepagebooks.com 703.300.9746

Launch party photo by Patty Chang Anker

Well, it has been a pretty good week!

First of all, I found out that Sisters debuted on several bestseller lists: the New York Times Graphic Books Bestseller List (#6 on the list before the book was even technically released, and #1 the week it officially hit shelves); the Indie Books Bestseller List (#15 and #6, following the same pattern as the NYT); and the USA Today Bestseller List (#43) -- which is especially cool because that list is for ALL books published, and does not do specialized lists for children vs adults. Needless to say: I am thrilled! Thank you for rocketing Sisters to the top of the charts!

My events in DC and NYC were fantastic, packed to the gills with cool people. A hearty thanks to everyone who came! Here are some photos:

Presenting at Politics & Prose! Photo from their tumblr.

Themed snacks at Book Court: Twizzlers, Dr. Pepper, Pringles, Goldfish (not dead ones), plus a plethora of pythons!

The crowd glows under the skylight at Book Court. Photo by Sheila Marie Everett.

Me and Sophie, who has been coming to my book events in Brooklyn since she was a second-grader...

Here's us in 2008!

It's really neat watching my readers grow up into amazing young adults. I'm a little weepy just thinking about it. (Meanwhile, I look almost exactly the same?!)

Next up: Small Press Expo in Bethesda, MD on September 13 and 14! Separate post coming for that in a day or two!

Hey guys! I know I have a huge fanbase in Vancouver, BC, so I wanted to post a note that tickets to my two events there later this month went on sale today!! They'll run out of stock quickly, so if you want to come, jump on this now:

Sunday September 28 Kidsbooks-sponsored event in North Vancouver with Kazu Kibuishi 7 pm Highlands United Church 3255 Edgemont Blvd., North Vancouver For more information: call 604-986-6190 BUY TICKETS FOR SUNDAY, SEPT 28 HERE

Monday September 29 Kidsbooks-sponsored event in Vancouver with Kazu Kibuishi 7 pm West Point Grey United Church 4595 W 8th Ave., Vancouver For more information call 604-738-5335 or email general@kidsbooks.ca BUY TICKETS FOR MONDAY, SEPT 29 HERE

See you soon, BC!

Today marks the release of Cece Bell's incredible graphic novel, El Deafo. It's a memoir about how Cece suffered hearing loss when she was four years old, wore special hearing aids and learned to lip read, and her journey of acceptance and fitting in and finding true friends through her elementary school years.

I don't get around to recommending graphic novels very often (although I have done so in the past), but every now and then one comes along that I can't help but want to tell my readers about! I think fans of Smile will especially adore this book, its star and its message. The art is also adorable, and the story is full of humor.

El Deafo is my favorite graphic novel of 2014, and Cece is one of my favorite people ever. Go read her book!

This coming weekend, TWO book events in TWO cities!! Saturday I return to DC, and Sunday I'm throwing the OFFICIAL Sisters Book Launch Party Extravaganza in New York City. Will you come and join me? Saturday, September 6 Politics & Prose event with Jimmy Gownley & Dave Roman Politics & Prose 5015 Connecticut Ave. NW Washington, DC 20008 (202) 364-1919 // books@politics-prose.com 3:30pm Dave, Jimmy and I will do a live reading from each of our comics, followed by Q&A and signing!

Sunday, September 7 SISTERS Official Book Launch Party! Book Court 163 Court Street Brooklyn, NY 11201 (718) 875-3677 // info@bookcourt.com 4pm Live reading! Drawing! Snacks! Prizes! Music!

Finally, a quick note to say that the National Book Festival was so much fun! Thanks to everyone who came and shared the day with me. I had a blast meeting all of you!

Huuuuge, standing-room-only crowd at the National Book Fest!

Wow. What a fun day I had celebrating Sisters' official release into the world!! I signed copies of the books at several stores in the NYC area, and loved hearing from readers on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and more! images from the @GraphixBooks Twitter account!

