I’m emerging from some kind of author hibernation with two events this week. I’d love to see you there!
Wednesday, May 27: I’ll be part of a fantastic panel at One More Page in Arlington, VA with author friends Tara Dairman and Jen Malone. The fun starts at 6:30 p.m.
Saturday, May 30: I’ll be part of the second-ever Kids Author Carnival at the Jefferson Market Library in New York! This event was so much fun last year–I can’t wait to do it again. Just look at all the fabulous authors who will be at the coolest library in the city!
How is it almost May? Somehow this winter seemed both endless (thanks, snowstorms) and super short. Anyway, I’m enjoying the tulips popping up on NYC sidewalks and planning trips to WI this summer. What else is new?
Bookplates! The lovely Kristin Rae (whose YA debut, Wish You Were Italian, is incredibly charming, and is the perfect read for spring and summer wanderlust) designed some bookplates for me. If you have a copy of When Audrey Met Alice and you’d like a signed bookplate for it, let me know! I’m happy to send one your way.
Speaking of signing books, I’ll be in Arlington, VA, at One More Page bookstore on May 27, with MG author friends Tara Dairman and Jen Malone. So if you live in the DC area, stop by and I can sign your book in person!
I’ll also be at Kids Author Carnival in NYC on Saturday, May 30, at the very cool Jefferson Market Branch of the NYPL.
And I’m excited to share that When Audrey Met Alice was selected for the 2015-2016 Southwest Iowa Battle of the Books. I’m honored to be included among the fantastic titles on the list!
Finally, there’s still time to enter my educator giveaway before the paperback of When Audrey Met Alice releases on May 1: Class Set Giveaway
Last week, I had a great time visiting St. Francis Academy in Union City, NJ. I talked with the fifth- and sixth-grade students about historical fiction, life in the White House, the writing process, and more. I was blown away by their insightful and interesting questions–I love it when students give me new ideas and show me different ways of looking at my characters! One of the best moments was walking in to see their When Audrey Met Alice projects lining the wall:
Aren’t they great? What a welcome!
It is a really special thing to get to talk with a roomful of readers who care about your characters, and to have the chance to spend a day at a school that is such a nurturing environment for young readers and writers. Thanks for the wonderful day, St. Francis Academy!
It’s November . . . how? It feels like yesterday that I was heading off to Vegas for ALA, or kicking back with a good book in Central Park. (And I’ve been blogging sparsely enough that if you scroll down, it appears that it was recently that I was doing those things.)
But now the leaves have turned, and my hometown is covered in snow, and my kitchen adventures have shifted from ice cream and grilling to granola and pie-baking.
Two weeks ago I was in Wisconsin for the WLA annual conference. Gayle Rosengren and I presented “Making It Real,” a program on using historical fiction in engaging ways to help prepare students for the Common Core. You can find some of our handouts on the WLA conference site here. Sadly, I forgot to take any pictures at the conference! But it was great.
I spent a whole week back, and that included a lot of reading time and family time. My nephew just turned one! We had a lot of fun at the zoo on a chilly day.
Now I’m back, and ready for some school visits! I’ll be at St. Francis Academy in Union City, NJ, this week and at the Dwight School for their book fair in December. I can’t wait to meet the readers at both!
And, I’m excited to share that I got to blurb a book for the first time! MarcyKate Connolly’s Monstrous is a truly stunning MG (I still think about its fabulous first lines), and it was such a pleasure to get the chance to read it early. Here’s what I had to say:
“From its first line, Monstrous had me in its grip. MarcyKate Connolly has created a fresh and wildly inventive dark fairy tale about Kym, a protagonist as sweet as she is strong. Kym’s bravery shines, as she fights against the menacing forces in Bryre and also struggles to figure out where she, a self-described monster of a girl, belongs. This remarkable, absorbing debut will enchant readers.”
And you can read all of MarcyKate’s good news here.
Last Friday, I did a young writers’ workshop at the New York Society Library, a beautiful and historic library that also happens to be my revising home-away-from-home.
