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There’s so much going on this week, starting tonight with another event featuring Kristin! Please remember to check the sponsoring bookstore’s or organization’s website for the latest, most accurate information on these events.
Barnes & Noble, The Woodlands
Join three exciting teen authors, Lindsey Leavitt, Emery Lord and Kristin Rae in the First Loves YA Event as they discuss and sign their books upstairs in the seating area.
Children of all ages are invited to enjoy all the fun and exciting activities scheduled for the Houston Public Library’s Books Alive! 5th Annual Children’s Book Celebration.
The Children’s Book Celebration kicks off with a full day of exciting performances, hands-on arts and crafts activities, and special appearances. The highlight of the celebration is the appearance of Jennifer Holm, the author and illustrator of the Babymouse graphic novel series
Four Texas authors will help us celebrate the inaugural Indies First Storytime by reading their favorite picture books. Crystal Allen, Varsha Bajaj, Kathy Duval and Nikki Loftin will join us – you should too!
Come meet local multi-genre author George Arnold, author of the Cats of the C.I.A. series. Mr. Arnold is a well-known author of young reader and mystery novels. Each title is packed with his signature humor.
Joy Preble will discuss and sign her newest novel for teens, THE A-WORD. It’s been almost a year since fifteen-year-old Jenna’s stoner brother, Casey, died and returned as her guardian angel, along with his twenty-something “angel boss,” Amber Velasco. Almost a year since Casey and Amber used up their one-time-only angel power of flight to save Jenna from the evil Dr. Renfroe. Now Casey’s wonders why he’s still hanging around—not that he minds protecting Jenna, but there’s got to be a bigger picture, right? Something to distract him from his doomed relationship with cheerleader Lanie Phelps, who has no idea her boyfriend is, well, dead. After all, he can’t use his angel wings anymore. Neither can Amber. Enter Bo Shivers, Amber’s “angel boss.” Whiskey-guzzling, handsome and unpredictable, Bo lost his angel wings in an earthly flight a long time back, and he’s been a thorn in Angel Management’s side ever since. But Bo knows something big is coming. Something worth forfeiting his wings for Jenna… something that might change everything for everyone.
Join author J. White for a discussion of his debut novel THE THICKETY: A PATH BEGINS.A dark, forbidden forest. Vicious beasts. Deadly plants. An evil spell book. Secrets. Mysteries. Demons and witches both fair and foul. Welcome to the world of The Thickety.
When Kara Westfall was six years old, her mother was convicted of the worst of all crimes: witchcraft. Years later, Kara and her little brother, Taff, are still shunned by the people of their village, who believe that nothing is more evil than magic . . . except, perhaps, the mysterious forest that covers nearly the entire island. It has many names, this place. Sometimes it is called the Dark Wood, or Sordyr’s Realm. But mostly it’s called the Thickety. Illustrated by Andrea Offermann.
Award-winning picture book creator Jarrett Krosoczka will sign his books, including PEANUT BUTTER JELLYFISH, his latest picture book—a funny and touching story of friendships old and new, and about being brave enough to apologize. Peanut Butter and Jellyfish are best of friends and swim up, down, around, and through their ocean home. Crabby is their neighbor. He is not their best friend. But when Crabby gets in trouble, will Peanut Butter and Jellyfish come to the rescue? You bet they will!
On Brandon Mull’s third visit to Blue Willow Bookshop, the crowd was buzzing, waiting for the star to arrive. Everyone’s brought their favorite Brandon Mull books and rumors of sequels and spinoffs are flying around the room. All the kids are on the floor at the front to make room for the adults, but there still aren’t enough seats.
The guy knows how to make an entrance. One of the first things he said brought delighted gasps—there will be a sequel series to FABLEHAVEN, five more books called DRAGON WATCH. It starts just a few months after the last Fable Haven story ended, and the books will be released one per year: 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, and 2020. The last book in his CANDY WARS series will be released sometime after the final book in DRAGON WATCH.
His new book SKY RAIDERS is the first in a new five-book series, FIVE KINGDOMS. In this first installment, Cole Randolph was just trying to have a fun time with his friends on Halloween (and maybe get to know Jenna Hunt a little better). But when a spooky haunted house turns out to be a portal to something much creepier, Cole finds himself on an adventure on a whole different level.
After Cole sees his friends whisked away to some mysterious place underneath the haunted house, he dives in after them–and ends up in The Outskirts.
The Outskirts are made up of five kingdoms that lie between wakefulness and dreaming, reality and imagination, life and death. It’s an in-between place. Some people are born there. Some find their way there from our world, or from other worlds.
And once you come to the Outskirts, it’s very hard to leave.
With the magic of the Outskirts starting to unravel, it’s up to Cole and an unusual girl named Mira to rescue his friends, set things right in the Outskirts, and hopefully find his way back home…before his existence is forgotten.
The first three books in FIVE KINGDOMS will be released with six months between books. Brandon Mull has been keeping up a frantic writing pace for a long time, but plans to be slowing down soon. He said, “It’s not that it’s hard to write two books in a year. It’s hard to write two good books in a year.”
After his presentation, the audience got to ask questions, and after all these books, Brandon Mull knows what they are going to ask. I could write his answers here, but it will sound better and be a lot more fun if you go to his website page for Educators and Parents; it’s all there!
