Reflections from the Road: Mountain Brook Writers’ Festival

This week was the Mountain Brook Writers' Festival. This was a three day event, from February 28th to March 2nd. Along with myself, it featured Susan Carothers, Henry Cole, Margaret Peterson Haddix, and Lori Nichols.

We each visited one school a day, in my case in conjunction with picture book author Susan Carothers ('Twas the Night Before Game Day SEC). First up was Mountain Brook Elementary, where I spoke in the afternoon to the 4th to 6th grade to an audience that included several long time fans as well as the children of a couple friends!

That evening, there was a reception at someone's home for the authors, librarians, and festival chairpersons. This was wonderful because were kept the same author pairing all week, so Susan and I had a chance to meet the other guests. I got to spend some time getting to know Margaret Peterson Haddix, who is as wonderful as she is talented, and I overindulged on Baby Bites.

Wednesday, I went to Cherokee Bend Elementary, again for an afternoon presentation to their 4th to 6th grades. I also got to meet first grader Wyatt, who was "acting principal" for the day, and he and I had a fun discussion of the Lego Batman Movie (and overindulged in brownies).

Thursday was a full day from 8:30 am to 3:15pm at Brookwood Forest Elementary,  where I gave two presentations, first to the 4th grade and then to the 5th and 6th, with two separate signings. I met several existing fans, re-met some others, and had a great day. (And, in case you haven't yet spotted the running theme, I overindulged on Magic Muffins.)

The entire 3 day festival was fantastic, a great time connecting with old fans and making new ones, and I got to meet so many wonderful students, dedicated librarians, and fabulous authors. Sincere thanks to Librarians, Margaret Hudson, Beth Shea, and Cleo Lackey, to Little Professor Book Center for facilitating booksales, to the Mitchell's for opening their home, and to everyone else who helped make this a great event.

Reflections from the Road: Highlands School and Cliff Valley School

I've hit two schools in the last two weeks. Last week, on Thursday the 10th, I visited Highlands School in Birmingham, Alabama where I spoke to the 4th-8th grades, about 121 kids in total. Afterwards, I went to the library where a smaller group of kids, some of whom had brought books to sign and some of whom had questions, got to talk with me in a more intimate setting for a bit. It was a great visit, and the students had some fantastic questions.

Also, originally I was slated to speak to only the 5th-8th grades, but it turns out I had a lot of fans in the 4th, so they let them join. Was that nice to hear? Yes it was. Thanks very much to Lisa Lorenz, Middle School English, Elise Blackery, Director of Curriculum and Instruction, and Kavita Vasil, Head of School, for making this happen.

Then yesterday, Thursday the 17th, I drove 2 hours and 20 minutes to Atlanta, Georgia to speak to Cliff Valley School. I got into town in time to grab a (very) quick bite to eat at Desta Ethiopian Kitchen, where I had the chicken with injera bread, and it was excellent. Spicy and tangy and just the right amount.

Then it was on to the school, where I gave two talks, one to the 3rd and 4th grades and one to the 5th and 6th grades. I had a fantastic time, the kids were really engaged, and we signed a ton of books after each talk! Thanks to Little Shop of Stories for facilitating booksales, and to Librarian Rose Garrett for arranging my visit!

Two great schools in two weeks! 

Reflections from the Road: A Week in San Antonio

The last week plus has been an amazing time. I spent Monday to Monday in San Antonio, visiting three schools as part of the Skyborn tour, speaking to a literary council, and participating in a writing workshop and comic convention.

I flew in Monday night, where my dear friend John Picacio picked me up and we went out for pizza and beer at Barbaro. We both had a big week ahead and this was a great way to take a moment to spend time together, as well as to prepare for the days ahead.

Then Tuesday morning, bright and early, off to Hector P. Garcia Middle School, where I presented to the 170 or so students of their sixth through eight grade all at once. They were a great group of kids and we had a wonderful time. Thanks to Stacie Tharp, Library Media Specialists, for reaching out and making this happen.

Afterwards, I discovered my hotel was located half a block from one of my favorite restaurants, Acenar.  Then I roamed the Riverwalk for a bit, though not enough to

walk off the delicious baskets of chips!

Then that afternoon, Carolyn Denny (of the Keystone School) picked me up and took me to speak to the Alamo City Reading Council, a group of educators and others interested in promoting children's literacy. I gave a talk to the council, followed by a book signing. With cookies and lemon squares!

And then the council board took me out for a fabulous dinner at Mi Tierra Restaurant & Bakery, which is open 24/7, covered in Christmas lights year round, and full of roving Mariachi bands. It was a really fun evening with fun people!