Back to my workshop: Twenty creative and talented young writers came to hear me talk about writing fascinating people (like Alice Roosevelt) and famous places (like the White House). I showed them some research pictures, we played some writing games like Historical Figure Hotseat to get in the zone, and then we wrote scenes set in historic places, events, or periods, using lots of sensory details and cool facts.
I am always really excited when I get to talk about Alice.
Looking at pictures of the Roosevelt kids and their White House pets
Busy writing about Jane Goodall and Achilles
Working on an Amelia Earhart story and another set in 1800s Sweden
Even more writing! We had Napoleon at this table.
Signing books and sharing “WWAD?” bracelets at the end
One of my favorite parts of being an author is getting to talk with kids about books and storytelling. I always go home inspired by the curiosity and creativity of young writers. And I learn new things, too–about what kids love to read, and even about history. (Thanks to the great story one attendee wrote, I’ve been inspired to learn more about Deborah Sampson.)
Thanks to Carrie Silberman, Randi Levy, Susan Vincent, and everyone at the NYSL for having me–and most of all to the kids who came to write with me!
Monday night, I was part of a fantastic MG panel at the Voracious Reader in Larchmont, NY, with author friends (and fellow 2014 debuts) Tara Dairman, Lauren Magaziner, Laura Marx Fitzgerald, and Michelle Schusterman. The Voracious Reader is a dream bookstore–cheerful and charming, and chock-full of excellent children’s literature.
We had a nice crowd of enthusiastic young readers and writers, who asked so many fun and insightful questions! (We came prepared with lots of candy–the treat for any attendee brave enough to trick us with a question.) Here are some photos, courtesy of Tara, of our great night:
Thanks to Francine and the Voracious Reader for hosting us, and for all the readers who came out to talk middle grade!
I’m taking a break from writing next week for a fun panel at The Voracious Reader in Larchmont, NY with author friends Michelle Schusterman, Laura Marx Fitzgerald, Lauren Magaziner, and Tara Dairman!
There will be candy. And author dares!
I’m also excited that my historical short story “Thatagirl!” is in this month’s Scholastic Storyworks! If you are a subscriber, you can check it out here: http://storyworks.scholastic.com/issues/11_01_14 Here’s a peek at the art and layout:
It tells about the amazing baseball game in which Jackie Mitchell, a seventeen-year-old girl pitcher, struck out Lou Gehrig and Babe Ruth. Yes, that really happened!
Okay, back to work. Last weekend I worked my way through a plot riddle–hooray!–and now I am happily back to muddling through this draft.
It’s October! How did that happen? And, more importantly, what am I going to be for Halloween?!
September was a busy month, but I still managed to sneak in a late-season beach day (and I have the Fire Island mosquito bites to prove it).
I also read seven(!) books and wrote 15,000 words of my new project. Oh, and changed day jobs.
Now I’m still writing, anticipating edits for Summer of Lost & Found, and getting ready for some upcoming When Audrey Met Alice events. On October 20, I’m doing a panel with four fantastic MG authors—Tara Dairman, Lauren Magaziner, Laura Marx Fitzgerald, and Michelle Schusterman—at the Voracious Reader in Larchmont, NY. Later that week, I’m teaching a writing workshop for young readers at the New York Society Library. And I’m working on my school-visit presentations for some upcoming visits, too! (Check out my Events page for the details, if you’d like to know more!)
Last weekend, fellow debut author Tara Dairman (whose book ALL FOUR STARS is delightful and delicious, and one of my favorites of the year) and I traveled around Texas to visit a library, a B&N store, and an indie bookstore. It was incredibly fun, and here are some of the highlights.
We started out with the Fort Worth Library’s Author Roundup:
The beautiful Sundance Square in downtown Fort Worth
Gorgeous, light-filled library
How cool is the “reading rainbow” that welcomes you to the children’s section of the Central Library?
Alice’s “Red Devil” inspired my dress
Happy to see fellow Class of 2K14 author Christine Kohler at the library!
