Photo report: Writers' League and DEAR TEEN ME

Last Thursday, I had the pleasure of speaking on a panel for the Writers' League of Texas's Third Thursday program with authors Cory Putnam Oakes and Bethany Hegedus; and Meghan Goel (children's buyer at BookPeople).  We talked about book launches and what to do after the dust settles

Moderator/author Jennifer Ziegler, Me, Meghan, Cory, Bethany

Shiny cover!  And recommendation by Madeline Smoot

And speaking of launches, last weekend was the launch party for DEAR TEEN ME, at Bookspot in Round Rock.  The theme was dress for a high school semiformal of your era...

E. Kristin Anderson

Mary Lindsey

Me, being very MIAMI VICE.

April Lurie, Lindsey Schiebe

The crowd gathers

Danny Woodfill and E. Kristin Anderson

Cyn and me.  Photo courtesy Dave Wilson Photography

BROTHERS, BOYFRIENDS, AND OTHER CRIMINALS

Coming this February to the ZACH SCOTT, performed by the ZACH SCOTT's "youth pre-professional troupe," a musical based on April Lurie's young adult novel, BROTHERS, BOYFRIENDS, AND OTHER CRIMINAL MINDS:

"At first glance, April Lundquist seems like your average high school freshman in 1970s Brooklyn. She's sporting bellbottoms and dancing disco like all of her friends. But when the Mafia shows up on her doorstep--literally--April finds herself confronted with some tough choices to make. Will she be able to save her brother, navigate boyfriends, and capture the perfect kiss, all while keeping her cool? Find out in ZACH's world premier production of this new musical for the whole family!"

Saturdays February 5, 12 and 19 at 1pm & 4pm and Sundays February 6, 13 and 20 at 6:30pm on ZACH's Kleberg Stage.

Click here to buy tickets.

Cynthia and I had the pleasure of attending a read-through a few months back. Even at the rough draft script stage and without all the songs, it was hilarious and engaging. Can't wait to see it!

BROTHERS, BOYFRIENDS AND OTHER CRIMINAL MINDS

Brothers, Boyfriends, and Other Criminal Minds, by April Lurie (Delacorte, June 12, 2007)(ages 10-14) is a terrific sophomore novel by the author of Dancing in the Streets of Brooklyn: April Lundquist lives in Dyker Heights, Brooklyn, a quiet neighborhood where the streets are clean and safe. Sure, three murderers live on her block, but they're just mafia hit men. Problems start when April's older brother begins to date the daughter of a mobster and when one of the neighbors has a business proposition...

In this novel set in the late 1970s, author April Lurie evokes the classic feeling of the decade of disco in a humorous and touching story based in part on her own teen years. Brothers, Boyfriends, and Other Criminal Minds is a fun and affecting tale of family and friendship and (like Dancing in the Streets of Brooklyn) would likely appeal particularly to fans of Jennifer Holm's Penny from Heaven.