If you read yesterday's post, you know that Bonnie J. Doerr had a great time at the Va Festival of the Book with fellow authors Ruth Spiro (Lester Fizz, Bubble-Gum Artist), Emily Ecton (Night of the Living Lawn Ornaments), Deborah Heiligman (Charles and Emma: The Darwins' Leap of Faith), and Laura Rennert(Emma, the Extraordinary Princess).
Here's a picture of the panel with their books (from far left): Bonnie J. Doerr, Deborah Heiligman, Emily Ecton, Ruth Spiro, and Laura Rennert (speaking).
The fun didn't end there. The group enjoyed getting to know each other before and after the panel. Here's another shot of them together. This time Fran Cannon Slayton (When the Whistle Blows), who served as moderator for the panel, has joined them. From far left the group includes Fran Cannon Slayton , Emily Ecton, Debra Heiligman, Bonnie J. Doerr, Ruth Spiro, and Laura Rennert.
Be sure to add the VA Festival of the Book to your list of must-dos for next year if you missed this one. I'm betting you'll see Bonnie there again. She thoroughly enjoyed her experience. And here she's relaxing around the campfire with author
One of the most successful and largest book festivals in the United States is the Virginia Festival of the Book—a celebration of the written word in all forms that enriches the city of Charlottesville, VA, for nearly a week. On March 20th, Leap Books author Bonnie J. Doerr was privileged to serve on a panel at this festival. But before the day of her panel, she was determined to make the most of this book extravaganza. Let’s listen in:
I’d barely unpacked when on Thursday, March 18, I hoofed it to UVa’s campus (asking students every two blocks where the heck I need to go) to hear authors discuss their Mentors, Muses, & Monsters. Wow, when Alice Randall (Rebel Yell) said she is inspired by and writes country music, I was hooked. Gotta love that lady.
Then on Friday, I ran from the Central Library to the City Council Chambers and then to an actual bookstore (YAY!) to soak up wisdom from more authors and get a glimpse of the inside story in the life of book reviewers. Listening to Ron Charles, The Washington Post Book Reviewer, describe how books are chosen for review, I realized there was no magic involved.
Here’s how it goes: Do they like the cover? Yes. Maybe that one will get reviewed. Oops, one fell on the floor. Sorry. That one won’t get reviewed. Didn’t we just review one similar to this last month? Yes. So, negative on that one. Hey, good ol’ so and so likes to review books like this, right? Yes. Send it to her. And you better hope you’ve already gotten a couple good reviews or your book won’t make the cut. Honestly, it was kind of depressing. And then there was the big discussion about what we already know—that with budget cuts, print reviewers are few and far between. And you know what? Reviewers get edited over and over also and don’t make much money. Just like authors! Does that make you feel better? Didn’t think so.
An air of celebration permeated every event and every business. The festival, beloved by hoteliers, restaurateurs, and retailers had been nearly served a death sentence mere days before it opened for what would have been its last season. However, the Virginia Foundation for the Humanities, the organization that runs the festival, escaped a House of Delegates proposal to eliminate its state funding that very week. The people complained to their legislators, and the festival, though severely injured, survived.
Saturday there were several events for children’s book enthusiasts. Finally, my kind of people. It was sheer pleasure listening to my fellow authors and friends (Kathy Erskine, Fran Cannon Slayton, Sara Lewis Holmes, Sue Corbett, and Irene Latham) discuss their novels for the panel on Terrific Kids’ Novels Adults Will Love Too.
And then it was my turn. I shared the table with some amazing people: Ruth Spiro ( Lester Fizz, Bubble-Gum Artist), whose articles and essays have been published in the Writer, CHILD Magazine and Disney's Family Fun. Emily Ecton, author of Night of the Living Lawn Ornaments and Boots and Pieces, writer and producer for the NPR news quiz, Wait Wait...Don't Tell Me!: Deborah Heiligman ( Charles and Emma: The Darwins' Leap of Faith, National Book Award Nominee for Young People's Literature (2009), School Library Journal Best Book of the Year (2009), and Printz Honor (2010)), and Laura Rennert ( Buying, Training, and Caring for Your Dinosaur and Emma, the Extraordinary Princess), senior agent at Andrea Brown Literary Agency, representing several New York Times bestselling authors. I was seriously awestruck by the talent at that table.
