Friday 5: Luke, Libba, PEARL, Cake, and a Child Stuck in the Mud

1. "Jo Knowles deserves more attention." -Luke, age 17 ;)
After a very interesting and a tad disheartening discussion about teens (particularly boys) and books on Twitter Wednesday night, THIS WONDERFUL BLOG POST WAS PUBLISHED ON YALSA. It's an interview with Becky ONeil and Luke (age 17). If you want to be inspired and be pumped with hope, go see what Luke has to say. He is funny, thoughtful and smart.

(And yes, I DID think this before I got to the 2nd-to-last question. Promise! But yes, I have to share:

I'm terrible at predicting trends in books, but I feel like Jo Knowles deserves more attention. Her first two books, Lessons from a Dead Girl [2008 Quick Pick] and Jumping Off Swings [2010 BBYA & Quick Pick], were absolutely phenomenal. They are about serious issues and they don't sugar-coat them. They are completely serious and show the real effects of issues such as teen pregnancy and child sexual abuse. She has a new book, called Pearl, coming out in July and I cannot wait to read it! Everyone needs to read her books.

Wow! Thanks Luke!!)

2. I love writing retreats. Especially when Libba Bray is involved.
Thanks to libba_bray and our mini-retreat, I finished my revision! It is now in the hands of my trusted writing partner. I think this had to be the most productive retreat I've ever participated in. Looking back, I wish I had kept track of the number of hours we put in. All I know is, it was A LOT. Thank you, Libba, for coming. And also for the thoughtful discussions. The laughs. The new jokes. And, of course, the guacamole. :-)

3. PEARL copies are here!

I received two hardcover copies of PEARL in the mail when I came home from my vacation in Maine. There will be a giveaway happening at FIRST PAGE PANDA at the end of the month. Which means *MEEP* the book comes out in 18 DAYS!

4. It's never too late to make new friends.
Last night, a group of parents and kids came to my house to help make a float for this year's 4th of July parade. We let the kids decide the theme and they chose "Birthday Cake" since it's our town's 250th Birthday. I would post a picture but I can't find the cord to my camera! Oh noes! I am not sure what to do about this. But anyway, after we finished making the cake, we sat on the deck and chatted and celebrated a friend's good news with champagne while the kids ran around the yard whacking each other with foam noodles, screaming their heads off, and having a blast. (No really! they were fine! Oh, OK. Except for the tiny sweet boy who got stuck in the mud at the edge of the pond and had to be rescued by his mom. But he was fine, too! Eventually!). But it was pretty darn lovely I have to say. We really need to do that more often. Well, maybe not make giant paper cakes and allow unattended children to be swallowed up by mud. But definitely sip champagne on the deck with friends!

5. Today is July 1.
What?!?! NOOOOOOOO. Summer is going by WAY too quickly. Please. Slow. Down.

Hope you all have a great weekend! And if anyone knows where my camera cord is, please tell me! This is very distressing!