At the Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association Fall Trade Show I’ll be giving the workshop Multicultural Literature: writing and sharing books for all readers.
More than half of young readers are not white. The writers and booksellers who connect with this diverse generation will thrive. Come learn how to find multicultural books to share and how to write them accurately and sensitively.
And I’m happy to be presenting the first of the writers workshops in the Oregon SCBWI professional series The Next Level. It’s called Low or No Cost Marketing and it’s all about collaborating with booksellers, teachers, librarians and your fellow writers and illustrators to help your books reach their readers. It’s a very hands on workshop from which you will emerge with a concrete and manageable marketing plan. It is geared toward writers and illustrators who have a book under contract or in print but anyone who is interested in the topic is welcome. I will be presenting along with the wonderful illustrator David Hohn.
The Gatsby era has proved a goldmine for 5 local writers all with books set in the roaring 20s. Come join the conversation about what makes historical fiction, and the 20s in particular, such a strong setting for MG and YA fiction. Participating authors are Rosanne Parry with Written in Stone, Cat Winters with In the Shadow of Blackbirds, Janet Fox with Sirens, Terri Brown with Daughter of Illusion and Sue Hill Long with Whistle in the Dark.
My parents first took me to Powells Bookstore clear back in 1972 or so when it was a tiny place tucked away in northwest Portland. I’ve been a fan of indy bookstores ever since. In fact the kind of books I write would not be possible without knowledgeable and passionate booksellers helping readers find just the right fit.
So I was elated today when I saw that the independent bookstore Andersons in the Chicago area had named WRITTEN IN STONE to it’s 2013 Mock Newbery list. The complete list of 25 contenders for the Newbery medal here at the Anderson’s website.
I am also very grateful to the librarian’s who have chosen Second Fiddle for this years Oregon Battle of the Books list for 6th to 8th graders. It’s a fabulous program where kids form teams, read a slate of 15 books, and answer questions about them in a quiz bowl format. It’s great fun and I’m proud to be on the same list as my friends Laurel Snyder with Bigger than a Breadbox, Operation Redwood by S. Terril French, and Night of the Howling Dogs by Graham Salisbury. If your school does not know the joy of the book battle here’s where you can go for more information.
So happy new school year to all you wonderful school librarians who do so much to help kids find books to grow on.
And a big thank you to the following independent bookstores who have invited me to come share my books. I’ll have a full list of bookstore appearances up on my calendar soon.
A Children’s Place Bookstore in Portland, OR
Waucoma Books in Hood River, OR
Klindt’s Bookstore in The Dalles, OR
Rediscovered Bookshop in Boise, ID
Aunties Books in Spokane, WA
Village Books in Bellingham, WA
Secret Garden Books in Seattle, WA
The Linden Tree Books in Los Altos, CA
Stay tuned for dates and times!
