Mentors, Cynthia Leitich Smith, and a Cool Texas Contest!

I've been blessed with lots of mentors in my writing career: agents, editors, critique partners, other authors. They've taught me, supported me, told me when I needed to do better, found me opportunities and collaborated with me on creating my career. When the world of publishing seemed only to tantalize me, these folks showed me the path. For this, of course, my thanks is eternal.

One of those fine folks is Austin writer, Cynthia Leitich Smith who will be at Blue Willow Bookshop in Houston tonight at 7 PM. www.bluewillowbookshop.com

Cyn is brilliant, generous and funny. Like me she has roots in both Chicago and Texas, which I suppose means she votes early and often and knows how to wear cowboy boots. (if that isn't funny to you, look it up. Sometimes we have to work for humor around here, people!) I have to have undying love for the person who blurbed HAUNTED as "Spooky, sassy, sinister, and sexy!"

You can visit Cyn here: http://www.cynthialeitichsmith.com

She has written many, many books from picture books to middle grade to YA paranormal. Tonight she'll be signing and promoting her newest, Kieren's Story, a graphic novel.

But Wait!! A Tricky Contest!!

In the above post I have included the titles for three of Cyn's YA paranormal books!! If you want to play today, email me (you must email!) at joypreble at gmail dot com and tell me those titles and the phrase in the post in which I hid them.

I'll put the names of all who get it right in the contest hat and since Cyn is a local Texas writer, I will be giving away signed copies of two other Texas writer books: Firelight by Sophie Jordan and Through Her Eyes by Jennifer Archer!

Contest will be open through Monday 9/26 (which is also my birthday!)