Saturday, October 28, 2006

Book Festival Weekend!

This year's Texas Book Festival began with a bang -- Cyn and I had dinner Friday with Tanya Lee Stone at East Side Cafe and then went for a glass of wine at the Marriott Bar with her and also met John Green, David Levithan, Barry Lyga, Laura Numeroff, Jo Whittemore (and her husband Roger), Lauren Myracle, and a couple of people down a the other end of the group I never made it over to to say "hello" (one of whom, apparently, was Jarrett Krosoczka).

We didn't make it to any panels in the morning, but spotted Varsha Bajaj and her family out and about (I was able to assure her son that she really did know me!), said brief hellos to Brian Anderson and April Lurie, and talked a bit with Jerry Wermund, who was manning the SCBWI Austin booth.

Saturday afternoon was the awards ceremony and panel for the Writers' League of Texas Violet Crown and Teddy Awards: TOFU AND T.REX was one of the finalists for the Teddy. Congrats to Heather Hepler and Brad Barkley for winning the Teddy for their SCRAMBLED EGGS AT MIDNIGHT. Cynthia blogs about the honorees here. Folks in the audience included Gene Brenek, Anne Bustard, Tim Crow, and Tanya Lee Stone.

The ceremony and panel was followed by a reception at the Brown Bar. Attendees included Julie Lake, Varian Johnson, Helen Hemphill (and her husband whose name I'm blanking on), Chris Barton (and his wife Casey (sp?)), and Annette Simon (who was also a Teddy finalist).

Afterwards, several of us headed next door to Gumbo's for dinner. (The duck was fantastic.). Then, because it was too late to get to the YA reading at the Hideout Theatre, Cyn and I went home to get some writing done (We were feeling inspired). I'm up to about 20,000 words on my WIP, about 10,000 of which are chronological and coherent. :-)

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