This week I’m excited about The Houston Writers Guild Annual Agents & Editors Conference 50 Shades Beyond Gray: Color Your Writing, Infuse Your Future. It’s going to be this Saturday in Sugar Land at the Marriott Town Center, and Nikki Loftin, the fabulous and energetic author of The Sinister Sweetness of Splendid Academy and Nightingale’s Nest, will be giving the keynote speech. There may still be time to register!
I did a mean thing.
A very mean thing.
I HATE that I did it.
But I did.
This is worse than carrot juice on a cupcake or a wasp on my pillow or a dress that’s too tight at the neck.
In LIKE CARROT JUICE ON A CUPCAKE,the third installment from author Julie Sternberg and illustrator Matthew Cordell (the team who created Like Pickle Juice on a Cookie and Like Bug Juice on a Burger) Eleanor’s relationship with her best friend, Pearl, experiences its first growing pains. When a glamorous new student transfers to school, at first Eleanor’s excited about the possibility of a new friend. But when Pearl is assigned to be the new girl’s buddy, Eleanor fears she can’t compete. To make matters worse, Eleanor’s been chosen for the lead role in the springtime musical, which means she has to sing a solo in front of the entire school!
Brandon Mull will discuss and sign his newest novel for kids, SKY RAIDERS. Cole Randolph is just trying to have fun with his friends on Halloween (and maybe get to know Jenna Hunt a little better). But when a spooky haunted house turns out to be a portal to something much creepier, Cole finds himself on an adventure on a whole different level.
After Cole sees his friends whisked away to some mysterious place underneath the haunted house, he dives in after them—and ends up in The Outskirts, five kingdoms that lie between wakefulness and dreaming, reality and imagination, life and death. It’s an in-between place. Some people are born there. Some find their way there from our world, or from other worlds. And once you come to the Outskirts, it’s very hard to leave.
Admission: In order to go through the signing line and meet Brandon Mull for book personalization, please purchase SKY RAIDERS from Blue Willow Bookshop.
John Boyne will discuss and sign his newest novel for children, STAY WHERE YOU ARE THEN LEAVE . The day the First World War broke out, Alfie Summerfield’s father promised he wouldn’t go away to fight–but he broke that promise the following day. Four years later, Alfie doesn’t know where his father might be, other than that he’s away on a special, secret mission. Then, while shining shoes at King’s Cross Station, Alfie unexpectedly sees his father’s name on a sheaf of papers belonging to a military doctor. Bewildered and confused, Alfie realizes his father is in a hospital close by—a hospital treating soldiers with shell shock. Alfie isn’t sure what shell shock is, but he is determined to rescue his father from this strange, unnerving place. . . .
Admission: In order to go through the signing line and meet John Boyne for book personalization, please purchase STAY WHERE YOU ARE THEN LEAVE from Blue Willow Bookshop.
In celebration of National Poetry Month, the Missouri City Branch Librarywill present a Poetry Slam Competition in the Meeting Room of the library. Local high school and college-age students are invited to compete in the event by reading original works they have created themselves. Prizes will be awarded. The Poetry Slam is free and open to the public. For more information, call the branch library at 281-238-2100.
Spring is moving fast, and the big events for readers and writers of children’s and YA literature are speeding toward us. If you haven’t yet signed up for at least one of the two big conferences, do not delay! On April 12, at the Houston Writers’ Guild Conference, Nikki Loftin—author of NIGHTINGALE’S NEST and THE SINISTER SWEETNESS OF SPLENDID ACADEMY—will be delivering the keynote address. Other Houston children’s or YA writers who will be on the staff are Joy Preble, Jessica Cappelle, Sharon Morse and Elizabeth White, as well as literary agents Pooja Menon and Eddie Schneider.
Plus three editors from closed houses (this means they do not accept unsolicited manuscripts or queries to submit manuscripts) who will accept submissions from attendees of the Houston SCBWI Conference:
And to top it off, two-time Newbery Honor winning author Gary Schmidt of THE WEDNESDAY WARS, OKAY FOR NOW and LIZZIE BRIGHT AND THE BUCKMINSTER BOY will be delivering our keynote address! If you love youth literature, you will love this conference! Register now!
If for some reason you can’t make it to the Houston SCBWI Conference (say, for instance you are under eighteen), there is another fantastic event that day that will make you roll out of bed before noon—the Greater HoustonTeen Book Convention. Too many fabulous authors will be attending for me to mention here, but go to their website and check it out!
Now for this week’s events—the first event is not strictly a children’s author/illustrator event, but it is an event for some very special children who illustrate, so I wanted to share this news with you.
Cornelius Nursery on Voss Rd is holding a painting party for pediatric patients of the MD Anderson Cancer Center. Please come by and join in the fun, enjoy the artwork, and be inspired, plus view wonderful new designs from The Children’s Art Project that are perfect for your garden. The newest collaboration is between Children’s Art Project and the Round Top Collection, which produces unique metal artwork for the garden based on the artwork from children in the Children’s Art Project. Shannon A. Murray, ED of Children’s Art Project and Jeff Krause the founder of Round Top will be on hand to celebrate and highlight this newest collection.
