Justina asked me to share my top 10 moments from TLA. I found I had a photo for most!
1. Getting to travel with Justina and
Dia. Although we missed
Holly Cupala and
Melissa Walker dearly!
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2. Packing up the gifties for publishers who are supporting
TBD '09!
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3. Finding Jodie Cohen on the floor. She's now at Listening Library. We formerly worked together at Simon and Schuster. Note: she's wearing heels!
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4. Meeting the legend
Sharyn November who probably has her eyes closed here because she can't believe the ruckus the co-founders of rgz are making over her.
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5. My massive fan girl moment over
Gary Schmidt where I kept mentioning the breeze, the breeze in Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy. Oh, my.
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6. Happening upon
Joan Bauer and putting two and two together to remember we first met at SCBWI National where we listened to Karen Hesse speak. I lurve Joan's work!
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7. Our presentation to over 200 fantastic Texas librarians!
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8. Our signings where S&S provided
Hug Hug! and
On Pointe for conference attendees.
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9. Coming upon Justina's shrine of stars!
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10. And then meeting Meg Cabot after working together multiple times with rgz!
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There were so many highlights, really:
Authors: Sara Zarr, Ally Carter, Jennifer Zeigler, Justine Larbalestier, Walter Dean Myers, Margo Rabb, John Green, Scott Westerfeld, two Brown Bookshelf co-founders, and Cynthia Leitich Smith (and more, more, more!)
Publishers: the Little, Brown staff--Victoria Stapleton (Who I just love. She brought a chair into the Publishers' Reception. So appreciated. And her humor just cracks me up!) Kate Sullivan who helped carry my bags. How sweet is that? Laura Antonacci from S&S and her full team.
Librarians: our power lunch with Lorienne Roy and a
midnight meeting with Beth Yoke. Susi Grissom and Joanna Nigrelli, our Texas hosts. An entire conference full of passionate, generous librarians. Just wonderful!
Here's to a great conference, and the rumor of TLA '10. I hope, I hope, I hope!
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And sweet thanks to the librarian who asked me if my hair color was natural and another who gave me the "Best Shoe Award" for the entire conference. *wink*