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This Saturday, May 2, we are celebrating Independent Bookstore Day all over the country, all day! If you live in or around Houston, stop by one of these local bookstores and see what’s happening. Tweet at @BookstoreDay

Houston shops participating in special events this day:

Blue Willow Bookshop
14532 Memorial Drive, Houston, 77079
Locally owned by Valerie Koehler (aka, Girl Boss). Here you’ll find an eclectic selection of books (fiction and nonfiction) for adults and children. There’s something for everyone, including puzzles, games, and gifts for the book lover. Join Blue Willow Bookshop’s Independent Bookstore Day with activities, great food, giveaways and some very cool limited edition merchandise!

Brazos Bookstore
2421 Bissonnet, Houston 77005
Locally owned by a group of twenty-seven Houstonians. Celebrate with Brazos Bookstore on Independent Bookstore Day all day, from the special edition story time at 10:00 AM to the Ultimate Literary Showdown at 6:30 PM.

Katy Budget Books
2450 Fry Rd, Houston, 77084
New and Used Books
On Independent Bookstore Day, Katy Budget Books will be celebrating with exclusive, one-day only merchandise.

If you aren’t near one of the bookstores listed above, you might find one of these locally owned shops closer to you:

Murder By The Book
2342 Bissonnet St., Houston, 77005
One of the nation’s oldest and largest mystery specialty bookstores, stocking new & used, hardbacks & paperbacks, first editions, collectibles, gift items, mystery magazines, and more.

River Oaks Bookstore
3270 Westheimer, Houston, 77098
Locally owned by Jeanne Jard.

Galveston Bookshop
317 23rd Street, Galveston, 77550
Locally owned by Sharan Zwick and Jack Schlossberg. Books Used & New, Vinyl LPs, Comics, with a monthly local authors meet and greet!

Copperfield’s Books
8220 Louetta Rd., Ste. 106, Spring,  77379
Locally owned. New and used books.

Glow Worm New and Used Books
311 Main, Spring, 77373
Locally owned by Nelda Monjure. New and used books and sundries.

Good Books in the Woods
25915 Oak Ridge Drive, Spring, 77380
Locally owned by Jay Rohfritch. New, Used, and Out of Print titles, Fine Bindings, and First Editions.

The Book Nook Sugarland
5022 Hwy 90-A, Sugar Land, 77498
Locally owned by Katrina Chapman. New and used books, plus gifts and gift cards.

The Book Nook Brenham
212 W. Alamo Street, Brenham, 77833
Locally owned by Stefani Snead Kelley. Mostly used, with a smattering of new books.

We also have a two-author YA event happening that day:

May 2, Saturday, 4:30 PM
Murder By The Book
Joy Preble & Meredith Moore, YA Authors

Joy Preble will sign and discuss FINDING PARIS, and Meredith Moore will sign and discuss I AM HER REVENGE.

FINDING PARIS: Sisters Leo and Paris Hollings have only ever had each other to rely on. They can’t trust their mother, who hops from city to city and from guy to guy, or their gambler stepfather, who’s moved them all to Las Vegas. It’s just the two of them: Paris, who’s always been the dreamer, and Leo, who has a real future in mind–going to Stanford, becoming a doctor, falling in love. But Leo isn’t going anywhere right now, except driving around Vegas all night with her sister.

Until Paris ditches Leo at the Heartbreak Hotel Diner, where moments before they had been talking with physics student Max Sullivan. Outside, Leo finds a cryptic note from Paris–a clue. Is it some kind of game? Where is Paris, and why has she disappeared? When Leo reluctantly accepts Max’s offer of help, the two find themselves following a string of clues through Vegas and beyond. But the search for the truth is not a straight line. And neither is the path to secrets Leo and Max hold inside.

I AM HER REVENGE: She can be anyone you want her to be.
Vivian was raised with one purpose in life: to exact revenge on behalf of her mother. Manipulative and cruel, Mother has deprived Vivian not only of a childhood, but of an original identity. With an endless arsenal of enticing personalities at her disposal, Vivian is a veritable weapon of deception.
And she can destroy anyone.
When it’s time to strike, she enrolls in a boarding school on the English moors, where she will zero in on her target: sweet and innocent Ben, the son of the man who broke Mother’s heart twenty years ago.
Anyone…except for the woman who created her.
With every secret she uncovers, Vivian comes one step closer to learning who she really is. But the more she learns about herself, the more dangerous this cat and mouse game becomes. Because Mother will stop at nothing to make sure the truth dies with her.

