The inaugural year of Sheboygan’s Teen Book Festival is good news, and so local media let viewers know that their favorite children’s fest now has a teen component. Here’s video of a segment about it on Green Bay WLUK Good Day Wisconsin. Enjoy!
And here are some stills. Thanks to both WKUK-TV and Karin Menzer of the STBF for inviting me. I had fun and even went to Lambeau Field afterward. Go, Pack, go! 🙂
Barnes & Noble put on its first teen book festival this weekend, the largest national teen fest in the nation, and yours truly was truly honored to be a part of it. At Barnes & Noble Southland (Racine, WI), I got to talk with B&N’s great staff, area teens, and fellow authors. And at Barnes & Noble Bayshore (Glendale, WI), I met new friends and found some of the most enthusiastic readers in the area. What a fantastic event! Thanks, B&N! 🙂
Book 2 in the God Awful Series of Books is now out in the world! The launch party for God Awful Thief was May 4th at the fantastic Boswell Books in Milwaukee. The launch was a lot of fun and attended by the people who mean the absolute most to me – and even some strangers who are now new friends. 🙂 If you were there, THANKS so much for coming. If you were there in spirit, thanks for your well wishes.
Visit Three Points Publishing to learn more about God Awful Thief and its predecessor, God Awful Loser. Both can be purchased at Boswell and other independent bookstores as well as Amazon. If you want a signed copy, buy from Three Points Publishing.
Here are a few pictures from the event. Enjoy!
George Mallet of TODAY’S TMJ4 did a little story on the launch – with interview. Check it out here. Thanks, George! 🙂
Wrastling’ up five midwestern chapters of the The Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators is huge — big enough that the gathering only happens every four years. And I’m proud to say that I got myself wrangled up in it this go-’round and gave a panel talk with three other cowhands.
Indie Panel with (l-r) authors W. Nikola-Lisa, Silvia Acevedo, Andrea Skyberg, and Trina Sotira
Okay, so the Wild, Wild Midwest theme isn’t strongly enforced. No real cowhands, but it’s still a great chance for midwestern writers (and those from lots of other places, too) to meet.
SCBWI has taught me a lot about the craft of writing for children and teens, which is a whole different thing than writing for news. I’ve been to plenty of their conferences, but this weekend I actually got to present and share what I’ve learned, and that’s the way these things are supposed to work. You learn from others. Then you share what you’ve learned. Full circle. Nice.
And we had fun with a Roaring 20s social. I played flapper to the gangster, and she let me live to see another day. 🙂
Okay, we know kids are awesome. And presenting to kids is awesome. And hanging out with them to talk casually is even more awesome. Well, let me tell you, the young adults of Carmel (Indiana) High School are extra awesome.
I just got back from their school’s Creative Writing Con, where I joined 20 other authors talking to nearly 1,000 teens. Those young adults were tuned in and really wanting to learn the craft of writing. I had the BEST time being with them and the group pictured above in particular. Shoutout to Ms. Trachtman’s Honors English Class! So glad to have met them. 🙂
Following that, I spent the evening at Barnes & Noble Carmel with some truly gifted writers (What a treat!) while I signed copies of God Awful Loser. Such a great time! Thank you, Carmel, IN, Carmel High, and Liza at Barnes & Noble.
Okay, it’s one thing to have an awesome time at Barnes & Noble‘s Author Open House, which I totally did. It’s another thing to have a kid put down the book of a major franchise in favor of yours, which he totally did!
There we were, nine authors at B&N Village Crossing in Skokie, Illinois, mingling with the great crowd and talking about books. We’re in a place with thousands of books, so many titles, just a plethora of choices, and THIS young man puts down his Star Wars novel to get mine. I was flabbergasted and so, so honored! Thanks, Collin, my new little buddy. 🙂
And thanks to Cathy Athans at Barnes & Noble Village Crossing for organizing this great event!
Cathy Athans and me
Author Joyce Burns Zeiss Talks to a Reader
Authors John Dominguez and Dan Killeen
Author Molly Page
Readers and me chatting at Barnes & Noble Village Crossing in Skokie, Illinois
I am throwing a party, and YOU’RE invited! Whoo hoo!!!
GOD AWFUL THIEF launches into the world May 4th, 7 p.m., at Boswell Books in Milwaukee. I am thrilled with how THIEF turned out, and I’m extra thrilled to get it to those who’ve emailed, anxiously awaiting it. It’s great to hear from you! 🙂
GOD AWFUL THIEF is the second book in the God Awful Series of Books for teens and adults. It’s also the sequel of the very well received GOD AWFUL LOSER. Read on for a sneak peak at THIEF’s jacket copy.
