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I am happy to announce that Ang and I will both be presenting and signing at this year’s Decatur Book Festival, near Atlanta, Georgia.

In fact, I designed this year’s Bookzilla poster for the event, which I will be happy to sign!

Details for the festival are at the official site (including a list of other attending authors such as Jon Scieszka, Loren Long and Tom Angleberger).

If you can’t make this event, fear not, for I shall be adding select dates this fall as I travel to support the upcoming picture book, The Adventures of Luke Skywalker, Jedi Knight. Stay tuned.

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I was invited to visit three separate After School Programs this week for United Cerebral Palsy of South Florida. This generous organization serves over 1,800 children and adults in South Florida with Cerebral Palsy, Down syndrome, autism, spina bifida, prematurity, hearing, intellectual disabilities and speech delays with a variety of programs such as occupational, speech and music therapy, skills courses, respite care, counseling, after care and much more.

I discovered that most authors decline invitations to visit organizations that serve those with special needs. I suppose it is because they feel their books are not geared toward that type of audience. I was happy to visit these children knowing  they would simply enjoy listening to my cartoon voices, looking at the colorful pictures and dancing to the music. Some may not understand the story I am telling, but that’s not what enrichment is all about.

All the participants enjoy my world map and were proud to use the pointer to show others where their favorite places are in the world.

We learn about the animals of the Costa Rican rainforest.

The kids cheer when I tell them the book is recorded on CD with music and sound effects, and of course they want to know all about the story.

What I realized this week while spending time with the program participants is that they teach us how to live in the moment and be truly happy from the inside out. Dancing is the best!!!

And they sure like to give great hugs!

Teacher, Mr. Albert wanted to get in on the hug action too! LOL!

Ah, learning about the magic of watercolor pencils!

The teachers and assistants who work in the UCP After School Programs are equally as inspiring as the children. Their energy, dedication and love for what they do are truly remarkable. I wish to thank Allyson Nanny for inviting me and Site Directors Pat McGee and Lakeya Hariott as well as all the other wonderful staff members.

For more information about UCP programs, be sure to visit the United Cerebral Palsy of South Florida website.

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The Battle for WondLa tour is over, and though I am exhausted from travel, I also feel honored, blessed and inspired.

My tour began in Southern California where I visited the Children’s Hospital Los Angeles with WondLa’s audiobook reader and award-winning actress, Teri Hatcher.

From LA, I traveled east visiting bookstores in Phoenix, Kansas City, Austin, Atlanta, Chicago, Milwaukee and even in my town in Western Massachusetts. I spoke at numerous schools and connected with scores of readers. We chatted mostly about stories and some of our favorite books and characters.

In a couple of stops, authors came to support me–like Adam Gidwitz (below, center) posing with Topher Bradfield (left) after my event at Austin’s premier indie shop, BookPeople.

To be honest, travel wears me down and it is tough being away from home, my wife and daughter. But the families who took the time to come and see me speak validated why I do this and inspired me (especially when my public event fell on a school night). I don’t usually stop to ponder how many lives my books touch, so I was often overwhelmed with emotion by the turnouts at my events. I was moved by the kind words and wonderful gifts given to me after readers had waited in a long line to have their book signed.

So, for today’s “Friday Fan Art”, I thought I’d share some of the amazing drawings, and other goodies, that were given to me while on the road. Check out Aeden (above), who delivered a whole mess of artwork from Spiderwick to WondLa.

Them there was Medelyn who brought me this lovely sketch of Eva Nine at Anderson’s Bookshop in Naperville.

At Little Shop of Stories, near Atlanta, recent art school grad, Katie, gave me this wonderful watercolor of Eva and Rovee.

I love Austin and was blown away by the talent during my visit to BookPeople. This is a Bull Goblin, from The Spiderwick Chronicles, made from felt!

In fact, Tomoko, one of the booksellers at BookPeople created this beautiful image from the climax of A Hero for WondLa.