Wednesday I went to San Antonio Academy, a private military school for boys. I gave three presentations, to their sixth, fourth, and fifth grades respectively, interrupted by a lunch with a select group of students. The school previously held an auction, and my new friend Thomas' parents won, so he and 11 of his friends joined me for pizza and Mexican food in the library. Thomas' very cool mother even brought a Thrones & Bones themed cookie cake from Great American Cookies. (I think next time I revise louanders.com I need to add a page just for cakes!) This was my longest day, from 9am to 3pm, but a very fun and rewarding time. Thanks to librarian Elizabeth Snow for making it happen!

Wednesday night John Picacio and I went to dinner at Hot Joy, and Indian/Thai fusion restaurant, where we had edamame, spicy hot wings, and something called a Chicken Tikka Masala Taco, which wasn't really anything like chicken tikka masala or tacos but was absolutely delicious. Then we hit Bar 1919 for a quick drink. It was there that I discovered the pleasure of Prairie Artisan Ales' Bomb!, an imperial stout aged on coffee, chocolate, vanilla beans, and ancho chili peppers, and named a RateBeer Top 100 Beer in the World for three consecutive years!

But no rest for the wicked (or the good or the tipsy) because we were off to the Henry B. Gonzales Convention Center to load in the first of the supplies for the incredible Worlds Beyond Gallery that John was helming. We worked for several hours loading in, then one of us at least called it a night.

Thursday John got me early, we ate breakfast burritos on the move, and then we spent the morning hanging about half of his gallery space. Then we rushed to the Keystone School, which John himself attended from 1st to 3rd grade, for two presentations to their third and fourth and then fifth and sixth grades respectively. It was so great that John got to see my presentation in a school that was formative for his own journey as a creator and artist! And in between presentations, library Carolyn Denny and Jeanette Vilagi, Head of Lower School, treated me to a fabulous lunch at La Fonda. (Thank you!)

Thursday night was preview night for Alamo City Comic Con, where I "helped" John in his booth. Then it was back to the con hotel, Hotel Indigo San Antonio-Riverwalk, where I had a drink with Bruce Coville, one of the six authors, myself including, coming in for the Young Adventurers programming. Bruce is the author of over 100 books! (I kept saying "over 60 books" but you know what, that's true too. 100 is more than 60.) He's also a charming, witty, funny, interesting guy and great writer.

Friday was the day-long Young Adventurers Writing Workshop, from 10:30 am to 8pm, featuring writing instruction from (in order) Matthew Cody, myself, Melissa Marr, Bruce Coville, Holly Black, and David Liss. I sat in on everyone else's workshop (as did most of us), and it was a fantastic day! Bruce blew us all away, both with his performance-based presentation and with his ability to remember every single

attendees name instantly. But everyone in that group is talented, funny, smart, and really cool, and I am so grateful for a weekend spent hanging out with them, friends all, old and new. Overall, it was a long day for authors and audience, but I think everyone came away feeling it had been a rewarding experience.  Then that night, the Young Adventurers headed out to Acenar again, for a wonderful end of evening wind-down. With guacamole. 

Saturday was the first of the open-to-all "Fan Days", two days of programming featuring all the authors above in celebration of middle grade fiction. We had some great panels, one of the highlights being Writing Process and Writing Schemes: How to Write One Million Words In Your Sleep, as well as Melissa Marr's weapons demonstrations. The day ended with a private party hosted by John Picacio and Sara Felix, president of ASFA,  for all the Worlds Beyond artists and Young Adventurers authors. So so glad John and Sara put our two groups together! And glad we got to hang with John, Todd Lockwood, Ruth Sanderson, Brom, Jeffrey Alan Love, and Peter Mohrbacher, amazing artists all!

Sunday was another day of Young Adventurers Fan Day programming, after which we were all well-and truly exhausted. I was in bed early and out even earlier. But what a convention, what a group of talented folks, and what a week!

Tremendous gratitude to Alfredo "Apple" De La Fuente, Wes Hartman, Austin Rogers, and everyone who made Alamo City Comic Con the amazing event that it was. You took great care of us and we really appreciated it. Also, a huge huge huge thank you to Andrew Torres, the Community Relations Manager at the Barnes & Noble Booksellers located at The Shops at La Cantera for facilitating book sales at every one of these events, for me for the week at the schools and reading council visits, and for all of us at Alamo City Comic Con. And finally, thank you to all the librarians, students, and fans who made this a phenomenal, unforgettable visit to a fantastic city!

Challenger Middle School

This past Wednesday, October 19th, I drove up to Huntsville, Alabama for a visit to Challenger Middle School. They were taking standardized tests all day, and I was the much-needed break. I gave three talks, to the sixth, seventh, and eight grade respectively, and had two lunches in between with select groups of students (one of which is pictured below). These lunches are always a highlight of school visits whenever they are held and Challenger was no exception. I had a great time. Thank you to Jennifer Prince, Library Media Specialists, my handler, teacher Dia Phillips (who took this great picture), to all the students and staff at Challenger, and bookseller Kim Brown-Barley from the Barnes & Noble on Carl T. Jones Parkway for facilitating sales of Frostborn, Nightborn, and Skyborn!

