White tents, lush green lawns, hot coffee and crisp new books are just some of the things you’ll see, smell and feel at the 2011 Texas Book Festival. There will be families and authors and illustrators coming together to share and celebrate the joy of reading and literacy. I can’t wait! Can you? This year, […]
Author: carmen
Advice From an Agent – Revision
Things have been off the chart busy as of late. It’s all good as the saying goes. I’ve been working like a beaver on a couple of revisions that an agent suggested for two of my works-in-progress. One wasn’t really a request, more of a pondering; I wonder if this ending could have an even […]
Book Talk: Reviews by Young Readers
Today, I’m excited to welcome back ten-year-old Analise Flatt, an avid reader and budding book publicist, to BookTalk: Reviews by Young Readers. She’s reviewing author/illustrator Jill Thompson’s Magic Trixie. Review – Magic Trixie by Jill Thompson (HarperCollins, 2008) Magic Trixie is the first book of the series. Magic Trixie is a curious, mysterious little girl. […]
Storytelling in the Digital Age: Embrace the Change
Emma Dryden, owner of the editorial consulting firm Drydenbks, said this summer at the L.A. SCBWI 2011 Summer Conference “I don’t think we need fear for the survival of the book,” she said. “Not in our lifetime. But the digital world is reshaping the very foundations of the book business and the book business has […]
Guest Post: Chris Eboch on Plotting and Revising Your Novel
By Chris Eboch After a dozen books in print, I like to think I’ve learned a few things. After all, I’ve written historical fiction (The Eyes of Pharaoh, a mystery set in ancient Egypt, and The Well of Sacrifice, a Mayan adventure), original paperback series (the Haunted series, which starts with The Ghost on the […]
Author Interview: A.J. Paquette
I had the privilege of meeting A. J. Paquette (Ammi-Joan) in person this past spring at the 2011 Texas Library Association Conference while she was in Austin, and she’s every bit as lovely in person as she is in her picture. Charming. Kind. Warm. Professional. Stylish. And do you see the glint of mischief and […]
Book Talk: Reviews by Young Readers
Today in BookTalk: Reviews by Young Readers, I’m thrilled to have Sarah Dukes with us to talk about Jessica Day George’s Middle Grade novel Dragon Slippers. Welcome, Sarah! Hi, my name is Sarah, and I’m 13 years old! I’m very passionate about writing. With writing you can escape to a place you created. Somewhere with drama, humor, horror, […]
Author Interview: Julia Durango
Julia Durango is the author of picture books, adventure novels, and poetry for kids of all ages. Her middle-grade adventure novel, Sea of the Dead, was a Junior Library Guild selection, a Parents’ Choice silver medalist, and the winner of the 2010 Golden Kite fiction award for best children’s book of the year. I was lucky […]
Author Interview: Jessica Lee Anderson
It’s exciting when I get to interview children’s authors whose work I admire and even more thrilling when that author is also a friend. I first met Jessica Lee Anderson when I attended a book signing party with several other Austin SCBWI authors at Barnes & Noble. At the time, she was signing her middle […]
Five on a Friday
It’s the last Friday of the summer before the kids go back to school. Hubby has taken the day off from work and we’re going to take the kids ice skating. I know ice skating in the summer sounds crazy, but it’s been soooo hot here in Austin that you need to find indoor activities […]