In Milwaukee, I was given “Christopher the Cupboard Pixie” from Janice who runs an Etsy shop called Sew Sweet Monsters. Christopher now watches over my books in the studio,

Back in Mass, Rob and his son, Ben, are both artist. They gave me drawings of their favorite characters from the WondLa books.

These little tokens of appreciation will all be cherished. It is surreal and inspiring to see others celebrate my characters through their art.

Thank you for coming out and making this tour so memorable for me. I hope to see you again, next time.

Keep dreaming, keep drawing.

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COMIX! I'm on sabbatical for the year.  While I will be making various appearances in Europe and beyond, mostly I'll be spending time at the home base in Paris, France drawing and doodling.   You can check out my experiments over at Universal U-Click for a comic-strip-doodle-thingie called PARIS DOODLES . The strip runs drawings, dining room dinner doodles, and photos on weekdays.

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COMIX! I'm on sabbatical for the year.  While I will be making various appearances in Europe and beyond, mostly I'll be spending time at the home base in Paris, France drawing and doodling.   You can check out my experiments over at Universal U-Click for a comic-strip-doodle-thingie called PARIS DOODLES . The strip runs drawings, dining room dinner doodles, and photos on weekdays.

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Angela and I will be presenting and signing at the LA Times Festival of Books on Saturday, April 12th, at the University of Southern California.

The presentation schedule is here and we will both be signing throughout the day.  I am on a panel discussion at 1:30 p.m. titled “Young Adult Fantasy: Worlds Beyond Imagination” along with Kelley Armstrong, Rachel Hawkins and Neal Shusterman. There will be a signing afterwards. Also, you can check in at the Simon & Schuster booth for my additional signing times.

Seeya there!

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BIRDth-DAY! April 1st marks the 11th anniversary of the publication of my first book, Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! Because of the support of Librarians, Teachers, Parents, Grand-Parents, and Fans the last 11 years have been a wonderful ride filled with opportunities for me to write, draw, and meet fantastic kids and grown-ups all over the world. Thank you for this gift.

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I’ve finally received my May tour dates to support the fantastic finale to the WondLa trilogy.

My presentation includes drawing and discussing how the WondLa books came to be. Attendees will receive the third limited edition WondLa sketchbook for free. And, of course, I will sign just about any book (or gaming materials) that you bring – though different stores have different signing policies, so its best to check with them beforehand.

As well, Angela and I will both be attending the LA Times Festival of Books in April at the USC campus. Though The Battle of WondLa will not be available for sale then, I will be signing all my previous titles. Hopefully I’ll see you there!

PS – I am hoping to add some additional dates for our local friends in Massachusetts, so stay tuned…

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 COMIX! I'm on sabbatical for the year.  While I will be making various appearances in Europe and beyond, mostly I'll be spending time at the home base in Paris, France drawing and doodling.   You can check out my experiments over at Universal U-Click for a comic-strip-doodle-thingie called PARIS DOODLES . The strip runs drawings, dining room dinner doodles, and photos on weekdays.

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The schedule has been posted, the streets of Charleston cordoned off, and locals are hiding their cookie jars because the authors are coming to town!

 

Here’s the schedule for this weekend’s festivities, but I’ll point out a few things I’ll be involved in below (The Storyball will be particularly nuts):

SATURDAY NOV. 9TH PANELS

1PM

CMH: THE MIDDLE GRADE STORYBALL Pseudonymous Bosch, Adam Gidwitz, Lisi Harrison, Alexander London, Lisa McMann, Barnabas Miller, Lauren Oliver, Carrie Ryan, Natalie Standiford, JE Thompson, Sean Williams (All Middle Grade Authors will be on stage!) Moderator: Matthew Cody

4PM

BALLROOM: WRITING FOR KIDS Matthew Cody, Adam Gidwitz, Lisa McMann, Carrie Ryan,, C. Alexander London Moderator: Pseudonymous Bosch

6PM

CMH: YA Smackdown SOLD OUT

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I’m currently in lovely Saratoga Springs visiting the equally lovely Northshire Bookstore, but I wanted to take a moment from the road and share this very nice review from The Bulletin. They say so many nice things I’m going all blushy.

