MSLA

The Author Fest at MSLA this past weekend: I got to do the fancy (sort of) author thing, where I stand at a little cocktail table in an exhibit hall and push my postcard into everybody's face. Which I did in as friendly and un-creepy a manner as I possibly could. In spite of my shy tendencies, this was a lot of fun; I got to talk about my books to people on an individual basis. Plus, I was talking to school librarians who are so supportive, so enthusiastic about books and about finding good books for their students.

I also got to meet some cool authors. I got Paul Yoo's book Girls for Breakfast. Picture book author and illustrator Ralph Masiello bought a copy of The Blood Confession, which I signed for his daughter. I also met Marcella Pixley, author of Freak, and Martha Ackman who wrote Curveball: The Remarkable Story of Toni Stone, the First Woman to Play Professional Baseball in the Negro League, and picture book authors Virginia Pulitzer, Barbara McGrath, and Darryl Cobb. It was a great chance to connect with authors and readers.

The experience has made me think a lot about school visits. I've only done a few school visits – visiting a high school to speak to a creative writing class – and while nerve-wracking it was a good experience. Writers who do school visits, do feel free to chime in with your experiences!