Get to know Lisa…

Lisa Yee’s debut novel, Millicent Min, Girl Genius, won the prestigious Sid Fleischman Humor Award. With over 1.5 million books in print, her other novels for young people include Stanford Wong Flunks Big-Time, So Totally Emily Ebers, Absolutely Maybe, and series about a 4^th grader, Bobby vs. Girls (Accidentally) and Bobby the Brave (Sometimes). Lisa is also the author of American Girl’s Kanani books and Good Luck, Ivy. Her latest novel, Warp Speed, about a Star Trek geek who gets beat up everyday at school, has been named to the following lists – YALSA Best Books, VOYA Top Shelf, CCBC Best Fiction, Bank Street Best Books. Lisa is currently obsessed with Sugar Babies, but that may soon give way to Malted Milk Balls. To learn more, visit her website and blog.

Let the conversation begin!

What is the best writing advice you’ve ever received?

Don’t just write about what you know, write about what you want to know.

When was the last time you were nervous?

The last time I was nervous was on an airline flight. Even though I fly a lot I still get anxious that there will not be enough room overhead to store my suitcase, and that I will try to force fit it and that won’t work, and all the other passengers will be mad at me because I’ve held up the flight. 

What do you miss most about being a kid? 

Warm summer afternoons with no responsibilities, a pile of library books, and a glass of fruit punch over ice. 

Ever had something happen that you thought was bad, but it turned out to be for the best?

A few years ago I broke my foot (although I didn’t know it was broken for three months). My foot was in one of those clod-hopper-boot-thingys for six months and I thought it would be horrible — and it was. However, it caused me to rethink what I was doing and where I went, and I realized that I could actually save time by being more organized.  

When you have 30 minutes of free-time, how do you pass the time?

I’m not sure I understand this question. What is this “free-time” you are talking about?