Silvia Acevedo's Blog, page 10

Gamin’ and More Gamin’

Thought I’d share a couple of fun photos from GenCon 2016, the world’s largest gaming convention. I was there in August with my artist husband, whose art is part of the gaming, fantasy, and book world. There were plenty of readers there, and many of them are artists in their own right. I was honored to be among them.

Hangin’ with Teens at Barnes & Noble’s B-Teen Book Festival

Barnes & Noble put on its first teen book festival this weekend, the largest national teen fest in the nation, and yours truly was truly honored to be a part of it. At Barnes & Noble Southland (Racine, WI), I got to talk with B&N’s great staff, area teens, and fellow authors. And at Barnes & Noble Bayshore (Glendale, WI), I met new friends and found some of the most enthusiastic readers in the area. What a fantastic event! Thanks, B&N!

Launching God Awful Thief

Book 2 in the God Awful Series of Books is now out in the world! The launch party for God Awful Thief was May 4th at the fantastic Boswell Books in Milwaukee. The launch was a lot of fun and attended by the people who mean the absolute most to me – and even some strangers who are now new friends. If you were there, THANKS so much for coming. If you were there in spirit, thanks for your well wishes.

Visit Three Points Publishing to learn more about God Awful Thief and its predecessor, God Awful Loser. Both can be purchased at Boswell and other independent bookstores as well as Amazon. If you want a signed copy, buy from Three Points Publishing.

Here are a few pictures from the event. Enjoy!

A Wild, Wild Time at SCBWI’s Wild, Wild Midwest Conference

Wrastling’ up five midwestern chapters of the The Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators is huge — big enough that the gathering only happens every four years. And I’m proud to say that I got myself wrangled up in it this go-’round and gave a panel talk with three other cowhands.

Indie Panel with (l-r) authors W. Nikola-Lisa, Silvia Acevedo, Andrea Skyberg, and Trina Sotira

Okay, so the Wild, Wild Midwest theme isn’t strongly enforced. No real cowhands, but it’s still a great chance for midwestern writers (and those from lots of other places, too) to meet.

SCBWI has taught me a lot about the craft of writing for children and teens, which is a whole different thing than writing for news. I’ve been to plenty of their conferences, but this weekend I actually got to present and share what I’ve learned, and that’s the way these things are supposed to work. You learn from others. Then you share what you’ve learned. Full circle. Nice.

And we had fun with a Roaring 20s social. I played flapper to the gangster, and she let me live to see another day.

Shoutout to the Great Carmel (IN) High School!

Okay, we know kids are awesome. And presenting to kids is awesome. And hanging out with them to talk casually is even more awesome. Well, let me tell you, the young adults of Carmel (Indiana) High School are extra awesome.

I just got back from their school’s Creative Writing Con, where I joined 20 other authors talking to nearly 1,000 teens. Those young adults were tuned in and really wanting to learn the craft of writing. I had the BEST time being with them and the group pictured above in particular. Shoutout to Ms. Trachtman’s Honors English Class! So glad to have met them.

Following that, I spent the evening at Barnes & Noble Carmel with some truly gifted writers (What a treat!) while I signed copies of God Awful Loser. Such a great time! Thank you, Carmel, IN, Carmel High, and Liza at Barnes & Noble.

The Force is Strong with This One

Okay, it’s one thing to have an awesome time at Barnes & Noble‘s Author Open House, which I totally did. It’s another thing to have a kid put down the book of a major franchise in favor of yours, which he totally did!

There we were, nine authors at B&N Village Crossing in Skokie, Illinois, mingling with the great crowd and talking about books. We’re in a place with thousands of books, so many titles, just a plethora of choices, and THIS young man puts down his Star Wars novel to get mine. I was flabbergasted and so, so honored! Thanks, Collin, my new little buddy.

And thanks to Cathy Athans at Barnes & Noble Village Crossing for organizing this great event!

Cathy Athans and me

Author Joyce Burns Zeiss Talks to a Reader

Authors John Dominguez and Dan Killeen

Author Molly Page

Readers and me chatting at Barnes & Noble Village Crossing in Skokie, Illinois

Signing Off on GOD AWFUL THIEF

GOD AWFUL THIEF, the sequel to God Awful Loser, is looking great. Earlier this week I signed off on the signatures (the page bundles)…

…checked out the matte and glossy finishes and the embossing for the book jacket…

…and approved on the color check…

… for the final okay of the big print run, which will speed across the same presses used for the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series. Let’s hope some of that good karma rubs off.

You can pre-order GOD AWFUL THIEF here.

I hope you’re excited to read more of Cupid’s adventures. And as a reminder, if you liked God Awful Loser, please do the kindest thing you can do for a writer: leave a review at Amazon, Goodreads, or your favorite website.

Thanks!

Launch Party for GOD AWFUL THIEF

Luncheon, Munchin’, ‘n Stumpin’ for Sojourner

Food is always a good idea. And it’s one thing to enjoy it with incredible people, new friends who share the same passions and humor as you and with whom you can see yourself spending many happy hours. It’s even more amazing when you get to help a worthy cause while doing it!

I got that chance this month when a friend — and a soon-to-be friend — invited me to their fourth annual Novel Cuisine Luncheon. What the heck is that, you ask? It’s a gathering of authors / librarians / teachers / book bloggers / booksellers. We donate books from our collections to a local charity in need of them, we talk about books, and we enjoy a fabulous meal based on foods mentioned in select titles. It was my first time going, and I am so blessed to have been a part of this!

First, just look at the piles of books collected to donate to Sojourner Family Peace Center! Sojourner’s tagline is “Peace is Possible.” Their goal is to help those impacted by domestic violence. And by help, I mean they are involved in the most desperate of times. They literally help women escape violent situations. They protect them in a hidden safe house. I personally know people who’ve benefitted from their help. When mothers run from violence, they so desperately want happiness for their kids, and books help. I couldn’t be more proud than to help in a tiny way by offering a moment of entertainment in trying times.

Hello? Author Liza Wiemer opened her home to about 20 of us. She and YA Book Blogger and Librarian Heidi Zweifel put together an incredible spread, thought up really fun games, and generally made themselves a holiday joy. Thanks so much to them for inviting me.

And look at this! My novel God Awful Loser was the basis for the lunch’s pizza fun! We made our own from ready-made dough and lots of fixin’s. YUM!

Author Melissa Gorzelanczyk handed out ARCs of her own Cupid-based novel, Arrows, and everyone even left with a few new reads of their own. It was a fantastic time, and I hope to continue the spirit of giving great reads in the years to come!

I Never Imagined It

It’s amazing how certain events in your life harbor so much meaning.

I remember as a child spending many, many, MANY enchanted hours reading on the bean bags at the kids’ corner of the South Milwaukee Public Library. I used to ride my bike the half hour to get there to happily satisfy my demanding reading habit, delighting in Peanuts and Moby Dick alike.

This Wednesday, December 2nd, I will cherish the immense honor of presenting there, my hometown library. Starting at 6:30, I’ll present an excerpt and talk with readers about my fantasy novel, God Awful Loser, a signed copy of which is on the library shelves.

I will admit that my childhood self never imagined presenting as an author in the building in which I traipsed so often. I loved reading; books were, to me, worldly educators, understanding friends, and foolhardy daredevils. As a child, I never imagined writing books. As an adult writing a part of my novel at the SM library, I had to smile at going full circle from reader to writer.

Thank you, South Milwaukee Public Library, for welcoming me — at any age.