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As you might expect, YALSA’s Board is busily preparing for our many meetings at the Annual Conference which is of course, right around the corner! What you might not know however, is that the Board also holds quarterly meetings via conference call in addition to monthly chats and ongoing discussions via our electronic forums.

Over the coming weeks, we’ll be talking about topics that have since been refined from last month’s Spring Executive Committee meeting. This week’s conversation is about a proposal which calls for a slight member eligibility change in the policies of all of YALSA’s award and selection lists. The rationale for the change cites a desire to open the relatively few number of selection and award committee volunteer positions (in relation to the large number of applicants) to a broader spectrum of the membership, to ensure fairness and consistency across committees, and to preserve the integrity of the lists and awards (because a wider representation of experts provides the opportunity for more diverse perspectives, which improves the quality of the work).

The proposed changes are as follows:

Suggested Wording for Selection Committees
Add the following to the Policies and Procedures of all selection committees. “Members who have served two consecutive years as a member and/or administrative assistant may not be appointed to the same committee for three years from the conclusion of their last term. This guideline will not apply to the Chair. In extreme circumstances, and at the President’s discretion, an exception may be made if a committee member resigns suddenly. The President, after discussion with the Committee Chair, may determine that the best course of action is to fill the vacancy with an experienced committee member, and appoint a member in good standing who successfully served on the committee in question during the previous three years.”

Suggested Wording for Award Committees
Members who have completed one term on an award committee may not be appointed to the same committee for three years from the conclusion of their last term. This guideline will not apply to the Chair. In extreme circumstances, and at the President’s discretion, an exception may be made if a committee member resigns suddenly. The President, after discussion with the Award Committee Chair, may determine that the best course of action is to fill the vacancy with an experienced committee members, and appoints a member in good standing who successfully served on the committee in question during the previous three years.

What do you think about these changes? Feel free to share your thoughts with me at [email protected] and/or any current Board member.

Thanks for reading.

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As you might expect, YALSA’s Board is busily preparing for our many meetings at the Annual Conference which is of course, right around the corner! What you might not know however, is that the Board also holds quarterly meetings via conference call in addition to monthly chats and ongoing discussions via our electronic forums.

Over the coming weeks, we’ll be talking about topics that have since been refined from last month’s Spring Executive Committee meeting. This week’s conversation is about a proposal which calls for a slight member eligibility change in the policies of all of YALSA’s award and selection lists. The rationale for the change cites a desire to open the relatively few number of selection and award committee volunteer positions (in relation to the large number of applicants) to a broader spectrum of the membership, to ensure fairness and consistency across committees, and to preserve the integrity of the lists and awards (because a wider representation of experts provides the opportunity for more diverse perspectives, which improves the quality of the work).

The proposed changes are as follows:

Suggested Wording for Selection Committees
Add the following to the Policies and Procedures of all selection committees. “Members who have served two consecutive years as a member and/or administrative assistant may not be appointed to the same committee for three years from the conclusion of their last term. This guideline will not apply to the Chair. In extreme circumstances, and at the President’s discretion, an exception may be made if a committee member resigns suddenly. The President, after discussion with the Committee Chair, may determine that the best course of action is to fill the vacancy with an experienced committee member, and appoint a member in good standing who successfully served on the committee in question during the previous three years.”

Suggested Wording for Award Committees
Members who have completed one term on an award committee may not be appointed to the same committee for three years from the conclusion of their last term. This guideline will not apply to the Chair. In extreme circumstances, and at the President’s discretion, an exception may be made if a committee member resigns suddenly. The President, after discussion with the Award Committee Chair, may determine that the best course of action is to fill the vacancy with an experienced committee members, and appoints a member in good standing who successfully served on the committee in question during the previous three years.

What do you think about these changes? Feel free to share your thoughts with me at [email protected] and/or any current Board member.

Thanks for reading.

Add a Comment

As Bloggers Against Celebrity Authors founder and let’s say president, I see it as the kid lit equivalent of the four horsemen of the apocalypse when the Children's Choice Book Awards Author of the Year is Rush Limbaugh. I'm sure that there are and will be many thoughtful articles about what happened to make the winner of a prestigious children's literature award for Rush Revere and The Brave Pilgrims: Time-Travel Adventures With Exceptional Americans. But all I can say is, "Dear God, what have we done?"

The power of the bestseller was a slippery slope for children's literature awards. Certainly the power of the celebrity author - with their top budget promotions and guaranteed WalMart shelf space - was enough for a snarky online cause like Bloggers Against Celebrity Authors. But now, we've added to this mixture the nebulous and sometimes nefarious power of the Internet, which allows anyone to vote for this now-less-prestigious award. There is no way - NO WAY! - that children voted for Rush Limbaugh over Rick Riordan or Veronica Roth.

I'll let cooler heads prevail on what happens next, but for what it's worth BACA's back!

Though perhaps, a little too late.


Rush Limbaugh? Are you kidding me?

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I can’t decide if the p.r. disaster that was the Children’s Choice Awards last night is exacerbated or ameliorated by the fact that the Children’s Book Council website is down this morning (and, according to Facebook) has been offline since the announcements last night.(Edit 11.45AM:It’s back up.) I do know that the CBCBook Twitter account went silent for what were supposed to be the big announcements of the night: Author of the Year (Rush Limbaugh) and Illustrator of the Year (Grace, uh, Lee).

Predictably, there’s a lot of social media outrage about Rush’s win–accusations of inaccuracy in his book, Rush Revere and the Brave Pilgrims; accusations of stacking the deck and/or ballot fraud–but really, it’s just people being mad that Rush Limbaugh won. Any inaccuracies are beside the point, because the winner of this award is determined by popular vote. It really is a popularity contest. And if Rush had his Dittoheads auto-voting through the wee hours–well, welcome to the Internet. In the case of the Illustrator prize (for Sofia the First: The Floating Island, a Disney TV-tie-in product), I’m guessing that little kids presented with the webpage of the nominees (all chosen by virtue of being bestsellers) pointed their little fingers at Sofia, screeching “Da one wid da pwincess, Daddy! DA ONE WID DA PWINCESS!!” (I  really am guessing here, as the marketing departments for Simon & Schuster (Rush Revere) and Disney chose not to send these books to us for review.)

The Author and Illustrator of the Year Awards were piled on top of the IRA-CBC Children’s Choice Awards some years back because those winners weren’t usually very sexy and did not attract sponsorship money or media attention. Now  they have a glam, pricey event and lots of attention. These awards worked exactly the way they were supposed to. But I bet they won’t work this way next year.

 

The post The elephant was in the room appeared first on The Horn Book.

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Wondering what’s in it for you?

• An announcement of the winner on the cover of Writer’s Digest*
• A 30-minute Platform Strategy Consultation with Chuck Sambuchino*
• A one year subscription to Writer’s Digest eBooks
• A chance to win $3,000 in cash
• Get national exposure for your work
• One on one attention with four editors or agents
• A paid trip to the ever-popular Writer’s Digest Conference!

*A 30-Minute Platform Strategy Consultation with Chuck Sambuchino: In this 30-minute session, Chuck Sambuchino will review your current platform-building efforts, discuss goals for your platform, then provide tailored advice and a specific strategy for launching or growing your platform to achieve the results you want. Chuck Sambuchino is the author of Formatting & Submitting Your Manuscript (Writer’s Digest, 2009), the bestselling humor book How to Survive a Garden Gnome Attack (Running Press, 2010), which has been optioned for film by Robert Zemeckis, and the forthcoming titles Red Dog, Blue Dog (Running Press, July 2012) and Create Your Writer Platform (Writer’s Digest, Nov 2012). Chuck is also the editor of the bestselling Guide to Literary Agents and Children’s Writer’s & Illustrator’s Market annuals (Writer’s Digest). Chuck is a former staffer of several newspapers and magazines. During his tenure as a newspaper reporter, he won awards from both the Kentucky Press Association and the Cincinnati Society of Professional Journalists. During the past decade, more than 650 of his articles have appeared in newspapers, magazines and books. Chuck also speaks at more than a dozen writing conferences each year on the topics of securing an agent and building a platform.

*The cover announcement is being made on subscriber issues only.

Entry Deadline: June 2, 2014   How to enter: register and pay online or download a printable entry form. The Entry fees are $30 for the first manuscript; $25 for each additional entry submitted during the same transaction. Poems are $20 for the first entry; $15 for each additional poem submitted submitted during the same transaction. Enter your work into one or more of these categories:

• Inspirational Writing (Spiritual/Religious)
• Memoirs/Personal Essay
• Magazine Feature Article
• Genre Short Story (Mystery, Romance, etc.)
• Mainstream/Literary Short Story
• Rhyming Poetry
• Non-rhyming Poetry
• Stage Play
• Television/Movie Script
• Children’s/Young Adult Fiction

One Grand Prize winner will receive:

• An announcement of the winner on the cover of Writer’s Digest*
• $3,000 in cash
• One on one attention from four editors or agents
• A paid trip to the ever-popular Writer’s Digest Conference!
• A one year subscription to Writer’s Digest eBooks
• A 30-minute Platform Strategy Consultation with Chuck Sambuchino

First place will receive $1,000 in cash and $100 off a purchase from the Writer’s Digest Shop Second place will receive $500 cash and $100 off a purchase from the Writer’s Digest Shop Third place will receive $250 in cash and $100 off a purchase from the Writer’s Digest Shop Fourth place will receive $100 in cash and $50 off a purchase from the Writer’s Digest Shop Fifth place will receive $50 in cash and $50 off a purchase from the Writer’s Digest Shop Sixth through Tenth place winners will receive $25 in cash. All winners will also receive:

• A one-year Writer’s Digest VIP membership, which includes a one-year subscription (new or renewal) to Writer’s Digest magazine
• Access to WritersMarket.com for one year
• Discounts on Writer’s Digest University workshops
• Discounts off of purchases made at WritersDigestShop.com

Be sure to check out more writing contests sponsored by Writer’s Digest.

