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I am honored to be able to tell you that BUG BOY has been selected by the American Booksellers Association to be on the Autumn 2009 Kids' Indie Next List.



This is a great honor considering all the outstanding names that pepper this list. ABA, thank you for your consideration!

In BUG BOY, young jockey Jack Walsh is catapulted from unassuming exercise rider to well-known athlete in a matter of days. As a result, he is hounded by press and ends up in the "social pages" all the time. Here is an excerpt from page 160 or BUG BOY:

To top it off, even though it’s only got a six-week season, Saratoga is one of the most frou-frou tracks in the country. It’s always front page of the sports section. Sometimes it’s front page of the whole paper. As far as I know, I’ve never made front page of Sports or News—not in any of the rags—but the social pages are another matter entirely.

Short of Manhattan galas and maybe Los Angeles movie premieres, there are few events that see more flashbulbs than the ritzy Saratoga social spots during track season.

Well, the funny thing is that I'm in the social pages today. I opened the paper this morning to find this...



I know the image is tough to see, but that is me holding a copy of BUG BOY on the bottom left. In the larger picture to my right is Carson Kressley. In the photo at the top right is Bebe Neuwirth. It just amused me that I'm taking the place of Jack Walsh in the REAL social pages! Thank you, Albany Times Union! So much fun!

This weekend I had a signing at a great little store in Bolton Landing NY called Happy Jack's.



Not only did we sell some books but they brought me a lovely lunch and a grape Vitamin Water (my favorite!). Jeff, you rock! The highlight was a visit by fellow author, Alex Flinn. She has written many excellent books, including Diva, A Kiss in Time and Beastly. It was great to finally meet you, Alex!

This morning I had my second of two signings at the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame. They have been selling BUG BOY all kooky crazy! And I signed some books this morning. I signed books for the three humans (the rest are horses) being inducted to the Racing Hall of Fame this week: trainer Bob Baffert, trainer Janet Elliot (the second woman to be inducted ever), and jockey Eddie Maple.

After my event, I went over to the Fasig-Tipton Yearling auction. The auction is one of the most prestigious Thoroughbred auctions in the world and they are in their 111th year. I can't even begin to describe how beautiful the grounds are and how awesomely beautiful the horses are so I'm just going to show you a few photos.

Here is the walking ring where they parade the horses around:



And here are a few of the many beautiful horses:





This last horse was getting his hooves polished and his eyelashes combed. No surprise considering many of them will fetch more than $1 million tonight at the auction.



And here is where the magic happens. Horses come from all over the world to be bought and sold at Fasig-Tipton, which only happens four days per year. So if you've got a few hundred thousand burning a hole in your pocket, come on down and bid!



It's not easy to see, but the green area is where the horses stand and the dais behind that (between the black doors) is where the auctioneer stands. Last night they auctioned more than $25 million in horses. Amazing.

And here a phot that is just screaming for a caption:



My caption: What you talkin' 'bout, Willis?

Do you have a caption???

It would be really easy for me to talk about all the excitement around the huge benefit I signed at for Equine Advocates last night. I could talk about the crowds at the table.



I could talk about the stunning architecture of the historical Canfield Casino.



I could tell you how I signed books for a host of celebrities such as Carson Kressley (the guy from Queer Eye for the Straight Guy who incidentally complimented me on my tie!!), Bebe Neuwirth (Lilith from Cheers), Jack Knowlton (owner of the famed horse Funny Cide), and Josephine Abercrombie (major equine philanthropist, and I'd like to think the Abercrombie behind Abercrombie and Fitch, but I'm not sure about that).

But really, the night was all about horses.



Who steps in when the police get a call about a horse living in such squalid conditions that it is lying chest deep in manure in its stall to avoid standing out in the elements?



Who steps in when a premarin hormone facility is raided because the mares are being terribly neglected or abused (yes, those are brands)?



Who steps in when ponies at children's day camps are sent to slaughter after they've served for riding lessons for the summer (yes, this really happens)?



Who steps in when a donkey or miniature ass (heh, I said miniature ass) is no longer needed at a petting zoo or has their hooves shaved down so far that they can barely stand?



Equine Advocates steps in. I had the pleasure of visiting their facilities down in Chatham, NY and was touched and amazed at what these people do, what they have devoted their lives to. They take abused and neglected horses (and all other equines), relocate them to their pastoral farm, treat them medically, rehabilitate them and ensure that they live safe, heallthy and dignified lives.



If Equine Advocates existed back in 1934, when Bug Boy takes place, I suspect they would have had their hands full. Back then animals were treated as commodities rather than as living, breathing creatures. But as a result of the hard work of people like Susan and Karen Wagner, things have improved a great deal. There is still plenty of room for improvement and these people need lots of support to do it. If you have the means, consider sponsoring a horse!

And to Equine Advocates, thanks for all you do.

Eric Luper's historical YA novel BUG BOY comes out on Tuesday, and I can't resist a little book celebration for one of my critique pals. If you know eluper , then you know he's one of the nicest, funniest guys you'll ever meet.  If you've read his first YA novel, BIG SLICK, you know he can spin a timely, fast-paced gambling story like nobody's business.  Now there's BUG BOY - a gambling story from days gone by that shows his talent for writing historical fiction as juicy and fast-paced as anything set in modern times.

This is a book that's going to make teen boys fall in love with historical fiction without ever knowing what hit them. Set in 1934 Saratoga, BUG BOY is about an apprentice jockey who finds himself living the high life when his big opportunity comes knocking. But secrets from his past, pressure from a race course thug, and the attention of a beautiful young woman from the other side of the fence make his life more complicated than he could have imagined.   One teacher note: BUG BOY is probably best for older middle school and high school students, since the realistic portrayal of rough track life includes some language and sexual situations. Actually, I'm betting that a bunch of adult readers are going to discover and love this book, too - it has incredible crossover appeal, especially for horse racing and history fans. If you need it right this very second (and you probably do) click here to buy it from an indie bookstore near you!

Fascinating, gritty, and full of tension, BUG BOY is a sure win. Congrats, Eric!