Kidlitosphere 2008, Part Two, Holly Cupala's Diva Debut

Dia Calhoun, Holly Cupala, and I traveled to Portland to speak at the Kidlitosphere Conference, to garner amazing advice from top bloggers in the community, and to announce Holly Cupala as our newest rgz diva!

Do you see how excited she was?


The rgz divas: Mitali Perkins, Justina Chen Headley, Dia, and I are so happy to have her on the rgz team. She's worked hard for an entire year, and it's a joy to recognize her as a diva.We threw a Diva Debut the night of the conference in the Sheraton Bar & Grill. Can I just say the partaaaaaay went until 2:00 am? There were gifties, diva book give-aways, and sock puppets. Yep.

We were also celebrating Holly's 2 book contract with HarperCollins of course!

So, give a warm welcome to Holly Cupala. Is it just me or does it look like this diva has a little something up her sleeve for rgz?

I'm on SLJ Fuse 8!

I'm dying! Look at this! Thanks, Betsy Bird! I loved meeting you at Kidlitosphere 2008!

Kidlitosphere 2008, Part One

Holly Cupala, Dia Calhoun, and I are back from the Kidlitosphere Conference in Portland, Oregon! What an absolute blast. Laine Taylor and Jone MacCulloch were amazing hosts. Thank you, ladies!


Here's Laine. Is her hair awesome, or what?


Dia Calhoun and I were asked to speak on the opening panel with Alice Pope, Betsy Bird, and Mark Blevis. We argued over how permeable the skin of the blogosphere really is and laughed quite a bit.

I met so many people made of awesome. But I have to say a highlight was hanging with the AMAZING Colleen Mondor of Chasing Ray. I'm serious. Who is more brilliant? We talked for HOURS. :~) And does everyone realize she is a super mom? I'm completely inspired by her dedication and selflessness.

So many new friends and faces.

Here I am looking sooooo tall next to Sara Zarr. What a joy to finally meet her! And we were psyched she agreed to be a rgz feature author. Woot! Um. That's probably top secret, btw.


It was a blast getting to meet Mark Blevis after he had so graciously interviewed me for Just One More Book last year. How fun to put a face with a voice.

Just wanted to get a few photos up. How did I get away without a photo with Lee Wind? What a gracious spirit that guy has! I have so much more to share: Holly Cupala's celebration, highlight notes, and Voodoo Donuts. More soon!

Knuckleheads

I'm jumping up and down because my friend, Joan Holub, author of over 100 children's books, has a new picture book releasing from Chronicle.


I saw this work from the beginning and have ALWAYS believed in it. It captures every bit of Joan's amazing humor. Michael Slack is the perfect illustrator for the text. Just look at this video!



Is that not the best? I'm telling you. Cult classic.

Congrats, Joan!

I found my webcam!

rgz Night Bites!

I'm so excited to announce:



Tuesday night is for me to hang out with the awesome Stephanie, Lisa Ann, and rgz! Woot!




Read the full press release here.

I'm psyched about this event in support of YALSA's Teen Read Week. A shout out to every amazing author who is participating!

Turning 44

What, what to blog about on the eve of my 44th b-day? I have such random thoughts.

I guess these photos are knocking my socks off. How did my daughter and her bestie grow so quickly?




Weren't we just giving them that bath? Um, the top photo, I mean. :~)

At least my friends and I can still hang at the park and laugh our heads off whether our girls are nearby or not.



Here's to September birthdays, growing kids, good friends, and finding the joys in life!

Hopping Across My Laptop

Things are hopping across my laptop for readergirlz right now. So what does that look like? Without giving away top secret rgz diva info, this is what's boinging around.

1. First there's Operation Teen Book Drop, 2009! I just outreached to the Woodmark Pediatric Hospital group to see who's in for TBD in April. Already we have 4 hospitals signed up! Thanks to Holly Cupala for our new green version of the logo.

2. The letter to request publisher participation is drafted and ready for Dia Calhoun to run with it.

3. There's a top secret meeting on Thurs. I can't say more. Very nervy-making.

4. Nearly all the bookings are complete for our amazing Teen Read Week. Did you see the poster Holly made for us? Woot! Soon there will be a final edition with book covers and a pdf available at rgz.



4. We have the Kidlit Conference we are headed down to the end of the month where we hope to make great connections and fab rgz tv. Plus there will be a very special partaaaay. More about that soon!