Good Luck!

Talk tomorrow,

Kathy

Filed under: authors and illustrators, awards, Competition, earn money, opportunity, Places to sumit Tagged: $1000 Cash Prize, Writer's Digest Annual Contest, Writing Competition

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by Carolina Cooney

The third annual Spectrum Fantastic Art Live took place this past weekend, and whether you came from the east coast, west coast, or places in between and beyond, it was well worth your travels. Taking place in charming Kansas City, Missouri, Spectrum showcased many of the best in brightest in illustration, fantasy, comic, concept, three-dimensional art and beyond. With a goal to make fantastic art truly accessible to everyone, Spectrum offered a unique opportunity to get up close and personal with artists and their original creations.

Creators themselves came from nearly every corner of the globe. Paul Bonner was there from Denmark with both original paintings and sketchbooks. Virginie Ropars and David Thierree from Brittany, France make this one of their only (if not THE only) show in the US, showcasing intricately detailed doll work and fantasy art illustrations, respectively. Frank Cho was there, and in fine form. Justin Sweet. Donato Giancola. Dave Dorman. Camilla d’Errico. Omar Rayyan. Greg Manchess. And so many more, all with original art you so rarely get to see outside of a gallery (or Christie’s auction!). The level of talent in one room was truly staggering.

 

This gathering of elite creators not only made from some incredible purchasing opportunities, but also afforded the chance to actually talk to the creators, something that’s becoming increasingly difficult as the popularity of traditional comic conventions explodes. These conversations often continued on into the wee hours of the night, and overhearing artists discuss their technique in such wonderful detail was riveting for aspiring artists and art appreciators alike.

 

Panels at the convention were also informative and interesting, providing further insights into artists’ techniques and into the world of buying and selling art. Irene Gallo discussed the job of an art director and gave tips on how to break in to the lucrative book cover market. Dan Chudzinski gave a spirited look into how he repurposes taxidermy to create pieces like “The Haunted Throne of the Voodoo Queen,” an astonishing $12,000 chair made from various animal horns and alligator skin. Iain McCaig, this year’s recipient of the coveted Spectrum Grand Master Award, shared insight into working in Hollywood. Mark Chiarello, Frank Cho, Terry Dodson, Mark Schultz revealed the inner workings of the comics industry. On the main show floor, they even held a live “Sculpt-a-rama,” where numerous artists including James Shoop, a DC figurine mainstay, collaborated on three sculptures throughout the day that would eventually be fired and cast.

A three-day badge to the show also included an invitation to the Spectrum 21 Awards Show, held in the magnificent Midland Theater, which was quite a treat in and of itself. This is basically The Academy Awards for our little corner of the art world, complete with red carpet. A complete list of winners can be found on Spectrum Fantastic Art Live’s Facebook page.

 

While presale tickets for this third year of the event doubled from last year, attendance still could use a boost. The production of the renowned Spectrum annuals and the initial Spectrum Fantastic Art Live convention was conceived by Cathy and Arnie Fenner, who after twenty years handed over the reins to John Flesk, another highly regarded publisher. While the Fenners are still involved in the Live event, it has become a group effort involving Baby Tattoo’s Bob Self, local web designers The Lazarus Group, and numerous volunteers. As far as the future of the event, John Flesk, who is ultimately in charge of the show, remained cagey. His main concern is to keep the show accessible to everyone, and the central location of Kansas City and this year’s addition of a very affordable Artist’s Alley are testaments to this. Still, it remains to be seen if the excellent show will return next year – if it does, it is definitely a worthwhile addition to your convention schedule.

 

 

COMPLETE LIST OF WINNERS

 

Advertising

Silver Award: Victo Ngai for “A Tiger Beer Chinese New Year”
Gold Award: Kent Williams for “The Criterion Collection Lord of the Flies”

Book

Silver Award: Scott Gustafson for “Little Sambha and the Tiger with the Beautiful Purple Shoes with Crimson Soles”
Gold Award: Nicolas Delort for “The End of the Road”

Comics

Silver Award: Mark A. Nelson for “Seasons, page 1”
Gold Award: Thomas Campi for “The Red Door”

Concept Art

Silver Award: Vance Kovacs for “John Carter Punches a Thark”
Gold Award: Theo Prins for “Refugees”

Dimensional

Silver Award: Colin and Kristine Poole for “Hot Diggety Dog”
Gold Award: The Shiflett Bros. for “Vertical Man-Tank, 1892”

Editorial

Silver Award: Yuko Shimizu for “Hair Tree”
Gold Award: Tran Nguyen for “The Insects of Love”

Institutional

Silver Award: Justin Sweet for “Blacksea”
Gold Award: Bill Carman for “Shared Eyewear”

Unpublished

Silver Award: Yukari Masuike for “Riding Horse on the Freezing Day”
Gold Award: Omar Rayyan for “The Long Walk Home”

Grand Master Award

Iain McCaig

More information about Spectrum can be found at the official website:

http://www.spectrumfantasticart.com

https://www.facebook.com/spectrumfantasticartlive

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With every thing that the Teen finishes up, I'm all, "thank God that's done." And then the next day, "ohmigod, that's DONE!" College decisions, made. AP tests, taken. Prom dress, selected. And the killer, last high school performance, completed.

Performing Shakespeare's Antony & Cleopatra was an incredible undertaking for a high school. I'm not usually one to comment on how many lines are memorized - actors know that's the easy part - but in this case, let's give credit where credit is due. For A Midsummer Night's Dream, the leads Oberon, Puck, and Titania each have in the neighborhood of 250 lines. In this production - with a few cuts to the play - Antony and Cleopatra have about 700 each. So, yeah.

Top off that incredible bit of memorization in about two months with incredible, emotional performances by both leads. Of course I'm extremely proud of my Teen, but I have to give credit also to her Antony without whose commitment she couldn't have shined so brightly. The student critics described their chemistry as impeccable, excellent, impressive, intense, dynamic, and unfaltering. And from someone who clearly needs a hug, “fairly believable.” Not too shabby for two teens who aren't dating but need to present one of the most passionate couples in history.

Back to that critic thing. Our area participates in the Cappies program where student critics attend each other's plays and submit reviews for local publication and for local theatre awards. Teen's reviews came in with wonderful acclaims that pass a parent's glowing accounts. She was noted highly in just about every review (with the exception of one where the critic seemed to find the actors a necessary focal point for the lighting) described as a "driving force" with "vibrant physicality,"and "amazing, both sensual and insane," with "constant energy" and a "broad range of emotional acting." And the line that sums it up, "Possessing both a vice-like grip on the audience and a brimming amount of confidence, Coughlan held the audience’s attention from her extravagant entrance to her tragic end."

So yeah again, I'm proud. And glad the practice and performance is over, because it was intense. And sad that it's over too. It's hard being a mom of a Senior, but especially of a theatre kid. She plans to do some Shakespeare in college, but who knows how she'll be able to compete there. But honestly, if this was the last thing she did in theatre, it would be such a high note that I'd take it.

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The National Children's Book and Literacy Alliance is thrilled to announce that esteemed author for young adults Chris Crutcher will be joining Katherine Paterson, Nikki Grimes, Steven Kellogg, and Tanya Lee Stone as a keynote speaker for In Search of Wonder: Common Core and More, an interdisciplinary, professional development day designed for educators, librarians, parents, and students of education and library science to be held October 17 in Perry, Ohio. Together we will share information about new and classic fiction and nonfiction literature that can be used in the classroom across a variety of academic disciplines ~ a semester’s worth of information in one day! 

Chris Crutcher was raised in Cascade, Idaho, a lumber and cattle ranch town located in the central Idaho Rockies, a two hour drive over treacherous two-lane from the nearest movie theater and a good forty minutes from the nearest bowling alley. In high school he played football, basketball and ran track, not because he was a stellar athlete, but because in a place so isolated, every able bodied male was heavily recruited. “If you didn’t show up on the first day of football practice your freshman year,” he says, “they just came to your house and got you. And your parents let them in.” His early interest in stories came principally from reading Jean Shepherd and other fine authors in the Playboy Magazine delivered monthly to his house because, as he overheard his father saying to his mother, “Some of the very finest contemporary American literature graces the pages of that magazine.” Full disclosure, there is justified suspicion that he may have perused some of the photography before settling down to serious reading. 

Crutcher’s years as teacher, then director, of a K-12 alternative school in Oakland, California through the nineteen-seventies, and his subsequent twenty-odd years as a therapist specializing in child abuse and neglect, inform his thirteen novels and two collections of short stories. “I have forever been intrigued by the extremes of the human condition,” he says, “the remarkable juxtaposition of the ghastly and the glorious. As Eric ‘Moby’ Calhoun tells us at the conclusion of Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes, ‘Ain’t it a trip where heroes come from’.” He has also written what he calls an ill-advised autobiography titled King of the Mild Frontier, which was designated by “Publisher’s Weekly” as “the YA book most adults would have read if they knew it existed.” 

Chris has received a number of coveted awards, from his high school designation as “Most Likely to Plagiarize” to the American Library Association’s Margaret A. Edwards Lifetime Achievement Award. His favorites are his two Intellectual Freedom awards, one from the National Council for Teachers of English and the other from the National Coalition Against Censorship. Five of Crutcher’s books appeared on an American Library Association list of the 100 Best Books for Teens of the Twentieth Century (1999 to 2000). A recent NPR list of the Best 100 YA and Children’s books included none of those titles. Time flies. Crutcher no longer listens to, nor contributes to, NPR. 

