ALAMW#12, Soho Teen and more

ALA Midwinter in Dallas was made of awesome. From the wonder Texas book bloggers (who I will be featuring next week in a series of posts) to the librarians, to my Houston crew of YAHOUs (YA Houston) and our lunch time smack down with Austin's Sweethearts and Scoundrels, it was a crazy busy two days that began with an amazingly attended happy hour arranged by Jen Bigheart at Campisi's. 75 plus bloggers, authors, publishing people all schmoozing and talking books. Heaven!

But of course the main focus of the conference for me was being there with the Soho Press team as they launched Soho Press on Saturday. This was one classy event: wine (red and white!), Soho Crime water pistols, and beautiful samplers of the upcoming Soho Teen line that will start arriving on shelves in 2013, including my The Sweet Dead Life! If you missed out on getting a sampler, you can see a version of it on line here. To the 100 plus people who came out, stood in line, asked me autograph and were in general kind, supportive and generous of heart, I thank you from the bottom of my toes. (plus I did get to ask people if they wanted a gun. and at one point - okay three points -- quoted the gun and cannoli line from The Godfather) The day concluded with the Soho dinner at Wild Salsa where I got to visit with more librarians and also some of my favorite bloggers including Katie of Mundie Moms and Stacy and Nancy from Girls in the Stacks. They have supported me for a long time now, and so it was delightful to hang with them and eat delicious food. (let me add here that I did not take a picture of my three taco platter (two al pastor and one shrimp) but it was yummy)

Plus everyone at Soho: editor Dan Ehrenhaft, publisher Bronwen Hruska and Juliet Grames and Michelle Rafferty... they rock so hard I cannot put it into words.

Pictures: top picture is the Soho team; two pictures at Soho booth are me (with sampler) and the lovely and talented author Bethany Hegedus and then (with water pistols), me and librarian and all around wonderful human Jennifer Haight (@hipmamajenn); at Campisi's: Jen Bigheart, me, Stephanie Pellegrin; at our YAHous/Sweethearts smack down lunch: Jenny Moss and Kari Ann Holt and then me and my Comic Con cohorts -- Jessica Lee Anderson, me, and PJ (Tricia) Hoover.

Stay tuned for tomorrow when I feature another Texas treasure: Cynthia Leitich Smith, whose Diabolical just released today!!