A.S. King, Jennifer Hubbard, and I Pose with a Mystery Man

Plenty of wild things happened at Skyanne Fisher's PAYA Festival today.  A.S. King hand sold Beth Kephart books, because somebody had to.  Beth Kephart signed her books with A.S. King's name, because every tit deserves a tat.  Kate Walton looked gorgeous (nothing wild about that one, happens all the time).  Skyanne spoke of traveling to humdrum places like Ghana (Sure, Ghana.  Of course, Ghana.  Who doesn't yawn at Ghana?)  Elisa Ludwig showed up in a dress Beth Kephart wanted but Elisa (oddly) wouldn't give it to Beth.  Ilene Wong revealed deep secrets.  Margie Gelbwasser was adorable.  Heather of Children's Book World talked about how much she loves Jessica Shoffel (My Jessica Shoffel? I said.  My.  Very.  Own??)  And Beth Kephart got to sit beside the beloved Jennifer Hubbard, a full month shy of her Children's Book World event with Jennifer, David Levithan, and Ellen Hopkins.

And as if that were not enough?  There stood this delightful man.  Okay, so he could have used a little meat on his bones.  Sure, his hat wasn't as vintage as I'd have liked.  He was also (sorry!) on the tad short side.  But he was upright, strong, and he had a spine, and he could hold his own around three majestic authoresses.  Jennifer, A.S., and I fought over him—with the best vocabulary in the land, I can assure you.  Then he—not defeated, but slightly bored—suggested that we share.

We're big girls now.  Adults.  We did.

Thank you, Skyanne and PAYA!

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a few photo moments from days past

In my hurry through life I have, in some ways, been neglecting this blog and my blogger friends.  For that, I ask forgiveness.  This morning I'm about to head off to the library to collect a good dozen new books, but before I do I wanted to stop and share these moments from the past few weeks.

The first several shots take place at the Exton Barnes & Noble, where K.M. Walton brought a number of area YA and children's book writers together for what was a genuinely good time.  We're all together in that first shot—K.M. Walton, Elisa Ludwig, Amy Garvey, E.C. Myers, Monica Carnesi, Ame Dyckman, Dianne Salerni, and me.  And then there's Ame (who got a fantastic New York Times Book Review assessment of her Boy + Bot just last week), Elisa, and Eugene.

The next three shots were taken this past Tuesday, during my travels down Locust Walk and toward my classroom at 3808 Walnut Street.  The final image in that series is deliberately blurry; suffice it to say, we had a party and we celebrated with a little food and a handmade book containing the images and words of each student.

Finally, here is Cyndi Reeves, an expert on the novella form and a professor at Rosemont College.  She invited some of us to celebrate the author and professor Michael Martone, and that was where I was Tuesday evening, after hugging my students goodbye.  Cyndi is an extraordinary hostess and cook, and I thought of her eggplant, lamb, asparagus, salad, and pine-nut cookies long after the night was over.

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Join K.M. Walton, Elisa Ludwig, Amy Garvey, E.C. Myers, Monica Carnesi, Ame Dyckman, Dianne Salerni, and yours truly for the Barnes & Noble Educator Reception

So here's a fun upcoming event.  Thanks to the organizational genius and generosity of K.M. Walton (whose mega book launch party you read of here), a number of young adult writers will be convening at the Barnes & Noble (Exton) on April 18 for the Educator Reception.

We're hoping to see you there, and to entice you further, I'm providing details below:

Barnes & Noble Educator Reception (Exton, PA)

Wednesday, April 18, 2012

4:00 to 6:00 PM

301 Main Street
Exton, PA 19341 

Featuring prizes, store discounts, two special teaching presentations...

and the chance to meet eight area young adult authors.

5:00 PM K.M. Walton
HOW TO GET YOUR STUDENTS TO WRITE LIKE THEY MEAN IT

5:30 PM Beth Kephart
STORY TOPICS THAT INVOLVE THE WHOLE CLASS AT THE SAME TIME

Signings by:
 K. M. Walton
CRACKED (YA)
TEACHING NUMERACY: 9 CRITICAL HABITS TO IGNITE MATHEMATICAL THINKING

Bio: K. M. Walton is the author of Cracked. As a former middle-school language-arts teacher and teaching coach, she is passionate about education and ending peer bullying. She lives in Pennsylvania with her family. You can find her online at KMWalton.com and on Twitter at @KMWalton1.


