where to, september?
ack!
how quickly time flies. september was an utter whirlwind.
not only did i have three (all fabulous!) author events, but
the bubs were back to school in full swing, requiring mountains
of paperwork to be filled (i’m sure filling back to school forms
is a level in hell), too many checks to be written, back to school
night to attend, and the excitement of munchkin deciding to
start taking clarinet in cadet band. (sweet pea continues with chorus!)
chinese school also started with full force. the bubs are
officially in 2nd grade level now. serious business with six
characters to learn and memorize each week. i like the new
teacher. she tries to make things fun and interesting yet at
the same time reinforcing the best ways to learn the language.
so in between all that, my first author event was a reading
and signing with malinda lo and roz kaveney. i have quite
a few friends (writing and non) in the bay area, and i have to
say, i felt very much loved indeed during the short jaunt up.
i am blessed for all the friends i have in my life.
*malinda and her partner were kind enough to
host me for one night in the bay area. and i requested
a hike on saturday morning. i can’t remember the last
time i went hiking! it was a lot of fun and beautiful but
i don’t think i could have done much more challenging. ha!
*was able to have a nice meal with author friends who
came to support us before our SF in SF event. clockwise
from bottom left: amy, malinda, me, cynthia, martha, heidi
and cheryl.
*the SF in SF event is in a great venue right in
downtown san francisco. the theatre is intimate but
still large enough to hold a sizable crowd. also, a great
bar to quench thirst of attendees! inexplicably, giant kung
fu panda was in the foyer, and we had to get a foto! =D
we were celebrating the release of malinda’s fantastic new
YA sci fi thriller ADAPTATION!
my second author event for the month was my first
skype meeting! david gill had graciously invited me to
speak to his YA writing class about Silver Phoenix. it was
my first time and really so much fun. although i was a bit
frightened when i realized i was being projected on the wall
like The Head of Oz. ha! but the time flew so fast and his students
asked really great questions. thank you so much for having
me david and YA writing class! =D
third but not least, joanna was kind enough to invite
me for a library visit as she had chosen Silver Phoenix
for a teen book club read. i did quite a few of these book
club meetings in 2009, when my book first came out, at
local libraries, and enjoyed them all.
*joanna went all out and had a delicious chinese
buffet for us! she said it was one of her highest attended
book clubs ever and we had a great discussion of many
different topics. joanna recounts the visit here.
*i was even happier when lalitha, joanna and i could
go grab a delicious mexican dinner after. both women
are such fabulous librarians and advocates of reading
and books for youth–but i’ve never had the chance to sit down and
get to know them better. so this was really fantastic, we talked
about everything and laughed a lot as well.
definitely another highlight for me in september.
and now, we’re almost in mid-october and i can’t quite
believe it! i’ll be off to portland, oregon for sirens con this
thursday and am very excited to see all my author friends
and fellow book lovers. it really is such a fabulous con and
i recommend it for anyone who loves fantasy, especially strong
women in fantasy!
will update with sirens con fotos and gossip next week,
i hope! =D till the next, lovely readers!
currently reading:
The Savage Fortress by sarwat chadda
