Wednesday, October 24, 2007

Robert's Snow & Julia Denos!


So, who wants to buy this snowflake? Who DOESN'T? Seriously, can you even resist Julia Denos' snowflake? The shining flame? The noble cardinal? The gorgeously detailed scarf? The movement against what is sure to be a frigid wind? The sincerity and hope on that rosy freckled face?

You can't. I know it. I can't. You've got 25 days to get your funds ready to start bidding on the first wave of the Robert's Snow: for Cancer's Cure annual benefit auction. Denos' Red Bird's Hope will be in the third wave, opening on Monday, December 3 at 9 am. Check the cushions, over-turn the change jar, skip that trip to Milan, smash the poor little piggy-bank's body in. It's worth it. You're buying art AND a cure.

Jules, over at Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast, hatched this wonderful organized event. If you pay any attention to the kidlitosphere at all and you haven't heard about the blogging effort? Well, you don't just live under a rock, you ARE a rock. However, it's not too late to escape The Rockbiter. Catch up with the comprehensive list. Perhaps wait until after the interview, though. You really don't want to accidentally get lost in the maze of interwebs and neglect learning about THIS FANTASTIC ILLUSTRATOR:

Meet Julia Denos!


1. Do you often chew on books? We librarians aren't really fans of that, you know.
Oh, sorry Jackie! As a part time bookseller, I'd have to agree with you. As a fanatical picture booker, I can't deny the urge to chew a well designed spread.
I try to hold myself back when the crates of new titles come in every Monday. Yum! Art work just becomes delicious when it is done well, and the designer has done a splendid job, and the paper choice is spot on. I will try to learn other healthier ways to express my love for crafted linework and bleedy watercolor washes.
2. What inspired your blog's title? Who was the Cinnamon Rabbit?
The rabbit of all rabbits! I realized a year AFTER creating it, that the little brown rabbit on my website was Cinnamon, an old friend from childhood. Cinnamon was the best rabbit a little girl could have asked for. I mean, he rolled over and played tag!? We had a blast in the backyard and some pretty good conversations too. I would draw his portrait, and spend lazy hours lying around in the grass with him. I thought he was the best thing in the world, and made sure DogFancy knew so, as I wrote them demanding a Rabbit Fancy spinoff. Mostly it was one of those magical child/animal relationships.
The piece with the girl and the rabbit was actually created while I was finishing art school at The Art Institute of Boston, and quickly became my calling card- one that clients and agents remembered for some reason. Thanks to Cinnamon!
3. How did you become involved with the Robert's Snow effort?
I had heard of it through my agency, Shannon Associates at first. They thought I had done one in the past! That was impossible, because I was still in school, but I looked up the project this year and was so excited to finally get involved. I ended up emailing Alvina Ling, who I had just met in Boston, and she put me through to Grace Lin for the sign up info. Getting the snowflake in the mail was so exciting (and also yummy…I didn't bite it though! Not to worry, bidders.)
4. Could you tell us a little about your snowflake?
I went through a bunch of sketches, and received critiques from friends and my family (especially the wise younger brother) until I figured out which design had the magic. I wanted to make a character design embodying the idea of hope, sort of turn the symbol into a child. I love turning a general emotion or subject into a character with a face.
Then came the question of her costume. I've been secretly obsessed with the costume and traditions of the Saami people in the Lapland regions, and took much of my color palette from their traditional dress. Something about their fight for the preservation of an ancient way of life in modern times really speaks hope to me too.
As for the red bird- I explain it in my blog, but it's a family symbol now, it was generated with my grandmother. Both grandmothers recently were taken by cancer too, so it is a symbol of the ones who have gone before, guiding us.
(Jac says: Do read her full explanation at Cinnamon Rabbit, it's heartfelt & moving.)
5. For the art-ignorant, like myself, could you describe your process of creating and completing images?
No ignorance in art! Only further exploration. I'm still exploring so my process is different each time for every project, depending on what the end vision is. Some pieces NEED watercolor edges preserved, with imported patterns, so digital collage is the answer. Some characters want to be tightly rendered, so pencil on paper is best for them. Ultimately, it ends up as a hybrid process of digital and traditional art. I work in pencil and watercolor first, scan it separately, then use Photoshop for putting the line back into the watercolor, digital painting, and finally importing found material (roommates' skirts, the retro shelf paper in our bathroom, gardening gloves, you name it) I digitally collage, or hand draw the patterns to be scanned back in.
I love fusing old and new, process wise, but also subject wise like Jane Austen via rocker chic, or old fashioned color palettes on modern looking characters. I usually begin book work with tiny squiggly thumbnails to get the gesture of the character down. I usually begin personal work on some really inconvenient type of paper, wherever inspiration has found me, and proceed to figure out how to deal with that. I have a mental note right now reminding me to try out dried out Crayola markers next time to see what happens. I am learning so much as a young artist. I hope it will always feel this fresh.
6. What were some of your other favorite books as a child and why?
The Polar Express was an eye opener in 2nd grade. I remember reading it and staring at the VanAllsburg spreads, getting to the last page with the bell and feeling prickly goosebumps on my arms. There was MEANING in this story. I thought, "I'm going to make books". I was on the couch, probably wearing a side ponytail and hightops, and that was it, then and there. I loved how he would hide his dog at his whim in his pages. Such a secret world you could create! Also, my parents were adamant about bedtime stories. Some of our favorites were A Book of Seasons by the Provensens, A Quilt Story by Tomie DePaola, Barbara Cooney's OxCart Man, A Chair For My Mother by Vera B. Williams. The art in all of these were highly detailed, and the stories were honestly presented, and rhythmic and real. They made bookmaking exciting and also approachable at age 8. Reading Rainbow created a lasting impression on me too. What's better than hearing Bringing the Rain To Kapiti Plain being narrated to you by James Earl Jones as the camera pans the African landscape?
7. You did illustrations for an Easy Reader book about Sojourner Truth called Path to Glory. Did you do any extra research for the historical subject? How did you approach the subject? How did it differ from the illustrations for the series of chapter books, Sleepover Squad, you have done?