Elisa Ludwig
PRETTY CROOKED (YA)

Bio: Elisa Ludwig lives in Philadelphia. When she's not writing fiction for teens she writes about food for the Philadelphia Inquirer and other publications. Pretty Crooked is her first novel, and the first of a three-book series.

Amy Garvey
COLD KISS (YA)
Bio: Amy Garvey is a former editor who now enjoys working from the other side of the desk. She grew up reading everything she could get her hands on and watching too much TV (which she still does, and now includes an obsession with the CW's Supernatural). Cold Kiss is her first novel for young adults, and the sequel, Glass Heart, will be out from HarperTeen in September 2012. 


Beth Kephart
YA Books:
UNDERCOVER
HOUSE OF DANCE
NOTHING BUT GHOSTS
THE HEART IS NOT A SIZE
DANGEROUS NEIGHBORS
YOU ARE MY ONLY

Bio: Beth Kephart is the author of five memoirs, including the National Book Award finalist A SLANT OF SUN and the BookSense pick GHOSTS IN THE GARDEN.  Her other eight books include the autobiography of Philadelphia’s Schuylkill River, FLOW, and such acclaimed young adult novels as UNDERCOVER, HOUSE OF DANCE, and YOU ARE MY ONLY.  SMALL DAMAGES, Kephart’s seventh young adult novel, will be released by Philomel in the summer of 2012, and she is at work on two more Philomel books as well as a middle grade book about 1871 Philadelphia. Kephart teaches memoir at the University of Pennsylvania, reviews for the Chicago Tribune, has judged numerous literary contests, and has had her work translated into more than fifteen languages. She is the strategic writing partner in the boutique marketing communications firm, Fusion, and is a freelance reporter for Publishing Perspectives. Please visit Beth’s blog, twice named a top author blog by the BBAW, at www.beth-kephart.blogspot.com


E. C. Myers
FAIR COIN (YA sci-fi)

Bio: E. C. Myers was assembled in the U.S. from Korean and German parts. He is a graduate of the Clarion West Writers Workshop and a member of the prolific NYC writing group Altered Fluid. In the rare moments when he isn't writing, he blogs about Star Trek at theviewscreen.com, plays video games, watches classic films and television, sleeps as little as possible, and spends too much time on the Internet. Fair Coin is his first novel. To find out more about E. C. Myers and his work, visit his website and blog at ecmyers.net or find him on Twitter: @ecmyers.


Monica Carnesi
LITTLE DOG LOST (picture book)

Bio: Mônica Carnesi is crazy about (in no particular order) books, art supplies, and animals. She works as a librarian, which allows her to combine her love of children's literature and her passion for illustration.  At home she draws, paints and doodles constantly and is happily building her own personal library of children's books from all over the world.  Her first picture book, Little Dog Lost: The True Story of a Brave Dog Named Baltic, was published in January 2012 by Nancy Paulsen Books/Penguin Young Readers Group.  Mônica is originally from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and now lives in Philadelphia with her husband and their own little dog


Ame Dyckman
BOY + BOT (picture book), illustrated by Dan Yaccarino
TEA PARTY RULES, illustrated by Keith Campbell

Bio: As a kid, Ame Dyckman always had her nose in a book.  (And usually, Band-Aids on her knees from running into stuff.)  Not much has changed now that she's a grown-up. But now, sometimes, Ame will put a book down long enough to write one of her own and she has a new project to announce soon! Ame lives in New Jersey with her family, pets (including a demanding-but-adorable squirrel), book collection, and a big box of Band-Aids.  You can visit Ame at amedyckman.com

Dianne Salerni
WE HEAR THE DEAD

Bio: Dianne K. Salerni is an elementary school teacher, author, and online book reviewer.  She has previously published educational materials for teachers, as well as short stories.  We Hear the Dead is her first full-length novel.  With her husband and her two daughters, Salerni lives in Pennsylvania, where she is at work on her next novel.

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