Learn more about Crutcher and his books on his website ChrisCrutcher.com.  

To learn more about In Search of Wonder and to register, click here.

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Jamie Coville has done his usual amazing job of recording panels from TCAF, including several from the librarian and educator conference, Trina Robbins talk on Nell Brinkley, and the Doug Wright Awards. He also has photos up here and here.

Toronto Comics Arts Festival (TCAF) 2014 (May 9 – 11) –  210 Photos

Note: Friday May 9th was Librarian & Educator day. For the general public TCAF was May 10-11th.

http://www.thecomicbooks.com/pics/index.php/Toronto/TCAF/TCAF-2014

The Brinkley Girls, WWI and American Patriotism in Women’s Comics: A talk by Trina Robbins. (38:58, 35.6mb)
The Introduction is by Dr. Barbara Postema. Trina talked about Nell Brinkley with a big touch screen TV (which she liked). She also talked about Nell’s work, what it was saying, ran through some highlights
of some stories she told with her art and talked about her politics and humour, among other aspects. Trina then answered a variety of question about Nell, rediscovering her, why traditional comics history
don’t touch on female cartoonists and Nell’s original art.

Great Creator Visits! (50:05, 45.8mb)
Moderated by Scott Robins, this panel featured Lynn Johnston and Raina Telgemeier talking about their visits to schools and libraries. Lynn opened up about not liking to do schools where the kids are
forced to be there. She said they can be disruptive, a lot like she was at that age. She prefers events where those in attendance want to be there. Raina talked about having to deal with rowdy kids.
Lynn said she doesn’t like overly long introductions because they drain the energy of the room. They gave a list of don’t for events and among them were staff not aware of the event, no
advertising, not being able to sell their books after the show, no bathroom or coffee breaks between events and friends of the organizer wanting to dominate your time after the show. They also talked about
good creator visits they did. Both of them spoke about the struggle to make deadlines while doing visits, the age level they prefer talking to, doing visits on Skype and interviews via twitter. The
audience asked questions about their gay characters and what response they got from them. Lynn also talked about her decision to age the characters as the strip went on and how that affected merchandising.
Lynn said she really liked Rania’s book Smile and gave Rania a big public stamp of approval for her work as a cartoonist.

Collection Maintenance. (1:05:38, 60.1mb)
On the panel was Robin Brenner, Scott Robins and Max Dionisio. It was moderated by Lindsay Gibb. They started by talking about their libraries, what they carry and what moves really well. Each
gave which websites they follow for keeping up with comic news. The method in which they house their collection was discussed. They spoke about how they handle Manga and buying series (full series or the
first few volumes). They talked about weeding out books that just don’t circulate, something they all have to do. They discussed how to avoid pigeon holding their Libraries collection. Max talked about his
unique situation in an all-boys school in handling GLBT books. He finds them scattered around the library all the time so he knows they are being read, but they don’t get taken out because kids are afraid of
outing themselves or just getting teased/bullied when others see their name on the Library card. They also discussed how digital access to comics has affected their circulation.

Comics and Undergrads. (53:33, 49mb)
Moderated by Lindsay Gibb, the panellists where Marta Chudolinska, Dr. Dale Jacobs and Dr. Barbara Postema. They started off talking about how they got involved in comics and how it relates to their current
academic work. They discussed what they like about comics, specific books they use in their teachings, how wordless comics are good for education, assignments they use comics to teach, how much they use
their library for their lessons, if they got any pushback to their work and how some of the theory between comics and picture books have a lot of overlap. Barbara mentioned that sometimes wordless comics get
called picture books. Marta talked about how the Library she works for tries to provide access to things that is out of reach for many people due to cost or scarcity, like artists editions books and comics
criticism.

2014 Book Talk: Kids. (34:36, 31.6mb)
Andrew Woodrow-Butcher spoke about some upcoming kids books that would be good for libraries. Among the books he mentioned were the new Amulet Vol 6, Cleopatra in Space, Salem Hyde, Star Wars Jedi Academy,
the Hilda series, Zita the Spacegirl, Jellaby (now back in print), A Cat Named Tim, Cat Dad King of the Goblins, new Amelia Rules books, The Dumbest Idea Ever, a new Battling Boy book, Anna and Froga,
Courtney Crumrin Vol 5, a new Lego book, A Regular Show book, a bigger, full colour reprinting of Dragon Ball Z, the Marvel Digests, itty bitty Hellboy and Aw Yeah Comics, Samurai Jack, Power Lunch, the
Sonic the Hedgehog and Megaman crossover book, Mermin, Dinosaurs, The Kings Dragon, Hidden, Gajin, Maddy Kettle, new Adventure Time books and WWE collections of their comics. Within the panel was Kazu
Kibuishi talking about Amulet and it’s evolution. Kazu also revealed his serious health problems prior to doing the book where he got so sick he went into a coma. John Martz talked about a Cat Named Tim and
Jim Zub talked about Samurai Jack going from a mini-series to ongoing.
Note: I cut out about 4 minutes from the audio where they do a door prize giveaway.

In Conversation: Kate Beaton and Lynn Johnston. (1:11:11, 65.1mb)
This was moderated by Raina Telgemeier. Chris Butcher started the evening off with small talk about TCAF and how they try to be inclusive of all genders and show a diversity of people from different
backgrounds. He mentioned this year they are getting international press coverage and have artists from 20 different countries this year, which he’s really happy about. He made a sly Rob Ford joke about
being sorry he named it the Toronto Comics Art Festival. Chris also thanked their sponsors of the show as well. Rania asked a variety of questions and they started with how the two of them got started in
comics. Lynn talked about her and Jim Davis (of Garfield fame) starting out at the same time. Throughout the show she talked about her previous jobs working in animation and a medical artist. Kate talked
about starting her web comic at a fortunate time when there was a lot less competition for people’s attention on the internet. The two talked about their role models and particularly female role models.
Kate said Lynn was one for her. Raina mentioned that Lynn was the first female and Canadian winner of the Reuben Award and asked her what that was like. Lynn said it was very stressful because at the time
some people wanted Jim Davis to win (and some didn’t) and she felt she was too young and hadn’t really done anything yet to deserve the award at the time. In particular she mentioned a lot of MAD artists
(like Mort Drucker) who hadn’t won the award yet and should have gotten it before her. She also told a funny story about how she handled other cartoonists when she was president of the Cartoonists Society.
The two talked about criticism from men. Family was a topic with how far you go, if they regret putting something out there and if they felt later that they overshared information. They talked about how fans
shared personal stories with them. This lead into Lynn talking about the outing of a gay character in For Better Or For Worse and the reaction she got from readers and newspapers. She thinks it was the best
story she did and the one she’s the most proud of. They talked about their efforts to help out young artists. Lynn mentioned how when she has something personally bad happen to her she’s thinks it will be
turned into a great story. Rania asked if they still love comics as much now as they did when starting out. Kate said she still does. Lynn talked about how her father loved the comics and comedy in general
and would read comics to her, point out the details in them, and would run films back and forth to show how it was all choreographed. Lynn also revealed she loves comedians and wanted to be one. Rania asked
what keeps them coming back to the drawing board. She also asked each of them what she is doing now. They also took some questions from the audience. Lynn said she really enjoyed working on the animated
For Better Or For Worse cartoon, said it was great working with all those people doing different things (music, artists, sound effects, etc..). She also revealed from working on the cartoon she drew her
strip with more detail as the animators needed detailed everything about her strip in order to make the cartoon. Kate talked about her growing up in small town and being like the only artist there.

Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips Spotlight. (55:48, 51mb)
Heidi MacDonald moderated this panel. They started off with how the two ended up working together and in particular how Sleeper came about. Ed was very outspoken during the panel, saying he wished he had retained ownership of it. Sean talked about his art and where digital is used to create it. The two spoke about their process of working together today. They revealed they hadn’t seen each other in person in 5 years, but e-mailed each other daily. Ed said that he signed on to work with Marvel to publish through their Icon imprint. He also said the imprint was started for Bendis but they brought on David Mack’s book so it didn’t appear that way. He revealed that he got just got the rights back to Criminal a week ago and will be moving the series over to Image. He said that Icon was a imprint that was used as a favour to people who did their superhero books and didn’t want his career to be at the mercy of favours from other people. He also revealed that Dan Buckley had to justify Icon to the shareholders as Marvel doesn’t make much money from it. Ed said for a while he was paying creators out of pocket for a while on Criminal. Regarding his writing, Ed likes adding subtext in his stories so people get a lot out of it and it’s not a quick read. He wants people to get something new out of the story when it gets re-read. Ed expressed appreciation for something Sean does that he sees no other penciler do is actually write in where the lettering would go to ensure that there is room there for the word balloon. So many other artists don’t do that, which leaves not enough room for the dialogue and that leads to production issues. They also went over how Sean doesn’t do splash pages very often. Ed brought up the “Archie” story within Criminal and what he was reacting too when he wrote it. He revealed he’s been talking to Joe Hill about horror and wants to delve into that. Ed discussed the reason he does crime stories because when he was on the wrong side of the law in his youth, involved in shoplifting, doing and selling drugs to
other kids in his school and he likes the stories about the desperation of committing a crime and the twisted version of the American Dream. Ed revealed there is a new book coming about the 1940s+ Hollywood
with blacklists, the studio system and other issues. He said he had family that was working in Hollywood at the time and he wants to incorporate that information into the book.