Pioneer Con 2016

I'm honored to report that I'll be the Keynote Speaker this coming October 14th at Pioneer Con 2016, a new event described as "3/4 Comic-Con and 1/4 academic conference" being put on by the Sigma Kappa Delta English honor society of Jefferson State Community College. Here are the details:

Pioneer Con 2016

Sigma Kappa Delta English honor society is proud to announce Pioneer Con 2016 will be held on Friday, October 14, on the Shelby-Hoover campus in the Health Sciences Building room 129.

Your ticket provides all day come-and-go access.

General admission ($15)
Jefferson State students ($10)
SKD members ($5)

This event will be 3/4 Comic-Con and 1/4 academic conference, focusing on the theme “Re-Creation.” We have confirmed several exciting off-campus speakers, but we want to involve Jefferson State students and faculty as much as possible in this celebration of all things geeky.

Confirmed Events Include:
Keynote presentation by Lou Anders, author of Thrones & Bones series
Kyle Sullivan, creator of Trekspertise
Classic film talk & screening, Ryan Kindahl of 2threefive
Steampunk craft session
Faculty discussion of “The Literary Merits of Science Fiction”
Costume contest
Food truck lunch
Pizza party dinner (included in registration)

We Are Now Seeking ROUND TABLE PRESENTATIONS By Members Of The Jefferson State Community in a round table, 4-5 speakers present a point of view in a brief speech and then lead discussion with members of the audience. Although SKD is the English honor society, we welcome proposals from participants in any discipline.

We are seeking presentations on the following topics—or on a topic that you propose:

The Medical Ethics of Frankenstein
How to Survive the Apocalypse
Harry Potter: The Gateway Drug to Literacy
Cult Fandoms
Tips for Successful Cosplay
My Favorite Monster
Introduction to Anime
Best and Worst Film Re-Makes
What You Don’t Know About Vampires
Discussion of The Walking Dead, 12 Monkeys, Jessica Jones, Star Wars, etc. – focused look at film / TV.

Presenters will be admitted free to the day-long event and can come and go to sessions that interest them. Please note: Faculty and community members are welcome to submit proposals, but priority selection will be given to Jefferson State students.

To make a round table proposal, send us a description of your topic 100-200 words in length. Tell us as much as possible about what you want to cover, and remember that your presentation must fit comfortably in a one-hour session. (25-30 minutes for presentation; 25-30 minutes for audience discussion.) If you plan to have more than one presenter for your topic, please provide the name of each participant. Up to five people may participate in a round table.

Send your proposal by 12 noon on Thursday, September 22 to SKD sponsor Jamie King, jaking@jeffersonstate.edu. We’ll make final decisions and inform selected participants through email by September 28.

Win Prizes
Preregister and to win one of five graphic-novel interpretations of a classic literary work. Email skd@jeffersonstate.edu or contact sponsor Katie Boyer (kboyer@jeffersonstate.edu) by October 10.

Registration must be paid in cash on the day of the event.

Skyborn Launch Event

Yesterday was the Launch Event for Skyborn, the third book in the Thrones & Bones trilogy. We held it at the Barnes & Noble at The Summit Shopping Center from 2 to 4 pm, where each of the previous two novels launched.

And it went fantastic! We had a huge crowd! A high percentage of kids in the audience as you can see (plus that one weird bald guy in the red shirt who seems to show up at all of my events. Don't get him started on David Bowie or role playing games.)

This time out, through the ingenuity and foresight of B&N's Community Relations Manager and the generosity of several librarians, the event counted as a Book Fair for five schools (four of which I've visited and one of which I hope to), and I'm pleased to say that we had attendees from all  five of them.

We opened the event with a short talk in which I discussed the origins of Thianna Frostborn way back in 2008 or 2009 and what bringing her narrative to a conclusion (for now) means to me. Then I did a quick reading and  Q&A. Then it was on to the signing. I signed (and rune stamped) for most of four hours and when I was winding down at 4pm, more folks showed up!

Afterwards, there was a victory dinner at Asian Rim, where we continued the tradition of incredible Thrones & Bones themed cakes (loud shout out to the bakers at Whole Foods Market, who do an incredible job.).

Thanks to everyone who came and helped make the Skyborn launch a fantastic event. Special thanks to Pam Tindal, Community Relations Manager at B&N, all the B&N staff, the staff at Asian Rim, and all the students and media specialists at the Altamont School, Highlands School, Liberty Park Middle School, Mountain Brook Junior High, and Vestavia Hills Elementary Central!

Meanwhile, stay tuned for some exciting news soon!