YAHouston Otherwise Known as the YAHOUS

One thing you learn about a writing career is that it's more than writing. It is also about promotion, establishing relationships with the writing and book communities through whatever suits you best. Me? I like writing workshops, interactive panels and other events. And to some of these events on a larger scale, you need compadres.

Thus, the YAHous, still under construction but gaining form and speed. I'm very excited, actually. We're having fun with this new group and testing the waters of what exactly we'd like it to be. YA Houston. Authors who live in the Houston area who are published in young adult/tween land and who have agreed to this experiment of combining our brains and efforts and maybe do something cool in the name of literacy. It could happen. I hope it does.

We're working it slow so far, deciding what we do and don't want to do as a unit. We've had a couple of signing events such as the one above, which ended up as just Christina Mandelski (The Sweetest Thing, Egmont) and me at Deerbrook Barnes and Noble, chatting with readers and Christmas shoppers and as evidenced by the photo, also supported by our crazy wonderful Houston blogging community, represented that day by Christin Baker (Book Portrait) on the left and the indomitable Maria Cari Soto on the right. (I will be posting about our fab Texas book bloggers in January, so stay tuned)

But I'm pretty sure we're having fun and sticking with this new creature for the long haul. I'm excited about that. Really pretty thrilled. Cause these authors rock! Yup. Made of awesome.

We are: Crystal Allen, Dotti Enderle, CC Hunter, Sophie Jordan, Lynne Kelly, Mary Lindsey, Christina Mandelski, Jenny Moss, Joy Preble.

We have a still forming website: http://yahous.wordpress.com/ that links to our Facebook Page which you really really should go 'Like' so we feel popular. Which of course we are.

We're doing our first 'Big' event with the Barbara Bush Regional Library on 1/7/2012. It's called Whim2Weird and it's going to be a great afternoon with panel and Q&A and signing and swag and fun. Candy, too. It's the brain child of librarian Rebecca Denham and you can find out about that here. And also here. Hope to see you there!

Remember the name: YAHOUS

Look for us.

Support us!

Hang with us when we're out and about.

And yeah, buy and read our books, too.

If you're local to Houston and you're a teacher or librarian or bookseller and you'd like to work with us -- a panel or signing or reading or workshop or book club--- let me know!

More soon.