Michael DeForge and Friends. (55:15, 50.5mb)
On the panel were Jillian Tamaki, Annie Koyama, Patrick Kyle, Michael DeForge and Ryan Sands. The creators (everybody but Annie) are involved in Youth
in Decline. They revealed there is a Lose collection coming about that collects issues #2 to #5. Michael said #1 does not fit in with the rest of the stories so he’s not putting it into this
book. The group talked about how and what they choose to put online vs. what’s for print. They talked about collaborating with others and how they handle differences of opinion. Doing anthologies and their
growing popularity, Jillian also asked questions to Michael and kind of co-moderated the panel. Annie revealed she has seen creators online that she was interested in publishing, but there was no contact info
for the creator so she moved on. Michael was credited as being a good writer by Jillian and wondered if the change in his drawing style has affected how he writes stories. They talked about a new book that
is coming out, took questions from the audience, and talked quite a bit about the need for validation among their peers. They also talked about needing a trusted another set of eyes to look at their work and
give feedback prior to publication.

Trina Robbins Spotlight. (57:44, 52.8mb)
During this panel Trina went though some parts of Pretty in Ink, her final book about female comic artists. She went through some of the earliest comic artists, starting with the first comic strip drawn by a
female and ending with the Women Comix anthology and a photo of the 40th reunion of the Women Comix anthology. After that Johanna Draper Carlson interviewed her about why she did the new book. She had
revealed she was very unhappy with her last book due to all the typos. She was really unhappy with her editor on that book and was not shy in saying so. Gary Groth of Fantagraphics asked her to do
this book and she had a lot of new information and wanted to correct some bad information in her previous books. She said Gary worked with her to make sure there wasn’t a single typo in this book. The
audience also asked questions and she revealed that she would love to write Wonder Woman but DC would never hire her. She also felt that DC/Marvel female editors did not support female creators, but would
say they did in order to sell that there was no sexism in comics – in order to keep their jobs.

History/Nonfiction Comics. (58:33, 53.6mb)
This panel was moderated by Brigid Alverson. On the panel was Nick Bertozzi, Nick Abadzis, Diana Tamblyn, Nate Powell, Meags Fitzgerald and Tyrell Cannon. The group talked about why they choose to do
Nonfiction works, how doing it helps them as creators, how they deal with the facts getting in the way of telling a good story, the visual research and how important it is, if the subject is still alive and
do they reach out to them, if they worry about their audience reaction to the book, how they deal with direct quotes when it doesn’t work with the script.

Ed Brubaker: Writing Comics Noir. (55:22, 50.6mb)
Andrew Murray and Adam Hines from Guys with Pencils podcast moderated the panel. Ed talked about how he got involved with Noir as a child. He also talked
about his past, saying one story from Lowlife was actually autobiography. He revealed that his parents worked in the Navy and when he was young he lived in Guantanamo Bay for a couple of years. He explained
what Noir means to him and if he thought Noir characters had to be bad people. He discussed what TV shows he likes (or liked), mentioning the Sopranos and a Canadian show called Intelligence that he said was
cancelled because of politics, specifically citing Prime Minister Stephen Harper as being the reason. Ed said his uncle was a CIA operative that was outed in the 70s (presumably in Inside the Company:
CIA Diary book). The Captain America: The Winter Soldier movie came up and he said what it was like being an extra on it and being happy it was a good film. Ed mentioned that he spends half his time writing
TVs and movie screenplays, saying he wrote a remake of Maniac Cop. Regarding Criminal, they are now hiring cast for it. There were questions from the audience and he told us who inspires him today to be a
better writer.

Stuart Immonen and Sean Phillips in Conversation. (1:01:10, 56.0mb)
While the two talked there was a slide show of art going on in the background which sometimes came up in the conversation. They started off with some very early work and how they got published. Sean talked
about inking, painting covers, photo-referencing & design. Stuart talked about using 3D models; both said they looked at other peoples sketchbooks to keep with what younger artists are doing. They discussed
the tools they used to make art with, they showed some work outside of comics that Sean did and got into page/panel design. This brought out questions from Ed Brubaker who was in the audience,
asking about the grid design used in their books (which got some laughs from the audience). Stuart talked about doing digital comics in that the entire thing was designed to be read on a tablet or phone,
and the amount of re-thinking about the effects of reading comics this way that it took, both in terms of the size of the screen and the non-traditional gutter space. There were other creators in the audience
that also began talking about contributing to digital comics (the panel became a round table discussion for a couple of minutes), Sean talked about a job he had to turn down, Stuart talked about a small
Pirates of the Caribbean story that he did in a completely different style and how it lead to the work he did on Nextwave.

---

The Doug Wright Awards 2014 (May 10) – 26 Photos

The Doug Wright Awards 2014. (1:20:18, 73.5mb)
The ceremony went as follows:
Introduction of the nominee’s and sponsor appreciation by Brad Mackay.
Doug Wright’s youngest son Ken Wright spoke on behalf of the family.
Opening monologue by Scott Thompson.
Pigskin Peters Hat/Award: Emily Carroll for Out of Skin.
Jeet Heer explains why the jury chose Carol’s work.
Don McKellar (minus 1 tooth) read the nominee’s for the Spotlight Award.
Spotlight Award (AKA “The Nipper”): Steven Gilbert for The Journal of the Main Street Secret Lodge.
Nick Maandag explains why the Jury picked Gilbert’s book.
Michael Hirsh gave his history in recovering and preserving the archives of the Canadian Whites.
Induction of all 200+ creators of the Canadian Whites into the Giants of the North Hall of Fame.
The last two surviving cartoonists Gerry Lazare and Jack Tramblay were there and gave their acceptance speech. They were followed by Adrian Dingles youngest son Christpher.
Best Book:  Paul Joins the Scouts, Michel Rabagliati (Conundrum Press).
Closing by Brad Mackay.
Then Hope Nichols and Rachel Riley talk about the just published Nelvana of the North (created by Adrian Dingle) Collection.

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...have been announced.

The YA list is:

The Madman’s Daughter, by Megan Shepherd

The Moon and More, by Sarah Dessen

Theodore Boone: The Activist, by John Grisham (Ooooo, I wonder if it's as awesome as the first two...)

Click on through for the other categories!

From the Southern Independent Booksellers' Alliance website: "Each year, hundreds of booksellers across the South vote on their favorite "handsell" books of the year. These are the "southern" books they have most enjoyed selling to customers; the ones that they couldn't stop talking about. The SIBA Book Award was created to recognize great books of southern origin."

Related articles

The 2014 Lambda Literary Award Finalists...

The 2013 Locus Awards Finalists...

The finalists for the 2013 Minnesota Book Awards have been announced.

Madness, Tortured Romance, and a Heck of a Lot of Castles: Megan Shepherd's Love Affair with Gothic LiteratureOr, Megan Shepherd's Eight Favorite Gothics.

The Madman's Daughter -- Megan Shepherd

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The Dromkeen Medal: Call for Nominations

The State Library of Victoria, home to the Scholastic Dromkeen Collection of Australian Picture Book Art, is pleased to be coordinating the national Dromkeen Awards, comprising the Dromkeen Medal and the Dromkeen Librarian’s Award. The Library is currently calling for nominations for the Dromkeen Medal.

The Dromkeen Medal is bestowed annually in recognition of outstanding contributions to Australian children’s and youth literature, and was established in 1982.  The Medal was previously awarded by the Courtney Oldmeadow Children’s Literature Foundation, based at the Dromkeen homestead in Victoria. A full list of past recipients can be found here.

 

Medal Nomination Process 2014

Nominations will be assessed by an independent panel, and the Awards made to coincide with Book Week, in August 2014.

Closing Date for Nominations: 16 June 2014.

DOWNLOAD: Dromkeen Medal Nomination form 2014

 

Nomination forms can returned by post or by email to:

Anna Burkey

Reader Development Manager

State Library of Victoria

[email protected]

_____________________________________________________

The Dromkeen Librarian’s Award celebrates significant contributions to the support of young Australian readers, and is presented to a teacher librarian, children’s / youth librarian or literature professional working in libraries. The award winner does not have to be a qualified librarian. A full list of past recipients can be found here. Nomination forms will be issued later in 2014.

_____________________________________________________

Dromkeen Exhibition

Once Upon a Time: a world of children’s picture book art is currently on display, and is the first Dromkeen exhibition to be held at the State Library of Victoria. The exhibition runs until August 2014, and is free to enter.

Further Information >

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Welcome to day 3 of Children’s Book Week and another great giveaway up for grabs. Have you heard of FARFARIA? No, it’s not a new land far, far away, but it does sound like a great place for characters to live. Farfaria is a place where children’s books live, wait! . . .  it is a land where characters live!

Here is the official word on Farfaria:

FarFaria is an app that provides the perfect storytime experience. With more than 600 amazing children’s stories—and five new ones added each week—storytime has never been easier.  Let’s all go grab an app.

Farfaria was created in 2013 for children ages 2-9. FarFaria helps children develop a passion for reading and it encourages families to spend quality time reading together. FarFaria’s engaging story-discovery experience encourages children to stumble into new stories they’ll love forever.

Features

• Unlimited reading from our library of more than 600 stories.
• Five new, engaging stories added every week.
• Interactive experience is fun for kids and easy for parents
• Every story can be read aloud with a Read-to-Me feature.
• Reading-level badge on every story cover.
• Offline access to read Favorite stories

No advertising. No hidden fees.

Account Options

• Free – one story a day
• Monthly – unlimited
• 6 or 12-Month Subscriptions (discounted) – unlimited

Free accounts have access to one story book a night. Subscriptions–monthly to annual–allow unlimited stories a day. The stories are interactive on iTunes and android tablets that accept Google Play, such as Nexus and Samsung tablets. For now, there is no Kindle app support (but they are working on one.)

