Yay! for Lisa Yee!

I first met Lisa through her hilarious middle grade novel, Milicent Min, Girl Genius, winner of the SCBWI Sid Fleischman humor award. When I had the opportunity to meet Lisa in person at the LA SCBWI conference, I was delighted to discover that she was not only funny, but also friendly, thoughtful, and down-to-earth. She's the kind of person you'd like to have for a friend, and I'm honored that she is one of mine. If you want to be entertained, check out Lisa's blog, but first, here are her answers to a few interview questions:

* Your books are known for their humor. Do you have any special strategies you use when writing humor for young people?

Be true to your characters. I don't tell jokes, but rather let the humor unfold within the story. What is funny for one character to say or do, should be unique to him or her. I strive for poignancy when I write, and then use humor to diffuse intense or tragic circumstances. And sometimes I write about farts.

*Along with being a talented writer, you are a wizard at promotion. What is one of the most helpful things you have done to promote your books?

Well, I travel with a Peep. Her name is Peepy, and she's a yellow plush bunny. I blog twice a week and never run out of things to talk about because Peepy is such a diva. She's been photographed with celebrities like Julie Andrews, and a whole slew of famous authors and illustrators .

Peepy is desperate to have her epic memoir/fashion tips published, and I've chronicled her journey including meetings with well-known editors and agents. In fact, she once followed agent Ginger Knowlton into the bathroom and slipped a manuscript under the stall .

Recently, I heard from Just Born, the company that manufactures Peeps. At first I thought that maybe I was in trouble, but quite the contrary. They had been following my blog and Peepy and I received a VIP invitation to the grand opening of the first Peeps store .

* What question would you like someone to ask you in an interview, and what would the answer be?

The question would be: "Would you rather have Colin Firth as Mr. Darcy or Johnny Depp as your personal assistant?"
The answer would be: "Yes, please."