In author/screenwriter Rohan Gavin’s new YA novel KNIGHTLY AND SON, the once highly in-demand detective Alan Knightley has just woken up after an unexplained incident kept him asleep for four years. While he was out cold, his son, Darkus, took it upon himself to read of all his dad’s old cases, and he’s learned “a lot” about the art of detection. It’s a good thing too–because suddenly the duo find themselves caught up in a crazy conspiracy that involves a group of villainous masterminds (who keep appearing and then vanishing), some high-speed car chases (that will have everyone fastening their seat belts), and a national, bestselling book with the power to make people do terrible, terrible things. But because Alan is still suffering the effects of his coma, he tends to, well, fall asleep at the worst possible moments, Meaning that young Darkus might just have to solve this mystery . . . by himself.
Dr. Linda Sturrup presents A SUGAR BUG ON MY TOOTH, a great read for that first dentist visit for little ones. Natalie Jean’s visit to the dentist seems a little scary, but with help from Dr. Cork, she learns that a dentist checkup can actually be fun! Kirkus says it’s “An approachable tale of a first dental visit with pictures and a tone that will provide a reassuring beginning lesson to preschool-aged readers.”
Jonathan Stroud, author of the New York Times best-selling Bartimaeus Trilogy, visits to introduce his new series for middle grade readers. If you like ghost stories that are scary but not too scary, this is for you! A sinister Problem has occurred in London: all nature of ghosts, haunts, spirits, and specters are appearing throughout the city, and they aren’t exactly friendly. Only young people have the psychic abilities required to see—and eradicate—these supernatural foes. Many different Psychic Detection Agencies have cropped up to handle the dangerous work, and they are in fierce competition for business.
In THE SCREAMING STAIRCASE, the plucky and talented Lucy Carlyle teams up with Anthony Lockwood, the charismatic leader of Lockwood & Co, a small agency that runs independent of any adult supervision. After an assignment leads to both a grisly discovery and a disastrous end, Lucy, Anthony, and their sarcastic colleague, George, are forced to take part in the perilous investigation of Combe Carey Hall, one of the most haunted houses in England. Will Lockwood & Co. survive the Hall’s legendary Screaming Staircase and Red Room to see another day?
Among the many stunning author events we’re having here in Houston this month, we were amazingly lucky to have Newbery Medal and Newbery Honor author Susan Cooper visit at Blue Willow Bookshop Thursday evening. While she was here, Ms. Cooper spoke with 12oo children during school visits. It was such an honor to have her here!
When Susan Cooper wrote OVER SEA UNDER STONE, she didn’t know it would be the first in a series. Ten years later after moving to the United States from her home country of Britain, she reread OSUS and got an idea for a series of five THE DARK IS RISING Sequence. For each of the next four books, she wrote the title, when it was, and where it was. She also wrote the last half page of the final book, then spent the next six years writing them. She used that original last half page.
Susan Cooper was at Oxford, her lecturers were J.R. R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis! And like the works of these famous authors and educators, the thing all Susan Cooper’s books have in common is a strong sense of place. Place (a mysterious Scottish castle) made her write two books about a boggart: BOGGART and THE BOGGART AND THE MONSTER.
Place (an island in the Bahamas) also made her write a book called GREEN BOY.
Besides place, a strong sense of good and evil imbues Susan Cooper’s works—the dark and the light instilled from her childhood in England during WWII, particularly memories of her mother reading to Susan and her little brother in the air-raid shelter by candlelight. When bombs fell, the candle flame flickered.
In GHOST HAWK, a salt marsh island in Massachusetts bewitched her imagination. It had looked the same since the ice age. She researched the land and found the records of English ownership.
She continued her research and this time the battle of good and evil took realistic form. King Phillip’s War changed everything. She thought of Little Hawk, at age eleven, going through the rite of passage with only three items to help him survive. When he survived, a greater danger would be waiting.
From Susan Cooper’s website: “Although we talk of learning from history, we do not learn. And even a ghost cannot explain to the living why this should be so.”
When asked about how she planned her novel, Cooper responded, “A book is a voyage of discovery for the writer as well as the reader.” Writing a historical novel was different than writing a fantasy, making endless timelines and knowing what she wanted her character to do. It was a slower process. She said, “It’s not history; it’s a story.”
The story:
In the winter of his eleventh year, Little Hawk goes deep into the forest, where he must endure a three month test of solitude and survival, which will turn him into a man.
But outside the woods, the world is changing. English settlers are landing on the shores of the New World, and tensions between native tribes and the invaders are rising.
Little Hawk’s fate becomes irreversibly entwined with that of John, a young English boy who dares to question intolerance.
He is witness to a secret murder—will he now be witness to bloodshed between nations?
An exciting bit of news! Simon & Schuster Audio has announced that Jim Dale will read the audiobook of GHOST HAWK. The unabridged audiobook will be available in both CD and download formats.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Hey everybody! We have a super-special treat today! Debut author Nikki Loftin, whose middle grade novel THE SINISTER SWEETNESS OF SPLENDID ACADEMY launches August 21, is joining us to talk about something that concerns many writers—building a website for middle grade fans. Take it away, Nikki!
The worst words in the entire world, to a reader who’s gone down the rabbit hole into the world of a wonderful book, are “The End.” I remember feeling as a child that sinking sensation as I got closer and closer to the end of a favorite novel, knowing the magic would end soon, and I would have to step back into reality.