.

.

FAMILY CHOICE AWARD

 

Enter your prefered playground and pick out some books to read. Ready?

.

Take a look at FARFARIA at its website:  https://www.farfaria.com/

Get the FREE app at iTunes and at Google Play (android)

.

DON’T FORGET TO ENTER TO WIN PRIZES HERE AT KID LIT REVIEWS!

ENTER TO WIN a 3-month subscription to Farfaria!

1. Leave a comment.

2. Enter the Rafflecopter (enters you for all 5 giveaways) Click a Rafflecopter giveaway  (opens @ midnight)

3. Check out a blog or two from the CBW Giveaway Blog Hop, then return here and in this comment section, tell me what blog you left a comment and the blog number (A MUST for verification.)

Click HERE for blog list. Over 100 ways to win in this hop!

1. Return tomorrow for more giveaways!

*** For complete rules and Terms & Conditions, Click HERE.an

Filed under: Children's Books

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Perfectly delighted to have been awarded the Special Judges Award in the CBI Book of the Year awards. A big thank you to CBI, to everyone I know and love and congratulations to all of those on the shortlist and to Marie Louise Fitzpatrick for her overall Book of the Year award.

What the judges said about The Sleeping Baobab Tree :

• Special Judges’ Award: Paula Leyden for The Sleeping Baobab Tree. The judges said, ‘Combining robust character development with vivid descriptions of the Zambian landscape, Leyden skilfully creates an evocative and atmospheric narrative that explores themes of friendship, family and human rights.’

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First, I'm beyond thrilled to announce that Wendy Higgin's amazing Sweet Evil Trilogy made the USA Today and NYT's coveted Bestselling Series lists. How fabulous is that?

Insecurity is just an ordinary hound tricked out with phosphorous to make him look scary.  ~ Margo Berendsen

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     There's a movement going on in kidslit right now - to point out the lack of diversity in children's books and to get it fixed! As our country grows more racially and culturally mixed, our books should reflect that. Right now, they don't - work needs to be done! Every child should be able to find themselves within the pages of a good book. Jada agrees!
      It's one of the reasons I'm so proud of the diverse books I've done throughout my career - check them out! (Literally!)
     CLICK HERE for more coloring pages! And be sure to share your creations in my gallery so I can put them in my upcoming newsletters! (Cards, kids art, and crafts are welcome!)
     Sign up to receive alerts when a new coloring page is posted each week and... Please check out my books! Especially...

my debut novel, A BIRD ON WATER STREET, coming out next week! Click the cover to learn more!
     When the birds return to Water Street, will anyone be left to hear them sing? A miner's strike allows green and growing things to return to the Red Hills, but that same strike may force residents to seek new homes and livelihoods elsewhere. Follow the story of Jack Hicks as he struggles to hold onto everything he loves most.
AWARDS
**A SIBA OKRA Pick!**
**A GOLD Mom's Choice Award Winner!**
**The 2014 National Book Festival Featured Title for Georgia!**

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[Manga Maniac Cafe] Good morning, Charmaine!  Describe yourself in five words or less.

[Charmaine Ross] Determined, Forgetful, Happy, Head in the Clouds (always up there working out characters and new plots!)

[Manga Maniac Cafe] Can you tell us a little about Four-Leaf Clover?

[Charmaine Ross] A sexy, sugar-laden David vs Goliath story about a local bakery, a national chain, and what really matters.
Clover Loveday has worked hard to get her café Four-Leaf Clover up and running, her ticket out of an increasingly alarming financial situation and her dream come true. When she literally falls off her ladder into the arms of national bakery chain Upper Crust owner, sexy-as-sin Liam Sinclair, who owns the new bakery being built just across the road, she decides that no matter how nauseated she is about the idea, it is best keep your enemy close, rather than leave things to fate.

Liam has never put too much thought into the competition when he opens a new outlet, other than taking their customers and strengthening the Upper Crust brand. But here in the beautiful Dandenong Ranges, Clover Loveday’s cafe is a little too close for comfort, and Clover Loveday a little too good-looking. So Liam asks his PA to put together a Fact Sheet about his new competition. He has a business to run, a father to please, and hundreds of people to keep in jobs. Surely information can keep an unwanted strong sexual pull at bay…

A sexy, caffeinated, satisfying story about unexpected temptations, forgiveness, and putting love before money.

[Manga Maniac Cafe]  Can you share your favorite scene?

[Charmaine Ross] Clover was tired. More tired than usual. Lack of sleep often did that to her, compounding the effects of a physical day. She’d been unable to go to sleep because of a kiss she hadn’t wanted or asked for and still couldn’t seem to push from her mind. Clover checked the bread in the covered bowl she’d set aside that morning. She always liked the smell of raising bread in the morning. Made it more earthy.

It had been a nice kiss, well, a great kiss. She rolled the risen dough onto the floured surface and started kneading. Hell, it had knocked her socks off. Left fist. Exactly what she hadn’t wanted. Right fist. Clover blew a strand of hair from her face. Making dough usually let off steam, but this morning it didn’t have the desired effect.

She rolled the soft dough into a long sausage. The dough would make great lunch rolls. She’d add them to today’s menu. Take the rest to the shelter at finish time. She knew exactly what she wanted to do and where she wanted to be. No diversions.

She’d never got so caught up before. Now the sausage was too thick, so she had to start again. This time less force. She just didn’t need a man in her life, no matter how good he was at kissing. She certainly didn’t need to feel so damn good because of it. She picked up a broad-bladed knife and chopped the sausage into sections. Chop. Chop. Chop. The blade made a satisfactory thump on the cutting board. What was it about Liam that had her all confused about her simple life’s rules?

‘Man trouble?’

‘Huh? Clover looked up to see Holly lounging on the doorframe. Holly looked from the knife in Clover’s hand to the small blobs of dough scattered over the bench. ‘Are you planning to make rolls for dwarves?’

Clover kept in the sound of frustration as she gathered the bits of dough and started kneading. Again.

‘I’m okay. Just couldn’t sleep last night,’ Clover said.

Holly locked her arms over her chest and rested a hip on the bench. ‘Ah-huh. Any reason you want to particularly share?’

‘No reason.’ The kiss wasn’t the problem. It was the fact she’d let him do it. Just stood there, waiting for him to plant his mouth on hers. She hadn’t the will power or the inclination to stop him. And it had been so nice to let him do it to her. So nice to feel desired, wanted. Nice to give in to what she craved. Just for a moment. A nano-second of bliss.

Then reality had stepped in. Knew where a kiss could lead and that she couldn’t let it pull her into its sweet embrace. The nagging weight of responsibility pushed on her shoulders and she had listened, like she always did. Responded by letting him walk back out her door, angry that she had let it happen in the first instance. Besides, she’d be getting into bed with the enemy. She just couldn’t do that.

[Manga Maniac Cafe] What gave you the most trouble with the story?

[Charmaine Ross] I found having a good balance of seriousness with humour. I ended up going through the book after a few edits and changed and added to scenes to add a lighter touch. It was easy to bet bogged down in Clover’s situation. I had to work at keeping the fun in the romance, after all, falling in love is fun.

[Manga Maniac Cafe] What’s one thing you won’t leave home without?

[Charmaine Ross] My e-reader! – Always handy when you have a few free moments.

[Manga Maniac Cafe] Name three things on your desk right now.

[Charmaine Ross] -Phone, empty coffee cup (have to do something about that) and an air diffuser!

[Manga Maniac Cafe] If you could trade places with anyone for just one day, who would you be?

[Charmaine Ross] Princess Kate – that girl looks good!

[Manga Maniac Cafe] You have been granted the use of one superpower for one week.  Which power would you choose, and what would you do with it?

[Charmaine Ross] I’d be a genie – in a nod of my head the house would be cleaned, the laundry done, food in the pantry, and dinner made all without me lifting a finger, then I would have all day to write more stories!

[Manga Maniac Cafe] What are some books that you enjoyed recently?

[Charmaine Ross]  Time After Time by Wendy Godding

Ruby’s Fantasy by Cathleen Ross

Chaos Bound by Rebekah Turner

Years ago the Diana Gabaldon series took me away. I DEVOURED those books. I love the Maya Banks series – that girl can write anything! I love the way Keri Arthur has made Melbourne into an alternate reality. I wished I lived in her world! I love Illona Andrews for her magical worlds and face-paced plot lines. All of our local home-grown talent. I take my hat off to you all, ladies!

[Manga Maniac Cafe] How can readers connect with you?

[Charmaine Ross] Website: www.charmaineross.com.au

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/charmaine.ross.author?ref=hl

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6534821.Charmaine_Ross

Author Bio:

I live in Upwey, a very leafy suburb of outer Melbourne. I can hear most Melbournians say, ‘where?’ Think Puffing Billy, the hills and inexcusably steep driveways and you’re there. We have a house with room for the kids to play in the backyard, the cat to sleep wherever and the husband to have his back shed.

