Guess WHO

(cue Doctor Who intro)

A residual thought from World Book Night at the Cambridge Public Library: Neil Gaiman has not a few hardcore, dedicated, borderline stalk-y fans, depending on which angle you look at it. Does finding his features perfect for the 15 Minute Sketch* challenge make me one of them?

*For an explanation of what 15 Minute Sketches are all about, see here, here, and here.

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World Book Night Kick-Off at CPL!

AKA where awesome people give out books to encourage reading (fun fact: the concept for World Book Day (and Night…for adults, because they stay up later) comes from Spain, where Cervantes’ birthday is traditionally celebrated by women giving men books and men returning the favor by giving women…flowers. Which might not be as appreciated, unless you’re Vanessa Diffenbaugh, author of The Language of Flowers.)

Vanessa Diffenbaugh (left) and Lisa Genova (right)

Neil Gaiman

Diffenbaugh was one of the speakers, along with neuroscientist and author Lisa Genova and writer Neil Gaiman. They spoke about how they began writing, their writing process, books they wish they had written (Neil Gaiman, as a young boy, carried with him at all times a copy of The Lord of the Rings, in the event he ever found himself transported to a parallel universe where Tolkien did not exist, and where he could claim credit for the series) and how they are sometimes surprised by plots that run away from them. All in all, it was a funny, interesting, and inspiring night–especially hearing their advice to budding writers: be persistent, make time to actually write (Genova recommends three pages of stream-of-consciousness as a daily warm-up), and you will get better.

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Lois Lowry vs. Lemony Snicket

We were lucky enough to meet both authors last week: Lowry at a book signing for Son, Snicket (I mean Daniel Handler) at the Boston Book Festival as he promoted Who Could That Be at This Hour? It would be hard to find two other middle grade authors more different in the way they write (mostly, anyway*) and in how they interact with their audience…To illustrate my point, here’s a handy-dandy chart:

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Don’t Let the Pigeon Use the Camera!

(joint post)

You missed it? Too bad.

Mo Willems believes author talks should be experienced, not documented. So during yesterday’s visit to the Cambridge Public Library, after posing for a brief photo shoot, he asked everyone in the audience to refrain from taking photos or video. Or “I will shame you.” His words, not ours.

Tom Warburton, left, and Mo Willems, right.

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KidLitCon 2012 Recap

                        Patience, one of the stone lions guarding the NYPL,

                       where KidLitCon was held. Photo by Sondy Eklund.

Jen: a first-timer’s thoughts of kidlitcon

• wear comfortable shoes
• bring business cards. or knitting. Both will help you make connections with other bloggers.
• do start your day with a large, sturdy and most importantly, empty, tote bag. It will most certainly be full to bursting with new ARCs by the end of the day
• if you have traveled from afar, swing by the post office to mail your ARCs. Flat rate shipping is great.
• or, hawk them to a blogger who is willing to love them more and, more importantly, will carry them home.
• don’t feel overwhelmed by all the bloggers who are way more prolific reviewers and well-read than you. They possess a wealth of information and are incredibly witty and nice about sharing it.
• thanks to Maureen Johnson, I’ll probably think of insecure authors every time “werewolf cages” are mentioned in conversation
• after the panel Critical Reviewing and “Niceness,” I am itching to write a review that’s more critical and not merely nice. At the same time, I can only say what worked for me, what didn’t, and why.

Lisa:

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Pocket Pacy Paces NYC

As we were in NYC for Kidlit Con 2012, the Pocket Pacys begged to come along for some sight-seeing. They had a fantastic time.

Pacy hits Times Square.

Pacy visits the Brooklyn Bridge…or rather, the Lego version (at Little, Brown Books).

Pacy admires the magnificent New York Public Library, home to KidLit Con 2012.

The Pacys hang out at the library.

Pacy & Pacy: Not Exactly the Same!

The Pacys (and their chaperones) reunite with Original Pacy (during Grace Lin’s book signing).

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Next Stop: KidLitCon

We’re off to KidLitCon tomorrow, and it won’t be hard to spot us, because Jen and I may be the only attendees without laptops, ipads or tablets etc. This is partly out of a preference for packing light, but I’m also looking forward to meeting bloggers in person/reconnecting with everyone I met last year and taking a break from gadgetry. We’ll leave the live updates to those who can multitask, and will report back next week after the conference.

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The Raven Boys with Maggie Stiefvater

“I am not a hugging person,” began Maggie Stiefvater, during Thursday’s tour for her newest novel The Raven Boys at the Cambridge Public Library’s teen room. As she elaborated why, I mulled over her statement. Going into this book talk, my knowledge of all things Stiefvater was patchy at best. I had read exactly one of her many books (The Scorpio Races) and I had the vague notion that one series featured werewolves and romance (neither of which I particularly seek out in a book). Taking into account the paranormal romance phenomenon, it was possible that she had an extremely enthusiastic fanbase (think Twilight) with embrace-y tendencies and was taking preventative action.

Or maybe not, because Stiefvater told us to hold that thought. Then, changing directions, she began the way most authors do, telling us what inspires her writing and which author had the most profound effect on her when she was young. That honor goes to Susan Cooper, which makes complete sense because The Dark is Rising books are steeped in mythology and fantasy and set within the real world. At this year’s ALA conference, Stiefvater got the chance to meet her literary hero. There’s even a Twitter picture of the two authors, which, as Stiefvater’s friend puts it, “looks like [Susan Cooper] is a cookie and you want to eat her.”

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KidLitCon 2012: Will You Be There?

Logo by writer/artist/graphic designer Sarah Stevenson.

The conference takes place Sept. 29 at the New York Public Library, and there’s a pre-con on the 28th. We’re looking forward to meeting fellow bloggers, writers and kidlit fans. Here’s my summary of last year’s conference.

Registration for KidLitCon 2012 is open until Sept. 21–Fuse #8 has all the details.

Hope to see you there!

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48HBC: reflections

Started: 10:30 pm Friday (running late already, haha)

Ended: 10:30 pm Sunday

Read: 1.75 books (Smoky the Cowhorse and Marcelo in the Real World)

Total hours logged: 8 hours of reading, 1.5 hours of blogging

Alas, I wasn’t able to reach my desired goal of reading 12+ hours in 48 hours. And I actually finished Marcelo (because it was that good) after my 10:30 pm deadline, which explains where the remaining 0.25 went. Nevertheless, I had a great time being deliberate about my reading list, and still having a normal and packed weekend. Although the challenge is over, I fully intend to keep working on the books that remain, albeit at a slower reading speed than that of this weekend’s and a faster reading speed than my monthly average. And I am definitely looking forward to next year’s 48HBC.

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