I love all these book giveaways. I've donated WINNIE'S WAR to one (Debut 2009 Library) and an ARC of SHADOW to another (Enchanted Inkpot Giveaway). I wish I could enter.

The Debs are giving away 46 books to the winning library. I talked to a librarian over Thanksgiving about this, asking her if the cost of processing the books would negate the super awesomeness of getting the books. She said absolutely not, that this was a FANTASTIC getaway (and she hopes her library wins).



Here's the link: http://community.livejournal.com/debut2009/807752.html


The second giveaway is over at the Enchanted Inkpot, a community of writers and readers of MG and YA fantasy: http://community.livejournal.com/enchantedinkpot/37038.html

"Just in time for the holidays, we Inkies have decided to spread some book love – Inkie style. So we are opening our first annual Inkies Giveaway Extravaganza where 3 lucky readers will get to win one of the following fabulous basket categories . . . " Visit the site to see a list of the books! (And if you win, can you loan some to me?)

Three questions for the author:

What was the title of your manuscript when you sold it?

The Espressologist. It didn't actually change from sale to pub. But, when I got my agent it was called The Espressologist is In and my agent said to knock off the "is In" part.

What place have you visited that you most want to return to?

Paris

Who is your favorite book character?

My main girl, Jane Turner



School Library Journal agrees, Kristina! Here's what they say about THE ESPRESSOLOGIST and its heroine Jane Turner:

“Springer has created a lovable, naive young woman in Jane, and even those who don’t drink java will enjoy the frothy story.”

Thanks, Kristina!


Visit Kristina Springer at www.kristinaspringer.com/

ETA: Captions for the pictures


Signing SHADOW in the Scholastic booth:



With my amazing Scholastic editor Lisa Sandell:



With fellow Debs Kate Messner and Malinda Lo, the three of us holding books not our own: THE BODY FINDER (Kimberly Derting); LOCKDOWN (Walter Dean Myers); and SILVER PHOENIX (Cindy Pon):



With NCTE panel Loree Griffin Burns, moderator Teri Lesesne, Tanya Lee Stone, and Kate Messner:



Books in the Henry Holt booth, including THE GOODBYE SEASON (Marian Hale); GIVE UP THE GHOST (Megan Crewe); THE MILES BETWEEN (Mary Pearson) and BETRAYING SEASON (Marissa Doyle):



Bloomsbury editor Caroline Abbey:



The amazing Bloomsbury/Walker team, Emily Easton, Michelle Nagler, Caroline Abbey, and Katie Fee (missed Beth Eller for the pic!):



With my lovely Walker editor Emily Easton:



Kate & I with fellow Deb Jon Skovron (@ NCTE to sign STRUTS & FRETS):



STRUTS & FRETS in the wild:



Deb/Tenner Jennifer Hubbard signing THE SECRET YEAR:



Tenner Josh Berk holding his THE DARK DAYS OF HAMBURGER HALPIN, w/ two charming Random House folks:



MY INVENTED LIFE (Lauren Bjorkman) and FORTUNE'S FOLLY (Deva Fagan) in the wild:



With the very talented Jo Knowles:

Thanks so much to James F Bay Elementary School in Seabrook, Texas! I had a wonderful morning (i.e., a BLAST) visiting with the 300 third, fourth, and fifth graders there.

And what great questions!

How many times did you read your manuscript before it was published?
Did you base the character of Clara on anyone that you knew?
What types of pens did they use in 1918?
How is the swine flu different than the Spanish influenza?

and

Where can I buy your book? :)

I couldn't get a pic of everyone, but lovely librarian Kay Richards took a photo of me with one of the classes:

I'm hearing GREAT things about this book by our LK Madigan:





Three questions for the author:

What was the title of your manuscript when you sold it?

FLASH BURNOUT was the title when I sold my book, although there was a period of time when my editor thought we should change it. I remember reading that in her editorial letter and gasping. I even said out loud, "Oh no!" We did bat around several other titles, but I'm glad we stuck with FLASH BURNOUT.

What place have you visited that you most want to return to?

All of them! But if I have to choose just one, I guess it would be Hawaii. I've been to four of the islands, and would be hard pressed to choose a favorite. I love the relaxed atmosphere, the tropical climate, the warm sea, the snorkeling, the food ... NOW I REALLY WANT TO GO!