Questions were asked and in answer we shared our collective and varied experience along the path to publishing. Do you need an agent? Not necessarily, but it’s recommended. (Two of us were published without one, but would now like to be represented.) What is the process for query letters? Depends. Read what each editor requires and follow it to a T. Big publishing house vs. small? Big house—more money, wider distribution. Small—(Finally, my chance to brag about Leap Books.) I love the easy and fast communication with my editor and the opportunity to influence cover and book design. Best advice for aspiring authors and illustrators? Join SCBWI, read the trades, attend conferences, take workshops, study the craft, develop a thick skin, read your genre, don’t try to gauge the market. Oh, and keep your day job!
Finally, I enjoyed listening to David Macinnis Gill, Jennifer Hubbard, Amy Brecount White, and Paul Chase Hyman talk about their Hot Young Adult & Teen Fiction. Awesome!
The next day I packed my bags and took my energized brain and inspired soul off to Maryland to chill with my dear friend and fellow author, Edie Hemingway (Road to Tater Hill, Parents Choice Gold 2010). What beats a gourmet campfire cookout, served by a charming man, complete with wine and s’mores. The perfect ending to an brilliant trip.
Author Bonnie J. Doerr has been traveling to promote her eco-mystery Island Sting. She’s been to FL, PA, VA, MD, and NC. Next up: TEXAS. She’ll be in the San Antonio area this weekend and through next week, so if your bookstore, library or school is interested in having an author visit next Monday, contact Cathleen Cartwright, Public Relations Assistant for Leap Books, at marketing@leapbks.com.
Teachers and reading specialists have been raving about Island Sting. It’s a fast-paced mystery that ties into the science curriculum. Suitable for tweens or hi/lo and reluctant teen readers, Island Sting pits a group of teens against a deadly poacher of the endangered Key deer.
Not familiar with Key deer? These tiny deer, about the size of a German shepherd, are only found in the Florida Keys. A former science and reading teacher, Doerr shadowed the National Key Deer Refuge rescuer workers and now helps out the shelter by donating profits from her books.
Stay tuned this week as we feature some stories from Bonnie’s travels—from accompanying rescuers of endangered turtles to helping to save dying pelicans. She also shares her adventures with authors Ruth Spiro (Lester Fizz, Bubble-Gum Artist), Emily Ecton (Night of the Living Lawn Ornaments), Deborah Heiligman (Charles and Emma: The Darwins' Leap of Faith), and Laura Rennert(Emma, the Extraordinary Princess), and Edie Hemingway (Road to Tater Hill).
If you weren't in Cold Lake, Alberta, this weekend, you missed out on some great fun. Yep, that's author Judith Graves at the mic, ready to sing about her book characters, accompanied by the all-girl band, Shenanigans.
A singer/songwriter, Graves is multi-talented, which she had an opportunity to demonstrate not only through song, but during her book reading. You can catch some of the fun here or at Graves' Wolfy Chicks blog:
Thanks to radio station Kool 101.3 FM in Bonnyville, AB. They've been advertising Judith Grave's author appearance with spots throughout the week. And Judith went in for an interview on Wednesday morning.
We'll post some mp3s of the visit and the great ads.
Do something wonderful for the planet today. Pick up trash. Turn off the electricity for an hour. Or try one of the main ways our author, Bonnie J. Doerr has compiled to help save the environment. She made a list of 25 suggestions. We'll post them a list next week when you find out more about Bonnie. In the meantime, here are two quick suggestions you can try:
1. Downloading music saves production of the greenhouse gas produced during the making, packaging, and distribution of the discs UNLESS you burn a CD.
2. Americans eat at least four servings of beef a week. If you consume only one less beef meal a week you can reduce your environmental footprint by 25%. Why care? Raising cows requires acres of land, tons of water, grain, and pesticides. And cows produce a staggering amount of methane (yes, through belching and “tooting”), thus contributing to global warming.
Stay tuned for more environmentally friendly ideas or visit Ms. Doerr at Bonnie Blogs Green for more ways to save the planet. Better yet, pick up a copy of her book Island Sting to see how other green teens not only save the environment, but also nab the poacher of the endangered Key deer.
Judith Graves' launch party begins in 3 more days.
In addition to great food, a chance to meet this exciting debut author in person, and to hear her reading from Under My Skin, you'll get to hear awesome tunage by Shenanigans, an all-girl band. Some of the band members used to be part of Judith's former band.
Yes, this multi-talented author is also a singer/songwriter. And she'll be joining the band for a song or two. If you want a sneak peek at Judith's abilities, check out her vlog below. She's written a song about her book characters.
You won't want to miss any of her Shenanigans this weekend. So head to Cold Lake, AB, or join us for some live footage of the event via her vlog posts. And check out the Wolfy Chicks blog for some awesome coverage of the event.