I hated that. I wanted the story to keep going. I wanted to read the biographies of the characters, I wanted to know what they were eating for dinner the day after the story ended, what they did with their friends, who they spoke to… So many of these characters became my friends. When the story ended, it was almost like they’d moved away.
(Of course, when I was child, there was no such thing as the Internet, with its sites for fan fiction and Pottermore-ish places to keep the dream alive. Hold on for a second while I yell at some kids to get off my lawn. There, I’m done.)
I thought—hoped—that some kids would fall in love with my characters and the world of Splendid Academy enough to have that same longing feeling. And I wondered if I could provide something to extend the magic of the story, just a bit, with a website for Splendid Academy. I reserved the domain name of my school, put up some placeholder pages, and started thinking.
What kind of site did I want? What could I offer my readers that would be fun for them, yet easy for me to maintain so I could, you know, have time to write more books?
The site I wanted would be partly for marketing—anything promoting your book serves that sort of purpose. But I really wanted it to be something for my readers. So I started jotting down notes about what I would have wanted as a kid, if I had just finished reading The Sinister Sweetness of Splendid Academy.
I wondered if this was all a waste of time. Then, a lovely publicist/creative genius named Kirsten Cappy, from Curious City, met with me in the spring and helped me solidify some of my ideas, and she mentioned that librarians love to be able to send avid readers to book-related sites—and book clubs can use them as a part of their discussion. (She had me at “librarians love.”)
The first thing I settled on was a page with staff bios. I tried to write each one with enough detail so that readers who had finished the book would get the hidden jokes (and hidden threats), but kids who hadn’t read it yet wouldn’t see spoilers. Since the site ostensibly is written by the principal and teachers of the school, any reference to the book would have to be hidden—although to be fair, I did decide to put a very visible button to take potential buyers straight to a site where they could buy a copy!
I thought a series of letters from the principal would be fun to write, with the occasional note from one of the other teachers, and maybe even a “guest blog” from some of the secondary characters to add to the fun. Of course, with a book involving enchanted food, a school menu would be a must. (The most recent post is a call for readers to comment on the site for the chance to have their favorite food added to the upcoming menu. I’ll also have kids at the launch party in a few weeks write down their favorite foods, so I can post them there as well.)
I have thoughts about adding a quiz for prospective students, as well as adding “lesson plans” featuring the many fairy tales I reference in the book… but I’ll have to see how much time it takes. A writer’s first job is writing, after all—and if all goes well, I’ll have kids emailing me to “hurry up and write another one!”
And that’s probably the very best way to please your audience.
NOW FOR THE CONTEST!!!
For a chance to win an Advanced Readers’ Copy of Nikki’s debut novel THE SINISTER SWEETNESS OF SPLENDID ACADEMY, you can help Nikki build her website! Go to SplendidAcademy.com and leave a comment about your favorite food! (Remember, this place has gourmet fare, so don’t be shy about asking for the good stuff!) Nikki is also giving away some cool bookmarks to reward even more yummy suggestions for the school menu. The contest will run one week and we will announce the winner on Monday, August 20.
THE SINISTER SWEETNESS OF SPLENDID ACADEMY
Coming from Razorbill, August 21, 2012
When Lorelei’s old school mysteriously burns down, a new one appears practically overnight: Splendid Academy. Rock-climbing walls on the playground and golden bowls of candy on every desk? Gourmet meals in the cafeteria, served by waiters? Optional homework and two recess periods a day? It’s every kid’s dream.
But Lorelei and her new friend Andrew are pretty sure it’s too good to be true. Together they uncover a sinister mystery, one with their teacher, the beautiful Ms. Morrigan, at the very center.
Then Andrew disappears. Lorelei has to save him, even if that means facing a past she’d like to forget – and taking on a teacher who’s a real witch.
What Lorelei and Andrew discover chills their bones—and might even pick them clean!
Don’t forget! Go to SplendidAcademy.com and leave a comment about your favorite food!
(And isn’t that a fantastic cover? Illustration by Alexander Jansson, cover designed by Emily Osborne.)
I hope everyone has been having a fun summer, and it’s not over yet! I want to tell you about local two events coming up next weekend. All the fans of Joy Preble’s magical trilogy will be gathering for the grande finale of Russian history, romance, magic and mythology with Anne, Ethan and Anastasia.
Join Joy Preble as she launches ANASTASIA FOREVER, the final installment of her young adult trilogy, Dreaming Anastasia. Thanks to Joy’s publisher, Sourcebooks, we also have a chance to sneak preview the first three chapters!
From Joy’s website: Secrets within secrets. Truths within lies. Anastasia—She was the darling of the glittering Winter Palace while her half brother Viktor was relegated to the shadows. Now he’s ready to take his turn in the spotlight…and revenge on the world that shunned him. Anne—The visions won’t stop. One minute she’s in her bedroom on her cell phone. And the next she’s in the past witness to the private moments of the royal Romanov family. Ethan—He’s been eighteen for nearly century and finding Anne is the best thing that’s ever happened to him. But the magic in his blood is turning darker, forcing him to wonder whether he’s the most dangerous threat of all. History Doesn’t Tell Us Everything….
August 11, Saturday, 11:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m. THE BOOK NOOK Multiple Author Visit
Fifteen of authors from Fort Bend are meeting to sign your copy of their book! This event includes authors of many genres, including Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni, author of THE CONCH BEARER and authors of other children’s books.