Writing awards and Achievements:

2011: Won a five day intensive workshop – Romance Writers of Australia

2012: Finalist in the Emerald Contest – Romance Writers of Australia

2012: Double Exposure contracted with Penguin Books Australia

2012: The Colours of Sunset contracted with Penguin Books Australia

2012: Earth Angel contracted with Crimson Romance

2013: Paradise Island contracted with Crimson Romance

2013: Makeover Miracle contracted with Harlequin Escape

2013: The Haunted Mansion contracted with Harlequin Escape

2013: Four-Leaf Clover contracted with Harlequin Escape

Books:

Double Exposure
Wild At Heart
Daman’s Angel
Paradise Island

Makeover Miracle

Reviews from Goodreads reviewers:

‘Four-Leaf Clover is an adorable romance. Clover is hardworking and everything she does is for her family! I just loved her! And Liam is a nice guy. Can’t go wrong with nice and handsome. AND they are from Australia so I loved the book even more as I imagined them talking in their cute accents. *sigh* I wanted to drink coffee and eat sweets the whole time I was reading this. I liked the growth of the characters, the fact that they were honest with their feelings, and the compassion Clover has for her mother. I will recommend this book to anyone who wants a quick, sweet, romantic read.’

Clover has her own bakery business – Four Leaf Clover in a small Australian town; Liam wants to open his chain store across the street. It’s baguettes at dawn! Even though they are rivals, they are still attracted to each other. Liam and Clover develop a deep love as the book progresses. Although the romance is sweet and tender, there is also a very hot and steamy side to “Four leaf clover”. There are many obstacles for them both to overcome considering they are in competition, but they do; and it is an adorable journey of finding love. I really enjoyed this adorable book. It is filled with the sweet smell of fresh-baked bread and ground coffee. If you are looking for a tender romantic read for an afternoon- escape to small town Australia with this book. You will be left with a smile on your face.’

‘Amy Logg’s review Apr 14, 14 4 of 5 stars Read on April 12, 2014 The romance: After only a short time together, both Clover and Liam start to see that they are attracted to one another, but their trust issues prevent them from fully committing to a relationship. Clover fears that she’s just a fling to Liam, and Liam’s concerned that she may just be after his money (a thought that is planted… in his head by his father). But overtime it becomes clearer that there are true feelings between them, and watching them learn to trust and fall in love was really sweet. The Writing: The story flowed very smoothly… I really enjoyed the writing style… I love sweet and fluffy endings. FINAL WORD: Four Leaf Clover was a really sweet and endearing story. With likeable characters and warm and friendly town setting, this book is perfect for any chick lit fan.’

“I totally LOVED reading this story. Thank you for giving me the pleasure. I hope that more people feel the same way as I do about this book. Keep up the great writing. ”

“Four-Leaf Clover is a wonderful story of love between an independent woman, who only wants to take care of her ailing mother and her self while paying off a loan shark her late father borrowed money from. She has opened her dream café/bakery only to find out that directly across the street from her shop a national chain of bakeries is due to open their own newest bakery in her small town. In walks the man of her dreams catching her as she falls off a ladder. Sparks fly between them, she finds out…more Four-Leaf Clover is a wonderful story of love between an independent woman, who only wants to take care of her ailing mother and her self while paying off a loan shark her late father borrowed money from. She has opened her dream café/bakery only to find out that directly across the street from her shop a national chain of bakeries is due to open their own newest bakery in her small town. In walks the man of her dreams catching her as she falls off a ladder. Sparks fly between them, she finds out he is her enemy, in the hot flesh, Liam Sinclair. I enjoyed reading this story. It’s got tension between the two as both fight their demons while fighting their mutual attraction for one another. Not helping is Liam’s father who has a very low opinion of women, reminding him of a past mistake made (I really detested the father). I felt so good after reading this story, it’s taken me a few days before I’ve been able to start a new story.”

A sexy, sugar-laden David vs Goliath story about a local bakery, a national chain, and what really matters.

Clover Loveday has worked hard to get her café Four-Leaf Clover up and running — her ticket out of an increasingly alarming financial situation and her dream come true. When she literally falls off her ladder into the arms of sexy-as-sin Liam Sinclair. The same Liam Sinclair who owns the new bakery being built just across the road…the new store by bakery chain Upper Crust owner! Clover decides then that no matter how nauseated she is about the idea, it is best keep your enemies close, rather than leave things to fate.

Liam has never put too much thought into the competition when he opens a new outlet, other than taking their customers and strengthening the Upper Crust brand. But here in the beautiful Dandenong Ranges, Clover Loveday’s cafe is a little too close for comfort, and Clover herself a little too good-looking. So Liam asks his PA to put together a ’fact sheet’ about his new competition. He has a business to run, a father to please, and hundreds of people to keep in jobs. Surely information can keep an unwanted strong sexual pull at bay…

A sweet, caffeinated, satisfying story about unexpected temptations, forgiveness, and putting love before money.

Buy link: http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=charmaine+ross

The post Interview with Charmaine Ross, Author of Four-Leaf Clover appeared first on Manga Maniac Cafe.

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About the Series
Game of Thrones meets Narnia in this epic tale of two boys whose chance meeting leads them to a disturbing discovery: Not only are they bound by blood and prophecy, but their opposing beliefs are founded on similar lies. With adventure and romance, mysticism and cultural conflicts, this coming-of-age tales asks: What would you do if you learned everything you’ve been raised to believe is false—and those in power will do anything to stop the truth?

Book 1
In the world of Aredyrah, things are not what they seem. An ancient Purge has plunged the island into darkness, isolating its cultures by superstition and fear. Dayn lives in the northernmost region of Kirador and knows nothing of the great city-state of Tearia far to the south. All he knows is the Kiradyns are the only survivors of a god’s fiery wrath, and he looks nothing like them. Meanwhile Ruairi, a prince destined for greatness, resents his Tearian obligations, longing for a life he can never hope to have. But when tragedy takes his beauty as well as his name, he finds himself exiled by the very beliefs he once held dear. Both boys long for acceptance in societies that cling to religious ideals, but when fate throws them together, Dayn and Ruairi discover some unwelcome truths: not only are they bound by blood and prophecy, but the teachings they have been raised on are nothing more than lies. Will they reveal what they have learned, risking their lives and the security of those they love? Or will they keep silent, denying their destinies and the future enlightenment of their world?


Book 2
The Prophecy has come to life in Tearia, and the Temple wants nothing more than to see it dead. Whispers say the Unnamed One walks amongst them, and there is little doubt as to who that person is. Reiv is oblivious to the hopes turning in his direction, just as he is ignorant of a plot being waged against him. He has no time for rumors or innuendos; he is too busy trying to build a new life for himself. But the life he longs for will have to wait. A rebel movement is growing, and Reiv’s cousin Dayn has joined the insurgents in their cause.

Angered by Dayn’s involvement, Reiv reverts to his old self-serving behaviors. He wants nothing to do with prophecies or rebellions, and isn’t sure he wants anything to do with Dayn either. But when tragedy throws Reiv into new turmoil, he finds himself facing a dangerous choice. Someone he loves is dying, and there is only one chance to save him.

Will Reiv choose to be a Transcendor, fated to sacrifice his life for another? Or is he truly the Unnamed One, a hero destined for glory? One will save the life of an individual, the other that of an entire kingdom.

---

Interview

I asked Tracy to answer some fun questions about herself and her series. I hope  you enjoy her answers.

To write a series or not...What was the motivation/reason behind writing a series? Did you set out to do that or was it something that just came about? Would you ever write another series?


insert questions

---

Book 3
The saga of Aredyrah continues as Dayn and Alicine return to Kirador to find things very different from when they left. Their house has been ransacked, their parents missing, and evidence of spell work has put a price on Dayn’s head. Frightened, they go to the nearest place they know of: the homestead of Haskel, a man who has never been accepting of Dayn’s differences, and even less so of his own son’s.

Back in Tearia, Reiv has settled into the quiet life of a Shell Seeker. But while the rhythm of his routine is calm, the longings of his heart are not. He turns to Cora, an eye-catching girl who has also drawn the attentions of Lyal, a man whose hatred of Reiv goes far beyond jealously. But romance is the least of Reiv’s worries. A terrible plague is spreading, and Reiv’s brother, the King, is determined to burn it from the land—even if it means killing innocents along the way.

While Reiv risks annihilation by Tearia’s increasingly brutal king, Dayn suffers challenges of his own. His disappearance from Kirador months before not only ended the existence he once knew, but started a witch hunt that threatens his safety and the survival of his clan.

Both Dayn and Reiv find themselves facing a difficult choice: Leave their homelands in order to save themselves and those they love, or stay and fight an evil they cannot hope to defeat.


Book 4
In this final installment of the award-winning Souls of Aredyrah series, Dayn and Reiv find themselves facing an old foe and falling into the trap of a new one. Struggling to make their way home through a bitter landscape, they soon discover they are not alone. A tribe known as the Taubastets has captured them in a life-or-death scenario, and the tribe’s chief is determined that one of them must be sacrificed. When a young warrior named Tyym vows to see them home, they face decisions that will not only affect their survival, but the spiritual salvation of their world.

While Reiv, Dayn, and Tyym navigate a web of conspiracy and doubt, Dayn’s sister Alicine struggles with loss and the impending threat of invasion. The king of Tearia has not abandoned his quest to slay them, and his seemingly unstoppable army is nearly through the pass. But when Tyym enters the scene, hope is rekindled. Even Alicine cannot deny the charisma of the mysterious warrior who has wormed his way into their lives, and into her heart.

The game is in play. A traitor is in their midst. Can the souls of Aredyrah hope to defeat a monster disguised as a king? Or will they succumb to a darkness beyond their understanding?

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Tracy A. Akers is a former language arts teacher and an award-winning author. She grew up in Arlington, Texas, but currently lives in Florida with her husband, three naughty pugs, and a feisty chihuahua. She graduated with honors from the University of South Florida with a degree in Education, and has taught in both public and private schools. She currently divides her time between writing, lecturing, spending time with her family, and costuming at fantasy and science fiction conventions.