Yes, I did research Sojourner in multiple libraries. I have always loved historical research though, so it was fun. I was completely wide-eyed because this was my first –ever client project out of school. I approached it honestly and kept the messiness involved in sketchwork, in the final pieces. This is very different from the Sleepover books. Research for these takes place walking by a playground, and kid's clothing catalogues. I enjoy being light hearted and jumping back into elementary school while I work on Sleepover. I am working on the cafeteria illustration right now, and I swear I can still smell the chicken patties.
8. Can you tell us anything about the picture book you are working on currently? Any other projects?
I am so excited to be working on my first picture book with Candlewick Press due out in 2010! It's in it's initial exploratory stages, but I am loving the world it brings me to already. It's top secret for now.
I have been lucky and blessed to have been so busy this past year. Pant. Pant. I am on book 5 now of the Sleepover Squad. I just finished the art for the opening scenes for a Hallmark Hall of Fame movie, which will be airing the week after Thanksgiving- it was a blast. I recently finished a bunch of educational pieces for textbooks, modern retelling of Gift of the Magi by Scholastic, promotional identity (coloring book and merch) for a new townhouse going up in Manhattan next year. I have been doing a bunch of book covers for multiple age groups too.
(Jac says: Um, holy crap! I think she's talking about Pictures of Hollis Wood with Sissy Spacek and Alfre Woodard! That's an adaptation of a wonderful Newbery Honor book by Patricia Reilly Giff! SO watching! Julia, set me strait if I'm wrong.)
10. Do you write? Will you someday wear both hats for a book?
Yes I write, but I need time for old stories I've saved up to gestate. So far time hasn't really been available to anything but visual, so someday soon, yes. Stories are cooking.
11. Who are some of the artists who inspire or influence you today?
Oh dear…so many. I was fed a steady diet of the Golden Age illustrators in art school, Kay Nielsen, Alphonse Mucha, C. Coles Phillips are some old faves. They did magical things with shape and volume and the character. As far as picture bookers, I just love to peruse the work of the older gems: Clare Turlay Newberry, Ezra Jack Keats in his page composition, and beautiful hand made textures, Barbara McClintock's detail and Barbara Cooney's simplicity. I am extra lucky to get to work at Curious George bookstore in Harvard Square because I'm surrounded by influence there. It has been great to talk shop with another influential illustrating friend, Emily Goodale and hear the book crits of the astute kidlit students on staff. I am also exposed weekly to the newest titles and resurrected classics. I've been studying the animal paintings of Doug Florian and Brian Wildsmith, the line work of Patricia Polacco and the playful collaging of Lauren Child. Some current favorites are Tony Diterlizzi, Greg Swearingen, Alissa Imre Geis, Leuyen Pham, Amy Bates, Jonathan Bean and newly found Lauren Castillo. Hiroko Hasegawa's fashion illustration and Ilhana Kohn's gritty editorial work is inspirational too. For stretching my style I like to look at artists in other genres like comics, costume design and film concept work.
(Jac says: Alphonse Mucha. Dude. I LOVE that guy. I have a ginormous framed print of his hanging in my entry way. It's the first thing I see when I come home. It makes me happy. I want to go to Prague just so I can visit his murals. I KNEW I liked Julia!! I can totally see that influence in some of her work.)