Tara, 2015 debut author Jenny Martin, and I are modeling Tara’s ALL FOUR STARS temporary tattoos.
Afterward, we headed to Roanoke–not the island, but the town in Texas with great BBQ and the best pie shop I’ve ever visited. (Seriously. And you know how I feel about pie.)
The sign doesn’t lie–Roanoke, TX had really unique–and delicious–food!
I am going to dream about the cherry pie I had here. Fantastic.
The next morning, we checked out the Fort Worth Stockyards and the Dallas Museum of Art.
I loved this historic part of Fort Worth.
Chihuly glass at the Dallas Museum of Art
Then we headed to Barnes & Noble for a panel with Polly Holyoke and K.A. Holt.
Excitedly posing with our sign!
Me, Tara, Polly Holyoke, and K. A. Holt getting ready for our panel
The next day, we explored Austin.
More barbeque! Is it possible to eat to much? No.
Presidential limousine on display at the LBJ Presidential Library and Museum.
On our last night, we had a great MG panel at The Book Spot in Round Rock, with K. A. Holt, Nikki Loftin, and Jennifer Ziegler.
Tara, me, Nikki Loftin, K. A. Holt, and Jennifer Ziegler
That is a literal “cake with a unicorn”!
We quizzed the audience with trivia related to our books–and had lots of prizes.
A celebratory dinner afterward, with 2015 debut author Donna Bowman Bratton.
It was a wonderful weekend. Thank you to the librarians and booksellers who invited us; the readers and fellow writers who came out to support us; our hilarious, insightful, and charming co-panelists; and especially to Tara’s husband, who drove us around the state and took lots of great photos to document our authorly adventure.
I’m heading to Texas this weekend for some great book events! (And some great BBQ, of course.)
On Saturday, August 16th, I’ll be at the Fort Worth library for the Worth Reading Author Roundup from 1:00-5:00 p.m.
On Sunday, August 17th, I’ll be at the Fort Worth Barnes & Noble with Tara Dairman, Kari Anne Holt, and Polly Holyoke for a MG panel at 4:00 p.m.
And on Monday, August 18th, at 6:30 p.m., I’ll be in the Austin area at The Book Spot for a fun-filled panel with Tara Dairman, Nikki Loftin, and Jennifer Ziegler!
I’m off for a week of travel: First to Las Vegas for the ALA Annual Conference, then to Wisconsin to relax and spend time with family–and also visit a favorite indie bookstore, Mystery to Me.
If you’re at ALA, please come say hi when I’m signing in the Sourcebooks booth on Sunday, from 3:30-4:30 p.m. Here’s more info on that.
Or check out the Class of 2K14’s super fun trivia event, with Jay Asher and Josephine Angelini. My suitcase is full of prizes! Our Trivia Showdown is on Sunday from 11:00-12:30, and here’s more info on that.
Last week, I finished The Interestings, which was an absorbing, funny, thoughtful character study. And even at 500+ pages, I didn’t want it to end. Next, I read Kate Scott’s YA debut, Counting to D. It was heartfelt, and it taught me a lot about dyslexia–a learning disability that I only thought I understood until I read this book. Also, there was a scene involving VooDoo Doughnuts. Yes.
I’m not drafting or revising at the moment, but I’m in the middle of a lot of research. Instead of writing page-count goals, I’m giving myself deadlines for working through various resources. I’d love to start writing this WIP next month, but I have a lot of books to get through first.
After ALA, I’m heading back to the Midwest to visit some family, and I can’t wait to see my nephew. When I last saw him, he was a newborn–and now he’s almost eight months old!
What Else I’ve Been Up To
Getting back into running, making homemade ice cream (spicy chocolate was my last concoction), and enjoying the warm weather and sun.
So what have you been up to lately?
What’s Up Wednesdayis a weekly meme that helps readers and writers touch base with blog friends. You can find the link widget (and cute buttons!) on Jaime’s and Erin’s blog posts.