5. Then Dia and I have a couple speaking gigs to prepare for. She is a wiz at Powerpoint. Yay!

6. Mitali and I are hunting down great features for rgz. Right now we are concentrating on Latina work. Very fun.

7. We are getting ready to turn around the October issue.

8. We are ordering buttons to give away. I made a new button at the Zazzle Store with the new rgz tv logo designed by Holly. It's the cutest!

9. New coolio bookmarks are on the way.

10. And we are having a blast chatting with Paula Yoo about Good Enough at the rgz MySpace group forum!



Of course, all of that is between when I'm checking Facebook to see if Justina Chen Headley is on in China. Obviously, there's a ton to talk about. And of course, now that she's settled, her new ideas for rgz will be hopping too. Boing, boing, boing!

Where is everything?

Sometimes as an author you stop and say, "Wait. Where is everything?" So here's where it's all at right now.

Hug Hug! comes out December 16th from Little Simon. I'll be doing something very fun for the launch with my amazing friend Joan Holub.

The new paperback of Rainy Day Slug comes out March 1st.


Hm. Then my Scholastic Cartwheel board book, Bedtime Kiss for Little Fish comes out in June, I think. I have the cover but don't know if I can share it yet! Debra Ziss has made the sweetest Little Fish.



My novel about Korea is in the hands of my amazing agent, Elizabeth Harding. Will I need another rewrite or not, is the question! This part is very nervy making. (The following photos are my collages or visual maps of my works in progress.)

Then my prose fantasy is off to my fab critique group buddies, Joan Holub and Dia Calhoun. I expect at least a month of work when they send their comments back to me. My dear friend Justina Chen Headley may read it in October in China. Then there will be--another rewrite.


So what right now? Well, there's a first draft of a verse novel I can get back to in the meantime. I wrote a work after the experiences of my daughter's friend Sarah. (Sarah is in the foreground, and Emily is in the background.)


There's much to do on the work. Sarah's story is chilling, and I'm so ready to get back to it. I'm right at that juncture where I need to breakaway away into fiction. Opening your hand and letting the truth go to make a better story is a distinct step in writing from life experiences. That is exactly where I'm at. And I have a few minutes right now to get going!

The Last First Day

It's back! The day has come. The day I knew would come has come. The day is...the first day of school. *sighs*

I now prepare for the migraine. This year it will be from me banging the trig book against my head.



The sight of this makes me shiver. Yes, the last year of homeschooling begins today. I can't believe it's year 15 of teaching.

So here are El and I in reality:

But we'll make an effort to put on our happy faces. Because I really know, as soon as it ends and she's off to college, I WILL MISS IT! Although you won't catch me doing a few trig problems for fun on my own.

The highlight this year will be the humongous stack of the Norton Anthology of Literature.



Can you say, essay? *laughs maniacally*

Okay, the first bell has rung, and we are off. Well, my poptart has popped at least. Here's to a new school year. The last first day.

September rgz Roundtable

I participated in rgz postergirl Little Willow's roundtable this month where we discussed Paula Yoo's novel Good Enough. So I get to post it, too. Some differences popped up, but that just makes it all the better, right? Read on and then enter the chatter at the rgz group forum!

Roundtable: Good Enough by Paula Yoo

Paula Yoo's debut novel, Good Enough, was declared great by the readergirlz and chosen to be our selection for September 2008.

In this roundtable discussion, three members of the postergirlz teen lit advisory council plus readergirlz diva Lorie Ann Grover talk about schoolwork, homework, and making families work.

Little Willow: What did you think of Good Enough in general?

Jackie: I thought it was a really fun read. I'm happy that I can give it with confidence to all ages - and that's not common.

LW: I agree, Jackie. It's fun and it's clean, so I have no problem giving the book to middle school readers - though most of the girls I've shared it with have been high schoolers, all of which have told me they can "so relate to Patti," and I quote.

HWM: I enjoyed reading this book and could relate to everything on so many levels.

LW: I loved how the humor came from a very real place. It was a truly funny book because the funny bits felt true. The narrator wasn't a comedienne, and she wasn't TRYING to be funny - she simply was.

HWM: I laughed out loud in a couple places and I teared up too. I love books that get the emotions going.

LW: I think - not only from having read the book, but from speaking to the author about it, too - that Paula wrote Good Enough not to be a cautionary tale (this is what happens when you disobey your parents!) nor a recipe (directions on how to disobey your strict parents!) but instead to be simply real. I feel as though she accomplished that.

Lorie Ann: The voice rang true for me. I could feel Patti's pressure and enjoy her humor so much. I was instantly submerged in the story.

To read the complete roundtable click here.