Showing posts with label Provo City Library. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Provo City Library. Show all posts

Sunday, November 07, 2010

Feeling Thankful


Thanksgiving is still a few weeks away but this morning I am feeling an overwhelming sense of gratitude. Here are some things and people I'm thankful for when it comes to being an author.

1. I'm thankful to be in a line of work where colleagues are supportive of each other, rather than dog-eat-dog.

2. I'm thankful for all the amazing emails I get from young people, whether to say they liked my book(s) or ask questions about how they might someday become an author.

3. I'm thankful for teachers like Cassie Cox of Two Rivers High School. She had an idea to get her students and their favorite authors together for dinner and it happened!

4. Along those same lines, I'm thankful for Courtney Lowe and the others at Provo City Library who are always finding new and exciting ways to reach out to teens.

5. I'm thankful for my mom and dad, who read to me and let me see them reading as I grew up.

6. I'm thankful to Dr. Ann Gill of Colorado State University who once told me I'd be doing the world a great disservice if I didn't write.
7. I'm grateful for my critique partners and groups, my blogging family (including the Buzz Girls!), my writing organizations, my agents, and all of the editors I've had the pleasure of working with.

8. And last but never least, I'm thankful for my family, who knows how important writing is to me and sometimes even allows me to write, LOL.

Sunday, October 31, 2010

Happy Halloween!

We spent last week chatting about my favorite holiday of the year: Halloween. And I'm not sure about where you live, but here in Utah, we pretty much celebrated it yesterday since it fell on a Sunday this year. Here's how I celebrated Halloween.

On Thursday our local elementary school had their parade and class parties, and since two of my kids are in school, I helped out with both of their parties. For my fifth grader's class, I got to dress up like a witch (above) and tell a spooky story about Boo Hags while making a brew (which was more like a trail mix). It was a blast and I have a feeling some of those kiddies had a nightmare or two! (The true sign of success, eh?)

On Saturday, I was honored to be part of Provo City Library's 1st Annual Teen Read Fest. I'm always excited to receive an invitation there because that library is, in a word, amazing. They totally know how to fill their beautiful historical building with readers and authors and proud parents. I got to do a reading, speed dating Q&A sessions, book signings, and hang out in the green room with my new BFF (though he might not know this yet) YA author extraordinaire Scott Westerfeld. Then, I came home in a rainstorm to homemade chili a la my husband and spent the night handing out Halloween candy to goblins.

By the way, can you guess what I dressed up as???
And if you dressed up, what did you go as this year?



Sunday, October 17, 2010

Gearing Up for Teen Read Week

I love Teen Read Week! This year, I'm getting a head start by visiting 5 middle schools in my neighboring state of Idaho.
Then, on Friday, Oct. 30, I'll be joining a group of fabulous YA authors (Scott Westerfeld, Brandon Mull, Brandon Sanderson, Sara Zarr, James Dashner, Bree Despain, Jessica Day George, Kristin Chandler, Carol Lynch Williams, Ally Condie, Ann Dee Ellis, Lisa Magnum, Sydney Saltar, Nathan Hale, Ann Cannon, Dene Lowe, Sheila Nielsen, J. Scott Savage, and Chris Crowe) at Provo City Library for Teen Book Fest. Click HERE for mo' info. If there's any way you can make it to Provo, Utah, you won't want to miss it.
What are YOU doing to celebrate Teen Read Week? And remember to stop by the blog all week to see what the other Bees are up to. :)