Ms. Akers has won numerous awards for her Souls of Aredyrah fantasy series for young adults. As a Florida Book Awards winner, she was acknowledged for her contribution to YA literature by the Governor of Florida during the 2008 Florida Heritage Month Awards Ceremony. Books One and Two of the Aredyrah Series are included in the Florida Department of Education’s 2008 Just Read Families Recommended Summer Reading List. In addition, Ms. Akers has been an invited guest author at major book events and writers’ conferences, a panelist at fantasy and science fiction conventions, and was on the steering committee for Celebration of the Story, a literary event held at Saint Leo University.

The Souls of Aredyrah Series is Ms. Akers’ first series of novels for young adults.

Website  |  Facebook  |  Twitter  |  Goodreads

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$25 Amazon.com or BN.com Gift Card giveaway Ends 05/31/2014. Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com or BN.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kisha from Indie Hoopla Services & Promotions, http://indiehoopla.com and sponsored by the author. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.
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BLIND FAITH by Rebecca Zanetti (May 6, 2014; Forever E-Book)

A betrayal he couldn’t forget…

For Nate Dean, love is a four-letter word. As part of a secret black-ops military unit, he and his brothers were genetically engineered by the government to be ruthless soldiers with an expiration date. They were loyal only to one another . . . until Nate laid eyes on the woman who stole his heart and blew his world apart. Now, years later, his family is still paying the price for his mistake. But as time runs out, there’s only one person who can save his family: the very woman Nate swore he’d never trust again.

A love she couldn’t deny…

The moment Audrey Madison spies Nate across a crowded ballroom, she can barely breathe. He’s just as undeniably sexy as she remembers, yet there’s an edge to him now that’s as irresistible as it is dangerous. When he asks for her help, Audrey can’t refuse. But she has secrets of her own-secrets that, if Nate ever discovers them, may cost them both their lives . . .

Buy Links:

Amazon

B&N

iTunes

 

About the author:

New York Times bestselling author Rebecca Zanetti has worked as an art curator, Senate aide, lawyer, college professor, and a hearing examiner – only to culminate it all in stories about Alpha males and the women who claim them. She is a member of RWA, has won awards for her works throughout the industry, and has a journalism degree with a poly sci emphasis from Pepperdine University as well as a Juris Doctorate from the University of Idaho.

Growing up amid the glorious backdrops and winter wonderlands of the Pacific Northwest has given Rebecca fantastic scenery and adventures to weave into her stories. She resides in the wild north with her husband, children, and extended family who inspire her every day-or at the very least give her plenty of characters to write about.

Social Media Links:

Website

Facebook

Twitter

Goodreads

“Let’s dance.” He turned her toward the dance floor.

She balked. “No.” God. She couldn’t dance with him, couldn’t be touched by him.

“Yes.” His hold slid down to the back of her elbow, and he ushered her toward where the orchestra was playing “I Will Wait for You” by Michel Legrand. The warmth in Nate’s touch flared her nerves to life in an erotic need she’d worked hard to overcome.

She could either cause a scene or go along with him. Didn’t he understand if she protested, he’d be a dead man?

He turned and pulled her into his arms.

The bittersweet moment her body met his stole her breath away, while memories of passion and love assailed her. For the briefest of times, she’d belonged in the safe circle of his arms. The only time in her life she’d been truly happy and not alone. Ah, the dreams she’d spun, even though she’d known better.

Happily ever after didn’t exist for her. Hell, it didn’t exist for anybody.

The music wound around them, through them, proclaiming a romance that couldn’t really exist. His heated palm settled at the small of her waist.

Every instinct she had tempted her to slide against him, to burrow into his warmth. Her mind fought to keep her body calm, but her brain had never triumphed when dealing with Nathan. Her heart had ruled, and in the end had been completely broken.

Not again.

“Nate—”

“Shhh.” He tightened his hold and drew her into an impressive erection.

She gasped, her face heating, her sex convulsing. Blinking, she glanced up in confusion to see if he was as affected as she was and stilled at the look in his eyes.

Furious. The man was truly furious. Even with the contacts masking his eyes, his anger shone bright.

She tried to step back and didn’t move. Yeah, she knew she’d hurt him when she’d ended their relationship, but after nearly five years, he shouldn’t still be so mad. He’d had freedom for five years, which was a hell of a lot better than she’d had. She’d had pain and fear and uncertainty. She blinked. “What is wrong with you?”

His impossibly hard jaw somehow hardened even more. “Oh, we’ll discuss that shortly.” Threat lived strongly in the calm words. “For now, we’re going to finish this dance. Then you’ll take the north exit and meet me in my car so we can talk.”

“If I don’t?” she asked quietly, wings fluttering through her abdomen.

His hold tightened imperceptibly. “I know where you live, I know your daily routine in working for Senator Nash, and I know where you go when you need time alone. You can’t hide, you can’t outrun me—and you know it.”

The hairs on the back of her neck rose. “How long have you been watching me?” More importantly, why hadn’t she noticed?

“A week. Long enough to know the two apes toward the doorway are following you, too. What’s up with that?” His hold tightened just enough to show his strength.

She shrugged. “They haven’t made a move, so I’m not worrying about it.” Not true, and by the narrowing of Nate’s eyes, he could still smell a lie a mile away. “The commander is having me followed.”

Nate’s jaw clenched. “Why?”

“Dunno.” They didn’t have time to discuss it. “You should go now,”

“No” He spun her, easily controlling their movements.

Her leg hitched, and she stumbled against him.

He frowned. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.” None of his damn business, that was. “What do you want to talk about?”

His gaze narrowed, and he spun her again. She tripped again. Her damn leg didn’t move that way. She glanced toward the doorway and the two soldiers watching her. They’d straightened to alert stances. Damn it.

“What’s wrong with your leg?” Nate asked, brows furrowing.

Oh, they were so not going into her injuries on the dance floor. “You almost sound like you care.” She threw his words back at him, gratified when his nostrils flared in irritation.

His gaze probed deep, wandering down her neck. He blinked several times, his chest moving with a harsh intake of breath. “I like your dress,” he rumbled, his voice a low whisper.

With his tight hold, she had no doubt the tops of her breasts were visible. “Nathan, don’t—”

“Don’t what?” His gaze rose to her lips. A light of a different sort filtered through his angry eyes. She knew that look. Her body heated and her thighs softened. His erection jumped against her, and she bit down a groan.

“One kiss, Audrey.”

Her eyes widened to let in more light. “No,” she breathed. One of his hands held hers, the other pressed against her back. Thank goodness. He couldn’t grab her and kiss her, no matter how appealing the thought. “Bad idea.”

“I know.” Nate didn’t need hands. His lips met hers so quickly, she never saw him move.

His mouth covered hers with no hesitancy, no question—as if he had every right to go deep. His tongue was savage and demanding, holding nothing back and accepting no evasion. He tasted of loneliness, anger, and lust. Hard, needy, demanding lust.

The men at the door were watching.

But her body didn’t care—instantly igniting instead of pushing away. Her heart thundered in her ears, and she fell into his heat, uncaring of whether or not he caught her. He wrapped around her, his unyielding body holding her upright. He caressed her with his tongue, and she met him thrust for thrust, fierce pleasure lighting her on fire.

She forgot where they were, who they were, everything but the desperate need he created.

He broke the kiss, blatant male hunger crossing his face. His breath panted out even as he moved them in tune with the music.

She softened against him, allowing him to lead so she didn’t collapse. Her mind whirled, and she shook her head to regain reality. “Nathan, what do you want?” The question emerged as a breathless plea she couldn’t mask.

That quickly, all hints of desire slid from his face. His chin hardened. “Want? I want to know what happened to the child you were carrying five years ago when you ripped out my heart. Where’s my baby, Audrey?”

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The post Spotlight and Giveaway-Blind Faith by Rebecca Zanetti appeared first on Manga Maniac Cafe.

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April 2014 President’s Report
The Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) is a national organization of librarians, library workers, and advocates whose mission is to expand and strengthen library services for teens, aged 12-18. Through its member-driven advocacy, research, and professional development initiatives YALSA builds the capacity of libraries and librarians to engage, serve, and empower teens.

Activities

• Helped to plan a monthly chat with the Board of Directors on YALSA’s fiscal status and FY15 priorities. Thank you to Fiscal Officer Pam Spencer Holly and Beth Yoke for helpful overviews and updates.
• Facilitated the bi-annual conference call with the YALSA Executive Committee. Agenda and minutes can be accessed here.
• Led planning calls with the Past and President-Elect, as well as the Chair of the Strategic Planning Committee.
• Worked with the Executive Committee, the Executive Director, and the Communications Managers to select an incoming YALSA Blog Manager. Congratulations to Crystle Martin and many thanks to all of the amazing applicants.
• Held virtual discussion and voted on an updated petition candidates process. Interested in submitting your name to the 2015 awards or governance slate? You can also submit a nominating form.
• Participated in an interview on the current state of GLBTQ Literature for Teens with a graduate student in journalism from Northwestern.

Updates

• The deadline for Dollar General Literacy Foundation grants to support Teen Read Week activities is June 1^st. YALSA will offer ten $1,000 grants which recognize outstanding TRW activities.
• YALSA is offering two stipends for members to attend the Young Adult Literature Symposium in Austin. Applications are due June 15^th.
• Still gearing up for summer? Join YALSA’s Summer Reading and Learning Ning to check out free webinars, resources, recommending lists and more.
• Looking for a little professional development on your lunch break? YALSA has over 40 on-demand webinars that are free to members.
• Share your awesomeness with your colleagues! Fill out the member spotlight to be featured in an upcoming YALSA e-news bulletin.