Who is your favorite book character?

Boy, I am smitten with many fictional characters! But to save me from sitting here agonizing over a lifetime's worth of books, I'm going to say Hermione Granger. She's got it all. :-)


Visit Lisa at: www.flashburnout.com/

Three questions for Jon Skovron:


What was the title of your manuscript when you sold it? Did you have any input on the new title?

The original title was GROPE 4 LUNA, a reference to a Pixies song called Subbacultcha, but no one else liked that title. I guess if you don't know the song, it might read a little weird. My editor asked me for some other ideas and I gave her a list. She also came up with some. Then we showed the list to the marketing guy and he picked the one he thought was the most striking to someone who hadn't read the story yet. It ended up being, STRUTS & FRETS, one that my editor came up with. It's a pretty clever title. She's a pretty clever lady.

What place have you visited that you most want to return to?

Scotland. I was backpacking through the UK, and when I got to Scotland, I just suddenly felt at home. Like I had found my "people" or something.

Who is your favorite book character?

Just one? That's cruel! Okay, well, honest answer, it's always the main character of the book I'm currently writing :P


Congratulations, Jon!

Visit Jon at jonnyskov.com/

I met Lauren Bjorkman (laurenbjorkman ), the author of MY INVENTED LIFE, this weekend at AASL. And, y'all, she is sooooo wonderful. I felt like I'd known her for years. I can't wait to read her book:




From Publishers Weekly:

Bjorkman sets her debut amid the high school theater crowd, peppering Roz's internal narration with imagined scenarios and Shakespearean humor, evoking all the drama inherent in putting on a play. Roz's voice is witty and genuine as she moves through the ups and downs of coming out (and eventually coming clean). Evocative of Boy Meets Boy and Dramarama, this makes for fun, thought-provoking reading. Ages 14–up. (Oct.)


I asked Lauren about her book title (which I love):

What was the title of your manuscript when you sold it? Did you have any input on the new title?

My novel was called My Invented Life when I sold it. Earlier, it had a different title--Count Me Out--which I chose for the double entendre. But the joke wasn't apparent to anyone who hadn't read it. In the midst of querying agents, I came up with the current title. It better captures the playful tone of the book.


Visit Lauren at: laurenbjorkman.com/

My handsell today:



My staff recommendation (14 copies sold in six weeks so cool):



Store manager ordered ten copies of this book & children's leads set them up in children's area:




:)

-- Jo, Melodye, and I are Bringing LJ Back, so I have to post, exciting or not.

I got to set up a Teen table at the bookstore last night. How I love getting these assignments - FUN!

There was a title list this time, so I couldn't make my own selections. And I was sad to see no Debs on the list :( but I was happy to put FIRE and LIAR out, two books I really enjoyed this year. I tried to keep the stacks of LIAR & LEVIATHAN together - because I didn't want to separate wife and husband ;) - but alas, it wouldn't work out. It's very cool their books are on the same promotion table, tho; they must feel very lucky to be doing what they're doing & doing it together.

Last night, I told a co-worker he had ugly sunglasses. I didn't mean to. My only excuse was that I was very tired. So I am formally apologizing, Adam. Your sunglasses are so ugly they are only cool & awesomeness.

Daughter & I have another fabulous mother/daughter evening planned. I think we are huddling together more lately because she's been doing all her college applications and it reminds us what excitingbutsad thing is coming soon.

I reallyreallyreally want to read this book:




Three questions for author Pam Bachorz (who I met in New York and is very lovely):

What was the title of your manuscript when you sold it?

It was titled CANDOR and stayed that way. We are working on a new title for the UK, though.

Originally, though, I titled it WHISPERFIGHT. Nobody got that, except me!

What place have you visited that you most want to return to?

Taos, New Mexico. I went to an amazing writing retreat there in May and I plan on going back next year. It was beautiful, peaceful and such a remove from my crazed daily pace.

Who is your favorite book character?

Anne Shirley, from LM Montgomery's books (Anne of Green Gables, etc). She's a redheaded writer with a busy family life who never stops dreaming. I think we'd get along!

Thanks, Pam!


Visit Pam at www.pambachorz.com/

Peter Jackson looks like a hobbit.

