a lot of wonder at Books of Wonder

Books of Wonder did teen lit proud yesterday as it paneled widely varied authors, provoked a fine mix of strong opinions, and, as Allen Zadoff put it, reeled seven in-person book trailers for seven (or eight, depending on how you were counting) summer reads.

We had a glorious turn-out, and among those who joined us were my friends Patty Chang Anker (see my review of her forthcoming Some Nerve here), Jessica Francis Kane (whose novel (The Report) and story collection (This Close) I loved), and Melissa Sarno, whose novel has just gone out into the world under the auspices of her wonder-ful agent. We photographed Melissa, but that photo was a bit blurred.

(Also, I never got a photo of Tonya Hurley, but she was definitely there among us, and we were so grateful to have her in the house; Tonya and Peter may even go on a road show together, at least according to my listening ears.)

A huge round of thanks to the great Peter Glassman of Books of Wonder, who gave us all such a wonder-ful day.

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Headed to NYC on June 23rd, with Dr. Radway and Small Damages

Let's be honest: My dear Dr. Radway has had a bit of a rocky distribution start, leaving this writer on the wrong side of brokenhearted. All of which has made me even more grateful for the beautiful reviews, for the uplift of friendship, and for those who have believed in this story. I wrote this book over a period of five years. William, its protagonist, is as real and dear to me as any of my neighbors. And his Philadelphia is my Philadelphia, a city I will always love.

One of those true believers is Peter Glassman, the Man Behind Books of Wonder, that rousing New York City bookstore that hosts the very best in children's and YA. I'll be there, on the afternoon of June 23rd, with both Dr. Radway and Small Damages, and I'd love to say hello, if you happen to be passing by. Come meet us from 1 through 3.

I'll be joined by this fantastic group of writers:

LISA JAHN-CLOUGH Nothing But Blu
LEILA HOWLAND Nantucket Blue
BETH KEPHART Dr. Radway's Sarsaparilla Resolvent
Small Damages
ALLEN ZADOFF Boy Nobody
JAQUELINE GREEN Truth or Dare
LOIS METZGER A Trick of the Light
TONYA HURLEY Precious Blood

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