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Book Release Day!

 Kell Andrew’s

DEADWOOD

Sometimes a lucky ritual becomes a curse.

Seventh-grader Martin Cruz hates his rotten new town, Lower Brynwood, but with his mom fighting a war in Afghanistan, he has no choice but to live with his crazy aunt. Then he gets a message from a tree telling him it’s cursed—and so is he.

It’s not just any tree either, it’s the Spirit Tree, an ancient beech the football team carves for good luck before the season opener. But every year they lose. Now the Spirit Tree is dying, and the other trees in the park are toppling around it like dominoes. The town is plagued with unexplainable accidents and people begin to fade, drained of life.

Martin must team up with a know-it-all soccer star, Hannah Vaughan, if he has any chance of breaking the curse. If they fail to save the Spirit Tree, it could mean the destruction of Lower Brynwood and a permanent case of bad luck.

June 26, Thursday, 10:00 a.m.
Blue Willow Bookshop
Dee Leone, PB Author

Join author Dee Leone for a special story time/book launch for BIZZ AND BUZZ MAKE HONEY BUNS! Bizz and Buzz are two bees who want to make honey buns. So, they ask their friend Bear for his recipe. Although the directions seem simple, Bizz and Buzz make mistake after mistake, like finding a little “flower “instead of adding a little “flour.” What will “bee”-come of the honey buns?

I’m sorry i didn’t get this post up yesterday. I was having trouble staying connected to my website. The past few days here have been so much fun. Friday night, I got to go to a book launch for a local author’s debut novel. And talk about launching, this author is going to skyrocket!

Write down this name:

Jennifer Mathieu

I predict you’ll be seeing it on all kinds of literary lists soon, including the New York Times Bestsellers list. Her debut YA novel, THE TRUTH ABOUT ALICE, was pitched as “Easy A” meets “Friday Night Lights,” about small town teens who spread rumors about a former friend that may or may not be true.

Jen’s launch at Blue Willow Bookshop was a huge event. Jen teaches at a high school in this area, and formerly taught at a Houston middle school, so many of her friends and coworkers showed up to help her celebrate. A lot of her students and former students showed up, too. The bookstore was packed to the walls.

We got to hear a bit about Jen’s journey to publication. Nineteen agents turned her down before she signed with Sarah LaPolla. Like most writers, Jennifer didn’t hit success with her first book, or her second. At one point she talked with her husband about giving up, but he told her that if she got pleasure from writing, she should keep doing it. She did keep writing, and her third book, THE TRUTH ABOUT ALICE, sold at auction to a brilliant editor named Nancy Mercado, with Roaring Brook Press.

Follow Jen on twitter, and enjoy her blog tour for THE TRUTH ABOUT ALICE, starting with this interview on Ex Libris.

Another cool event I got to attend was our monthly Houston SCBWI meeting where one of our traditionally published children’s authors talked about her adventures in self publishing young adult books under the name Dax Varley. I think the cat may be out of the bag as to this author’s true identity, but in case I’m mistaken, I won’t spill it here. Dax shared a wealth of information about all the technical aspects of SP, including the unexpectedly tricky aspects of designing book covers, proofing, formatting, reviews and the importance of choosing the right title. And her final caution: Hire a professional copyeditor! To keep up with Dax, follow her on twitter or catch up with her news on her blog, I Bleed Ink.

Now for this week’s events!

June 8, Sunday, 3:00 p.m.
River Oaks Bookstore
Russell Sanders, YA Author

Russell Sanders will be signing and discussing his new novel SPECIAL EFFECT. Graduating Senior Nick Fortunati works as a lighting tech in a creepy old theater. Out of the shadows steps mysterious Steve Stripling. Nick must decide if he wants to help Steve solve the mystery surrounding him and perhaps lose his newfound friend forever.

June 10, Tuesday, 7:00 p.m.
Blue Willow Bookshop
Non Pratt, YA Author

Non Pratt will discuss and sign TROUBLE, her debut novel for young adults. From Publishers Weekly: Friendship, betrayal, lust, and love are recurring themes in U.K. editor/publisher Pratt’s first novel exploring the trials of a British teen after she finds out she is pregnant. Reluctant to reveal the identity of the baby’s father, 15-year-old Hannah is surprised and relieved when her new friend, Aaron, offers to pretend he is responsible. But Aaron’s motives run deeper than wanting to help Hannah: part of him hopes that acting nobly might make up for previous actions that ended in tragedy…

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Hold onto your socks! February is busy!

