Kate Messner's Blog, page 47

A Post-NCTE Photo Wrap-Up

Saturday was my busy day at NCTE, starting with a morning book signing, then an interview about THE BRILLIANT FALL OF GIANNA Z. for the ReadWriteThink podcast, lunch, and the Middle Level Mosaic, a highlight of the trip for me because I got to hear presentations from English teacher rock stars like Jeff Wilhelm, Nancie Atwell, & Teri Lesesne. I'm back to school this morning to finish our unit on dystopian literature and let my students fight over the ARCs I brought home. Since they're publi...

Blogging from NCTE: Day One 1/2

Our NCTE publisher dinner at Philadelphia's Le Castagne was one of those nights a starry-eyed author never forgets. Friendly, book-loving people from NCTE, the International Reading Association, and Anderson's Bookshop joined us at a big table behind a curtain, so we had our own little dining room. Since Jenny Moss and I were the guest authors, our school & library publicists broughts copies of our books for everyone that we signed after dinner.


Meet the fabulous Katie Fee (left) and Beth...

Blogging from NCTE: Day One

This morning started with a walk to the Philadelphia Convention Center under sunny blue skies (Finally - yay!) to see the panel discussion called "Fractured Classics" about using well-known archetypes to create stories for middle grade and young adult readers. It included fellow Bloomsbury/Walker authors Shannon Hale and Suzanne Selfors as well as Malinda Lo and Diane Zahler, all of whom were funny and brilliant. Here are some of my favorite moments:

Diane Zahler, author of THE THIRTEENTH PRIN...

Thursday at NCTE

Somehow, I managed to avoid all of today's flight delay issues and arrive in Philadelphia safe, sound, and on time for NCTE. I spent the afternoon holed up in a coffee shop finishing up some last-minute revisions for SUGAR ON SNOW, which has officially gone to copy editing now. Woo-hoo!

Just got back from a publisher dinner, where I finally got to meet my online author friend Jenny Moss! We've known each other here on LJ for a while and have been collaborating with the other two authors on ou...

Packing for Philadelphia: My Schedule for NCTE

On Thursday, I'm flying to Philadelphia for NCTE. For my mom and other people who won't immediately recognize the acronym, that's the annual conference for the National Council of Teachers of English. It's hard for me to even type this without bouncing just a little, because even though I'm an English teacher, I've never been to this conference before. There will be lots of people there whose work I've admired and used in my classroom for a long, long time.

I'm also speaking and signing copies...

Thankful Thursday: A Visit with Vermont Home Schoolers

I spent yesterday morning with a group of home schooled students in Williston, Vermont.  They ranged in age from six to fourteen -- something that usually makes me a little nervous when I'm presenting, but with this group, it worked.  The younger students were incredibly well-informed, and the older ones were generous and patient and had great questions of their own.  I gave one of my newer presentations: Firing Cannons and Kissing Frogs: The Truth About Author Research, and I've decided this...

A Celebration of Reading in Rochester!

GIANNA Z. and I were part of a HUGE celebration of books and reading at the annual Rochester Chlidren's Book Festival this weekend.  Families crowded into the festival at Monroe Community College to meet 42 authors and illustrators, make bookish crafts, listen to talks and read-alouds, and of course, pick out new books to have signed.   I was lucky enough to attend this festival two years ago and was so excited to be invited back. I mean, really...how can you not love a crowd like this, all c...

Rochester Children's Book Festival

I spent an amazing day at the Rochester Children's Book Festival.  I love, love, love this event. Love it.  And I'm so thrilled I could attend this year. My daughter spent the day with me, hanging out at my table and wandering around drinking in all the book-love.  And what a day it was.

I have pictures of lots of author friends who were there and the HUGE crowd and the wonderfulness, and I'll post those when I get home. But tonight, I really want to say a huge THANK YOU to Sibby Falk, an amaz...

Friday Five

1. I've not been much of a blogger lately because I have been revising SUGAR ON SNOW, my Fall 2010 middle grade novel with Walker Books. And revising and revising and revising, pretty much into the wee hours of every morning for a few weeks.  But last night right around midnight, I sent SUGAR ON SNOW back to my editor.  I love that about email - you don't have to wait until someone is awake and at work.  And so now, I am stretching and looking around, remembering that I have another book I'm ...

How They Got Here: 2009 Debut Author L.K. Madigan

This post is part of a year-long series of blog interviews I'll be hosting with my fellow 2009 Debut Authors, called "How They Got Here." 

It should be an especially helpful series for teens who write, teachers, and anyone who wants to write for kids.  2009 debut authors will be dropping by to talk about how their writing in school shaped the authors they are today, what teachers can do to make a difference, how they revise, and how they found their agents and editors.  (You'll even be able t...