Somehow, I managed to avoid all of today’s flight delay issues and arrive in Philadelphia safe, sound, and on time for NCTE. I spent the afternoon holed up in a coffee shop finishing up some last-minute revisions for SUGAR ON SNOW, which has officially gone to copy editing now. Woo-hoo!
Just got back from a publisher dinner, where I finally got to meet my online author friend Jenny Moss! We’ve known each other here on LJ for a while and have been collaborating with the other two authors on our panel using Google Docs but hadn’t met in person until a few hours ago.
Tomorrow I’ll be at the convention center all day, doing English teachery things until about three, when it’ll be time to get ready for my presentation, a panel discussion on Stories & Standards: Pairing Fiction and Nonfiction for Interdisciplinary Connections. That’s Session E – at 4pm. Afterwards, I’ll be signing THE BRILLIANT FALL OF GIANNA Z. at the Bloomsbury/Walker booth from 5:30-6 tomorrow and then 9:30-10:30 on Saturday. If you’re at NCTE, please stop by and say hello!
On Thursday, I’m flying to Philadelphia for NCTE. For my mom and other people who won’t immediately recognize the acronym, that’s the annual conference for the National Council of Teachers of English. It’s hard for me to even type this without bouncing just a little, because even though I’m an English teacher, I’ve never been to this conference before. There will be lots of people there whose work I’ve admired and used in my classroom for a long, long time.
I’m also speaking and signing copies of THE BRILLIANT FALL OF GIANNA Z. and if you’re in Philadelphia, too, I’d love to see you. Here’s where I’ll be:
Friday:4:00-5:15 Stories and Standards
I’m presenting as part of a panel discussion on pairing historical and scientific fiction with nonfiction, along with Loree Griffin Burns, Jenny Moss, and Tanya Lee Stone. The fabulous Teri Lesesne, aka , is facilitating our panel.
Room 107B, Street Level
Friday: 5:30-6:00
Signing THE BRILLIANT FALL OF GIANNA Z. at the Walker/Bloomsbury booth. Jenny will be signing WINNIE’S WAR then, too!
Saturday: 9:30-10:30
Signing THE BRILLIANT FALL OF GIANNA Z. at the Walker/Bloomsbury booth with Jenny and Winnie again!
Saturday: 11:45-12:15
I’m being interviewed for the IRA ReadWriteThink podcast. After that, I will likely be enjoying a convention center sort of salad or wrap if anyone wants to join me.
I’m looking for help from a handful of Skyping author friends (published or with early 2010 pub dates) who might be available for a quick chat with a group of librarians Tuesday afternoon. I’m giving a Skype demonstration as part of a full-day workshop for Northern NY librarians, presenting on my books in the morning and then using the afternoon to teach about Web 2.0 applications that librarians can use to connect their students with authors. One of those will be Skype.
I’m hoping to do a handful of quick Skype drop-ins with authors who might like to talk a little about their books and their virtual and in-person visit options to the group. If you’re free between 1:30 and 3pm on that day and would be interested in dropping in on our workshop for about ten minutes via Skype, please let me know by emailing me (kmessner at katemessner dot com).
So you can decide if it’s worth your time or not, I’ll tell you that it’s not going to be a large group – last I heard, there were half a dozen librarians signed up and they weren’t sure if they’d have many walk-ins. But if you’re around and not busy and could take a ten-minute break from your work to chat with them, I’m sure they’d love to "meet" you and hear about your books. It would be a quick visit – just enough time for you to hold up and talk about your latest book, take a quick question or two, and let librarians know about your school visits. I’m hoping to showcase about five or six authors – just enough so folks get an idea of how Skype works and get exposed to a few new authors along the way.
I spent yesterday morning with a group of home schooled students in Williston, Vermont. They ranged in age from six to fourteen — something that usually makes me a little nervous when I’m presenting, but with this group, it worked. The younger students were incredibly well-informed, and the older ones were generous and patient and had great questions of their own. I gave one of my newer presentations: Firing Cannons and Kissing Frogs: The Truth About Author Research, and I’ve decided this might be my new favorite because it talks about all the different kinds of research authors do and allows me to look back on just how many fun and challenging and downright strange things I’ve done in the name of research for all my books.
Best part of the day? After my presentation, as I was winding cords and shutting down my laptop, one of the younger boys came up to me with a huge smile on his face.