The music in Lord of the Rings is so beautiful it makes me cry.

My sister is very smart (and reads my blog so I hope she sees this).

I have a new dryer, finally. No more laundromat.

A pen placed on my dresser will roll off because the back part of my house is sinking like California.

I miss the old days of LJ where we talked more.

I comment less these days.

There are three little ghosts in my front yard.

I'm so thrilled! I found this review of Winnie's War:

VOYA

Twelve-year-old Winnie worries about her two baby sisters. That used to mean protecting them from Mama's distance and the snobbery of the Cravens, but now there is a new threat—the Spanish flu that killed the soldiers and the folks back east has reached Winnie's small Texas town. This story is not merely one about the 1918 pandemic, however; Winnie's mother has a mental illness, perhaps depression, and readers see its effect on Winnie. They also see the older generation: Winnie's grandmother Clara, who is strict and very demanding, and Winnie's chess partner Mr. Levy, the grandfather of her best friend. Snapshots of class issues, anti- Semitism, and racial and national bias, church influence in a small town, and early suffrage for women ground the story. The characters in this book are well drawn, whether it is a railroad worker only seen dead in the boarding house parlor, the first-time mother sick with the flu in a second story window, or Winnie herself, fighting for her family's life throughout the book. The small town of Coward Creek comes to life in Moss's writing, so that the reader can draw a map from the cemetery to the school, putting photographs of the people in each building along the way. Winnie and the others populate a solid plot, but it is the setting and the characters that will make this book last as a popular favorite with a space on shelves well into the future. Reviewer: Beth Karpas

What a nice surprise!

This book is one of my favorite from 2009.




Here's what the professional reviewers are saying:

Publishers Weekly: Crewe's debut novel, despite its paranormal twist, is realistic and honest in its portrayal of an angry, struggling teenage girl. . . . This coming-of-age novel avoids unrealistically neat moments of closure—it will make readers hurt, and maybe even believe.

School Library Journal: A supernatural twist on the "Mean Girls" plot provides page-turning action.

Kirkus Reviews: Crewe's first effort will make readers wonder what else she's got up her sleeve.


Megan answered a few questions for me:


What was the title of your manuscript when you sold it?

The title of my manuscript was pretty much the same: GIVING UP THE GHOST. But there was another YA novel with that title published a couple years earlier, so my publisher wanted to change it. I had a lot of trouble thinking of another I liked as much, so when my editor suggested maybe it only had to change a little, I couldn't have been happier! I think I actually like GIVE UP THE GHOST a little more. :)

What place have you visited that you most want to return to?

Just one? Hmmm... I guess I'd most like to go back to Venice. I'd love to write a story set there--the atmosphere is wonderful.

Who is your favorite book character?

Again, just one? At the moment I'd have to say Gen a.k.a. Eugenides from Megan Whalen Turner's Attolia books--he's brilliant and cunning and brave but vulnerable at the same time. From my childhood, Ivy from Zilpha Keatley Snyder's THE CHANGELING--I longed for a friend just like her.

Yay for Gen!

Thanks, Megan!


This book is really great, y'all.

Visit Megan at www.megancrewe.com/

My feet hurt, but I am happy.

You?

What books do you like? I asked an elementary schooler as her mother purchased books.

"Bluebonnets," she said. (Texas state award)

"Which is your favorite?"

She thought.

"Did you like GOLLYWHOPPER GAMES?" I asked.

Her face lit up, and her mother smiled. "That's my favorite one so far!" this young reader said.

Yay, Jody!!


During the day, I saw two different girls SO JOYFUL to get/find the books they wanted. One jumped up and down, grasping the book in her hands.

It is such a freaking thrill to be on the bookseller side and see kids so excited about BOOKS!

Kate Messner's debut has voice, wisdom, and a great MG story! And don't you just love the cover?!



Kate answered a few questions for me:

What was the title of your manuscript when you sold it? Did you have any input on the new title?

