I’m helping to celebrate the 3rd Annual Random Acts of Publicity (September 6-8, 2011) hosted by Darcy Pattinson. It’s a week to celebrate your friend’s book, or your favorite book, or several friends in my case. All you have to do is a Random Act of Publicity. You can blog, tweet, post a status update, link, like, review, or talk about the book. Just get the word out!
I thought I would have my Random Act of Publicity be an update about the up-and-coming books (that currently have cover art) of the Apocalypsies. The Apocalypsies are a group of debut authors for 2012, which means that some of these books are coming your way soon and may even be floating around as ARC’s (Advanced Reader Copies). I still don’t have a cover yet, but after seeing all the amazing covers for 2012, I know that I can’t go wrong. Of course, I’m not the only Apoclaypsie waiting, the covers are constantly rolling in and the list is always growing. I’ll be updating it again at a later date, but in the mean time…drum roll…here is the current line-up. Feel free to click on each book cover to find out more about the book and author.
*POSSESS is out and currently available for purchase!!!!! Reading my copy and loving it!
Don’t forget, you can also add these and other Apocalypsie 2012 Debut books to your Goodreads list. And if you don’t have time to do your own Random Act of Publicity, please feel free to pass this list of amazing authors along to everyone you know. Your generosity will be greatly appreciated. Now…go…act random…in public…shoo!
Well, I missed my blog post on Friday and now my post is late for Monday. Gahh!!! I have excuses–I do–but you don’t want to hear those. So let’s just say that stuff happens. And I shall get my act together. Now, Lets move forward. What am I looking forward to, besides better and more timely blog posts?
The kids are off to school. The basement is getting done. I’m gonna eat better and exercise. I have a WIP to dig into, in addition to lots of TOUCHING THE SURFACE related stuff too. Tons of good things coming down the pike and the best is that the new year starts tomorrow. Yes, you heard me correctly. I never think of the New Year as starting January 1st. For me, the first day of the new year is always after the Labor Day Weekend. Maybe it’s because I was a student, then a teacher and then a parent and I never left the back to school mentality behind, but it’s just when I organically hit my own reset button every year. There are no resolutions–just fresh supplies, a fresh start and a schedule. Oh my, I’m looking forward to a schedule. I’m needing that right now. Top that off with Fall is my favorite season and I’m just giddy with excitement!
But hey, the summer was great too. So, don’t just sit here…go…enjoy the last of your holiday weekend. *waves bye* Because, tomorrow…I’m hitting the reset button…ready or not.
I wasnt the only Nova fan! Every crowd should have an enthusiastic Mike Jung in the back LOL! (If you’re lucky)
Some highlights from their discussion…
*Nova-When something really scares you, its probably the right thing to explore. I picked Michael as an agent because he pushed me to grow as a writer.
*Michael-I know that I’ve lost out on clients because I’ve been honest about what my expectations were.
From my own experience, I can’t agree more. A great fit with your agent is the foundation you need and it will increase the chances that you’ll find an editor who is also an amazing match.
Time for the 2011 Golden Kite Awards Luncheon
We had a wonderful slide show, looking back over 40 years. It was amazing. Wish it was posted some place so that I could share it with you
This was dessert. Everything about this made me smile.
Listening to the speeches of the Golden Kite recipients. They were fantastic–so proud of them.
A special keynote from the impeccable Richard Peck. I adore this man.
Hanging with the Apocalypsies…Emily, Kim, Tamara and Mike.
This is when that big lunch and dessert became a problem. Navigating the halls in a chocolate coma, I didn’t get to Bruce Coville’s workshop in time to get a seat or a piece of rug. This picture was taken from the door with my hands up over my head. The good news was that I could hear him just fine.
Bruce Coville-AT THE INTERSECTION OF PLOT AND CHARACTER: THE PLACE WHERE STORIES HAPPEN.
GAHHH!!!! Every word out of this man’s mouth is genius. I’ll try to pick the best ones to share with you…
*Stories happen when a character is forced to make a difficult choice. NEED DRIVES THE ACTION.
*Use yourself, steal from everyone around you. Cast the book as if you are writing a play.
*Characters should have…
-an agenda (theirs, not yours)
-some inconsistencies (do you know anyone who doesn’t?)
*Plot is what happens when desire meets obstacle.
*If there is no chance to crash if you have not jumped.
Because the universe is fair, and wanted to make up for my inability to even cross the threshold of Bruce’s workshop, I was able to snag front row seats for the final keynote of the conference. *squee* While we waited for…drum roll…Laurie Halse Anderson. We decided to take some pictures. Guess who joined us? Linda Sue Park!!!!!