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I learned something interesting as soon as I walked into Binks Forest Elementary School in Wellington, FL. The school and the area surrounding it got its name “Binks,” because it was the nickname of the man who used to own the land there. I also couldn’t help but be impressed with how helpful the staff was as soon as I opened the front door. Several smiling people helped me drag my books and props in and out, and they couldn’t be any friendlier.

Well to say the least, this was a very special author visit, as I did two presentations with 500 students in each group! Talk about an energetic crowd!!! You never know what will get kids going, and every author visit I do is different. Well, when the 2nd-5th graders learned that many trees are planted by birds because they poop out the seeds, this caused a hilarious uproar that lasted some time. Naturally it put a huge smile on my face.

With the school’s terrific technology I was able to show my animal posters on a big screen so the crowd could see them better. I was asked some terrific questions about those animals, and one 4th grader let me know he had just been to Costa Rica, where he saw a Howler monkey!

One of the highlights of this visit was telling the children that the paintbrushes I used for my illustrations belonged to my grandfather, and I’ve kept them for 30 years. They sure do love watching the magic of watercolor pencils blending with just a touch of water on a brush.

The students are always shocked when I give them statistics on how “Geography Illiterate” Americans really are. I encouraged them to ask for a wall map for the holidays or their birthday. They’re very affordable, and oh so fun to look at and learn about the world.

Media Specialist Sharon Wedgworth absolutely loves her job and it shows! Her library is big and inviting and the students are welcome to browse the shelves at various times throughout the day. She works with readers of all levels and comes up with creative ways of motivating reluctant readers.

Tell me you wouldn’t want to linger in this library for a few hours! Notice the pile of Lilly Badilly books on the table I autographed.

Binks Forest Elementary’s music teacher, Devon Heinrichs has an incredible music program and provides the children with live performances from every genre of music. His classroom is full of interesting instruments, and his students are so fortunate to benefit from his passion for music. It’s teachers like Mr. Heinrichs who can inspire a child to master a musical instrument or sing like Broadway star. And we all know how much music ability and math success go hand in hand.

Music is not the only wonderful part of the Fine Arts classes at Binks Elementary. Check out these impressive painted self-portrait tiles made by students a few years back.

There are many aspects to being a children’s book author that make it so fulfilling. Without a doubt, one of the best parts is visiting a harmonious school, where the teachers truly care, the parents are hands on, the students are curious, and the resources are abundant. Binks Forest is one of those schools, and how lucky these students are to have the privilege of attending!

Thank you Mrs. Wedgworth for inviting me to your school and putting together such a well organized event. Thank you, too, to all the teachers I met, who were so kind and welcoming.  And of course, I must express my gratitude for 1,000 beautiful, smiling, giggling children, who were eager to learn and who told me how much they enjoyed the visit.

 

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I’ll be traveling the country this fall talking about Will in Scarlet to any vagabonds and scallywags that will listen! Below is the schedule of where you can find me and when. Be sure to check back for updates as we get closer to the actual dates!

Huzzah!

Friday, October 4^th

Voracious Reader (Larchmont, NY)

 

Sunday, October 13^th

New York Comic-Con

 

Tuesday, October 15^th 

Lemuria Books (Jackson, MS)

 

Thursday, October 17^th

The Country Bookshop (Southern Pines, NC)

 

Friday, October 18^th

McIntyre’s Books (Chapel Hill, NC)

 

Saturday, October 19^th

Barnes & Noble (Cary, NC)

 

Sunday, October 20^th

Barnes & Noble (Skokie, IL)

 

Monday, October 21^st

Anderson’s Bookshop (Downer’s Grove, IL)

 

Tuesday, October 22^nd

The Book Stall (Winnetka, IL)

 

Saturday, October 26^th

Books of Wonder (New York City, NY)

 

Friday, November 1^st

The Center for Fiction (New York – not open to the public)

 

Sunday, November 3^rd

Northshire Bookstore (Saratoga, NY)

 

Saturday, November 9th

YALLFest (Charleston, SC)

 

 

 

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Tonight I returned to Liberty Park Elementary for my 5th author visit!