"Thanks!" he said. "That was a LOT more fun than I thought it was going to be."
I was very happy to have surprised him.
Thanks, kids (and parents!) for such a great morning with your group!
GIANNA Z. and I were part of a HUGE celebration of books and reading at the annual Rochester Chlidren’s Book Festival this weekend. Families crowded into the festival at Monroe Community College to meet 42 authors and illustrators, make bookish crafts, listen to talks and read-alouds, and of course, pick out new books to have signed. I was lucky enough to attend this festival two years ago and was so excited to be invited back. I mean, really…how can you not love a crowd like this, all cheering for books?
I loved visiting with all the kids, teachers, & librarians, and some LJ friends like too! The fantastic people at Lift Bridge Book Shop handled book sales for the event, and I was in awe of how efficient they were, even with such a great crowd.
Here’s Peggy Thomas, my festival next-door neighbor with some of her fantastic, fun picture books.
And more author friends… Rebecca Stead and Michelle Knudsen. My daughter came with me to the festival and had been talking for weeks about meeting Rebecca because she loved WHEN YOU REACH ME so much. When she finally got to say hello, she was a little tongue-tied, but did get to have her own copy signed, which made her very, very happy. We picked up a signed copy of Michelle’s new fantasy novel THE DRAGON OF TRELIAN, too – can’t wait to read it!
Here are Herm and Mary Jane Auch, one of the friendliest and funniest couples in children’s literature. E and I have been laughing over our signed copy of their picture book THE PLOT CHICKENS all weekend.
And here, from right to left (pay attention…I’m naming people backwards this time) here’s author Elizabeth "Sibby" Falk, who organized this year’s festival and is one of the kindest, most talented, and most organized people I know. You really had to experience this festival to appreciate the work that must have gone into making everything run so perfectly. (Thank you, Sibby!) In the middle is another delightful and talented Rochester author, my friend Kathy Blasi. Both Kathy and Sibby write beautiful historical fiction, so if you’re a fan of stories from the past and haven’t checked out their books, you’ll want to do that.
And finally, on the left in the photo is Sibby’s daughter Sarah. Take note of that purple shirt…the official uniform of the fabulous festival volunteers, who seemed to be everywhere. They set up and broke down the event, passed out programs, ushered authors to their presentations on time, and even came around with cookies at the end of a long day. The volunteers at this festival were amazing – so thank you, volunteers, if any of you are reading this. You made us all feel so very welcome and appreciated.
I spent an amazing day at the Rochester Children’s Book Festival. I love, love, love this event. Love it. And I’m so thrilled I could attend this year. My daughter spent the day with me, hanging out at my table and wandering around drinking in all the book-love. And what a day it was.
I have pictures of lots of author friends who were there and the HUGE crowd and the wonderfulness, and I’ll post those when I get home. But tonight, I really want to say a huge THANK YOU to Sibby Falk, an amazing Rochester author who organized this year’s festival.
Sibby’s a warm, lovely person, a gifted writer, and an amazing organizer. The festival was just incredibly well organized – just perfect, and I know how much work went into that. Thanks, Sibby!
1. I’ve not been much of a blogger lately because I have been revising SUGAR ON SNOW, my Fall 2010 middle grade novel with Walker Books. And revising and revising and revising, pretty much into the wee hours of every morning for a few weeks. But last night right around midnight, I sent SUGAR ON SNOW back to my editor. I love that about email – you don’t have to wait until someone is awake and at work. And so now, I am stretching and looking around, remembering that I have another book I’m drafting. And a blog. It’s nice to see you all.
3. Tomorrow, I’ll be in Rochester for the Rochester Children’s Book Festival. I LOVE this festival & hope to see you there if you’re in the area. The full list of authors participating is here, and it includes many favorites and friends – yay!
5. I really only had four, and I have to go finish getting ready for school now. Have a great weekend & I hope to see some of you in Rochester tomorrow!
This post is part of a year-long series of blog interviews I’ll be hosting with my fellow 2009 Debut Authors, called "How They Got Here."
It should be an especially helpful series for teens who write, teachers, and anyone who wants to write for kids. 2009 debut authors will be dropping by to talk about how their writing in school shaped the authors they are today, what teachers can do to make a difference, how they revise, and how they found their agents and editors. (You’ll even be able to read some successful query letters!) If you know a teacher or two who might be interested, please share the link!