Jodi, Laura, Edna, Amy N., Linda Sue Park, Kim and Amy S.
Then Linda switched out with our buddy Jeff so he could get in the picture too!
Laurie, means so much to me. I can’t put into words the effect that she has had on my life, the impact she has made. The places I’ve dared to go because I knew I had a friend along for the journey. Yes, because of her I have become someone who dares to disturb the universe. I love that, I love her and I want a T-shirt that says it!
Here is what you just can’t miss…
DO YOU DARE DISTURB THE UNIVERSE?
*Art disturbs the universe. When we create it we make our neighbors nervous and our politicians fret.
*We gather here to collect our courage.
*Revolutions of the soul are a scary thing.
*If you don’t jump, the wings never come.
*To write is to terrorize yourself.
*When things get bad, just remember, BABY…YOU’RE GOING TO DIE. Puts it in perspective. Ha!
*It is your obligation to disturb the universe the best that you can.
*THIS IS OUR WORK.
*In 20 years, you will be more disappointed in the things you didn’t do than the ones you did.
*In children’s literature, we are not competitors, we are co-conspirators.
And here are the best co-conspirators that any of us could possibly have. *sniff*
Lin Oliver and Stephen Mooser taking a bow after 40 years of love, dedication and brilliance. <3
Kim and Dan giving K.L. Going the thumbs up. (Dan is illustrating her new picture book)
The amazing author/illustrator Marla Frazee. I adore her picture books. *heart squish*
No one can blame me for sneaking Jon Scieszka the bunny ears. He’s just mad because he didn’t think of it first. LOL!
No need to get teary about the end of the conference–yet. It’s off to KidLit Night at the Pink Taco!!!!
What you don’t know is that we’re hungry enough to eat the table! (Can you see me leaning in?)
Apocalypsies!!!! Gretchen, Kim, Emily and Debra. I love these gals!!!!
We ate. We hung out. A few of us even did the Pitch Slam with Mary Kole.
It was so hard to say goodbye to everyone. The conference was amazing, but it was time to go home to the other people we love, to return to our writing, to once again sleep more than 4 consecutive hours and to begin to dream about going again next year. Ummm and to do laundry. *head thunk*
I know that these recaps have been endless. I hope I was able to capture a little bit of the magic of the experience and share it with you. Because honestly, I wish you’d been there too. If you have any recommendations for things you’d like to see in future conference blogs–let me know and I’ll see if I can make it happen. Hope to see you at a conference soon. :o)
Well…I was planning on finishing up my SCBWI LA Post-Conference extravaganza, but Mean Irene is on the scene, and I just can’t focus. Instead I thought I’d give you a little glimpse into my corner of the world. Luckily for me, I have just one little damp patch in my basement and my power was only out for about 12 hours. Of course there are folks in my immediate area that did not fare nearly as well. 🙁
This one is my favorite due to the little boy sound effects. *grin*
Just a peek at the local train station…
Wishing everyone effected by Mean Irene a speedy recovery and sunny skies.
BG-Great voice is different for every agent, but every agent knows it when they see it.
BG-Nothing more satisfying to an agent then to sell a debut author’s work.
ALL-Publishers Marketplace can be deceptive and cause more heartache. Not a complete snap shot.
If you had a magic wand and could fix one thing about publishing what would it be?
TA-Publishing by committee, trust your editor.
TW-Higher royalties for ebooks.
BG-The end of semi-annual royalties.
Gary Paulsen-A WRITER’S UPSIDE-DOWN LIFE
I found this clip, which comes pretty close to giving you a taste of the best of Gary Paulsen. He’s a true story teller. Hearing him talk about his life is better than my retelling could ever be.
I was fascinated by him, both times I heard him speak. Here were a couple things that stood out for me…
*I think you should be able to hunt lawyers. Ha!
*I tried to quit writing, but I couldn’t. I love to write.
*If I had gone to Harvard, it never would have happened.
*Kill the television–read, read, read!!!
*TV is intellectual carbon monoxide, you think you’re breathing when you’re not.
*Read like a wolf eats. Read what they tell you not to.
*It’s useless to write for adults. Write for the children.
*Don’t write down, there’s no time.
I’d like to close this post by reminding everyone about the importance of reaching out and creating ripples. And I would like to thank librarians everywhere. Despite being under the appreciated, they change and save lives every single day. Thank you.