Liberty Park Elementary in Palm Beach County is passionate about books, so it’s no wonder that students and parents love to flock to their beautiful library for Literacy Night. Tonight’s theme was “Reading Oasis: A Cool Place to Discover Hot New Books!” What was really cool about this event is that parent volunteers came to read books to the children in different classrooms.

Tonight I spoke to a classroom full of very curious and perfectly behaved fourth and fifth graders. It was a nice, small group so we were able to interact a lot. It never ceases to amaze me how much the children know about animals and the environment. They even knew definitions to vocabulary words that even surprised their teacher!

What seems to interest the students the most wherever I go is learning about how watercolor pencils work as I run a wet paintbrush through the colors and they see how they blend together. The beauty of speaking to this age group is that they can understand more about the process of publishing a book, and I love to share that experience with them. They were also eager to get up to the maps and play the geography game.

Where is the Gulf of Mexico and what is the name of the hurricane that devastated New Orleans?

I’ve been to so many schools in the past five years and I can tell you that Liberty Park is outstanding. This is a school with such dedicated teachers and administration. You can sense that in the way everyone works together and strives for excellence in teaching their students. The library is beautiful, much like a classy book store, and the lovely classrooms are perfect settings for learning.

I send a big thank you to Media Specialist Michaelina Oliva, who worked so hard to organize tonight’s event and invite me back to the school for the 5th time! She makes me feel so special and welcomed, and I so appreciate it! It takes a lot of planning and physical work to keep a library like that updated and also to put together a big literacy event such as this one together. Another thank you goes to fourth grade teacher, Ms. Ali was so kind and even helped me drag my big maps back to the car. I’d also like to thank Principal Joseph Schneider, who is the most friendly and hands-on principal anyone could ever ask for.

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WriteOnCon begins today. If you're a kidlit writer, editors, agents, and authors are lined up to help YOU!

From the WriteOnCon website:

WriteOnCon is a FREE Online Children’s Writers Conference (rated MC-18, for Main Characters under 18 only) created by writers, for writers. Attendees don’t need to take time off work, travel, or spend a truckload of money. They can enjoy the conference from the convenience of their own homes, for free—and the schedule is designed around working hours. (Transcripts are also available of the entire conference, should anyone have to miss part of it.) And everything for the conference takes place within this website, which means everyone with basic Internet access will be able to participate in all aspects of the conference—no additional software or technology required.

During the conference, keynote addresses, agent panels, and lectures are presented as blogs, vlogs, moderated chats, webinars, podcasts, and livestreaming. There is also a critique forum, where participants can post query letters and writing samples to receive helpful feedback and comments from their peers and industry professionals. And, as if that weren’t exciting enough, there are also daily contests, giving random winners everything from books to personalized critiques from agents.

Don't miss it. Hop on over. Registration is easy. Let the inspiration begin!
http://writeoncon.com/

Oh, and by the way, my session "Does Your Picture Book Premise Have Power?" with a chance to win a PB critique is part of today's lineup!

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Pure joy = being hugged by a group of 40 happy K-1st graders who have all made me gifts!

Yesterday I was reminded that being a children’s book author is a privilege to be treasured. I visited two After School Programs Inc. in SW Miami-Dade. As I stood before all those smiling faces who had been reading Lilly Badilly and listening to the CD for a few days before I arrived, I could feel their excitement and eagerness to learn. Kids are indeed like sponges waiting to soak in the world around them. And when they read my book and listen to the CD before I arrive, it makes the author visit all that more special.

