It was a virtual conference, which was really neat, but different with so many of us. We voted on the webinars we wanted to watch. I'm really looking forward to viewing the rest next week when they're archived.
Caroline B Cooney spoke first, as the keynote speaker. She was fabulous. She talked about her inspiration to the Janie books - and how her readers contacted her demanding certain plot points. Janie Face to Face comes out early next year. From her talk, I'm going to have to read the previous books so I can be ready in January. She also shared her favorite librarian story!
Next we listened to Who Will Mend The Broken Heart with Earl Sewell, Lurlene McDaniel, Miranda Kenneally and Katie Kacvinsky - moderated by Terri Clark.
Lurlene McDaniel spoke about her views on the ultimate villain - death. Love can overcome death. She talked about how her life changed when her son became very ill - which shaped her writing. She also loves the topic of heart transplant. She has a new series coming out this fall about the definitions of love starting with Year of Luminous Love. She'll be updating her website with a brand new look to coincide to the book's release. I borrowed tons of her books from my high school BFF. I devoured them and was always happy when she had a new one!
Earl Sewell spoke about his unique writing approach - to teen romances written in the voice of a teen girl. His teen daughter helps him write authentically, but he jokes that he also channels his inner 16 year old girl too. He also does his research - reading Cosmo and teen magazines and social networking sites. He writes fiction that gives his readers a lot to think about and testing relationships to see if they're strong enough. I need to add his books to my TBR list.
Miranda Kenneally wanted to read more contemporary YA novels growing up. She was always changing herself to fit the guy she was crushing over. She feels badly now that she missed out on not being herself and other opportunities that came her way. She hopes that her books reflect her feelings and teens learn to be themselves. I can't wait to read her upcoming books!
In Classic Twists, the presenters were Marissa Meyers, Sean Michael Wilson, and Gareth Hinds - moderated by Leslie Bermel. Each presenter showcased their novels.
Marissa Meyers's Lunar Chronicles will have four titles: Scarlet (Red Riding Hood), Crest (Rapunzel), and Winter (Snow White). She fell into writing through fan-fiction for Sailor Moon - where teen princesses were always the main characters. I'll on the lookout for the other lunar Chronicles books
Sean Michael Wilson spoke about adapting classics in graphic novels. He showed pages of his work and talked about the art. He lives in Japan, but he's Scottish. He talked a little bit about working for books for Japan, the UK, and the US and the differences in styles. I must get some of these books for the library.
Gareth Hinds talked about working on his dream project - The Odyssey as well as his other books. He spoke about adapting Shakespeare in graphic novel form and how well it works out as Shakespeare adapts to the format as it's a work meant primarily to been seen. I must get some of these books for the library.
In Rockin' Women of YA, we heard from Maggie Stiefvater, A.S. King, Jackie Kessler, and Nina LaCour. They were moderated by Betsy Bird. This portion was different as it was done as a webcast. Betsy asked questions and each author responded.
All in all, there were lots of great titles shared. Many I will be adding to the library collection and several I will be reading myself. I love talking about Teen Literature!
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