If you are interested in learning more about writing nonfiction for children and teens, don’t miss this month’s meeting of the Houston Society of Children’s Bo
Thanks to everyone who played along with my giveaway for tonight’s Houston SCBWI meeting. The winner will be announced at the meeting tonight.
Don’t forget, this awesome event is free and open to the public. Come to our meeting at 7 p.m. tonight at the Tracy Gee Community Center to hear ten authors talk about their debut experiences.
Tera Lynn Childs will celebrate the debut of her newest book for young adults, JUST FOR FINS. When Lily Sanderson decided to remain Crown Princess Waterlily of the mer kingdom of Thalassinia, she knew she couldn’t just coast along in the current. But since she’s spent the last couple of years on land, Lily’s not sure she has the fins to lead a kingdom… Just when Lily thinks her double life on land and sea can’t get any more complicated, an ancient mer law might separate Lily and her human boyfriend, Quince, after all. It feels as if the pair is up against a solid tsunami wave! In JUST FOR FINS, Lily will have to find a way to balance safety and justice for the mer people and for the humans she loves.
First Friday Reading Series, will feature the 2012 Meta-Four Youth Poetry Slam Team. Meta Four Houston is a nonprofit organization that encourages self-expression and literacy among Houston’s youth through creative writing and performance. Meta-Four Houston grew out of the Young Houston Writers 2007 -2008 collaboration between the Houston Chronicle daily newspaper and three local arts non-profits – DiverseWorks, Voices Breaking Boundaries and Writers in the Schools – that formed to identify and support the nascent youth spoken-word community in our city.
Inprint House is located at 1520 West Main, one block south of the Menil Collection, one block east of Mandell, in the Museum District of Houston. Always free, open to the public, always an open reading after the featured poet. Doors open at 8:30 p.m.
Blue Willow Bookshop hosted a really special event this week—New York Times best-selling rockstar Jodi Piccoult and her teenage daughter Samantha Van Leer with their new co-written middle grade/young adult book. Jodi Piccoult says Samantha (Sam) pitched the idea for the book to her while she was on tour in L.A. and Jodi knew at once that out of Samantha’s many story ideas, this one was a winner.
BETWEEN THE LINES is about what happens when happily ever after…isn’t. Delilah, a loner hates school as much as she loves books—one book in particular. In fact if anyone knew how many times she has read and reread the sweet little fairy tale she found in the library, especially her cooler than cool classmates, she’d be sent to social Siberia . . . forever.To Delilah, though, this fairy tale is more than just words on the page. Sure, there’s a handsome (well, okay, incredibly handsome) prince, and a castle, and an evil villain, but it feels as if there’s something deeper going on. And one day, Delilah finds out there is. Turns out, this Prince Charming is not just a one-dimensional character in a book. He’s real, and a certain fifteen-year-old loner has caught his eye. But they’re from two different worlds, and how can it ever possibly work?
Jodi and Samantha took turns reading excerpts from the two main characters points of view. Both gave excellent readings, then the event was opened up to questions. Since Jodi Piccoult is such a big name, many questions were about her novels for adults, but I’m going to focus on the questions about Samantha and BETWEEN THE LINES.
As usual, I wrote as fast as I could, but I’ve ended up paraphrasing both questions and answers. None of these are verbatim, but I’m trying to be as accurate as I can. So here goes:
Question: Jodi, some of your books have controversial topics. Sam, do you read them? Jodi, are you comfortable with that?
Sam: Yes, I’ve read four of them.
Jodi: We have a very open household. I don’t think there’s any topic off limits. The more controversial my books are and the more upset people get about them, the more I am convinced I am doing the right thing.
Question: Are the two of you planning to write any more books for teens?
Sam: The first thing we are going to write is my college applications! But we do have an idea for a sequel to BETWEEN THE LINES.
Jodi: When Sam was in second grade, her teacher called and asked if she could send home Sam’s story to typed. When I said yes, the teacher said she needed to warn me—it was forty pages!
Question: Did you both discuss how this book would be written?
Yesterday at The Book Spot in Round Rock, Lynn Kelly had her Hill country debut of CHAINED, the story of a boy and an elephant who have a friendship stronger than any lock, shackle, or chain. By a lucky chance, I happened to be in Round Rock, so I stopped in to hear Lynn talk about her novel.
I haven’t spent much time in Round Rock, so I’d I’d never been to this book store before. It is a cozy neighborhood with resident dogs who make sure everyone fells welcome. It was easy to spot regular customers because the first thing they did was pick up the dogs! If you are in the greater Austin area in July, you might want to stop by to see their Kids Spot, a special area for early readers through elementary school, and their young adult selection for middle school and high school readers.
Lynne was having a busy day. Just before her appearance at The Book Spot, she’d been a speaker on the Tweens or Teens panel at the Writers’ League of Texas 2012 Agents Conference YA to Z Track (738 KB .pdf). Though between the WLT conference and ALA, many of the writers I know were busy elsewhere, it was good to see a few familiar faces at The Book Stop, like Tim Crow, Debbie Gonzales, and Nikki Loftin (she brought cupcakes!). I hope I’ll get to see a few more at some of the events coming up in Texas later this fall, like maybe the Southwest Texas SCBWI Fall Conference!
