Interview with Lisa Schroeder and IT'S RAINING CUPCAKES giveaway!

I've had the pleasure of reading IT'S RAINING CUPCAKES and I have to say, it was a breath of fresh air. First of all, the book is set around a cupcake shop and if you don't love cupcakes, there's something wrong with you. Seriously. Second, Lisa Schroeder does a fabulous job painting a picture of the ups and downs that often accompany a dream (hello writers!)--in this case, a mother's dream of opening up her own cupcake shop. The main character Isabel is taken along for the ride when all she really wishes she could do is travel to exotic places outside of her small Oregon town.

I think this book will really appeal to readers who like to bake because an exciting cupcake flavor is assigned to each chapter offering a hint at what's to come. Also, actual recipes are included in the back of the book!

Lisa was generous enough to answer some of our random interview questions AND one lucky reader will win their very own copy of IT'S RAINING CUPCAKES. But word to the wise: This book is going to make you want to either preheat your oven or head to your nearest bakery. You've been warned.

Tell us about your book in 140 characters or less.

12-year-old Isabel dreams of traveling the world, but is stuck in Willow, OR helping her mom get a cupcake shop off the ground.

Where did you get the idea for IT'S RAINING CUPCAKES? (As the official idea whores we have a vested interest here.)

I was driving home from work one day, ready to get started on a new project. It was in the winter of 2009, and I don't know if you remember what was happening then, but it was an ugly, scary time. Banks were collapsing, people were getting laid off right and left - it was all so unsettling, to a lot of people. I thought to myself - I really want to write about something happy! So I was tossing words around in my head, trying to think of something happy-making. And that's when cupcakes came to mind. That's how it started. I thought, how fun it would be to set a story in or around a cupcake shop.

It was one of those stories that came about very organically - each character just appeared as I wrote, and I had SO much fun writing it. It's really what I needed at the time. Even though there's some conflict, I created a town I'd love to live in and characters who I'd love to have as my neighbors. And you know, every chapter begins with a cupcake flavor and a description of the cupcake, which also gives a tiny hint about what's to come in that chapter. Do you know how much fun it was researching cupcake flavors?? SO. MUCH. FUN!!

Someone has a pair of scissors to your head (oooh, SCARY!) and you have to choose: Awesome title or gorgeous book cover?

ACK! Please, don't!

I have to go with gorgeous book cover. I think a fabulous cover can do amazing things for a book.

When did you know you had to be a writer?

When I found out I was going to have my first picture book published five or so years ago now, I told my grandma about it, who I was very close to growing up. She walked over to this special, built in cupboard in her house where she kept everything important, and reached in and pulled out a plastic envelope-type thing with something inside. She said, "I kept this all these years, because I always had a feeling you'd be an author someday." It was a little book I had written and illustrated when I was eight or nine years old.

So you know, I've always loved to write. And yet, in high school and college, it's easy to lose sight of what you've enjoyed your whole life because you have so many people telling you what you should and shouldn't do. I majored in Business, had a career in Human Resources, then I had kids, and did various at-home businesses trying to balance work and motherhood. I was reading a book one day that talked about dreams and figuring out what your dream in life is, and when I got quiet, I heard this small voice say - write for kids, write for kids. And then, as the universe often does, things started happening that made me think I really needed to listen to that voice. I met a neighbor who was writing for kids and had all kinds of helpful things to tell me. And so, I just started. I started writing and I started learning everything I could about the publishing business. That was probably ten years ago now. And I haven't looked back since!

Twizzlers or M&Ms?

Mmmmm... candy. Thank you. I'll take the M&Ms please.

For a chance to win this tasty book, make sure you're a follower and leave a comment with your favorite cupcake flavor (real or imaginary). The contest will be open until 11:59 PM on Sunday, May 30th. Good luck everyone!