February 2, Saturday, 9:00 am-5:00 pm
Lone Star College – Montgomery
Montgomery County Book Festival
Admission: FREE

The Montgomery County Book Festival is now partnering with Lone Star College – Montgomery. This year the festival is being expanded from a teens only format to include authors of children’s and tween books, young adult authors who cross over to the adult market and authors who write specifically for adults. However, as this blog focuses on children’s and young adult’s literature, I’ve only listed the names of authors who write for these age groups. For a complete list, visit the Montgomery County Book Festival website.

Jonathan Maberry * Sherrilynn Kenyon * Jill Alexander * E. Kristin Anderson * Kathi Appelt * Kendare Blake * Rachel Caine * Suzanne Crowley * Lindsay Cumming * Carolee Dean * Tracy Deebs * Wendy Delsol * Brian Falkner * Janet Fox * Bethany Hegedus * C.C. Hunter * Sophie Jordon *  Jacqueline Kelly * Mary Lindsey * Kimberly Griffiths Little *  Nikki Loftin * Diana Lopez * Mari Mancusi * Lisa McMann * Anna Myers *  Jenny Moss * Mike Mullin * Joy Preble * Cory Putnam Oakes * Bettina Restrepo * Victoria Scottya * Janni Lee Simner * Cynthia Leitich Smith * Greg Leitich Smith * Dom Testa * Jo Whittmore *

February 2, Saturday, 3:00 PM
River Oaks Book Store
Mary Dodson Wade, Children’s Author

Chinese New Year Storytime! Join author Mary Wade in celebrating the Chinese New Year with the reading of NO YEAR OF THE CAT.

The Emperor has a problem. He wants his people to remember the year in which his son was born. But there is no way to keep track of the years. So the Emperor devises a race in which animals will cross a river. The first twelve animals to reach the opposite side will have a year named after them. Thus, the people will be able to remember the years and the events that occurred. And so the race is set. Rat, knowing he is no match for the rushing water, schemes with Cat on how to cross the river. Together the two convince Ox to carry them across. But halfway across the river, Rat shows his true colors. Will Cat make it to the other side? Which animals will have a year named after them? Accompanied by exquisite watercolor artwork, this charming story explains the origins of the Chinese calendar.

February 5, Tuesday, 6:00 PM
Barnes & Noble, College Station
Janet Fox and Joy Preble, YA Authors
Join Janet Fox and Joy Preble for an exclusive young adult Q&A session of their latest books and what it takes to be a YA author. We will be celebrating the release of Janet’s newest book, SIRENS, and Joy will talk about her upcoming book, THE SWEET DEAD LIFE.

Now-February 10
Main Street Theater
Memory House, Play by Kathleen Tolan: Mature YA/ Adult

Houston playwright Kathleen Tolan’s regional premiere of MEMORY HOUSE, directed by Claire Hart-Palumbo.

As Katia struggles to finish her college essay by tonight’s midnight deadline her mother Maggie tries to motivate and encourage her while baking a pie. Mother and daughter wrestle with lingering issues from Katia’s adoption from Russia, her parents’ divorce and her fear of leaving home as they pick their way through the very human, very honest, and sometimes very funny struggle of how to connect with each other and face the future.

Post show discussions: Following the Sunday matinee on February 3, the audience is invited to join the artists involved with the production as well as a diverse panel of adoptive families, who will reflect on the play and share their own experiences.

For very important information about this event including pricing and age restrictions, see Main Street Theater’s website.

February 5, Tuesday, 7:00 PM
Blue Willow Bookshop
Ally Carter, YA Author

Ally Carter will also be appearing at Murder By The Book  on Tuesday, February 6 at 6:30 PM.

Ally Carter, New York Times best-selling author of the five books in the Gallagher Girls series, will discuss and sign her young adult novel PERFECT SCOUNDRELS.

Katarina Bishop and W.W. Hale the fifth were born to lead completely different lives: Kat comes from a long, proud line of loveable criminal masterminds, while Hale is the scion of one of the most seemingly perfect dynasties in the world. If their families have one thing in common, it’s that they both know how to stay under the radar while getting—or stealing—whatever they want.

No matter the risk, the Bishops can always be counted on, but in Hale’s family, all bets are off when money is on the line. When Hale unexpectedly inherits his grandmother’s billion dollar corporation, he quickly learns that there’s no place for Kat and their old heists in his new role. But Kat won’t let him go that easily, especially after she gets tipped off that his grandmother’s will might have been altered in an elaborate con to steal the company’s fortune. So instead of being the heir—this time, Hale might be the mark.