One of the props Lynne brought with her was a replica of an elephant’s tooth. Elephants lose and regrow their molars up to seven times. This was part of a poignant discussion between two characters in the book. For more notes on Lynne’s talk about CHAINED, you can take a look at the post I wrote up after her launch at Blue Willow Bookshop. Thanks to The Book Spot for hosting this event. I love book stores that support authors! You can help support The Book Spot by Liking them on Facebook.
Saturday we got to celebrate the long awaited launch of Lynne Kelly’s debut novel CHAINED with the good people at Blue Willow Bookshop. Lynne started off telling us a bit about the evolution of this story which started life as a picture book, and the first version is one that, thankfully (she says), no one else ever saw. Lynne took it to a critique group where Charles Trevino suggested it should be a novel. She said she thought, wow, a novel—that’s a lot of words!
Lynne said she started writing one chapter at a time, not knowing what was going to happen in the next chapter. She says she did know how it would end though, sort of. She joined a critique group and says they didn’t run her off, so she stayed and wrote the book. Uma Krishnaswami gave her an early critique, then gave it a final read before publishing to make sure it was all culturally correct. Revision took the storyline from three years to one and a half years to one year. CHAINED sold to MacMillan two years ago this month.
The publisher asked Lynne to suggest illustrators for the cover, so she researched book covers she loved and came up with some suggestions. One book, Elephant Bill, became the mentor’s backstory. She brought a poster to show
We still have a few days before the official start of National Children’s Book Week, which is May 7-13, but the wonderful bookstores in the Houston area aren’t going to make us wait for a great event. Speaking of great events, I want to remind everyone that Lynne Kelly’s debut novel CHAINED launches next week! Look for it in stores May 8. If you haven’t already done it, mark your calendars for her launch at Blue Willow Bookshop on Saturday May 12 at 2:00 p.m.
The Children’s Museum of Houston is getting a head start on National Children’s Book Week. You’re invited to join them in celebrating the enchanting world of reading. Ongoing activities include:
•Prince and Princess Crowns •Gingerbread Man Decorating •Magic Wand •Invent with Ernest the Balancing Bear •Fantasy Postcards •Optical Illusion Exploration •Flip Books •Hidden Rainbow
Herman Parish, nephew of Amelia Bedelia’s creator, Peggy Parish, and the author of many books about Amelia Bedelia, will discuss and sign AMELIA BEDELIA’S FIRST VOTE, the newest book in the Amelia Bedelia series.
For important information about this event, please see
I know we are all excited about TeenBookCon and happy that next week it’s Houston’s turn to host TLA, the Texas Library Association’s annual conference. But though these are the biggest events rocking Houston’s children’s literature community, they aren’t the only events. Check out what’s happening in the next few days:
Children’s Author/Illustrator Laurie Knowlton signs I KNOW A LIBRARIAN WHO CHEWED ON A WORD. Miss Devine, a bun-wearing bibliophile, has a passion for literacy that reaches new heights. She has actually chewed on a word, claims one small witness to this outrageous event. In the manner of “There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly,” she has downed a book shelf, table, chair, cart, and a copy of Peter Pan trying to chase down a savory assemblage of letters. What is that word?
April 14, Saturday, 10 a.m.-4p.m.
Alief Taylor High School TeenBookCon
Orson Scott Card will be the keynote speaker for the 3rd annual Houston-area TeenBookCon. TeenBookCon is FREE, though attendees may want to bring money for books and snacks. Along with Card, over 20 authors and artists of teen books from all over the U.S. will participate in author panels, signings, and activities at the free event. Authors’ works include graphic novels, paranormal and dystopian fiction, fantasy and romance. This is a great opportunity for teens and other fans of YA literature to interact with a variety of authors and graphic novelists! TeenBookCon’s major sponsor is the Blue Willow Bookshop. For details on the event schedule and other sponsors, please visit
It’s hard to believe a whole year has gone by and that it’s time again for the fabulous Houston SCBWI conference. This year our keynote speaker will be Dan Yaccarino. If you aren’t familiar with the work of this outstanding author and illustrator, take a look at this trailer for his newest book:
Dan will be having an illustrators’ intensive on Sunday and twenty-five local illustrators will have their portfolios on view throughout the conference. If you’d like a sneak peek at their work, you can watch this short video highlighting a few illustrators:
Our other guest editors this year include Heather Alexander from Dial Books for Young Readers. Heather edits middle grade and young adult novels, including the recent BEYOND LUCKY by Sarah Aronson. We’ll also have Jenne Abramowitz, of Scholastic, editor for Bill Doyle’sBEHIND ENEMY LINES , and Connie Hsu, with Little Brown Books for Young Readers, who has edited everything from board books to YA horror, includin
Last week I thought I’d caught all the literary events for Houston up until March 10, but it looks like I missed a few. I’ve got them here now, plus a reminder for a couple more. This week’s line-up has a famous baseball player-turned-author, two virtual author chats, a story of a heroic librarian, a rising star of Young Adult literature AND a free writing workshop! Whew!
As always, this information is from the sponsoring bookstore or organization’s website. As times and events can change on short notice, please remember to check their website, or better, their stores, for the latest updates.
Meet and chat with Lauren McLaughlin author of SCORED and CYCLER about new books, past books, the writing process or the color of their socks. This author chat is the virtual equivalent of sitting and chatting with your favorite writer at a coffee shop. Don’t forget to check out her books from your local library!