I love it when the kids are eager to ask questions and share personal stories, and the behavior of these kids was PERFECT!

For starters, After School Programs, Inc serves thousands of children daily in Broward, Miami-Dade, Collier and Orange Counties. I instantly felt connected to the local Program Director Nikki Elliot, who hired me to do the author visits. Her energy, dedication and vision for educating the many children in the After School Programs is to be highly commended. She travels through Broward and Miami-Dade Counties from end to end every week, ensuring that the teams have what they need to thrive. She is a wealth of terrific ideas and realistic solutions. Likewise, the Site Directors, Ms. Moorley and Ms. Clark, running the programs at the two schools I attended, were wonderful too. The grant-based resources the organization provides, offers children in our communities opportunities that may not be available otherwise to learn and thrive. I love the fact that After School Programs uses their time with the children to educate them beyond the general school day, yet in a ways that are also entertaining and enriching.

The children love it when I show them the paint brushes, given to me many years ago by my late grandfather, I used for my illustrations in the book.

I’m disappointed that there’s more negative than positive information in the press about education in Miami-Dade in general. From where I stand I see dedicated, caring and patient teachers and aides in our schools, camps and after care programs, who work tirelessly to educate our children and ensure their safety. Teachers and administrators obviously cannot control the home environments of the children, but they can and do work miracles; I see it all the time. If only our residents could experience what transpires where children are being educated, they too would be more appreciative of those who care for them on  a daily basis and discover that there is a whole lot of good out there.

Highlights of the day included dancing and shaking our booties, being asked by a 2nd grader how I got so famous (I wish!!), being given stacks of hand drawn thank you notes and Costa Rica illustrations by the students and being treated to an excellent performance of one of the songs on my CD by four children. I also had an opportunity to share some ideas about how to read more and practice writing, in creative and fun ways.

I was presented with piles of thank you notes and illustrations I will cherish for years to come!

A proud student shows me her special thank you card.

Four darling students perform a song they learned by heart from the Lilly Badilly CD entitled “I’m on my Journey.”

So this is why I get out there, dressed as a millipede and do author visits whenever I can. These kids are our future, and I’d say our future is looking bright.

Many thanks go out to to Nikki Watkins for inviting me to visit the After Care Programs, to Julia Banks from West Perrine Park for recommending me to the After Care Program, to Principal Wright and Site Director, Ms. Moorley from R. R. Moton Elementary and Site Director and teacher, Ms. Clark at Beckford/Richmond Elementary. Thank you so much for  making me feel so welcome and giving me the opportunity to speak to your wonderful students!

 

 

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Oh yes! IRA 2013 was back in April. And I am guilty of blog neglect. While I plan to post with some textual substance soon, I did want to share photos of one of the most delightful, "working" weekends I've ever had.

With fellow authors and agency mates Liz Garton Scanlon and Kari Anne Holt.

With fellow authors and agency mates Liz Garton Scanlon and Kari Anne Holt.

Spotted on my walk to the Convention Center.

In the bagel shop across the street - A Little Free Library!

With the lovely and talented Salina Yoon at the Bloomsbury booth.

Did I mention that Salina is super-funny too?

Salina and me with the Bloomsbury team. Left to right: Caroline Abbey, Beth Eller, Linette Kim.

Signing at the Bloomsbury Booth - you can see little me in the back to the right of the ALL THROUGH MY TOWN poster.

Signing at the Bloomsbury Booth!

Signing at the Bloomsbury Booth!

In addition to the signing, I met up with many friends, did a podcast and video interview, had a wonderful dinner with the Bloomsbury team, teachers, booksellers and librarians, did a panel presentation with Salina, Michael Hall, and Kirby Larsen and signed at Anderson's Bookstore.

Everyone was so gracious, enthusiastic and kind. The world of literacy is in GREAT hands.