12. Can you tell us about a typical workday for you? What's going on in the background as you work?
Wake up around 8. Eat oatmeal. (Sometimes) hit the yoga mat. Get the lighting right in my room (bright and cozy is essential) Turn on the iMac to do the email catch up game and look through my fave blogs for inspiration......Start work! In the background is my music! I have this new fascination with Pandora.com, a station on the web. Currently my "stations" include blues singer Madeleine Peyroux and my favorite Canadians, Feist and the band Stars for fast energy sketching and character creating. Movie soundtracks are usually playing too- awesome for scene creation. Classic Django Reinhardt is good for getting through a long afternoon of sketch revisions. I love ambient and classical music for painting, especially Album Leaf, Azure Ray and Chopin. Roomates drift in and out, I take business calls, take family calls. I take mini breaks to cook or walk in my quirky neighborhood outside Boston. The background noise isn't just music, it's usually the close-by neighbors and their families sitting on the stoop, children running between houses, lots of crazy chatter too.
13. Since this is a blog primarily concerned with teen literature, do you have any intention of doing book covers or illustrations in books for older readers?
Yes! I am also a fan of this genre, especially the cover art. There is a lot of fun experimentation in cover work for this genre, it seems. I get excited when I see artists from other art scenes take on a cover in this genre like Tara McPherson (comics) for Kiki Strike or Marcos Chin (advertising) for The Secret Life of Sparrow Delaney. I have recently finished a cover Penguin, for middle school level readers, about a mysterious violin theft. Can't wait to do more.

THANK YOU JULIA!!

***
I want to specifically point out this piece by Julia. It's called "the rebel peace" and here's part of what she said about it on her blog:

"It was interesting doing this piece to answer my own question, "why do we wear the pattern of war in this country, so casually?" Her design was based on my impulse to create a character in the spirit of fearless innocence, wrapped in a flag of "camo", combative with a bugle and in attention-commanding colors, a mockery of the every day camo originally created in a palette, designed for hiding. She is on a flat backdrop of randomly placed media suggestions of violence, not only of war, but war on life within our own culture. In a way she was designed to be a herald of a sort of awakening, one that would call to question our reasons and motives for violence within our entertainment/media/culture."

I find it nigh on impossible to choose a favorite piece of her's. I really, really do, but there's something about "the rebel peace." There's
innocence and defiance and optimism in this fiery girl. I know those are slightly contradictory terms, but I've stared at and pondered the piece for a long time, and I can see all of them in it. It hits me somewhere. Possibly the gut. Maybe right in the heart. Actually, I think I'm floored by it. And I didn't want you to miss it, or what Julia had to say about it.
Right. So, who's in love with Julia Denos? Yeah, me too. The funny thing is that at first I didn't want to choose an illustrator. I didn't want to break another blogger's heart by taking their favorite, so I told Jules at 7-Imp that she should just assign me someone. She was cool with that, but really thought I should take a closer look at the list and make sure there wasn't someone that I really wanted. So I started looking up every illustrator, in alpha order, trying to find one that spoke to me. I got as far as the Ds. Then I yelled at Jules for giving me YET ANOTHER PERSON TO PAY ATTENTION TO. It's all her fault, of course. ;)

Anyway, since I know that I've just successfully become the gateway to the drug called Julia Denos, check out her portfolio to cement your addiction. She mentioned that she's just signed up for an Etsy account in order to sell prints. I'll keep you posted.

Also, remember, there are many, many artists submitting snowflakes to the Robert's Snow effort, and not all of them can be featured in the blogosphere. For the ever growing list, please take a look at the official website. Don't forget that the first auction starts on November 19 at 9 am. Meanwhile, take a look at the other snowflakes featured today (a fine, fine lineup, I must say):


Monday, October 22, 2007

Robert's Snow, Week 2


The Robert's Snow blog event is off to a second smashing week. It is all to raise money and awareness of cancer research, so when the auctions open November 19, head on over to the site and place your bid on fantastic original artwork. All the snowflakes can be seen here, but be sure to check out the blogger features each day for a more in-depth look at the snowflake and the artist - including my interview with up-and-coming Julia Denos here on Thursday. You SO want to see that, since you are sure to know this girl's art in the coming years. It's breath-taking. I only over-emphasize when I mean it.