NOTE ON VIRTUAL ONLINE CHATS:
Readers can view the broadcast from any computer, anywhere in the country! Or you can click here to view. You can also visit any of the listed Houston Public Library locations to participate in these virtual author visits. If you want to participate in the chat, please go to HPL’s Almost Totally Virtually Here!page, scroll down, and use the chat window there.
Cal Ripken, Jr., The Iron Man himself, stops by to sign his new book for kids. In SUPER SIZED SLUGGER , Cody Parker is the new kid in school. He’s overweight, scared and hates his new life in Dullsville, Maryland, aka Baltimore, where he’s a target–okay, a big target–for brutal teasing. But he loves baseball. And despite his size, he plays third base like a dream. Too bad he’s competing for the starting job on the Orioles of the Dulaney Babe Ruth League against budding hoodlum Dante Rizzo,
In case you missed her announcement, Lynne Kelly, author of the upcoming middle grade novel CHAINED, is offering a book club kit giveaway for teachers and librarians. The kit will go to a classroom or reading group and includes ten books, a tote bag, a Skype visit, and bookmarks and signed bookplates for each kid in the group. Lynne will also send bookmarks to everyone who enters. Details and instructions are here in this blog post. Lynne’s contest is open from now until May 1st.
Item #2
If you are in the Houston area, mark your calendars for Saturday, February 18. The Houston YA/MG Writers are hosting a FREE workshop by award winning, multipublished author, Kimberly Ivey.
Purpose, Power and Pizazz! Learn to organize the components of your book, beginning with visualization of your story’s structure, followed by dividing those components into chapters with purpose and punch. Discover how to avoid trouble spots and fine tune tension, pacing, and hooks like the pros.
We start at 9:30 but come at 9 if you’d like to chat. The meeting is in our permanent location- the Community Room at the H.E.B. at 9710 Katy Freeway, on the north side of the freeway. For questions, please email Jessica Capelle at [email protected].
IMPORTANT: Bring one full chapter of your work in progress for brief exercises, plus pen, paper and laptop for notes.If you don’t have a full chapter to work with, bring what you’ve got or just take notes- this will be valuable for us all.
Another great week of author and illustrator events is here! Something for everyone: a picture book author/illustrator, a Newbery honor winner, a popular author/screenwriter and a quartet of YA authors. Mark your calendars!
Divya Srinivasan, an illustrator and animator living in Austin, Texas, will lead a special storytime featuring LITTLE OWL’S NIGHT . It’s evening in the forest and Little Owl wakes up from his day-long sleep to watch his friends enjoying the night. Hedgehog sniffs for mushrooms, Skunk nibbles at berries, Frog croaks, and Cricket sings. A full moon rises and Little Owl can’t understand why anyone would want to miss it. Could the daytime be nearly as wonderful? Mama Owl begins to describe it to him, but as the sun comes up, Little Owl falls fast asleep.
Jennifer L. Holm, New York Times bestselling children’s author and recipient of three Newbery Honors, will discuss and sign her books for children, including SQUISH, a tale of microscopic proportions.
Book:
“We are a family on a journey to a place called wonderful” is the motto of Deza Malone’s family. Deza is the smartest girl in her class in Gary, Indiana, singled out by teachers for a special path in life. But the Great Depression hit Gary hard, and there are no jobs for black men. When her beloved father leaves to find work, Deza, Mother, and her older brother Jimmie go in search of him, and end up in a Hooverville outside Flint, Michigan. Jimmie’s beautiful voice inspires him to leave the camp to be a performer, while Deza and Mother find a new home, and cling to the hope that they will find Father. The twists and turns of their story reveal the devastation of the Depression and prove that Deza truly is the Mighty Miss Malone.
Due to bizarre spate of techno difficulties, my event s post is a day late, but the first event is tonight at 6:30, so there’s still time to get in on all the scoop.
Rachel Caine will discuss the latest book in the Morganville Vampire series, LAST BREATH, in which college student Claire Danvers learns that three of the vampires in Morganville have disappeared without a trace, only to discover that the last person seen with one of the missing vampires is a mysterious new resident named Magnus. She begins to suspect that Magnus is not a fellow-human.
Laura Numeroff, author of many books for young readers, will discuss and sign IF YOU GIVE A DOG A DONUT. A portion of her royalties will be donated to First Book, a national nonprofit organization that promotes children’s literacy.
If you give a dog a donut, he’ll ask for some apple juice to go with it.
When you give him the juice, he’ll drink it all up.
Then, before you can say “Woof” . . . Dog is off on a backyard adventure!
In conjunction with this event, Blue Willow Bookshop is holding a supply drive for CAP, Citizens for Animal for Protection. Please bring dry kitten or puppy food, white paper towels, Ultra Clorox Bleach, dish detergent or new or used bath towels.
I’m putting up the weekly author/illustrator events a day early for two reasons. First, this week is cram-jammed with events, including a major event on Saturday–the TweenReads Festival. The other reason is that last week I somehow missed posting a few events including one happening today that I’m sure a lot of my readers will not want to miss–Kate DiCamillo will be appearing at Blue Willow Bookshop TODAY! So, here we go:
Kate di Camillo Newbery-award winning author of A TALE OF DESPEREAUX, BECAUSE OF WINN-DIXIE and THE MAGICIAN’S ELEPHANT among others, as well as BINK and GOLLIE and THE MERCY WATSON series for early readers, and the picture book LOUISE, THE ADVENTURES OF A CHICKEN will discuss and sign her books.