This weekend, I'm kicking off my official fall book tour at the National Book Festival in Washington, DC! It's free to attend and open to everyone.

Saturday, August 30 National Book Festival Presenting from 6:00-6:35pm in the Fiction & Mystery Pavilion (But don't worry, I'll be talking about graphic novels!) Book signing 7-8pm

Walter E. Washington Convention Center 801 Mt Vernon PL NW, Washington, DC 20001 More info and details here!

More tour dates and events are listed in this post. Hope to see you at the NBF, or another time!

I can hardly believe it, but the book is in stores TODAY!!!!!

This weekend, I hit the road for three months of touring to promote the book. I don't have final and complete details for October and November yet, but September tour dates are about 99% set in stone...so here they are! Will I see you at one or more of these? I hope so. And if not, remember that you can order signed copies of my books through my local indie bookstore, Astoria Bookshop!

a few images from my last month of travels...

*****

Without further ado, my September tour dates are:

August 30: National Book Festival Presentation 6:00-6:35pm Book signing 7-8pm Washington, DC

Saturday, September 6: Politics & Prose event with Dave Roman & Jimmy Gownley 5015 Connecticut Ave NW Washington, DC 3:30pm

Sunday, September 7: ***SISTERS Official Book Launch Party!!!*** Food, live readings, prizes!!! Book Court Brooklyn, NY 4pm

Sept. 13-14: Small Press Expo (SPX) Marriott Bethesda North, Bethesda, MD, Table H1-H2. Spotlight panel Saturday, 1-2pm!

Monday, September 15: One More Page Books Event & Signing with Dave Roman Arlington, VA 4:30pm

Saturday, Sept. 20: Princeton Book Festival Princeton, NJ 11-4pm

Monday, Sept. 22: Oblong Books Event & Signing Rhinebeck, NY 4:30pm

Thursday, Sept. 25: University Bookstore Event & Signing with Kazu Kibuishi Seattle, WA 7pm

Friday, Sept. 26: Third Place Books Event & Signing with Kazu Kibuishi Seattle, WA 6pm

Sept. 29-30: Vancouver Events with Kazu Kibuishi Vancouver, BC Please check my website soon for dates, times, and locations!!

***October & November Tour Dates Coming Soon!!**

That's all for now, everyone. Thanks so much for all your support thus far...I couldn't do what I do without you! You make this author very, very happy! In the meantime...I hope you enjoy Sisters! Happy reading!!

~raina

Hey guys!! THE BOOK COMES OUT IN ONE WEEK. Oh my goodness. I don't have all of my tour dates ironed out yet, but I can at least share the ones happening through the second week in September! Below are the places you can find me celebrating Sisters' book release. I'll post the rest of my fall schedule as soon as I have it!

Saturday, August 30 National Book Festival Presentation 6:00-6:35pm Book signing 7-8pm Washington, DC

Saturday, September 6 Presentation and signing, also featuring Jimmy Gownley & Dave Roman! Politics & Prose 5015 Connecticut Ave NW Washington, DC 3:30pm

Sunday, September 7 ***SISTERS Official Book Launch Party!!!*** Food, live readings, prizes!!! Book Court Brooklyn, NY 4pm

September 13-14 Small Press Expo Bethesda, MD

September 15 One More Page Books Event & Signing Arlington, VA Time TBA

Also, a reminder to readers everywhere: If I won't be visiting your town this fall, you can still get a signed copy of Sisters in the mail! My local independent bookstore, Astoria Bookshop, is the official place to order a signed copy. You order it, I sign it, they ship it to your door! Be sure to pre-order ASAP if you want a copy as close as possible to the book's release date!

I'll be back soon with more info and more tour dates...see you soon!

Yeah!! This is so cool, and kinda surreal. Pick up the August 15, 2014 issue of Entertainment Weekly to read an interview with me about Sisters and Smile, my family, and comics in general!