For important information about this event, please see Blue Willow Bookshop’s Events page.

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Here’s this week’s roundup of events for children’s and young adult authors and illustrators. Don’t forget to mark your calendars for the Montogmery County Book Festival on February 2! If you write or illustrate—or are interested in learning about writing or illustrating—children’s literature, there is still time to sign up for the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators spring conference here in Houston on April 13. Critique slots for our guest speakers are filled, but there are still opportunities for critiques from several of our wonderful local authors, including Kathy Duval, Warren Hanson, Sherry Garland, Joy Preble, and Ana Maria Rodriguez.

January 26, Saturday, 1:00 p.m.
Katy Budget Books
Melanie Chrismer, PB Author

Melanie Chrismer, author of more than a dozen books, including the Phoebe Clapsaddleseries, presents her newest picture book, CHACHALACA CHIQUITA. In a Southwestern spin on the Chicken Little tale, Chachalaca Chiquita, a colorful southwestern bird, is on a mission to tell the jefe (boss) that the sky is falling after a pebble falls from the sky and hits her right on the head. Chachalaca Chiquita joins the feathered flock-Lina Gallina, the prairie hen, and her chicks-and heads to the mountain, passing bugs buzzing, birds flying, lizards snatching, and animals moseying, collecting more animals along their journey. Their adventure takes a turn when they meet sly Tacito Ocelote and they learn that he is the jefe—the one who started it all and has been expecting the odd flock for dinner.

January 26, Saturday, 3:00 p.m.
River Oaks Bookstore
Kip Cosson, PB Author/Illustrator

New York artist/author Kip Cosson’s newest picture book, MEECE FOR MAYOR OF NEW YORK CITY, follows the adventures of Meece Mouse, who decides to run for Mayor of New York City. As part of his campaign, Meece and his campaign manager, Ned Penguin, visit all five boroughs of New York City. Mayors from all across the country are reading this book to children and teaching them about our electoral system in an entertaining way.

Continuing Now through February 10
Main Street Theater
Memory House, Play by Kathleen Tolan YA/Adult

Houston playwright Kathleen Tolan’s regional premiere of MEMORY HOUSE, directed by Claire Hart-Palumbo.

As Katia struggles to finish her college essay by tonight’s midnight deadline her mother Maggie tries to motivate and encourage her while baking a pie. Mother and daughter wrestle with lingering issues from Katia’s adoption from Russia, her parents’ divorce and her fear of leaving home as they pick their way through the very human, very honest, and sometimes very funny struggle of how to connect with each other and face the future.

For very important information about this event including pricing and age restrictions, see Main Street Theater’s website

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We’re all getting excited about TeenBookCon coming up April 14 at Alief Taylor High School! Have you seen the lineup? So many great authors, all in one day. Meanwhile, we’re still having events at several bookstores in March. Here are the events for March 1-10.

March 1, Thursday, 5:00 PM
River Oaks Bookstore
Rabbi Roy A. Walter, Author

The author will sign and discuss MY PRAYERS: A CHILD’S BOOK OF PRAYERS FOR EVERY DAY, featuring prayers that give religious expression to experiences in a child’s life. The Table of Contents enables the reader to choose the prayers that fit a mood or occasion the child is experiencing or reflects his or her interest.

March 3, Saturday, 2:00 PM
Barnes & Noble Vanderbilt Square
Natalie May Bolger, Author

Join author Natalie May Bolger as she reads her book GRAND FESTIVE PICNIC. Listen as Lulu the Lioness and Pinky Lucy Goosey embark on a celebration of friendship, then stick around for crafts and activities with Natalie!

March 3, Saturday, 3:00 PM
River Oaks Bookstore
Erica Stidham, Author

Author Erica Stidham will present her children’s book THE SILLY SISTERS: SWIMMING IN THE RAIN, featuring Katie and Claire who absolutely love adventures,  but even more than adventures, they adore being silly.

March 10, Saturday, 2:00 PM
Barnes & Noble Deerbrook
Miriam King, Author

Miriam King’s book, LIBRARIAN ON THE ROOF is based on a true story of an adventurous Texas librarian who inspired the town of Lockhart to make some BIG changes to their historical library.

March 10, Saturday, 2:00 PM
Barnes & Noble Town & Country Village <