Gratitude

• Congratulations to the newly elected awards and governance leaders and many thanks to all of the candidates for their willingness to run.
• Three cheers to everyone who took action on behalf of teens and libraries during National Library Legislative Day, our voices are stronger together!
• High fives to the hard working Teens Top Ten reading groups and their coordinators for working hard to select this year’s stellar nomination list.

In March membership was at 5,134, which off -.5% over this time last year. Donations for March totaled $70.

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Las Vegas, NV May 12,2014 – Award-winning children’s picture book author and illustrator Kenneth Lamug hopes to reignite the all-ages genre with the first of an interactive series.

The Tall Tales of Talbot Toluca – The Quest For the Ore Crystals combines the high impact visuals of comics while engaging the reader with Where’s Waldo-like hidden object games, mazes and puzzles.

After discovering a secret lab right under their school, Talbot and his friends must now take the responsibility of protecting the lab at all costs. Unfortunately, the evil scientist Dr. Kadoom makes a comeback from another dimension with the aim of total world destruction.

“I want readers to be part of the adventure and solve problems alongside the characters,” says Lamug. “This is a story, yet it’s also a game about problem-solving and exploration. It’s all about immersing in the quest. This book is only a small piece of the puzzle to the entire Talbot Tales.”

Each hidden-object center spread can take up to a month to draw and color, and that’s not including the puzzles and story panels. Lamug plans up to seven spreads with six already completed. He believes this unique format separates his Talbot series from the rest.

His previous book, A Box Story, garnered four awards in its first year, an unexpected accomplishment for a first title. Lamug hopes that adults and kids alike will respond in a positive way to this new book and seek out comics as a new medium for interactive content.

Talbot Toluca’s Kickstarter campaign starts Monday, May 12^th, and will run through June 10^th, 2014.

To learn more about the comic and its author, visit www.talbottoluca.com.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/rabbleboy/the-tall-tales-of-talbot-toluca-quest-for-the-ore

 

 

Contact:
Kenneth Lamug
[email protected]
702.518.8894
www.rabbleboy.com
www.talbottoluca.com

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I will be attending BookExpo America this year and I'm very excited!

As in past years, I'll be recording interviews for The Book of Life, and I'll be talking to publishers about the Sydney Taylor Book Award (I'm past chair of the award committee, so I like to promote it whenever I can).

Here's a message from the current awards chair, Diane Rauchwerger, for all you publishers out there:

Entries are now being considered for the 2015 Sydney Taylor Award, which recognizes the best children's literature of Jewish content. We would like to invite you to submit any children's books with a 2014 copyright that meets the criteria below. In order to be considered, a review copy must be sent to each of the nine members of the Sydney Taylor Book Award Committee. No application form is necessary; simply mail the books to each member in a package labeled "Sydney Taylor Book Award Submission."

The awards will be announced in January, 2015. To ensure that the committee has enough time to evaluate all of the submissions, there is no guarantee that books received after November 30, 2014 will be considered for the awards. Please send submissions as soon as they are available. The committee is happy to receive a pre-publication version while waiting for the bound book.

The criteria used to evaluate books for the Sydney Taylor Book Award are:

1. The book has literary merit.

2. The book has positive or authentic Jewish religious or cultural content.

3. The book is appropriate for the intended grade level in style, vocabulary, format, and illustration.

4. Whether fiction or nonfiction, the book is solidly rooted in authentic and accurate detail through scholarship and research by the author.

5. Textbooks and reprints are not eligible, although revised editions and re-illustrated editions are eligible.

You can read about past years' awards at the www.SydneyTaylorBookAward.org, a section of the website of the Association of Jewish Libraries. Please feel free to contact me with any questions. The committee looks forward to evaluating your new books.

Sincerely,

Diane Rauchwerger, Chair
Sydney Taylor Book Award Committee
The Association of Jewish Libraries
[email protected]

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The above illustration was sent in by Heather Dent. Heather is an illustrator from Berea, KY. She likes to use watercolors, but has recently discovered the wonderful paper collage genre that works really well for her style. When Heather is not hard at work on her illustrations she is playing disc golf, reading novels, or playing dinosaurs with her 3 year old son. Her blog is: http://heatherdentstudio.blogspot.com/

Discover Great New Writers Selection Process

Filed under: Competition, Contest, inspiration, need to know, opportunity, Publishing Industry Tagged: Authors with less than three books, Barnes and Noble Great New Writers Contest, Discover Writers

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Welcome to this week's round-up, and Happy Mother's Day to all those who celebrate it.   I am celebrating it by cleaning up after my children, in particular cleaning up after my 11 year old's birthday party, which is the reason I'm late getting this post up. 

But I would like to take this opportunity to thank my own mother (not that she reads my blog) for reading me The Silmarilian.   Lots of parents read The Hobbit to their kids, many read The Lord of the Rings, but only really special mothers (with special children) read every word of The Silmarilian (which is something I haven't done, but in fairness, it was easier/more interesting for my mother to do it because it was her first time reading it too). 

In any event.

The Reviews:

The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents, by Terry Pratchett, at Fantasy Literature

Ancient Fire, by Mark London Williams, at Charlotte's Library

The Bravest Princess, by E.D. Baker, at Ms. Yingling Reads

The Castle Behind Thorns, by Merrie Haskell, at Log Cabin Library

The Door, by Andy Marino, at On Starships and Dragon Wings

Dragon Slippers, by Jessica Day George, at On Starships and Dragon Wings

The Dyerville Tales, by M.P. Kozlowsky, at Page In Training
and The Book Monsters

The Forbidden Library, by Django Wexler, at Bestfantasybooks

The Ghosts of Tupelo Landing, by Sheila Turnage, at Semicolon

Gregor and the Curse of the Warmbloods, by Suzanne Collins, at Fyrefly's Book Blog

The Hero's Guide to Being an Outlaw, by Christopher Healey, at The Book Monsters and Sharon the Librarian

The Invisible Order, by Paul Crilley, at The Book Brownie

The Islands of Chaldea, by Diana Wynne Jones and Ursula Jones, at Librarian of Snark 

The Little White Horse, by Elizabeth Goudge, at Tor

The Mark of the Dragonfly, by Jaleigh Johnson, at Nerdy Book Club

The Night Gardener, by Jonathan Auxier, at Waking Brain Cells, The Book Monsters, and Karissa's Reading Review

Nightingale's Nest, by Nikki Loftin, at Geo Librarian

The Peculiar, by Stefan Bachmann, at Librarian of Snark

The Riverman, by Aaron Starmer, at Kid Lit Geek

The Shadow Throne, by Jennifer Nielsen, at Reads For Keeps

Stonewall Hinkleman and the Battle of Bull Run, by Michael Hemphill and Sam Riddleburger, at Madigan Reads

The Thickety, by J.A. White, at The Social Potato

Three Pickled Herrings (Wings and Co.), by Sally Gardner, at Wondrous Reads

The Unicorn Thief, by R.R. Russell, at Word Spelunking

Two Rumplestiltskin retelligs at thebookshelfgargoyle



Authors and Interviews

M.P.  Kozlowsky (The Dyerville Tales) at The Book Monsters and The Haunting of Orchid Forsythia (giveaways)

Nikki Loftin (Nightingale's Nest) at The Book Cellar

R.R. Russell (The Unicorn Thief) at Wondrous Reads 

Daniel Nanavati (Midrak Earthshaker) Carpinello's Writing Pages


Other Good Stuff

The finalists for the Locus Awards (chosen by readers of Locus Magazine) have been announced, and here are the Young Adult finalists, which include two that are more Middle Grade:
 

Save the date!  June 6-8 is the 9th Annual 48 Hour Book Challenge, organized by MotherReader.  To continue the momentum of #WeNeedDiverseBooks, this year's challenge is "dedicated to reading, sharing and reviewing books that show diversity in all ways."

And speaking of links, here's a lovely roundup of book diversity links at Jen Robinson's Book Page 

Thoughts on boys and fairy tale movies and gendered merchandise at Once Upon a Blog (my response is to advocate keeping children away from merchandising altogether, raising them in a world as far away as possible from the pressures of late stage capitalism... although I did just buy a Lego Movie tie in lego set.....).

The latest issue of Middle Shelf Magazine is out, with lots of good spec. fic. content.



Thanks for stopping by, and please let me know if I missed your post!

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By Maribel Lechuga

If you don’t know, the Friends of YALSA funds a $1000 travel stipend to attend National Library Legislative Day (NLLD) in Washington, D.C. This May, I was one of three recipients who had the opportunity to advocate for teens and engage in the legislative process by lobbying for libraries. I had no clue about this process but was motivated to apply for the stipend to practice advocacy in a broader arena, expand my understanding of library issues beyond those in my own branch and library system, and visit Washington D.C. for the first time ever!

I felt nervous to converse with my state Senators and Representatives but was not unprepared. ALA spends an entire day prior to NLLD briefing every participant on key issues. I was also fortunate to work with my state delegation, Washington Library Association President, Nancy Ledeboer and John Sheller, King County Library Manager, both fabulous teachers and partners in this process. I came to understand that the congressional staff that we met are probably inundated with key issues brought forth by many organizations each day. I learned that as a Youth Services Librarian, I was able to offer specific examples and frontline stories about how libraries foster learning, personal and professional development, social opportunities, and refuge for teens, children, and families.

The NLLD is one of several opportunities that YALSA offers its members to grow professionally. And frontline stories like yours are needed to help others relate to and remember what libraries do for teens. For more information about NLLD 2015 and other YALSA awards, grants, and scholarships, go to http://www.ala.org/yalsa/awardsandgrants/yalsaawardsgrants

Please consider giving to Friends of YALSA support more professional opportunities like this.

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