Congratulations to Kathy Duval on the publication of The Three Bears Halloween, illustrated by Paul Meisel (Holiday House, 2007). From the promotional copy: "Boo! It's finally Halloween. Baby Bear is trick-or-treating with Mama Bear and Papa Bear. As the bears come up to the very scary house, they notice that the door is open. Maybe they should go inside. But is that a 'tee-hee-hee' coming from behind the bush? Could the three bears be in for a Halloween trick? Goldilocks gets a visit from the three bears in this spooky companion book...." Read a Cynsations interview with Kathy on The Three Bears Christmas.2007 Cybils: "the only literary awards by bloggers;" the committees are seeking nominations from book lovers (that means you!) in eight genres: fantasy/science fiction; fiction picture books; middle grade fiction; nonfiction (middle grade and YA); non-fiction picture books; poetry; young adult fiction. Deadline: Nov. 21. See details and nominate!
Finalists for the National Book Award in the category of Young People's Literature have been announced: Sherman Alexie, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian (Little, Brown); Kathleen Duey, Skin Hunger: A Resurrection of Magic, Book One (Atheneum)(author interview); M. Sindy Felin, Touching Snow (Atheneum); Brian Selznick, The Invention of Hugo Cabret (Scholastic); Sara Zarr, Story of a Girl (Little, Brown)(author interview). Read Cynsations interviews with Kathleen and Sara.YA Author Gail Giles has revamped and expanded her official site. It now features additional pictures, a teacher's guide for What Happened to Cass McBride (Little Brown, 2006), unofficial trailers for her books, and a page about school visits. Read a Cynsations interview with Gail.
To celebrate Halloween, there's a special promotion taking place at Teens Read Too, where you can win a copy of Betrayed by P. C. & Kristin Cast, The Beast of Noor and Dragon's Keep by Janet Lee Carey (author interview), Lord Loss and Demon Thief by Darren Shan (author interview), a Twilight audiobook CD by Stephenie Meyer (author interview), Don't Die, Dragonfly by Linda Joy Singleton (author interview), Bras & Broomsticks by Sarah Mlynowski, A Great and Terrible Beauty and Rebel Angels by Libba Bray (author interview), a Cirque Du Freak box set by Darren Shan (author interview), A Certain Slant of Light by Laura Whitcomb, and Twilight and New Moon by Stephenie Meyer (author interview)! Last but not least, you can enter for a chance to win a copy of Cristo's Chronicles: The King's Challenge by Anthony J. Mirarchi by checking out the Hidden Contest!More Personally
The Haggard Library/Plano (Texas) Public Library (2501 Coit Road) will host Cynthia Leitich Smith from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. Oct. 13. Grades 6 to 12. Come dressed in your best vampire finery!
Star Lit, a children's literary festival, is scheduled from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Oct. 20 at St. Andrews Methodist Church in Plano (TX). The event benefits the Dallas Bethlehem Center. Featured authors and illustrators include: Will Hillenbrand; Dee Scallan and Daniel Myers; Laura Numeroff; Bryan Collier; Kim Brown; Kimberly Willis Holt; Cynthia Leitich Smith; Greg Leitich Smith; and Tracy Dockray.
Attention MySpacers! On the online events front, I'm honored to be featured as one of 31 Flavorite Authors by the Readergirlz on Oct. 29! I'll be chatting about Tantalize (Candlewick, 2007) ."More Hot Titles for Teens" from Copiague Memorial Public Library in Copiague, New York. Note: what great company! Read Cynsations interviews with Daria Snadowsky, Cecil Castellucci, Libba Bray, A.M. Jenkins, and Sara Zarr.
Reminder: Are You Predator or Prey? Giveaway Contest: In recognition of October's spookiness, I'm giving away three Tantalize (Candlewick, 2007) prize packages--two to people (booksellers, teachers, librarians) who connect books to YA readers and one to an individual reader. The packages each include an autographed copy of Tantalize, a Sanguini's T-shirt, bat and wolf finger puppets, stickers, and additional surprises! In addition, the individual winner will receive one signed Tantalize bookmark, and the bookseller/teacher/librarian winners will receive twenty signed bookmarks. I'll also send autographed bookmark stacks to at least three runners-up in the bookseller/teacher/librarian category. Deadline Oct. 15. See details!
The October giveaway at Tantalize Fans Unite! at MySpace is Ironside by Holly Black (Simon & Schuster, 2007)(excerpt)(three copies).From the promotional copy: "In the realm of Faerie, the time has come for Roiben's coronation. Uneasy in the midst of the malevolent Unseelie Court, pixie Kaye is sure of only one thing--her love for Roiben. But when Kaye, drunk on faerie wine, declares herself to Roiben, he sends her on a seemingly impossible quest. Now Kaye can't see or speak to Roiben unless she can find the one thing she knows doesn't exist: a faerie who can tell a lie.
"Miserable and convinced she belongs nowhere, Kaye decides to tell her mother the truth--that she is a changeling left in place of the human daughter stolen long ago. Her mother's shock and horror sends Kaye back to the world of Faerie to find her human counterpart and return her to Ironside. But once back in the faerie courts, Kaye finds herself a pawn in the games of Silarial, queen of the Seelie Court. Silarial wants Roiben's throne, and she will use Kaye, and any means necessary, to get it. In this game of wits and weapons, can a pixie outplay a queen?
"Holly Black spins a seductive tale at once achingly real and chillingly enchanted, set in a dangerous world where pleasure mingles with pain and nothing is exactly as it appears."