Cupid’s back and at the top of his game.
The always adored – and now restored – God of Love has a new look, a new attitude, and even a steady girlfriend. With his humiliating dethronement and harrowing banishment behind him, Cupid wants nothing more than to settle in to a comfortable immortality.
But someone has dreamed up a different plan.
With a sea god setting the oceans against him, a drama-loving hanger-on refusing to go away, and the king of the gods ordering Cupid to steal the most powerful relic ever made by the most cunning god ever angered, Cupid and his leading lady, Tamara, must join a new cast and crew to face their most challenging mission yet. The stage is set for an epic performance, but just who is writing this script? And will Cupid and his troupe figure it out before they lose their minds – and quite possibly their lives?
God Awful Thief brings new hilarity and an ever-expanding cast of fickle gods to Cupid’s misadventures, potential tragedies, and everlasting comedies. God Awful Thief is the second act in the God Awful Series of Books.
I’ll have my cover reveal within the next few weeks and pre-order info soon after that.
So, friends, mark your calendars for GOD AWFUL THIEF’s May 4th launch. We’ll celebrate the book, have fun, and support our local bookstore all at once. See you there! 🙂
Food is always a good idea. And it’s one thing to enjoy it with incredible people, new friends who share the same passions and humor as you and with whom you can see yourself spending many happy hours. It’s even more amazing when you get to help a worthy cause while doing it!
I got that chance this month when a friend — and a soon-to-be friend — invited me to their fourth annual Novel Cuisine Luncheon. What the heck is that, you ask? It’s a gathering of authors / librarians / teachers / book bloggers / booksellers. We donate books from our collections to a local charity in need of them, we talk about books, and we enjoy a fabulous meal based on foods mentioned in select titles. It was my first time going, and I am so blessed to have been a part of this!
First, just look at the piles of books collected to donate to Sojourner Family Peace Center! Sojourner’s tagline is “Peace is Possible.” Their goal is to help those impacted by domestic violence. And by help, I mean they are involved in the most desperate of times. They literally help women escape violent situations. They protect them in a hidden safe house. I personally know people who’ve benefitted from their help. When mothers run from violence, they so desperately want happiness for their kids, and books help. I couldn’t be more proud than to help in a tiny way by offering a moment of entertainment in trying times.
Hello? Author Liza Wiemer opened her home to about 20 of us. She and YA Book Blogger and Librarian Heidi Zweifel put together an incredible spread, thought up really fun games, and generally made themselves a holiday joy. Thanks so much to them for inviting me.
And look at this! My novel God Awful Loser was the basis for the lunch’s pizza fun! We made our own from ready-made dough and lots of fixin’s. YUM!
Author Melissa Gorzelanczyk handed out ARCs of her own Cupid-based novel, Arrows, and everyone even left with a few new reads of their own. It was a fantastic time, and I hope to continue the spirit of giving great reads in the years to come!
It’s amazing how certain events in your life harbor so much meaning.
I remember as a child spending many, many, MANY enchanted hours reading on the bean bags at the kids’ corner of the South Milwaukee Public Library. I used to ride my bike the half hour to get there to happily satisfy my demanding reading habit, delighting in Peanuts and Moby Dick alike.
This Wednesday, December 2nd, I will cherish the immense honor of presenting there, my hometown library. Starting at 6:30, I’ll present an excerpt and talk with readers about my fantasy novel, God Awful Loser, a signed copy of which is on the library shelves.
I will admit that my childhood self never imagined presenting as an author in the building in which I traipsed so often. I loved reading; books were, to me, worldly educators, understanding friends, and foolhardy daredevils. As a child, I never imagined writing books. As an adult writing a part of my novel at the SM library, I had to smile at going full circle from reader to writer.
Thank you, South Milwaukee Public Library, for welcoming me — at any age.
I had a great time this week meeting the most dedicated book lovers and readers around. Thursday, I was honored to speak about writing and publishing at the Wisconsin Library Association’s Annual Conference. Here we are, left to right: Columbus (WI) Library Director and Panel Moderator Cindy Fesemyer and Authors Valerie Biel, me, and Zachary Howe.
Saturday, I was one of a host of authors at the Edgerton (WI) Sterling North Book & Film Festival celebrating its tenth year. And what a reunion — I got to see former TV anchor Patty Loew, with whom I worked as an intern in my college days at WKOW-TV in Madison! I helped on a documentary that later earned an Associated Press award. We hadn’t seen each other in 25 years! Now she’s an accomplished author, and I was so happy to see her. 🙂
Thanks to all the librarians out there, to readers, and the many other book lovers that make this journey so wonderful.