Booksellers Rule!

You'll be seeing me here and there on the blogosphere as we're within two weeks of Nightshade's publication. (TWO WEEKS!!!!! The waiting is killing me!)
So I don't go mad, I'm going to focus on things that make me happy. Talking to people about Nightshade makes me very happy and I'm getting to do a lot of that lately.

Last weekend I was thrilled to participate in Anderson's YA conference in Naperville, Illinois. But my events kicked off before the conference began.

First I got to meet amazing readers at a pre-publication dinner.

They let me talk a lot

And we had so much fun (and delicious chocolate cake!)

The next day I visited schools. Despite my trip to the principal's office, I had an incredible time talking with students.

And they gave me flowers! Wow!
Then it was on to the conference. I love writing/book conferences because it means I get to hang out with other authors. YA authors are ridiculously fun to hang out with. I finally got to meet Kiersten White, who has been my 'virtual' friend for a while now. I love Kiersten! Her book, Paranormalcy, hit the NY Times bestseller list. Congrats, Kiersten!!

I also got to hang out with the super awesome David Levithan and John Green. I was on a panel with Antony John - his book Five Flavors of Dumb is fabulous - and Kirsten Miller (you've already heard me rave about Eternal Ones).
The next two weeks I'm heading to Michigan and Texas to talk more about Nightshade. Thank goodness. I need the distraction. Waiting is so hard!

In Which I Am A Fortune Teller

Remember a few days ago, when I posted about censorship in support of Laurie Halse Anderson?

In that post I mentioned a guest post I'd written for Page Turners Blog about book banning and how I expect Nightshade to be challenged at some point.

The past few days I've been in Naperville, Illinois for Anderson's YA conference. I had the best time ever - the Anderson's staff are phenomenal! It was amazing and I'll be posting more about that soon. Prior to the conference, I had the great pleasure and honor to visit local school and talk about writing.

Before my very first presentation, however, I was taken to the principal's office (I'm 32 and that was my first time being sent to the principal's office!) and told that a parent had objected to my being there because of the content of my book.

Now I realize I had very recently written that I expected this to happen, but I have to say, I wasn't prepared for an objection to come on my very first school visit. Being a school visit n00b I was already nervous and getting this news was a bit like a punch in the gut. Fortunately as soon as I got on stage and started talking about how much I love writing, all that ugly noise faded away. The students were phenomenal. They asked fantastic questions and were so enthusiastic. It reminded me of why I love talking to young readers and why no matter who objects I will always continue to SPEAK LOUDLY about the issues I believe in.

It's officially Banned Books Week now and to celebrate I'll be giving away a handful of banned or challenged books by authors who are heroes of mine. Stay tuned!

Bon Voyage (Conference Thoughts)

Many of my writer-type friends are packing their bags and making a pilgrimage to NYC this weekend. Why? It's the annual Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators Winter Conference!

Sadly, I'm not attending since I was just in New York, but I am envious of the people that will be there and especially of the Tenners who get to meet up at the conference.

I thought I'd take this opportunity to share my two cents on writers' conferences. I'm an SCBWI member, but I haven't yet attended one of their meetings (LA 2010, baby!).

When writers are starting out on the road to finding an agent, publisher, building a career it can be overwhelming. The climb to the top is less daunting if you have helpers to show you the best route. The internet is an invaluable resource (if used responsibly), but reading web page after web page just isn't the same as chatting with a flesh and blood fellow writer who understands the passion and pain involved in this process.
Conferences are a great place to meet other writers, agents, and editors. I'd vehemently argue that the first of that group are the most important at conferences. Many conferences have agent and/or editor pitch sessions. It is these sessions, and the dream of possibly landing an agent or editor at a conference, that lures many writers in.

That's more than understandable, and it's a big part of why I attended my first conference (San Francisco Writers) last year.

What I learned, however, is that while the pitch session was a great experience (and did get me a partial manuscript request) - the most valuable parts of the conference were these:

1) Great sessions on revision. I learned so much about moving the draft of a manuscript from good to exceptional. The panels by authors/editors/agents on what makes a great manuscript really had an impact on my writing.

2) Meeting other writers. My amazing crit partner Lisa (Three-Book Deal) Desrochers and I met at SF Writers, and that relationship is definitely the best thing that happened in the three-day weekend. Finding the right crit group is such an important step in the writing life.

My take-away:

Conferences are worth your while because they will A) make you a better writer B)tap you into a network of writer friends that will help you with A.

Do not attend conferences only for the sake of pitching agents because you'll be too nervous to really absorb the other great things that are happening in the sessions. Pitches are great practice at condensing your work into its essential hook (i.e. they can help you query better), but don't head to a conference thinking you're guaranteed to land an agent/editor if you do so.
Caveat: I do consider myself indebted to SF in gaining an agent, but again it's because of reason A. Agent Charlie pulled my query out of the slush pile and requested a full ms. That full ms I'd just revised after I'd learned so much at the conference, and my book was much, much better because of the revisions I'd made.

So to everyone in NYC this weekend, have a great time and I'll be thinking of you! Hope to be at another conference with you soon!

Teeter-Totter: A Note from the Dark Side

The edge. I end up here more often than I'd like to admit. When I find myself teetering at the brink, it derives from my proclivity for over-commitment (in labor and emotion). Right now I'm staring down the barrel of the semester and grinding my teeth into paste.

But the spines of anxiety needling my skin this week are also born of a looming, much-anticipated event: my first writer's conference.

Late Thursday night I'll arrive in San Francisco to rub elbows with a mass of editors, agents, and authors (published and aspiring like myself). For me, this step has moon-landing significance. No longer will I be staring at the shiny mirror of the writer's world and wanting my reflection to belong among the crowd of authors who I admire. The conference means I'm through the looking glass. Once I cross to the other side, I half expect to find Alice waiting for me with a smile and a knife to bury in my belly.

So at the moment I'm tottering, half-drunk with doubt, and wondering whether the bottom of the chasm might not be so bad.