Upcoming Events

I can hardly believe it but Three Day Summer will be released in just a little over a week! In case you are in the New York City area and want to come celebrate with me, I want to invite you to a couple of upcoming events.

First up is the launch party taking place on Monday, May 18th from 6-8 PM at the one and only Books of Wonder! There will be floral crowns, there will be flower power face painting and--of course--there will be the chance to snag a signed copy of Three Day Summer a day before its release. Hippie attire is encouraged. RSVP here!

Then, on June 3rd, I'll be reading from Three Day Summer along with 7 other fabulous YA authors as part of the monthly Teen Author Reading Night. That's taking place from 6-7:30 PM at the Jefferson Market branch of the New York Public Library and check out the line-up:

James Dawson, This Book Is Gay
Anne Heltzel, Charlie, Presumed Dead
Bill Konigsberg, The Porcupine of Truth
Trisha Leaver, Secrets We Keep
Kate Milford, The Broken Lands
Adam Silvera, More Happy Than Not
Me, Three Day Summer
Will Walton, Anything Could Happen

The panel is moderated by David Levithan. RSVP here!

Will I be seeing you at either of these? Let me know if you're able to make it!

5 Events in 5 Days: A Recap

I live in New York, but I've never attended BEA before nor have I participated in any sort of ancillary activity even. Last week was something we call "diving into the deep end." From Sunday to Thursday, I had 5 events in 5 days! This means I skipped the gym and ate pretty poorly, but, let's face it -- it was all worth it.

Here is a little recap of what might be my craziest book-related week yet.

Sunday: Book Revue
Book Revue is one of the country's largest independent bookstores. It also happens to be in my hometown of Huntington, NY so I grew up with it.

My favorite part: seeing friends and teachers from high school I hadn't seen in a while and getting to visit a childhood haunt "on the other side of the podium."

This photo also definitely made me realize that I make a lot of exaggerated faces when I read aloud. I blame all those years of being in the ensemble of the school plays.

Monday: Bank Street Books
Bank Street Books is a fantastic and oh-so-generous children's bookstore where I met up with my Class of 2K12ers A.C. Gaughen, Kimberly Sabatini, Lynda Mullaly Hunt and Sarah Tregay (whom I finally met in person for the first time!) and we had a lively crowd asking us all sorts of questions about breaking into the kidlit business.

My favorite question: What was the most important thing you learned from being a debut author?

My answer: Something that I had to learn before I got a book deal and then had to re-learn after: taking joy in the craft of writing. Write because you love it, because there are characters who are speaking to you, and a story you need to tell. There are many challenges on both sides of this path and if you can't love what you're doing for its own sake--it's hard for me to fathom how it might be worth it otherwise.

Tuesday: BEA!
I finally stepped foot into the giant expo. And within 5 minutes, I had found the Bloomsbury booth where I got to see this lovely display.

But even though attending BEA for the first time and actually seeing my book in prominent display there was a definite highlight of the week, it actually wasn't my very favorite part of Tuesday.

My very favorite part: the massive Apocalypsies event organized by my fellow debut author Lenore Appelhans. Lenore had come up with this brilliant idea to create these gorgeous, four-page "dance cards" which the attendees of the event would attempt to get signed by all of us. The catch...we were stationed all around the room and it required a bit of exploring to get to us all (Goldenrod would have been very pleased).

A total collector's item! I'm saving all my autographs.

I got to meet so many amazing book bloggers and librarians because of this. It was a blast and a privilege.

AND...I got to meet about 20 Apocalypsies that I've spent the better part of last year chatting to in person!

Here we are:

A lot of these wonderful ladies are responsible for keeping me sane over the past year.

Wednesday: Tenth Rail
Wednesday was a much-needed hangout day with my Class of 2K12ers Megan Bostic, A.C. Gaughen, Kimberly Sabatini, Lynda Mullaly Hunt and Sarah Tregay.

We also got to give away some awesome raffles.

Thursday: Books of Wonder
Five events in five days ended at my favorite bookstore, the inimitable Books of Wonder, where I got to be a part of a debut authors panel with my fellow Class of 2K12ers Lynda Mullaly Hunt, Megan Bostic, A.C. Gaughen and Sarah Tregay along with debut authors Rebecca Serle, Huntley Fitzpatrick, Meredith Zeitlin and Mary Thompson.

Since I won't be doing any in-person events for awhile, if you've missed me and would like a signed copy of The Mapmaker and the Ghost, please consider buying one directly from Books of Wonder right here!

Have I mentioned that I love them?

Friday: Vacation!
I spent four glorious days at a beach house where I did little else besides reading, eating and hanging out with friends.

The perfect endcap to a perfect week!

June Event Extravaganza!

Next week is Book Expo America (BEA) week in New York City which means that much of publishing descends upon the Big Apple for a weeklong discussion and celebration of books, books and more books.

Since I live in New York, and since this is my first BEA as a published author, next week will be a bit of an event extravaganza for me. 5 events in 5 days to be exact. And guess what? You're invited to all of them! So if you're around, feel free to pick and choose what looks most appealing to you. There'll be mingling, munching and raffles as well as the standard panels and signing.