THE BRILLIANT FALL OF GIANNA Z. has quite a title history! When I first started writing, it was called 25 LEAVES OR ELSE as a working title, but then I settled on SWINGER OF BIRCHES to reflect the Robert Frost poem that plays into the theme of the book. My agent wondered if that title would make sense for kids who weren't familiar with Frost, so then the title became MAPLE GIRL, a play on the tree game that Gianna and her friend Zig play, where they assign people the kind of tree they'd be if they were a tree. (Gianna is a sugar maple!) Finally, after much brainstorming and discussion with my editor, we decided that THE BRILLIANT FALL OF GIANNA Z. really captured the spirit of the book the best.

It's a great title! What place have you visited that you most want to return to?

Do I have to choose just one? I love traveling, and my family took a trip to the Pacific Northwest last summer that really left me wanting more. I'd love to spend more time in the Cascades and on the coast.

Who is your favorite book character?

Albus Dumbledore. He is just about the smartest man (real or fictional) I've ever met.

Awesome choice. I've wished many times Dumbledore would come to life!

Congratulations, Kate, on your Gianna!!


Visit Kate at www.katemessner.com/

Sydney Salter had TWO books come out in her debut year as an author. JUNGLE CROSSING is an awesome middle grade read, two stories in one!




Three questions for Sydney!

What was the title of your manuscript when you sold it?

Jungle Crossing. But I did spend an entire hike with my family coming up with new titles when my agent asked for "comp titles." I didn't know he meant books that would appeal to a similar audience. (I didn't come up with anything I liked better than Jungle Crossing though.)

What place have you visited that you most want to return to?

I would love to return to Mexico and revisit all the settings in Jungle Crossing. I want to climb pyramids!

Who is your favorite book character?

I love Jane Austen's Emma so much that I gave her name to my daughter. I like characters with flaws. I also enjoy daughters with flaws!

Congratulations, Sydney!


Visit Sydney at: www.sydneysalter.com/

Jennifer Brown's novel HATE LIST got a starred review in Publishers Weekly!



Hate List Jennifer Brown. Little, Brown, $16.99 (416p) ISBN 978-0-316-04144-7

When Val and her boyfriend Nick write the names of the people who torment or annoy them in a notebook dubbed the “Hate List,” she has no idea that Nick will use it as a checklist the day he brings a gun to school, killing several people, including himself, and wounding many more. Brown's riveting debut initially cuts between the day of the shooting in May and the following September when school begins again, then focuses on the aftermath of the shooting and the rest of Val's senior year; newspaper clips are interspersed throughout. Val's guilt is explored in realistic scenes with a therapist; she helped write the list (“[it] started as a joke. A way to vent frustration”) but also stopped the shooting by taking a bullet for popular student Jessica, now Val's staunchest defender. Val's complicated relationship with her family, Jessica and the surviving victims, as well as how she comes to terms with Nick's betrayal, are piercingly real, and the shooting scenes wrenching. Her successes are hard-won and her setbacks, such as her father's inability to forgive her, painfully true to life. Ages 15–up. (Sept.)

Congratulations, Jennifer!!

I asked Jennifer a few questions:

What was the title of your manuscript when you sold it? Did you have any input on the new title?

The original title of my book was "Hero," which really made sense once you'd read the book, but didn't do much to describe it ahead of time. I was given the opportunity for input once everyone started brainstorming, but I really liked "Hate List" once my editor presented it to me, so we went with it.

What place have you visited that you most want to return to?

Walt Disney World. Always Disney.

Who is your favorite book character?

Of all time?! Sheesh, that's really tough. But, you know, probably the one character I really really reeeeally rooted for the whole time I was reading was Tom Joad (The Grapes of Wrath).

Thanks, Jennifer!


Visit Jennifer at www.jenniferbrownya.com/

So happy & tired - almost at 31K on my dystopian YA, BLACK WINDOWS. Good writing day. The characters feel very real to me now. This took longer to kick in this time, so I was a little worried but things have been clicking lately. These sorts of days are good, but why do they make you feel as if you've run a marathon?

I got a temporary job at B&N. They're opening up a new store here. The trucks arrive a week from Friday. I'm very excited to see how B&N goes from empty space to bookstore.

In June, I sent out 500 letters and bookmarks to Texas teachers and librarians. It costs me money (postage alone was > $200!)and time to do it, but I'm getting some good response. Yay!

My editor Lisa Sandell said yes! She's coming to Houston for our SCBWI conference in Feb 2010. I am SO excited, y'all. She's such a lovely person. I'm looking forward to spending time with her.