Monday, October 22
Mark Teague at The Miss Rumphius Effect
Sharon Vargo at Finding Wonderland
Christopher Demarest at Writing and Ruminating
Rose Mary Berlin at Charlotte's Library
David Macaulay at Here in the Bonny Glen


Tuesday, October 23
Carin Berger at Chasing Ray
Marion Eldridge at Chicken Spaghetti
Sophie Blackall at not your mother's bookclub
Erik Brooks at Bildungsroman
Brian Lies at Greetings from Nowhere


Wednesday, October 24
Elisa Kleven at Rozzie Land
Consie Powell at Becky's Book Reviews
Jimmy Pickering at Shaken & Stirred
Frank Dormer at What Adrienne Thinks About That
Sheila Bailey at Lizjonesbooks


Thursday, October 25
Julia Denos at Interactive Reader
Rebecca Doughty at A Chair, A Fireplace & A Tea Cozy
Brian Floca at A Fuse #8 Production
Margaret Chodos-Irvine at readergirlz


Friday, October 26
David Ezra Stein at HipWriterMama
Juli Kangas at Sam Riddleburger's blog
Ginger Nielson at Miss O's School Library
Margot Apple at Jo's Journal


Saturday, October 27
Julie Fromme Fortenberry at Your Neighborhood Librarian
Sarah Dillard at The Silver Lining
John Hassett at cynthialord's Journal
Abigail Marble at Please Come Flying


Sunday, October 28
Ashley Wolff at A Chair, A Fireplace & A Tea Cozy
Barbara Garrison at Brooklyn Arden
Kelly Murphy at ChatRabbit


Catch up with anything you might have missed from 7-Imp's complete & ongoing list. Do remember that what you see featured in the blogs is by no means all of the snowflakes that will be auctioned off.

Tuesday, October 16, 2007

Ahem. ME ME ME ME ME

So, you know those girls, Eisha and Jules, over at Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast? They rather rock, so I'm sure you do. You know how they do a lot of interviews?

Well... they interviewed me. I know! Totally shocked over here, too! So... if you are curious...about my least favorite word, or what's going on in my iTunes, or maybe what happens when I meet God at the Pearly Gates... well... head over there and find out.

And, like, maybe leave a comment or something so I don't feel like a loser? I'm seriously like the least interesting person they've EVER interviewed, so my comments will be all pathetic and stuff. Unless YOU do something about it. If nothing else, I gave them a picture of me and Lambie. You could look at that. If you don't have anything better to do. I mean, I don't want to get in your way or anything...um, thanks.

Yo. It's, like, Teen Read Week.

Yeah, I don't know what's up with that title, either.

What are YOU doing for Teen Read Week? I went and saw Sherman Alexie speak about his first teen book The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, which I read back in June as a stolen ARC, and just re-read this last week when I was writing interview questions for him. Yep. That's right. Come November, provided the National Book Award Finalist returns the questions, I'll have an interview with him on THIS blog. I wouldn't return the questions, if I were him. But we'll see. (If he doesn't, I'll console myself with the fact that I've already interviewed one of his competitors.) He's an amazing speaker, by the way. If you ever get a chance, GO. The man is hilarious. I'm bummed, though, the store had sold out of the book, so I wasn't able to get a signed copy. Sigh. Good thing he's a North West author. I'll get another opportunity.

Also, don't forget that in honor of Teen Read Week, the Reader Girlz are hosting teen authors EVERY NIGHT over on the MySpace forum. 5 pm PST. There are some really great chats going on. Here's the next week's schedule:
October 17th: Deb Caletti
October 18th: Rachel Cohn
October 19th: Kirsten Miller
October 20th: Mitali Perkins
October 21st: Sonya Sones
October 22nd: Lisa Yee
October 23rd: Carolyn Mackler
October 24th: E. Lockhart

Meanwhile, I seem to have contracted food poisoning, so I'm going to go vomit or something. ugh. I feel terrible.

Monday, October 15, 2007

Robert's Snow Features Begin

Links and coding and some language courtesy Miss Rumphius & Jen Robinson:

Robert's Snow is an online auction that benefits Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. Over 200 children's book illustrators have created art on individual snowflake-shaped wooden templates.

Bloggers across the internet, led by the truly inspiring girls at Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast, are organizing together to bring attention to the cause. You'll find interviews, giveaways and great features on wonderful artists every day for about a month. I'll be participating, too!

