Pieces of Pieces and Things and Stuff

I am finally, finally, finally back home. I was sort of back home last week, after being out on tour for two weeks, but then I had to fly back out to California for five days of sort-of wedding (don't ask.) and I had no brain for blogging. But today I am home. Finally, finally, finally. I need to do a blog post on both the Trampoline of Insanity and on handling critique as a writer and artist, but because I am behind on posting about bits and pieces, I'm going to first do a post about them. Piece #1: On May 15th, I am doing a live chat with Lucy Christopher, hosted by Figment and This is Teen. We'll be talking about how we build character and anything else you can think to ask us. Details here. Oh, in fact, here is my face inviting you to come:


Bit #2: I will briefly be in the UK in the middle of June. I'll be doing things like the Hay Festival. I don't know how many other public events I'll be scheduled for (it's largely a research trip and - gasp - vacation! what are these things!?), but I'll post them on Facebook and here when I get them.

Stuff #3: Domestically (that makes me think of vacuuming), I will be at BEA in New York City in June, too. Also ALA, in Anaheim. I don't have the final details on either of those things either, but I figured I should put that out there. Also, as I mentioned in a previous post, I'll be doing two events in my home stomping grounds in Virginia in just a little over a week. All of my events are always here.

Thing #4: Will Patton is narrating the audiobook of The Raven Boys, which comes out on September 18th, same as the hardcover. I really wanted him to do it, and I'm really glad he agreed to. His version of it is so compelling, and just today they've released the sample (including some Maggie-composed-music): http://soundcloud.com/scholasticaudio/the-raven-boys

 

Piece #5: I have a new app on Facebook that lets you read the first two chapters of all of my books for free (including The Raven Boys). Oh, technology. What a mench.

Stuff #6: I didn't have a chance to talk about how much I adored touring with Siobhan Vivian, Elizabeth Eulberg, John Corey Whaley, and Daniel Handler (also known as Lemony Snicket), but I did. They're all lovely, weird people and I'd share a cookie with any of them. I think this photo of Corey, Daniel, and I is my favorite of the bunch.

 

Next up, later in the week: the Trampoline of Doom. (I first typed that as the Trampolice of Doom, which sounds like an important sci-fi short story that your dad read in the 70s.)