If you build it...

I've mentioned before that one of the fun things about writing CHRONAL ENGINE is that it provides an excellent excuse to visit natural history museums and other places where paleo-stuff abounds. 

T.rex ("Sue") and H.sapiens (unidentified)

Over the past few years, a number of the major natural history museums have revamped their dinosaur and paleontology displays.  The Field Museum in Chicago did so a few years back in conjunction with the acquisition of Sue, the largest, most complete T.rex.  The Carnegie Museum in Pittsburgh also recently completed a remodel, changing their old dinosaur hall into an exhibit called Dinosaurs in their Time.

Exhibit in progress.  Photo courtesy Carnegie Museum of Natural History

More recently, in 2009, the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History opened its new building and a new display of north Texas dinosaurs, including Paluxysaurus, the state dinosaur of Texas.

Paluxysaurus. Photo courtesy Fort Worth Museum of Science & History

Just to the east, in Dallas, the Museum of Nature and Science is expanding into a new Victory Park Facility, to be named the Perot Museum of Nature and Science and scheduled to open at the end of 2012.  I understand they're going to be having a fantastic display of my favorite sauropod, Alamosaurus.

Photo courtesy Dallas Museum of Nature & Science

In Houston, the Houston Museum of Natural Science expansion is also scheduled to open in 2012.  The museum will be nearly doubling in size and a good portion of the space will be the paleo display(s), including the azhdarchid pterosaur Quetzalcoatlus.

Quetzalcoatlus skull

Over in Salt Lake City, the Utah Museum of Natural History is moving into new digs this month and will include  an entirely new (naturally) paleontology exhibit.  Also in Utah, at Dinosaur National Monument, the new Visitor Center is finished and the Quarry Exhibit Hall is now open again!

Quarry Exhibit Hall.  Photo courtesy National Park Service

Finally, up in Waco, for the mammal aficionados, the Mammoth Site opened in 2009.  It's a display of a dig site of entire herd of Columbian mammoths and a couple other Pleistocene creatures.

Photo courtesy Waco Mammoth Site

 Road trip, anyone?

The LEVIATHAN trilogy: LEVIATHAN, BEHEMOTH, GOLIATH

THE LEVIATHAN TRILOGY: LEVIATHAN (Simon & Schuster 2009), BEHEMOTH (Simon & Schuster 2010), and GOLIATH (Simon & Schuster 2011), by Scott Westerfeld, ill. by Keith Thompson.  Fifteen year old Alek flees from his home into the night with a handful of retainers when his parents -- the Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife -- are murdered in Serbia.  At the same time, Deryn Sharp, disguised as a boy, enlists as a midshipman on the British airship Leviathan.  Together, as Europe erupts into war, their lives intertwine in an around-the-world adventure and in ways that they couldn't possibly have imagined...

THE LEVIATHAN TRILOGY offers a fascinating alternate history and steampunk technology, along with action and adventure, and compelling and likeable co-protagonists.  Three absolutely terrific, fun reads.

MANGAMAN

MANGAMAN, by Barry Lyga, ill. by Colleen Doran (Houghton Mifflin 2011)(ages 12+).  Teen-ager Ryoko Kiyama has entered our world through a mysterious rift and it seems that he's trapped here.  But the redoubtable Dr. Capeletti is working on a Machine to return Ryoko to his world.  In the meantime, it's decided that rather than cooling his heels in a government compound, he should get out and experience life as a normal high-school student.  The problem?  He's from a Manga universe...

MANGAMAN offers a fun story and a clever and sophisticated "meta" treatment of both American and Japanese-style comics.  Both Manga insiders and those unfamiliar with its tropes will enjoy it tremendously.  

MELVIN AND THE BOY

MELVIN AND THE BOY, by Lauren Castillo (Henry Holt 2011)(ages 4+).  The boy has always wanted a pet, but nothing was ever just right.  Until one day he happens upon a turtle in the park, so he brings it home.  But Melvin isn't all that active and doesn't seem to like it there.  Does he miss his friends?  Would he be happier back at the pond?

MELVIN AND THE BOY offers fun and humorously expressive illustrations as it provides a satisfying answer to the age-old question, "What's the best home for a turtle?"

At least, one that's smaller than this:

Tweens Read Book Festival

Haven't had enough of books, authors, and celebrating reading? 

Then check out the first anual Tweens Read Book Festival, Saturday October 29, at Bobby Shaw Middle School in Pasadena, Texas! 

Richard Peck is the keynoter.  Other participating authors include Crystal Allen, Michael Buckley, Kate Falls, Matthew Kirby, Lindsey Leavitt, Christina Mandelski, Lisa McMann, Jason Pinter, Allen Sitomer, Obert Skye, Clete Barrett Smith, and Andrea White.