Today…L.K. Madigan, author of FLASH BURNOUT! When I attended ALA this summer, there were a few advance reader copies I was so, so hoping to find, and FLASH BURNOUT was at the top of that list. L.K. Madigan and I share an agent, and I’d already heard great things about her book. It lived up to all the talk and more.
I was smitten with the main character’s voice just a few pages into this debut YA novel. It’s really, really funny at the same time it tackles some tough issues about family, teen romance, drug addiction, and friendship.
The book begins with a photography assignment for fifteen-year-old Blake, just experiencing his first real romance. When Blake inadvertently snaps a picture of his friend Marissa’s mother, he launches her into a journey for which she desperately needs some support. That journey causes Blake to question what he thought he knew about love and friendship and takes readers on a wild ride of their own.
The voice in this book is really remarkable, and Madigan’s rich characters with their hysterical dialogue reminded me of John Green at times. FLASH BURNOUT is a fantastic, fantastic debut – one that I highly recommend for high school and maybe some older middle school kids, too.
Congratulations, Lisa – and welcome! Tell us about the first thing you ever wrote that made you think maybe you were a writer.
I’ve been writing since I was a child, so in some ways, I never really questioned my fate. The first “novel” I ever wrote was an 80-page book about mermaids, complete with crayoned illustrations.
What books did you love when you were a kid?
The first book I can remember adoring as an independent reader was NO FLYING IN THE HOUSE, by Betty Brock. Then of course I loved HARRIET THE SPY, and A WRINKLE IN TIME. As I got older, I devoured teen problem novels. Now that I think about it, today’s “edgy” YA novels are no more shocking than some of the books I read back then.
Is there a particular teacher or librarian who was a mentor for you in your reading and writing life?
Wow … all of them! Every teacher who wrote compliments on my papers, or read my work aloud in class, or handed me an award for a winning story … all of them encouraged me and built up my confidence.
I remember a particular summer program at the Montavilla Library in Portland, for kids interested in writing … at the end of the program, all of our stories were typed up (on a typewriter!) and bound with plastic binding and cardboard covers. That was very, very impressive to me. Who knows? The idea may have been planted right then that I could write REAL BOOKS. Do you have a favorite strategy for revision?
I don’t, actually. It’s more a matter of eliminating distractions and inserting my head firmly into the story.
What’s your best advice for young writers?
It takes a long time to find your voice. When you first start writing, you may mimic the writing style of authors you admire … at some point, your own unique way of telling a story will emerge.
What’s special about your debut novel?
It’s a contemporary realistic novel with a teen boy narrator bobbing in a sea of paranormal romances about vampires/werewolves/faeries and the girls who love them.
And as soon as I can stop laughing, I’ll ask you about the process. What were the best and worst parts of writing FLASH BURNOUT?
The best part was how FUN it was to write.
The worst part was researching the effects of methamphetamine use … not just the physical damage to users, but devastation to the user’s families, especially children. Any more books planned?
Remember that mermaid story I mentioned? My next book is a young adult novel about a surfer girl and a mermaid. It will be published in 2010. Yay! Thanks for joining us, Lisa!
I’ve been home sick for three days now, which has given me entirely too much time to read blogs and now, some time to ponder over the Amazon VINE program.
If you have to go out on a blustery, rainy Saturday, I’m of the opinion that there’s nowhere better to go than a wonderful, cozy bookstore. I had a GIANNA Z. event at Bear Pond Books in Montpelier Saturday, and it fit the bill just perfectly!
We had a lovely afternoon talking about books and research and writing, and I was especially happy to meet a couple librarians and home school kids who came out for the talk.
Alas, because of the rain and the rough ferry ride and the parking, I was running late and only have two photos. The second is one that you might not expect – the door to the Bear Pond bathroom, but it made me laugh, so I’m sharing.
The truth is, I didn’t actually see Myrtle, but she does travel and was probably off in the pipes somewhere, perhaps visiting the coffee shop next door.
Thanks, Jane (and Myrtle, wherever you are!) and everyone at Bear Pond Books, for a delightfully cozy Saturday afternoon!
Today…L.K. Madigan, author of FLASH BURNOUT!
