When we last left off, I was in L.A. for the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books. I love going to L.A. There are people who loathe that city, but I love it, especially in April. While New York in April is usually spitting out a nice day here and there with a few flowers popping up, L.A. is bright and colorful. Thus the opportunity to hop on a plane and fly west is something that I will seize. With glee.

I hear the birds in the morning these days, but the temperatures still are in the 40s. Hmmmm, this is not a very merry month of May in the New York area. This weekend I am taking a welcome break to guaranteed warm weather as I head to Grand Cayman and Coral Gables to participate in book club events for Books & Books, one of my favorite independent bookstores. In Grand Cayman, Lisa See, the author of Snow Flower and the Secret Fan and Peony in Love, will be the author guest. I had the pleasure of hearing Lisa speak at the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books with her mom, Carolyn See (author The Handyman, among other titles) last month. Their dialogue was such fun that I felt like I was sitting across the kitchen table from them. You can read more about my adventures at the book festival here and here, as I wrote two blogs about this trip. I know Lisa is close to completing her next book, and I hope to have more to share with you about it next month.

Are you stressed? It seems like spring is the busiest time of the year. I just got done sailing (!!) to England with my husband and sons on the QE2. There were lots of people reading on that ship...something to do besides looking at water! Lots of water between here and Southampton, England. Then we spent the weekend in London where I spent some time looking at bookstores. We flew back to New York and then I zipped off to Los Angeles for the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books, which is one of my favorite events. Whew! I know many of you are busy with spring sports, band concerts, school plays, last-minute college decisions and final exams. A great way to wind down is to read a great book. To help you with this, Teenreads.com has more new contests with opportunities for you to win some great books! 

Greetings from LA. For the record, I feel like I am part of the jet set. Literally. The past week has been London/NY/LA. Yes, I am on the “from sea to shining sea” adventure. I love the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books, so I am happy to reset my clock to do this fabulous literary feast. I will be at The Mystery Bookstore in Westwood tonight for their annual party for mystery authors, which is like a stop in to see old friends. Linda and Bobby always make me feel so welcome, and the authors who gather there make this one festive evening. Starting tomorrow it's a whirlwind two days of author panels and events that will keep me on the run.