You'd think that packing SOOOO much into 3 days would be exhausting. But noooo - it was inspiring - inspiring me to write more books ... which is what I've been doing the last month and a half.

Happy June!
Jean

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After a month of travel, May's schedule is a bit lighter. As I announced recently, I will be taking a year off abroad starting this summer. Consequently, these appearances will be my last ones in these locations for at least a year. If you're in the area, please drop by to say hello, and remember to check with the venue regarding signing policies, etc... MAY 25 - 26  PITTSBURGH, PA It's

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Here's yet another way I've used Skype to connect to classrooms - chatting with 1st graders and their 6th grade buddies who've read my books together.

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Just as we launched The Spiderwick Chronicles a decade ago, Holly Black and I are returning to a locally-owned independent bookshop to celebrate the Grace kid’s birthday.

For one night only (May 15th) we will both be signing at Barrington Books, in Rhode Island. Bring your young readers, your camera and your books! (Yes, I really will be handing out FREE Wondla II sketchbooks.)

And, for you art students of Rhode Island School of Art & Design, we shall be visiting in the afternoon and holding a special presentation on creative process and answering any/all questions. I hope we see you there!

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It's that awesome time of year when I head to the Texas Library Association annual conference. This year the conference is in Fort Worth, Texas (which sadly means I won't be able to stop in Italy, Texas) and is sure to be a blast.

If you're heading there, please come by and say 'Hi!' 

Here is where I will be:

THURSDAY, APRIL 25th

1:00-1:50 pm - I'll be on the Other Worlds: Science Fiction and Fantasy for Teens Panel with Ilsa Bick, Joelle Charbonneau, Marissa Meyer, and Kristen Simmons

3:00-4:00 pm - I'll be signing with Jessica Lee Anderson at Booth 1601 (not ARCs of SOLSTICE yet. That's on Friday.)


FRIDAY, APRIL 26th

12:00-1:50 pm - I'll be a participating author at the YART Texas Tea

3:00-4:00 pm - I'll be signing ARCs of SOLSTICE in the author area

5:00-8:00 pm - I'll be a participating author in the TT4L Event

See you there!

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April will be a very busy month for me.  I will be traveling, work-shopping Elephant and Piggie's We Are in a Play!, celebrating the Pigeon's 10th Birthday (and my 10th year in publishing), and touring a brand new book with appearances, talks, and even a fancy black-tie gathering. Here is my public appearances schedule (please make sure to check with the venues regarding entrance and signing

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Very much looking forward to this month's appearance schedule, because for the first time in 5 years I'll be back in the United Kingdom to chat with fans and read my books a kids. I'll be spending some of my time during this trip catching up with old pals, so my public slate is limited. Please do come on by if you're in the area; I'd love to see you. LONDON, ENGLAND SATURDAY, MARCH 16 

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In addition to my Skype and school visits, I'll be reading, signing and celebrating all my books - including my latest book ALL THROUGH MY TOWN at:

April 2 - Mountains and Plains Bookseller Association S pring Meeting
Author Meet and Greet at the Boulder Bookstore
Boulder, Colorado

April 19-22 - International Reading Association Annual Convention
San Antonio, TX
Sunday April 21st
3:30-4:30: podcast with Emily Manning, of Chatting About Books
Monday April 22nd
9:00 A.M. Teachers’ Choices symposium, followed by autographing in the Bloomsbury booth
2:00-3:00 P.M. autographing at the Anderson’s Bookstore booth

April 26 - Tattered Cover Family Fun Night 6:30-7:30
9315 Dorchester Street 
Highlands Ranch, CO 
Bring your kids for reading, signing, games, treats and PRIZES!

May 3-5 - Big Sur in the Rockies 
Faculty Member
A writers workshop for writers who have a finished or partially finished manuscript that needs critiquing, revisions, editorial help and guidance. Our workshop provides tools needed to prepare one’s work for publication. Writers meet and work closely with faculty members throughout the weekend, from agents to editors to authors.

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