Since Paper Towns--The Movie--comes to theaters tomorrow, I thought today was a great day to share the fun we had at #PaperTownsOH last week. Lots of John Green fans in Ohio!
The crowd was a big one and according to twitter, fans began arriving at 5 a.m. to get a spot in line! The line looked to be a fun place. John Green even had 50 pizzas delivered to the crowd which was hugely appreciated since many had been standing in line for hours.
My daughter has always been a huge John Green/Paper Towns fan. She has the original book and heard John Green at Cover to Cover when it was released a while back. It was extra fun for her to have her book signed a 2nd time by John Green!
Thanks to Cover to Cover and Penguin Random House, we got tickets without having to stand in line. We had great seats and had a chance to go backstage to meet everyone afterwards. It was quite the treat. Here we are with John (Penguin Random House), Laura (Beth's sister), Beth (Cover to Cover).
We got a sneak peek at 19 minutes of the movie (which looks to be spectacular!) and we got to hear from John Green and the actors/actresses in the movie. It was great fun with lots of screaming fans, of course!
John Green!!
The stars of the movie!
A signed Paper Towns poster!
Looking forward to seeing the movie!
Dragons Beware!by Jorge Aguirre and Rafael Rosado
First Second, May 12, 2015
review copy purchased for my classroom library
Claudette is relentless. She has not given up on becoming a warrior. Her little brother, Gaston, is equally single-minded. He HAS given up his dream of becoming a chef until he can become as good a blacksmith as his father and/or do something that will make his father proud.
When the flying gargoyles attempt to attack their village, Claudette and Gaston's father, Augustine, and his sidekick Zubair set off to get Augustine's sword Breaker from the belly of the dragon Azra so they can defeat the evil Grombach, who is sending the gargoyle army.
Knowing that Claudette and Gaston will try to come along, Augustine leaves them locked in the tower with Marie. Guess how long that lasts?
Here's how our heroes are armed to defeat a dragon and an evil...grandfather (you'll have to read the book to get the back story on
that plot twist): Claudette's stumpy little sword seems to have some magic, and she is not at all lacking in bravery. Gaston is encouraged by Hag (a character I'm pretty sure we'll meet again in book 3),
"Don't turn your back on a talent, Boy. Lots of folks spend their whole lives looking for something their good at."
as she presses a book of spells into his hands. "Casting spells is like learning a recipe. Like cooking."And Marie has been learning about diplomacy.
I loved the first book, Giant's Beware!, but I love this book even more. I can't wait to hear Rafael Rosado (artist) and John Novak (colorist) speak at Cover to Cover on Saturday, May 23 from 2-3:30. See you there!
Tuesday morning I was shocked to hear from Mark Everett on streaming audio from WJJQ 92.5 FM in Tomahawk, Wisconsin that 
Cover to Cover Books and Gifts had caught fire on Monday and suffered extensive damage. Whether or not it will reopen is unclear.
Last May, I held a book signing at Cover to Cover, where it's owner, Dawn, graciously hosted me. Along with books, the store carried all sorts of other fun items, such as deep fried peanuts in the shell. For seven years, Dawn and her husband, Vic, worked hard to make their store a success.
It's sad to see their efforts go up in smoke. I hope somehow they can recoup their loss and go on again at the current location.
I was scheduled to sign books on Saturday, May 8, at Cover to Cover, but fate has a way of stepping in when you least expect it. Maybe someday I'll be able to visit Cover to Cover again, but time will tell.
For now, I'll share some pictures of the store with you. The first is with me and Dawn at the counter, then there are outside views, plus a fun one by their bench taken last October.
Here's a link I found about the fire from an email I received Tuesday from Publisher's Lunch:
http://www.wausaudailyherald.com/article/20100420/WDH0101/4200598/1981
Morgan Mandel
Our friends at "Cover to Cover," the literary show on Georgia Public Radio have posted their recent segment on Blind Tom Wiggins, featuring an interview with author Deirdre O'Connell. The Ballad of Blind Tom, Slave Pianist is a riveting biography of America's lost musical genius.
"Cover to Cover's" Myriam Levy notes: "In
The Ballad of Blind Tom, Australian author Deirdre O’ Connell describes her subject as “The most famous black performer of the Civil War generation.” Was he a naive genius or a freak? Was he a gifted, original American composer or a mere mimic of the reigning piano styles of the day? O’Connell wades through 50 years of press clips and testimony searching for the answer to the question, “Who was Blind Tom?”
He was born a slave in Columbus, Georgia. Despite his autistic condition, he made his guardians piles of money, perhaps, by today’s standard, millions of dollars, of which he and his family saw almost none. It would be story of overpowering sadness had Blind Tom not been so full of life. He took great delight in playing piano up to 12 hours a day, never regarding it as work even in the midst of a staggering itinerary. (In 1999, the pianist
John Davis recorded a selection of his songs, John Davis Plays Blind Tom.)
Full of wit and wild anecdotes,
The Ballad of Blind Tom has an astonishing cast of characters. It is
Deirdre O’Connell’s first book, and she spent a good deal of time in Georgia conducting research. She has also made documentaries for the Jimi Hendrix Estate and the United Nations Environment Program and has worked in news at SBS Australia."
Looking towards the end of the year, I'll be giving a talk at the British SCBWI 2nd Conference for Writers and Illustrators Cover to Cover, and all the magic in between - the making of a children's book which will run on 21st and 22nd November this year at the West Downs Campus in Winchester.
There are a lot of good speakers and it promises to be an interesting weekend for faculty and attendees alike. My break-out session will be "Power Portfolio's - Learn the secrets of building a better portfolio and showing it effectively". running from 1.00 - 3.00pm on the 22nd.
Regular readers will note that I gave a talk on exactly the same topic in Tokyo earlier this year, I'll basically be covering similar ground, here's the blurb:
"Despite, or perhaps because of, the plethora of artists websites, nothing beats a face to face meeting with an art director or editor. An effective portfolio that best shows off your talents is essential. With over 25 years of experience as an illustrator John Shelley will focus on the golden rules of portfolio layout and offer insights to help strengthen your portfolio book or other media. The workshop will also address focusing on your best work, tightening your presentation skills, and the psychology of meetings and tips on promotion. Following the talk, attendees are invited to submit their portfolios for discussion and critique. Please bring along your portfolio as you would to a client, a picture book dummy if you have one, and promotion materials."
Oh how sad. What a terrible thing to have happen.
How upsetting for them. They will be in my thoughts and prayers.
Cheryl
We had a used bookstore near us that caught fire, but it was attached to a drycleaners. So sad to see books burn.