Behold, This Week's List:

Monday, October 15



Tuesday, October 16



Wednesday, October 17



Thursday, October 18



Friday, October 19




Saturday, October 20




Sunday, October 21




Please take time out to visit all of these blogs, and read about these fabulous illustrators. And, if you're so inclined, think about bidding for a snowflake in the Robert's Snow auction. Each snowflake makes a unique gift (for yourself or for someone else), and supports an important cause.

Sunday, October 07, 2007

Erin Made me do it.

Miss Erin and I are in a cupcake battle. She's exhibiting signs of insanity in that she thinks cupcakes are evil. Pity her. Clearly she doesn't have enough love in her life.

Me:











Miss Erin:








And no, this has nothing to do with books, HOWEVER, since the reason I know Erin so well is because we are both Poster Girls for Reader Girlz, I'd like to take this moment to remind you of this week's AWESOME nightly chats! 5 pm PST!

Week Two
Oct. 7: Ellen Hopkins
Oct. 8: Justina Chen Headley (woo hoo!)
Oct. 9: Chris Crutcher (I'll be there!)
Oct. 10: Ann Brashares (you know, travelin' pants)
Oct. 11: Sarah Mlynowski
Oct. 12: Cecil Castellucci (I'll be moderating)
Oct 13: Kirby Larson (Hattie Big Sky!!)

Thursday, October 04, 2007

Sabriel, Lirael, Abhorsen. Trilogy No More!


I don't think that I can express to you how much I love Garth Nix's Abhorsen trilogy. Love. Love. Love. So, when one of the listservs I lurk upon mentioned today's PW Children's Bookshelf:

"The three books include a prequel and a sequel to Nix's Abhorsen trilogy...The third book will be a standalone SF novel titled A Confusion of Princes, and will be the first to be published, in late 2009, with the others following in 2010 and 2011."

Well, I got excited. Really, really excited. I have no doubt that such excitement will sustain me for the, er, 3+ years I need it to. A Confusion of Princes might help, a little. But I've not been a huge fan of some of his other titles, so I'm not holding my breath or anything (I dug Shade's Children - it's the others that were rather "eh.").

Now I will no longer brace myself before making my ardent claim: "Best. Trilogy. Ever."

Oh, and there's something about Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson series in the PW thing. Something about a cover and a 4th book. Whatever. Nothing will distract me from my Nix Love.

Heebie-Jeebies

October. Bradbury Season. Halloween has always been my favorite holiday; I think it's the idea that there's more than meets the eye. More to whatever shell you're looking at. You're hidden behind makeup and costuming, and yet, maybe revealing a bit more than usual. A different side. A different way of looking at things. And THAT is scary - since there's nothing humans fear more than DIFFERENT.

And the Rumbaughs are definitely different.

Jack Gantos, author of the popular and funny Joey Pigza and Rotten Ralph books, as well as the notable Printz & Sibert Honor biography Hole in My Life, created a bit of a stir upon the publication of The Love Curse of the Rumbaughs last year. I hadn't read it but I'd wanted to, so when Colleen mentioned Bradbury Season for books that feel like October, well, I thought I'd finally see what all the fuss was about. It's WEIRD. Really, really weird.

First, a taste:

"An Introduction: I expect you might think the story I am about to tell you is untrue or perversely gothic in some unhealthy way" p 3.

Um, yeah, but I didn't know it then.

Chapter heading: "Squirrels are my favorite" p 113

Um...

"It is not perfection that captures the heart, but honesty" p 114.

I can get behind that.

"Hide the truth of who you are and you'll live a fiction" p 144.

Yep.

And then there's this whole discussion about free will - the crux of the matter. The creepy, creepy crux. See, the Love Curse of these Rumbaughs is that they love their mothers too much. So much that they take up taxidermy in order to preserve their dead bodies as giant dolls upon their deaths. No, I'm not kidding you. It's all about whether Ivy, the last of the Rumbaughs, has inherited this curse, whether one can choose one's fate or if choice is just an illusion.

We watch Ivy grow and battle with these issues, her possibly unhealthy attachment to her mother, and her extreme fear toward the idea of her mother's death. Control fate? Or let it control you?

The kinda amazing thing? At some point, as a reader, I crossed the line. I stopped being completely revolted and became amused. Interested even. Intrigued. And THAT is what this is all about. Crossing that line from the fear of the unknown, the different, and finding yourself on the other side. Without fear (Comfort is another thing entirely).

For More Bradbury Season, head on over to Colleen's post on Chasing Ray. You'll find a list of the usual suspects.

