**
**
What happens if the guy you are
falling for might be a stalker, or a delusion, or perhaps even a ghost? Read
an excerpt from my just-completed novel, DRAWN,
by clicking here!
What
I Meant...
by
Marie Lamba
Random
House YA, 2007
Trade Hardcover, $16.99, ISBN: 978-0-375-84091-3
Library Binding, $19.99, ISBN: 978-0-375-94091-0
*To
order through your local independent bookstore, click
here!
*Or,
to order through Barnesandnoble.com, click
here!
A 15-year-old girl
A hot guy
An
Indian dad
An American mom
An evil aunt
And plenty of drama!
This
book is set in Doylestown, PA and in Philly. Want
more juicy
details? An excerpt? Click on the book jacket or
on Books etc.
Upcoming
Author Visits
Thursday, March 12th, 6-8 p.m., I'll be one of the featured
authors at the 2nd Annual Author's Reception, held at Harleysville
Books, 674 Main Street, Salford Square, Harleysville, PA. Come
chat with me, rub elbows with tons of great authors, peruse our books,
and get autographs in the books you buy! *Update: other authors coming
are Mary Fran Bontempo, Joanne Dahme, Lindsay Barrett George, Carmen
Ferreiro, Joyce Hinnefeld, Joe Kulka, Jonathan Maberry, Jon McGoran (D.H.
Dublin), Rob and Lisa Papp, Sara Shepard, Chrysa Smith and Nancy Viau. For more info, or to reserve
your copy of What I Meant... call 215-256-9311.
Saturday, March 14th, Teen Scout Workshop, Levittown, PA. (Check out
my For Girl Scouts web page to find out how your scout group can
book a workshop with me!)
Sunday, March 22nd, Teen Scout Workshop, Middlesex, NJ.
Saturday, March 28th, 9 a.m.-2 p.m., Talks and booksigning at Voices
of the Future, the Second Annual Girl Scouts of Eastern PA Young Women's Conference,
Springside School, Philadelphia, PA. For more information, call
215-483-7744.
Sunday, March 29th, Teen Scout Workshop, Flemington, NJ.
Sunday, April 19th, Teen Scout Workshop, Pottstown, PA.
Friday, May 1st, Teen Scout Workshop, Colts Neck, NJ.
Saturday, May 2nd, 2 p.m.- 4 p.m., "The Liar's Club Tells the
Truth about the Doylestown Bookshop." Everyone is invited to
join this wacky and wild and free party at The Doylestown Bookshop, 16
South Main Street, Doylestown, PA. Liar's Club, Philly is a group
of 13 authors (including moi), and we want to celebrate all that is
wonderful about this independent bookstore by throwing them a huge bash.
There's going to be food, bizarre goings-on, interesting giveaways,
booksignings and, of course, liars. It'll be great. Honest. More info on
its way to you soon....
Saturday, May 9th, Teen Scout Workshop, Lansdale, PA.
Sunday, June 14th, 1- 5 p.m, Books New Jersey, all-day festival
featuring tons of authors at Paramus Public Library, Paramus,
NJ. More details to come!
***************************************************************
What
I Meant...by
Marie Lamba (Random House YA novel 2007) is "an impressive
debut..." Publisher's Weekly
**This
title has
just been selected for the 2007-8 Pennsylvania Young Adult Top Forty
List by the Pennsylvania School Librarians Association. Thanks for
this honor, PSLA!**
**What
I Meant... is being featured as the Book of the Month on a
really cool website in England called Intermix. The site gives
tons of recommendations and reviews of books about mixed-race folk. They
called What I Meant... "hilarious and
accessible" and said, "This is a book you won't be able to put
down." Check out the What I Meant... review and
explore other books here.
**To
hear the podcast I did at mixedchickschat, which includes me reading a
scene from What I Meant... and talking about what inspired
this book, click HERE
and go to Episode 57. Also, if you're interested in learning more
about multiracial books, film and life, check out www.mixedchickschat.com
**HUGE
NEWS!!!**
My
novel What
I Meant...has nearly sold out its first hardcover printing and is being reprinted
even as we speak! Yeah!!!!