Sunday, June 3, 2012
What: Reading & Signing
Where: Book Revue
313 New York Avenue, Huntington, NY
Time: 4 PM
RSVP: Your invitation is here!
Info: Huntington is my hometown and this is the bookstore I grew up with: one of the country's largest independent bookstores! So I am extra excited for this "homecoming" event.

Monday, June 4, 2012
What: BEA Kick-Off Party/Breaking into KidLit Panel with the Class of 2K12
Where: Bank Street Bookstore
610 112th St., New York, NY
When: 7 PM
RSVP: Your invitation is here!
Info: Kick off BEA week with the Class of 2K12. We're going to talk a bit about how we broke into the kidlit business before mingling in a fun party atmosphere.

Tuesday, June 5th
What: Meet the Apocalypsies at BEA

Where: Javits Center, Room 1E04

655 W. 34th St., New York, NY 
When: 3-5 PM
Info: Come meet over 20 of this year's debut MG and YA authors. There will be raffles, prizes and cookies! You do need a BEA pass to attend this event.

Wednesday, June 6, 2012
What: Mix, Mingle and Win with the Class of 2K12

Where: Tenth Rail

413 10th Ave., New York, NY 
When: 6 PM
RSVP: Your invitation is here!
Info: Our big BEA party complete with appetizers and awesome raffles where you can win books, swag and critiques!

Thursday, June 7, 2012
What: Panel and Signing with The Class of 2K12

Where: Books of Wonder

18 W. 18th St., New York, NY 
When: 6-8 PM
RSVP: Your invitation is here!
Info: Come meet some of 2012's debut kidlit authors (including me) and get your books signed!

And Now We Party...

Saturday was a whirlwind day for me. I'd had my big launch party planned for a while, but just two weeks ago, I also got invited to be on a middle grade panel at Books of Wonder.

What do you do when one of your favorite bookstores asks you to sit behind a table with Benedict Carey, Michael Northrop, R.J. Palacio, Marie Rutkoski and Maryrose Wood? You say YES, of course!

So, at noon, I inconceivably found myself in the middle of this amazing line-up. My main goal? To absorb everything these seasoned authors said and did like a sponge. My secondary goal: not to make a complete fool of myself as the noob who had been a published author all of 4 days!

There are many reasons I love being a children's book author, but somewhere very near the top is the amazing, supportive community that it affords. Maryrose, R.J., Benedict, Marie and Michael went out of their way to give me advice and make me feel like I really belonged there. And it was amazing. I really want to thank them all and Books of Wonder owner/children's books advocate extraordinaire Peter Glassman who emceed the whole thing with unbelievable panache (and a seriously impressive knowledge of all of our books -- including The Mapmaker and the Ghost!).

Panache personified.

And, guess what? I signed a good amount of stock too. So if you want a signed copy of The Mapmaker and the Ghost, you can order it directly from Books of Wonder here and they will ship it to you!

All signed!

The panel was over at 2 so there was just enough time for a quick bite to eat, an outfit change, and a date with my local bakery who had made custom The Mapmaker and the Ghost cupcakes. Oh, yes.

And finally over to Brooklyn's BookCourt where I was greeted with this adorable sign.

And, eventually, over 50 of my friends, family members and publishing peeps. I wish I had taken a photo from the podium because it was rather extraordinary to look out and see people from almost every aspect of my life (including high school friends I hadn't seen in years, co-workers from my very first mall job, new writer friends and so many more!). I may have gotten a little teary-eyed.

I also talk with my hands.

When else in life does one get to make one's sister (and cousin) wait in line to get something signed by her?

With my parents. They were very smiley. It was pretty adorable.

With Stacy Cantor Abrams -- editor extraordinaire who made MAPMAKER and this whole night possible.

It was an amazing day and one I don't think I will ever forget. I felt very humbled and grateful for the whole experience.

But I gotta tell you...I slept pretty soundly that night!

Upcoming Event: Great Middle Grade Reads at Books of Wonder, NYC, 4/28

I am super excited to announce that on April 28th, I will be part of the Great Middle Grade Reads panel at the glorious Books of Wonder in New York City.

You should know that: Books of Wonder is one of my favorite bookstores. If you're in Manhattan and you haven't been there...go! It's a gorgeous independent bookstore dedicated to children's literature that's been around since 1980. (It's located on 18th St. between 5th and 6th Ave.)

But, wait. I haven't even told you the best part yet! I was asked to be on this panel, sitting alongside:

Maryrose Wood (author of The Incorrigible Children series)

Marie Rutkoski (author of The Jewel of the Kalderash)

And R.J. Palacio (author of Wonder)

And then little old me.

Am I honored?
Yes! Beyond...

Am I excited?
Thrilled!

Wait a minute, isn't this the same day as my launch party?
Ha! Yes, yes it is. It's actually the morning of (well, debatable whether noon is morning or not but for some of us night owls, it is) of my launch party which is also taking place on the 28th at 7 PM at another fabulous bookstore: BookCourt in Brooklyn.

So, yup, I'll be bookstore-hopping in not one, but two boroughs of NYC on Saturday, the 28th. If you're in the neighborhood, please consider dropping by to one, or, hey, both!

Now I wonder if I can set something up to do in Queens, Bronx and Staten Island between the hours of 2 and 7...