Texas Book Festival recap

The sixteenth edition of the Texas Book Festival has come and gone to enormous success.  Congratulations and thanks to the book festival staff, organizers, participants, and volunteers!

Cyn and I started this year at the Children's and YA Authors Reception at the home of David and Amy Roberts (she's on the author's selection committee and one of the advocates for the Festival's Reading Rock Stars program).  One of the nice things about the event is the chance to socialize with other authors you've seen at events and conferences but never really get a chance to talk to.  
I met James Dashner for the first time, and had a chance to get caught up with Libba Bray, Barry Lyga, and Jill Alexander.   

Saturday morning, I took a spin around the exhibits and the Read Me a Story tent, running into Kelly Bennett and Jeff Crosby and a fan:

Cyn did her session on graphic novels with Barry Lyga, while I introduced James Dashner, who spoke on THE MAZE RUNNER trilogy.  We met up again at the signing tent:

Saturday night, we attended the cocktail party at the award-winning home of Eddie Safady on Congress Avenue (Jessica Lee Anderson and P.J. Hoover (l), and Divya Srinivasan, Jo Whittemore, Barry Lyga, and Heather Vogel Frederick (r)):

Afterward, we were whisked off to the Texas State Cemetery, for the Lit Crawl, where the librarians were in costume,

 and the YA authors signed books and greeted their fans (Libba Bray, David Levithan, James Dashner, Jennifer Ziegler):

 Sunday, we attended a session or two, and I introduced Kenneth Oppel, who spoke on his new novel, THIS DARK ENDEAVOR and his experiences in publishing.  Afterward, Cyn and I went with Kenneth Oppel and Kate Hosford to Manuel's for some margaritas and Tex Mex, followed by a drink at the Driskill Bar.

After that, we went home and crashed.  Thanks again to everyone involved in TBF! 

Writers and Illustrators and Dinosaurs: Lindsey Lane

Lindsey Lane models Tykeosaurs

Austin author Lindsey Lane sent me this pic of her posing with Tykeosaurs, a board book by Tom Arma, that was given to her daughter on her first birthday.

Lindsey grew up in the northeast and is a former feature writer for the Austin Chronicle and the Austin American-Statesman.  

In addition to be an accomplished playwright, Lindsey is the author of the picture book SNUGGLE MOUNTAIN (Clarion 2003), illustrated by Melissa Iwai. 

SNUGGLE MOUNTAIN is now available as an app.  Lindsey discusses the experience of turning a traditional picture book into an app here.

Texas Book Festival: Graphic Novels and More!

Just a reminder that the Texas Book Festival is this weekend!

Cynthia will be on the graphic novels panel with Barry Lyga on Saturday, from 11:30-12:30 in Capitol Extension E2.010.

I will be introducing James Dashner (Saturday, October 22, 12-12:45, Capitol Extension E2.014) and Kenneth Oppel (Sunday, October 23, 2:45-3:30, Capitol Auditorium E1.004).  And a host of other Austin authors will be on panels, moderating panels, or presenting in the Children's Read Me A Story Tent.

Check out the article on children's and young adult programming in the Austin American-Statesman.  For a complete list of the children's and YA panels, see my blog post here. 

For the younger crowd, information on the Children's Read Me a Story tent and Children's Activities tent can be found at the book festival web site here.

WriteFest success!

A number of years back, Cynthia and I ran a couple of writing workshops out of our house we called WriteFests.  Basically, we anonymously brought in authors, did full manuscript critiques (also anonymously), and arranged writing exercises and activities around the manuscripts.  Cyn explains it here, and did running updates for the last one here, here, here, here, here, here, and here.

A number of published novels came out of the workshops, with at least one more still forthcoming. 

Two of the biggest successes to come out of the workshop(s) were Kathi Appelt's THE UNDERNEATH, which won a Newbery Honor and was a National Book Award Finalist; and Libba Bray's GOING BOVINE, which won the Printz Award. 

This month, we've been celebrating another WriteFest success:

Congratulations to Franny Billingsley on being named a finalist for the 2011 National Book Award and receiving a Boston Globe/Horn Book honor this year for CHIME! 

BONE DOG

BONE DOG, by Eric Rohmann (Roaring Brook 2011)(ages 4+).  Ella, a dog, makes a promise to Gus, a boy, to be with him always.  So on Halloween, when Gus finds himself attacked by a bunch of skeletons, Ella, now a skeleton dog, appears and brings with her a pack of friends...

With whimsical illustrations and tall-tale vibe, BONE DOG provides a perfect and satisfying treat for Halloween.