Houston Teen Book Con Recap

Houston Teen Book Con was amazing! Bravo to the ladies of Blue Willow Bookshop who, as always, do such a fine and heroic job of organizing, arranging, cheerleading. If you have never been to Blue Willow in Houston, you need to go when you are in Houston. They are a world-class indie bookstore and owner Valerie Koehler is a force of nature, as is her intrepid assistant Cathy Berner and the rest of the staff.

(I have a huge love for so many indie bookstores, including Murder by the Book and Brazos here in Houston and so many others around the state and country. But more on that at another time)

For now, let me say that it was a great day! Not only did I get to hang out with authors I adore and authors I wanted to meet but I got to meet thousands (really!) of teen and adult readers and talk about books and writing and FINDING PARIS, which will be here on 4/21. Because of the generosity of Harper Collins, PARIS was available exclusively at Teen Book Con this past Saturday, which was enormously exciting! So if you were there, you got to buy it before anyone else!

A few pictures:

Getting ready for Houston Teen Book Con 2015!

The amazing Valerie Koehler welcoming us to the store.

Me and Alexis Bass. (It's all about that Bass AND Preble)

Our Truth About Love Panel: from left: me, David Levithan, Susanne Colasanti, Alexis Bass, Jennifer Mathieu

All the books!

Awesome moderator Kate Sowa

Awesome moderator Jenn Haight

Five for Friday

Last Friday in March! Now that is madness. (okay, a weak pun that vaguely alludes to basketball. Best I can do today)

1. Getting very excited for HOUSTON TEEN BOOK CON, which is coming up on 4/11! Here's the link: http://www.teenbookcon.org  I am absolutely thrilled that FINDING PARIS will be available for sale there early and exclusively! So yes, if you are in Houston and want to read two weeks before everyone else, come to Houston Teen Book Con! I am also insanely, fan-girl ecstatic that I am on the Truth About Love panel with Alexis Bass, Susan Colasanti, David Levithan (!!), Jen Mathieu and me!

2. Getting equally excited for TLA the following week, which for the uninitiated, stands for Texas Library Association. I am very honored to announce that I will be signing FINDING PARIS in the author area on Wednesday 4/15 from 11-12, courtesy of Balzer and Bray/Harper Collins, but my other publisher, Soho Press, is generously providing some stacks of  SWEET DEAD LIFE series to sign as well! Now that makes me so happy. My full schedule will be up in appearances soon, and also includes TT4L and the Texas Author Tea.

3. It is finally spring here in Texas. At least more or less. Of course the pine pollen has coated the world in a dusting of yellow, but even that seems to be fading. *sneezes*

4. Very excited for the debut of Meredith Moore's I AM HER REVENGE on 4/7! Click on the title and get a copy and we can read together! She'll be debut launching at Blue Willow Books on 4/4!  (and fyi, Meredith and I will be signing together on 5/2 at Murder by the Book. More on that soon.)

5. And in my iZombie report, I can say that episode 2 has kept me coming back for episode 3. Rose McIver continues to nail it as Olivia. The writing is clever, although definitely hits every trope beloved to my have CW shows. Still giving it 2 brains up!

Amazeballs: Or How Much I loved Houston Teen Book Con

Houston Teen Book Con was this past Saturday at Alief Taylor High School. If you weren't there, you missed the time of your life! Deb Caletti gave a moving key note about her love of books. The school was filled with librarians and students and readers of all sorts and stripes. 21 authors and graphic novelists hung out and chatted about books and reading and why we write and how we write and stuff we love. The ladies of Blue Willow - Girl Boss Valerie Koehler and the indomitable Cathy Berner, who has championed me and my books more times than I probably deserve - created the most wonderful event ever. A squadron of volunteers and librarians and the amazing Lisa Stultz made sure it all went smoothly. Plus there was ice cream. (which I didn't get cause I was signing. But that's okay!)

I will be flying high from this for days to come. My co-panelists -Rachel Hawkins, Saundra Mitchell, Stacey Kade, Andrea Cremer - you all rocked my world. Seriously - I love these women!! And Ben the Armadillo. I love Ben, too.

Okay folks. Gotta grade research papers. Gotta pack up for TLA. Gotta write book 3. Next time I'll tell you about SCBWI and my lovely editor Leah Hultenschmidt - who I got to meet in person this weekend! Very cool.

Come to the Sourcebooks booth on Thursday at 10 AM. I'll sign a book for you. Haunted or Dreaming Anastasia! Plus there'll be chocolate. But only if you get there early!

til next time...