This means the novel is selling great (thanks to you all) and really
gaining new readers everyday. To you, my readers, and to
booksellers, I give my
heartfelt thanks for your support, and for continuing to share What
I Meant... with book lovers everywhere. What I Meant...
has had to beat some incredible odds to make itself heard. So this
success is due to you speaking up for this book, just like Sang in the
novel must speak up for herself. YOU ALL ROCK!
**HOT REVIEWS**
School
Library Journal says: "The teen's family life and struggles
will resonate with readers of all backgrounds...the book will have a
broad appeal, leaving readers wanting more."
The
Wichita Eagle
has dubbed What I Meant... "a
stunning debut novel." Their
review goes on to say, "Lamba writes a hilarious account of
teen life in a bicultural family that young readers will easily relate
to. Her characters and plot lines are convincingly honest and
realistic."
Publisher's Weekly states: "Lamba makes an impressive
debut...readers will find much to like in Lamba's heroine, who
ultimately survives a set of trials worthy of Job with grace and
humor."
Kirkus says: "Realistic and well-paced."
Booklist writes, " ...spies and secrets make for great drama, and many readers will
not be able to get enough of Sang's hilarious, angry, hip narrative
about her diverse family and friends."
For
more of these and other smokin' reviews, click on the
book jacket or on Books etc.
**HOT
NEWS!**
**My
essay, "The View from the Outside," about my experience
raising my multiracial daughters, is being published in the anthology Call
Me Okaasan: Adventures in Multicultural Mothering (Wyatt-MacKenzie
Publishing, May 2009). Author Suzanne Kamata is the anthology's
editor.
**"Plotting a Novel Group," an article I wrote about how to create your
own writers group geared especially toward novelists, is in the February '08 issue of Writer's Digest Magazine.
**I recently visited the extremely wonderful teens at the
Sellers Library in Upper Darby, PA. For details and photos, visit their
blog by clicking here.
**What
I Meant... has been reviewed by the uber-cool website AsiansofMixedRace, which
said: "Marie Lamba's phenomenal debut What I Meant...
will have you captivated with its drama, touches of Indian culture, and
trials and tribulations of a biracial teenage girl. This YA novel is
definitely for all ages." Their site is also featuring an interview with me. To
check it out, just click here.
What
I Meant... in the media!
- The Bucks County Women's Journal is running a feature
about me and my writing in their December '08/January '09 issue. It's
written by author Linda Wisniewski. To read it, click here
and go to page 10.
-What I Meant...is mentioned in the text Booktalking
Authentic Multicultural Literature: Fiction, History, and Memoirs for
Teens by Sherry York (Linworth Publishing, 2008). For more info,
you can visit www.linworth.com.
-In April I did an on-air interview and reading for
XM Radio's Fiction Nation on Take Five, XM
155 with witty host Kim Alexander. Visit Fiction Nation's
website for her review of What I Meant... as well as for a ton of other
books reviews you can use. Just click here.
-What I Meant... was featured in an article about
diverse teen literature by reporter Penelope M. Carrington in The
Richmond Times-Dispatch in Richmond, VA. To listen to an audio clip
of me discussing my biracial character, my book and my family,
click here.
- Wonderful YA author K.L. Going featured me on her
on-line forum, where I answered questions about writing and my book. Stop by and check things
out under "Author Interviews" at www.klgoing.com/forums.
- India Abroad recently wrote a feature on What I
Meant... and my biracial family.
Other
Stuff: My
very first booksigning was a smash hit, and we sold so many books that
we set a store record (okay, aside from Harry Potter).
The Doylestown Bookshop is an amazing independent store. Shop there!!!!
Pictured with me with their recent What I Meant... purchases are Cari,
Sarah and Nicole. Thanks to everyone who came out!
The Princeton Teen Book Festival on
May 5th at the Princeton Public Library in NJ was an incredible event
featuring tons of authors (and me). Below is a photo of my booth there, and me with
my faithful What I Meant... supporters Hannah, Cari and
Adria.
I participated in a special author's panel discussion
called "The Writerly Life" at the Doylestown Public Library.
It was set up and run by Adria for her Gold Award project for Senior
Scouts (congrats, Adria!). Below are authors Jonathan Maberry (Ghost
Road Blues), me, Damian McNicholl (A Son Called Gabriel), and
Theresa Golding (The Secret Within, and The Truth About Twelve
), talking with visitors just after the event.
