Monday, October 29, 2007

Spooky News & Links

Congratulations to Writers' League of Texas Teddy Award winners: Grandpa for Sale by Dotti Enderle and Vicki Sansum, illustrated by T. Kyle Gentry (Flashlight, 2006) in the short-works division and Long Gone Daddy by Helen Hemphill (Front Street, 2006)(author interview) in the long-works division. In the short-works category, the finalists were: Blue the Bird on Flying by Becky Due (Due Publications, 2006) and The Man Who Named the Clouds by Julie Hannah and Joan Holub, illustrated by Paige Billin-Frye (Albert Whitman, 2006). And in the long-works category: Journey to the Alamo by Melodie Cuate (Texas Tech, 2006) and Alpha Dog by Jennifer Ziegler (Delacorte, 2006)(author interview). The awards ceremony will be held during the Texas Book Festival, Nov. at 3 p.m. in Capitol Extension Room E2.030. Read Cynsations interviews with Dotti, Helen, and Jennifer.

Unriddling the World: Fantasy and Children: features links to Horn Book "articles on fantasy by Susan Cooper, Gregory Maguire, Philip Pullman, Lloyd Alexander, and others."

More Personally

Reminder: Attention MySpacers! On the online events front, I'm honored to be featured tonight Oct. 29 as one of 31 Flavorite Authors by the Readergirlz! I'll be chatting about Tantalize (Candlewick, 2007).

Thank you to Mathews School in Austin and BookPeople for your hospitality and enthusiasm at my school visit last Thursday! After my presentation, inspired by the fictional vampire restaurant in Tantalize (Candlewick, 2007), students broke into groups to devise menus for fictional restaurants catering to the following audiences: werewolves, werecats, werearmadillos, wereoppossums, and were-turkey-vultures (the types of shape-shifters featured in the novel). The results were inspired (and a little creepy!).

Plan to attend the Twenty-Fifth Annual Children's Book Festival and the Twenty-First Annual Young Adult Conference hosted by The Department of Library Science at Sam Houston State University Nov. 3 in Huntsville. Featured speakers are: Joan Bauer, Cynthia and Greg Leitich Smith, and Mo Willems.

Attending the Texas Book Festival Nov. 3 and Nov. 4 in Austin? I will be among the YA authors featured at the Not-For-Required Reading Event from 7:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. Nov. 3 at the Alamo Drafthouse South Lamar (1120 S. Lamar). Authors also will include: Sherman Alexie, Jacques Couvillon, Adrienne Kress, April Lurie (author interview), Perry Moore, Neal Shusterman, and Brian Yansky (author interview). Note: I'll be a little late as I'm driving in from Huntsville that evening with Greg and Mo. I'll also participate with authors Adrienne Kress and April Lurie on the "Tough Girls" panel, moderated by author Julie Lake, from 1:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. Nov. 4 in Capitol Extension Room E2.012. See schedules for Saturday and Sunday.