Skyping with Authors: Elizabeth Eulberg!

Skyping with authors, it's a great tool to introduce students to authors. One of the classes in the middle school is currently reading the Shelby Homes book, so it's great to be able to ask the author questions about the book, about writing, and about being an author. 

Many authors will Skype for 15-20 minutes with classrooms/book clubs who have read their book. It's a perfect way to read aloud to students (which they love) and then meet the author. Take a look at the author list put together by Kate Messner and plan your own event!

We were lucky to win a chat (from twitter) with Elizabeth Eulberg and it was awesome!

It happened yesterday at the middle school - thanks to our partnership there. 

Elizabeth Eulberg is awesome. I had Such a Good Time and so did the kids. 

She was funny, kind, and wildly entertaining.

Of course New Kids on the Block came up.

She talked about how she got started writing - with a dare.

How many drafts of Lonely Hearts Club it took before publication - 17

Why the book is dedicated to the author of Captain Underpants books - he made the bet with her.

She talked about her writing process. She us notebooks and note cards and explained how she uses each.

We learned there will be at least two more Shelby books. Where Shelby will have a hard time at school and also meet someone just as smart - which of course will cause problems. We heard about Shelby's extensive vocabulary and how upon finding fun words, she writes them down in a notebook to use for later. 

She gave writing advice for some writers in the group.

A few recommended books for middle schoolers:

Great choices, I've read and loved each of these books!

It was the perfect way to spend the afternoon and I'm so thankful that I was on twitter at the right moment at the right time. 

Also Elizabeth rocks. 

If you haven't read her books, go do it. I've read them all and they are great!

 I can't wait for her newest one out next month!

Top Ten Tuesdays: Meeting Authors

This week's topic is  Ten Authors I REALLY Want To Meet - thanks for library conferences, BEA, and RJ Julia's I've meet a ton of fantastic authors. It's a mix of YA and Adult authors, Left to meet are...

- meme from The Broke and the Bookish

JK Rowling

George R.R. Martin

Jennifer E. Smith

Sherryl Woods

Jill Shalvis

Jenn McKinlay

Sophie Kinsella

Julie Hyzy

Shannon Messenger 

Lisa Schroeder 

*  I had to look at my most read books from Goodreads to make this list.

Top Ten Tuesday

This week we're talking about Bookish Memories (waiting in line for a new release, meeting an author, or some sort of great experience with a particular book that was unlike others) - meme from The Broke and the Bookish

Oh Gosh, I can tell this is going to be a tough one. I've been so fortunate to meet so many wonderful authors.

1. Having a moment with Judy Blume. I went to a strange author panel. I went because of Judy Blume. The man who introduced the authors had no idea about her books. He gave a list of her works, which included Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret. Only he didn't know it was just one book, He thought it was three. I must have rolled my eyes or made a face because she called him out on it later and made eye contact with me while saying that some people knew her books. It was pretty cool!

2. Meeting Meg Cabot. I only wish I had a picture of us. I've gotten better at gushing over authors since then -but I was star struck with her.

3. Making a complete fool out of myself while meeting Scott Westerfeld TWICE. This is the second meeting, where I told him about the first meeting. He laughed...several times.

4. Talking about a book in the aisle of BEA (my first year) and being told the author was right down there, did I want to go talk with her? YES. That's how I met Lisa Ann Sandell, who was talking to Aimee Friedman - who knew me from Facebook. That's when I first realized how awesome it was meeting authors!  Love them both. Here's a photo of Aimee and I a few years later, again at BEA.

5. Meeting SO MANY wonderful authors at BEA - too many to name (I don't want to forget anyone)

6. Harry Potter Midnight Release Parties - love that there was so much LOVE for this series that bookstores/libraries hosted parties celebrating the releases. I went to two and hosted two.

7. Meeting SO MANY wonderful authors at RJ Julia - an independent bookstore. Here I am with Ally Carter.

8. Meeting Tera Lynn Childs, who I knew for years on social networking sites, love her books. She was in NYC for a conference and came to my library to help kick off our summer reading program. 

9. Any conference I've gone to where I meet so many awesome bookish (Librarians/Bloggers) and of course, talk about books.

10. Comments from authors who saw a book review I've written of their work.