Author Night at RJ Julia's

Thursday Night, my friend Mary and I battled our way through a massive rain storm, complete with thunder and lightning to meet Sara Shepard, Sarah Mlynowski, and Maureen Johnson.

They were HILARIOUS - from the moment they were introduced to the moment we left. They perched upon stools and each read from their books.

The Last Little Blue Envelope
Ten Things We Did and Probably Shouldn't Have
The Lying Game

I can't wait to read ALL of them. I bought copies there so I could have them signed.



After the readings, Maureen Johnson became the new Oprah and wandered through the aisles with a microphone allowing people to ask questions.

There was lots of laughter and a lot of truth telling:
Sara S used to create small fires with her friends and LOVES writing about other people's dirty little secrets.
Ten Things We Did... was based on Sarah M's experience in high school. She also got a speeding ticket during her book tour for HOW TO BE BAD. Fitting no?
Maureen Johnson color codes her sock drawer and dropped her phone in the toilet during BEA this year

Mary and I met up with fellow YA Librarian (and blogger) Jessica talked about books and TV series until the line dwindled down and then we had our books signed.

We met two of the women working for RJ Julia's - an EXCELLENT bookstore.

Jessica asked Maureen Johnson to write #YASaves in her book and I confess I copied her excellent idea (Copying a brilliant idea goes with the territory when you're a YA Librarian). We all had a few extra minutes talking with the authors - more like gushing over their works. We posed for pictures, thanked them profusely, and then left.


It was a GREAT night!

Review from www.teensreadtoo.com: Gimme a Call

Devi hates her senior year. In fact, she wishes that she could re-do her whole high school experience. When a freak phone accident occurs, she finds herself talking to her younger self. Now, she can tell her fourteen-year-old self all the things to fix before she ruins her life, starting with not dating her ex-boyfriend.

Devi spent so much time with him and neglected her friends and her school work. When they break up, she has nothing left. That's all about to change.

She doesn't have to go on that first date. She can spend more time with her friends. She can study for her classes and join in extracurricular activities to impress colleges.

Freshman Devi tries to improve their life - but she's stuck with all the work while senior Devi enjoys the benefits. For senior Devi, life's changing quickly. She can't keep up with the changes and, worst of all, she has no memories of the new photos in her room or the changes in her life and those she loves.

The more they change, the more they both ask the question: Is it better to know the future?

My thoughts: Changing the future is an intriguing concept that works beautifully in Sarah Mlynowski's new novel. It begs the reader to ask the question of their life - what would you change? I love the hope and the determination of both Devis, and how they want to make the future brighter for themselves. At the same time, they both work to find that balance that makes life livable.

The Cover: I really like it, although I wish the phone was a bit bigger. You can read about how the cover changed at Melissa Walker's awesome cover story here.

Source: reviewed for www.teensreadtoo.com

Parties and Potions

I just got this book yesterday (someone managed to put a hold on it before I did - shocking) and am looking forward to reading it. Then I saw this: E. Lockhart has an interview with Sarah Mlynowski and it's pretty funny.

A book that's on my waiting list

I have a massive amount of books I'm waiting to read (will post those next week)
but here's some fun facts about a series I LOVE!
You might remember I posted the winning video link here a few posts back,
here it is again if you missed it

Book 4 in a magical series (seriously good and seriously witchy)

From Random House's Spotlight Author:

Sarah Mlynowski

Photo © 2006 Dibzy.com

Sarah from A to Z

A is for Aviva, my little sister, the inspiration for the Bras & Broomsticks series. No, unfortunately, not the witchcraft part. What inspired the story was the always complicated love, jealousy, and pride involved in a sister relationship. (Is it fair that my younger sister sports a larger bra size than I do? I think not.)
B is for biting my nails, an incredibly disgusting habit I’ve been trying to break since I was 10. Yes, I’ve tried that bad tasting “you’ll-never-bite-your-nails-again” polish, and yes, I did bite them again.
C is for Canada, the country I was born in, eh?
D is for divorce. My friends love pointing out that the main characters in all my books always have divorced parents. I’m thinking this has to do with my own parents separating when I was 12. Just a hunch.
E is for 11, the number of times I’ve moved in the last 15 years. These days I break into hives at the scent of packing tape.
F is for first person, the voice I use to write all my books. I’ve always preferred the confessional, intimate tone. You feel as if you’re reading someone’s diary. Not that I’ve ever read anyone else’s diary. OK, just once, but Aviva, you left it lying around under your mattress. Obviously, you meant for me to read it.
G is for Goonies, my all-time favorite movie. Hmm, I probably shouldn’t admit that. Yeah, um, it’s really Gone with the Wind.
H is for headgear, the orthodontic contraption I was forced to wear in the name of straight teeth when I was 12. Divorce and headgear? Poor 12-year-old me.
I is for the Internet, a.k.a. a writer’s best tool for procrastination. You’ve got mail! Amazon! Why haven’t I written anything in three hours?
J is for Judy. As in Judy Blume. Hers were the first books I read that made me laugh out loud and want to become a writer.
K is for karma, which I believed in way before I started watching My Name Is Earl. Like right after I read my sister’s diary, I dropped an encyclopedia on my big toe. OK, that didn’t really happen. But it could have.
L is for Lizzie Forshort, the novella I wrote when I was in grade three (that’s how we say it in Canada, not third grade. We also say “write tests” instead of “take tests,” use the washroom instead of the restroom, and enjoy fries, gravy, and cheese curds, which is known as poutine, and deep-fried sugar coated donut-like dessert called a beavertail. Anyway back to poor Lizzie.) My mom typed up my manuscript and sent it to Bantam Books. That is the (longer than I intended) story of my very first rejection letter.
M is for my mom, who no longer types up my stories, but is still the very first person to read everything I write.
N is for newcomball, the only sport I know how to play. It’s like volleyball, except you catch the ball before throwing it over the net. Now that I think about it, newcomball might not be a real sport, just a game taught to the unathletic girls at sleep-away camp.
O is for orange chicken, which is what my parents called carrots to trick me into eating them.
P is for pet. At the moment I have no pets, although I’d love to have a dog. I would name the dog Paige so that if I ever own a bookstore, I can call it Paige’s. The first pet I had was a turtle. My aunt and uncle bought it for me as a bat mitzvah gift. I was enamored. My parents were not. They took it for a walk and claimed it ran away. I believed them.
Q is for Queenstown, New Zealand, where my husband proposed in 2003. We’d started dating in 1994 when we were 17, so in my opinion it was about time.
R is for Ramona and Her Father, the first chapter book I ever read. I remember being disappointed that there weren’t balloons and smiley pages when I got to page 100. I mean, hello? Page 100? That’s cause for celebration.
S is for scuba diving, an awesome activity. S is also for the sharks I saw when I was scuba diving. Less awesome.
T is for 24, the age I was when my first novel, Milkrun, was published.
U is for unpronounceable, which is what you probably thought when you first saw my last name. Don’t worry, I can’t pronounce it either.
V is for very lucky, which is how I feel that I’m a novelist. Not only do I get to make up stories all day, but I get to wear my pajamas to work.
W is for wishes. Here are my top three wishes if I had magical powers à la Miri in Bras & Broomsticks: World peace, a cure for cancer, and naturally straight hair.
X is for xxx, which is how I sign most of my e-mails. Though sometimes I use instead. Or “All best” when I’m trying to appear professional.
Y is for Yew Nork, which was how I referred to New York until I was seven. On top of that, I pronounced my Rs as Ws. Good thing I had speech therapy, or these days I’d be calling Yew Nawk, Yew Nawk, home.
Z is for Zed, which is how I was taught to say the last letter of the alphabet in the country I’m from. If you’ve already forgotten where that is, no beavertail for you, missy.