Shameless Saturday

We ended one month and surged into another this week. The transition has 2k8ers mourning the close of summer and realizing just how close the end of 2008 is!

Fortunately several 2k8ers got to hang out at the Eastern PA SCBWI event where Laurel Snyder, Liz Gallagher, Nancy Viau and Daphne Grab presented a panel on the differences between MG and YA. They also chatted about their paths to publication, inspiration, what keeps them going, what writers can do to keep from quitting when the going gets tough, and general marketing stuff.

Laurel, Liz, Nancy & Daphne

Every children's author -- especially every new children's author -- loves to get mail from parents, telling them how much they and their children enjoyed the book. When they mention it in public, and when that public mention appears in an article citing many classic titles and prolific authors ... that thrill moves toward the top of the Jolt Meter. Wanna know what we're talking about? Click here to see what one homeschool parent calls the best kept secret for teaching your kids and look for her mention of Jody Feldman's The Gollywhopper Games.

Zu Vincent's The Lucky Place is on the Top Shelf Fiction list for 2008 at "Friends of Palms Middle School," one of only four schools chosen to select the 30 best middle school fiction books published between October 2007 and September 2008 for Voya (Voice of Youth Young Advocates).

And Linda Fischer at SSBRC (South Sound Book Review Council) gives The Lucky Place a recommended review saying, "I believe this book may become one of my best read "Girl Books"...Girls will love it."

Last Saturday 2k8ers Lisa Shroeder and Zu Vincent teamed up with 2k9 author Roseanne Parry to give a panel on group blogging at Portland's Kidlit Bloggers Conference. The conference was filled with amazing authors, book lovers, and bloggers. And the general buzz said group blogs like ours are the wave of the future!

Zu, Rosanne and Lisa

Stop by the kidlit blogspot to hear more including Kim Kasch's sound bites of Zu and Lisa.

And don't forget to nominate your favorite books for the Cybils, the children's and young adult bloggers' literary award. We hope you'll consider our 2k8 titles.

Lastly, look for THREE, count them, 1-2-3, author launches this month! On Monday we're pleased to introduce you to Ellen Booraem, MG author of The Unnameables.