October 24, Monday 6:00 P.M. Barnes & Noble, The Woodlands Adam Gidwitz: Author Adam Gidwitz presents A TALE DARK AND GRIMM. Hansel and Gretel walk out of their own story and into eight other classic Grimm (and Grimm-inspired) fairy tales. An irreverent, witty narrator leads us through encounters with witches, warlocks, dragons, and the devil himself. As the siblings roam a forest brimming with menacing foes, they learn the true story behind the famous tales, as well as how to take charge of their destinies and create their own happily ever after. Because once upon a time, fairy tales were awesome.
Joe Schreiber will sign and discuss his first young adult novel, AU REVOIR, CRAZY EUROPEAN CHICK. Ferris Bueller meets La Femme Nikita in this funny, action-packed young adult novel. It’s
Today we have the last spotlight in my continuing series on the authors of The Pen Fatale Tour, the multi author event coming to Spring Forest Middle School on Memorial Drive tomorrow night, September 29. This tour features four of today’s hottest Young Adult authors:
Riley’s finding that the afterlife can be a lonely place when all you do is focus on work. So she goes to the place where dreams happen, hoping to find a way to contact her sister, Ever. She meets the director, who tells her about the two ways to send dreams. As a Dream Jumper, a person can jump into a dreamer’s dream, share a message, and participate. As a Dreamweaver, an entire dream can be created in a studio and sent to the dreamer. But Dreamweaving was outlawed decades ago, and the studio was boarded up. Thinking it’s her only way to reach out to her sister, Riley goes in search of the old studio. There she finds a ghost boy, who’s been creating and sending nightmares to people for years. In order to stop him and reach out to Ever, Riley is going to have to confront and overcome her own fears.
This has got to be the most jam-packed week ever for fantastic author/illustrator events in the Houston area. This is a long list, so I’ll get right to it. As always, this information is taken from the website of the sponsoring bookstore or organization. Please visit their websites or their stores for the latest and most accurate information.
Eric Litwin and James Dean present their new picture book, PETE THE CAT: ROCKING IN MY SCHOOL SHOES. Pete the Cat is back—and this time Pete discovers the library, lunchroom, playground, and lots of other cool places at school. And no matter where he goes, Pete never stops moving and grooving and singing his song . . . because it’s all good.
Please see Blue Willow Bookshop’s Special Events page for important information about his event.
Ilsa J. Bick, child psychiatrist, film scholar, former Air Force major, and now full-time author, will discuss and sign her new YA novel, ASHES, a terrifying and thrilling story about a world that could be ours at any moment, where those left standing must learn what it means not just to survive, but to live amidst the devastation.
Read a review from Reading Teen
Read an excerpt fro io9.com
Please see Blue Willow Bookshop’s Special Events page for important information about his event.
(Pssst!If you’d like to meet the author of the hugely successful Artemis Fowl series, Eoin Colfer will be at Murder by the Book on Wednesday, September 14 at 6:30 p.m. discussing his first adult crime novel, Plugged.)
Last night, about fifty SCBWI members and I got to vicariously attend the national SCBWI conference by listening to reports from several of our members who attended the LA conference. I’d love to go sometime; maybe next year.
MG IVY AND THE MEANSTALK by Dawn Lairamore
Having saved her kingdom from the dastardly designs of a scheming prince in “Ivy’s Ever After,” 14-year-old Princess Ivy and her dragon friend, Elridge, have little time to rest on their laurels, for Ardendale is once again being threatened by a vicious man-eating meanstalk.
On Goodreads
On Indiebound
On Project Mayhem
Wow, what a turn-out debut YA author Kristin Rae had for the launch of her teen romance, WISH YOU WERE ITALIAN! Blue Willow Bookshop was packed with friends, family and YA fans. I was thrilled to see so many members of the Houston SCBWI, the Houston YA/MG Writers and the Houston Writers Guild show up for this event. I even spotted author Lindsey Lane, an author from Austin whose debut YA novel EVIDENCE OF THINGS NOT SEEN comes out this September.
Joy Preble will discuss and sign her newest novel for teens, THE A-WORD. It’s been almost a year since fifteen-year-old Jenna’s stoner brother, Casey, died and returned as her guardian angel, along with his twenty-something “angel boss,” Amber Velasco. Almost a year since Casey and Amber used up their one-time-only angel power of flight to save Jenna from the evil Dr. Renfroe. Now Casey’s wonders why he’s still hanging around—not that he minds protecting Jenna, but there’s got to be a bigger picture, right? Something to distract him from his doomed relationship with cheerleader Lanie Phelps, who has no idea her boyfriend is, well, dead. After all, he can’t use his angel wings anymore. Neither can Amber. Enter Bo Shivers, Amber’s “angel boss.” Whiskey-guzzling, handsome and unpredictable, Bo lost his angel wings in an earthly flight a long time back, and he’s been a thorn in Angel Management’s side ever since. But Bo knows something big is coming. Something worth forfeiting his wings for Jenna… something that might change everything for everyone.
and 2020. The last book in his CANDY WARS series will be released sometime after the final book in DRAGON WATCH.
