Texas Library Association Conference (#txla16)

Just back from the Texas Library Association Conference in Houston! 

As always, it was great to see fellow authors and illustrators, as well as the librarians who've supported our books through the years.  And I always enjoy seeing what's new at the publisher booths.

We had a great time for my panel Tuesday afternoon, "What's New with Texas Middle Grade and YA Authors," organized by Susie Kralovansky, featuring Jessica Lee Anderson moderating, and fellow panelists Paige Britt, Cory Putnam Oakes, P.J. Hoover, Cynthia Levinson, Liz Garton Scanlon, Jennifer Mckissack, and Joy Preble.  Conversation was entertaining and enlightening.  

Many thanks to everyone who puts in the work to make TLA the best state library conference in the country!

Here are some pics:

Hitting the road

Rainy Houston from the hotel

Me, Cynthia Levinson, PJ Hoover

Carmen Oliver signs

Jennifer McKissack, Jennifer Ziegler, Joy Preble

Paige Britt and Donna Janell Bowman

Me and the world in the lobby of the Hilton

Signing BORROWED TIME

Janet Fox and Jennifer Ziegler

PJ, Jessica, and Joy

Me and Elaine Scott

Buffalo Bayou on my early morning run

Back in Austin!

   

Texas Library Association Conference 2013 (#TXLA13)

Just back from the 2013 Texas Library Association Conference in Fort Worth! 

 First, some pics I took when I went running:

Reflected in doors of federal courthouse

Boarded up freight depot

Post office

Gorgeous art deco court building (foreground). New city hall (back)

Monument to JJ Burnett

A couple shots of publisher dinners:

Daniel Nayeri and onion ring mountain

Candlewick "family" dinner

Steak tartare

 And on the conference floor:

Spirit of Texas panel

Cyn and me and this awesome dinosaur book

Signing with E. Kristen Anderson and the Book Festivals of Texas booth

Kathi Appelt poses with her forthcoming release

Debbie Leland and Gingerbread Football guy

Cyn at the Mackin booth

Many thanks to all the publishers, librarians, organizers, sponsors, exhibitors, etc., for a fabulous event!  

The TLA Report post

Last week, Cyn and I had the pleasure of attending the Texas Library Association Annual Conference in Houston!  Cynthia signed the TANTALIZE series with Candlewick and also with Perma Bound Books, and I had the pleasure of my first conference signing of CHRONAL ENGINE with Clarion/Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.  It was great fun to meet librarians and fellow dinosaur enthusiasts!  They cleaned us out of books and postcards...

Wednesday was the Texas Tea YA Author event, sponsored by YART (essentially speed-dating: pairs of authors serially circulated at tables filled with Texas librarians).  I was paired with Mary Lindsey, whose novel, SHATTERED SOULS, has one of the best covers ever (at least, one of the best that doesn't have dinosaurs :-)).  We presented our books and swag -- in my case, postcards, author feature brochures, and temporary dinosaur tattoos -- and had some great conversations.

On Friday, Cyn was named the first featured Spirit of Texas author for high-school aged readers. Check out the page for activities, curriculum tie-ins, and fun! The featured middle-school author was Andrea White.

Encounters in the exhibit hall or various other venues included out-of-state authors Toni Buzzeo, John Green, Shannon Hale, Kelly Milner Halls, Geoff Herbach, David Lubar, Greg Neri, Dom Testa, and Sara Zarr; and Texans Lynne Kelly, Don Tate, Kathi Appelt, Christina Mandelski, Elaine Scott, Jeanette Larson, Cynthia Levinson, Madeline Smoot, Salima Alikhan, E. Kristin Anderson, Bethany Hegedus, Jessica Lee Anderson, Debbie Leland, P.J. Hoover, Mary Lindsey, Jennifer Ziegler, Chris Barton, Joy Preble, Kelly Bennett, Nikki Loftin, Anastasia Suen, Jo Whittemore, Jeff Crosby, and Shelly Ann Jackson; and countless librarians and publisher marketing and editorial personnel.

Thanks to everyone at YART and TLA, all of the librarians who came to the signings and events, and to the publicity teams at Candlewick and Houghton Mifflin!

Here are some photos:

The Houghton Mifflin Harcourt booth

Signing in the Authors Area

PJ Hoover and Madeline Smoot and dinosaurs

Shannon Hale, Kathi Appelt, Jessica Lee Anderson, and PJ Hoover at the Texas Tea

Mary Lindsey, my comrade-in-arms

Toni Buzzeo

Jenny Moss

Greg Neri

Cynthia Levinson

Sylvia Vardell, Teri Lesesne, Lois Buckman

 See you next year!

TLA 2012 : Updated and bumped

REMINDER:

Cynthia and I will be attending the Texas Library Association annual conference this month week. This year's conference is from April 17 through April 20, at the Houston Convention Center.

I will be signing CHRONAL ENGINE on April 18, 2012, from 3 to 4 PM in the Author's Signing area.  I will also be participating in YART's TEXAS TEA event, from noon to 1:30.

Also, on April 18, from 1 p.m. to 1:50 p.m., Cynthia will be presenting on the panel "Connecting Teens and Authors: Teen Book Festivals and Awesome Author Visits," with the folks from Blue Willow Books. She will be signing in the Author's Area from 2 to 3 PM that day.

On April 20, from 8 a.m. to 8:50 a.m., Cynthia will be on the program, "Introducing the Spirit of Texas Reading Programs."

Jen Bigheart, of I READ BANNED BOOKS, has a nice overview of the conference here.

Go here for a listing of Austin authors signing at TLA!