Wednesday, October 03, 2007

That they aren't Werewolves is a little weak


I'm a little bit of a wimp. I tend to stay away from things that fall into the horror genre. Like most everyone else, I did go through that phase where I read a ton of Stephen King (for the record my favs are The Stand & Bag of Bones) and reluctantly watched horror flicks (the original Psycho just made me laugh)...but... generally? I don't need those images knocking around my noggin. The fact that I now live alone... ok, yeah. That has something to do with it. There's no one to check behind the shower curtain or in the closets for me. No one to hear me scream...

Anyway. This is a book blog, right? In theory. If you've had any contact with Little Willow ANY CONTACT AT ALL, you will know that she's the Christopher Golden Proselytizer. She will eventually wear you down and you will have no choice to read him. Now, I had read, oh, 13 Golden titles (Body of Evidence & Outcast series) before I "met" LW. THIS DOES NOT STOP HER*. So, I gave in and read Prowlers.

Jack's life isn't carefree or easy, but he's happy. When his best friend gets brutally murdered, then shows up as a ghost, well, Jack's life gets even harder. He must avenge his friend's death in order to save the ones he loves, because the Prowlers are on to him, and they are amassing in numbers not seen in centuries...

Dude's got it down. It is the perfect genre book. It is exactly what you expect it will be. The tone is dark and a little gritty. It's not scary, but there's a discernible tension. Honestly, a lot like Stephenie Meyer's books are (minus the romance). More... paranormally thrilling than anything else. It's very much a crime thriller, just with ghosts and werewolves (fine. Prowlers.). The thing that always makes it fun to read a Golden book is that he writes so visually. I genuinely feel as though I'm reading something that belongs on the TV screen. This (as with Body of Evidence) could totally be a show. I'd watch it (but I want BoE first).

My only real issue (if you haven't already figured it out) is that we can't just call the dang monsters werewolves. So they don't change by the light o' the silvery moon. So they never were technically human. I don't care. They change into toothy, hairy beasties. Call the spade, people. They're werewolves.

LW didn't mention that it's a quartet until AFTER I read the book. It's not a waste of time. Golden never seems to be one. It's fun.

*LW, you KNOW I love you.

Monday, October 01, 2007

October 1st!

So today is huge.

First, starting today (6 am Central Time), you can head on over to the Cybils and nominate your favorite 2007 title in each of eight categories. Nominate! Nominate! Each title needs only one nomination, so be sure to check what's already been submitted and enter in your OTHER favorite 2007 title (cause, who, really, can pick just one?!).

Also, today starts Reader Girlz 31 Flavorites!! Chat with your favorite teen lit authors every night this month. EVERY NIGHT! 8 pm EST. Is there anything more awesome than that?!

I'm really excited about both the Cybils and 31 Flavorites. Really Excited.

Just for convenience sake, here's the reprint of 31 Flavorites:

Week One
Oct 1. Meg Cabot
Oct 2. Tiffany Trent
Oct 3. Brent Hartinger (I'm playing moderator)
Oct 4. Lorie Ann Grover
Oct 5. K.L. Going
Oct 6. Nikki Grimes


Week Two
Oct 7. Ellen Hopkins
Oct 8. Justina Chen Headley
Oct 9. Chris Crutcher (I'll be moderator)
Oct 10. Ann Brashares
Oct 11. Sarah Mlynowski
Oct 12. Cecil Castellucci (moderating again. hopefully by then I'll have read BEIGE. Assuming someone nominates it for the Cybils YA, 'cause those are the only books I'll be reading for a while. 'Cept those book group books. Sigh. Boring adults.)
Oct 13. Kirby Larson

Week Three
Oct 14. Tanya Lee Stone
Oct 15. John Green
Oct 16. Sara Zarr
Oct 17. Deb Caletti
Oct 18. Rachel Cohn
Oct 19. Kirsten Miller
Oct 20. Mitali Perkins

Week Four
Oct 21. Sonya Sones
Oct 22. Lisa Yee
Oct 23. Carolyn Mackler
Oct 24. E. Lockhart
Oct 25. Janet Lee Carey
Oct 26. Gaby Triana
Oct 27. Lauren Myracle

Week Five
Oct 28. Holly Black
Oct 29. Cynthia Leitich Smith
Oct 30. Dia Calhoun
Oct 31. Stephenie Meyer (midnight EST)

Perhaps I'll review books again someday. I read a really good one this weekend. But right now I'm going to go to bed. I's tired.