Book Club Fun

I had such a fun time hanging out with the 4th and 5th grade book club at Independence Elementary today as they just finished reading My Fake Boyfriend is Better Than Yours. They had tons of awesome questions like: do I live in a mansion and does Paparazzi follow me everywhere I go? :-) And real questions about where I get my ideas and how to get a book published. My favorite was when they asked if there would be a sequel to the book and brainstormed ideas of what the book could be about. One student suggested the title of the next book be, "I Have a Real Boyfriend Now and You Still Don't". I kinda love that. Haha!

Girlfriends' Cyber Circuit Starring: JESSI KIRBY

Title: IN HONOR

Author: Jessi Kirby

Reading level: Ages 14 and up

Hardcover: 240 pages

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers (May 8, 2012)

Language: English

ISBN-13: 978-1442416970

About the Book:

Honor receives her brother’s last letter from Iraq three days after learning that he died, and opens it the day his fellow Marines lay the flag over his casket. Its contents are a complete shock: concert tickets to see Kyra Kelly, her favorite pop star and Finn's celebrity crush. In his letter, he jokingly charged Honor with the task of telling Kyra Kelly that he was in love with her.

Grief-stricken and determined to grant Finn's last request, she rushes to leave immediately. But she only gets as far as the driveway before running into Rusty, Finn's best friend since third grade and his polar opposite. She hasn't seen him in ages, thanks to a falling out between the two guys, but Rusty is much the same as Honor remembers him: arrogant, stubborn. . . and ruggedly good looking. Neither one is what the other would ever look for in a road trip partner, but the two of them set off together, on a voyage that makes sense only because it doesn’t. Along the way, they find small and sometimes surprising ways to ease their shared loss and honor Finn--but when shocking truths are revealed at the end of the road, will either of them be able to cope with the consequences?

Early Reviews:

“A beautiful, engaging journey with heart, humor, and just a pinch of Texas sass. Hands down my favorite contemporary of the year.”

--Sarah Ockler, bestselling author of Twenty Boy Summer, Fixing Delilah, and Bittersweet

“An amazing novel about first kisses, last goodbyes, and what it means to finally let go. I absolutely loved it.”

--Lauren Barnholdt, author of Two Way Street

About Jessi Kirby:

Jessi Kirby is the author of Moonglass, published in May 2011 by Simon and Schuster. She is also a wife, mom, English teacher and former librarian, beach bum, runner, and lover of Contemporary YA, strong coffee, and dark chocolate.

Jessi’s second novel, In Honor, will be released in May of 2012.

 For more information, find her on Simon and Schuster’s Official Author Page: http://authors.simonandschuster.ca/Jessi-Kirby/75617663

Her webpage: www.jessikirby.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/kirbyjessi

Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/jessikirby  (@jessikirby)

Our Interview:

Kristina: Who is (or who are) the Young Adult author that turns you into a fangirl? 

Jessi: There are so many!  My number one would be Judy Blume, then there’s Sarah Dessen, Sarah Ockler, Deb Caletti, Jenny Han, Morgan Matson—basically every contemp YA writer I meet.

Kristina: What is your most favorite (or, weirdest, craziest, funniest, most touching etc.) comment you’ve received from a fan? 

Jessi: This was from a younger girl, and despite it sounding a touch morbid, it made me smile.  In a letter to me she wrote: “I love MOONGLASS so much I want to be dead with it.”  Still puzzling over that one…

Kristina: Are you on twitter? Where can we follow you?  

Jessi: Of course! I’m at @jesskirby, and would love if you followed me!

Kristina: What are you working on now? 

Jessi: Right now I’m in the revision stage of my third novel, GOLDEN, which is due out Summer 2013, and I’m getting ready to dive into the drafting of Book 4.

Kristina: Do you prefer reading on an ereader or book in hand?

Jessi: Book in hand, always and forever!

Kristina: Thanks Jessi! Good luck with your new book!

Exciting News! The Espressologist Film Option!

I'm so excited to announce that Michael Eisner's (the former Walt Disney CEO) production company Vuguru has optioned The Espressologist for film!!


Vuguru is doing some super awesome stuff and I'm so excited for a chance to work with them. Here's a little bit more about them from Wikipedia:


"Vuguru is an independent multi-platform studio [1] founded by Tornante (headed by Michael Eisner) in March 2006. The studio's first project, "Prom Queen", consisted of 90-second shorts in 80 episodes and was distributed online, beginning in April 2007.[2] A second project entitled "The All for Nots" (Source: NY Times, March 2008) was distributed online and on HDNet. Subsequent offerings include "Back on Topps," "Foreign Body," "Pretty Tough," "The Booth at the End" and "Don't Ask Don't Tell." [3] The studio will produce web television series for distribution on the Internet, portable media devices and cellphones.[4] In November 2010, Vuguru signed an agreement with AOL to produce a minimum of six scripted series over the next year, each a series of roughly 90-minute episodes, for distribution by AOL.[5]"

So yeah, one day in the future you might be sitting on the subway watching an episode of The Espressolgoist on your phone. How freaking cool is that?!


***Many thanks to my film agent Jerry Kalajian  at IPGLM and my literary agent Kerry Sparks at Leving Greenberg Literary Agency.***

Megg Jensen's Afterlife Releases Today!

Megg Jensen's new book After Life, Book Two in The Swarm Trilogy releases today! And to celebrate its on sale for 99 cents through 4/29 when it will go to it's normal price.

About the book:


The fire inside Lianne threatened to consume her, but she fought back and won. Unfortunately the collateral damage of her decisions won’t stop haunting her. She embarks on a secret trip to find Mags and return her son, but her search leads her into another nest of lies.

Everyone’s safety is in Lianne’s hands as the Malborn, an enemy more fearsome than her own people, looms over them. Will Lianne be able to unravel the secrets in time to save the ones she loves the most? Or will her lack of faith in her own decisions lead to disaster?

Afterlife weaves some of the favorite characters from the Cloud Prophet Trilogy (Anathema, Oubliette, and Severed) into The Swarm Trilogy as Lianne comes face-to-face with a character introduced at the end of Severed.

Find it on Amazon (US & UK) and at Barnes & Nobles. And check out Megg's fun contest where you can have a chance to win some cool Harry Potter prizes.

7 Clues to Winning You is Out Today!

HAPPY BOOK BIRTHDAY 

TO MY FRIEND KRISTIN WALKER!!! 


Kristin Walker's newest super funny contemporary book, 7 Clues to Winning You, is out today.

From Goodreads:

When a humiliating picture of Blythe goes viral, she's instantly the target of ridicule at her new school. To salvage her reputation, Blythe teams up with Luke to win the Senior Scramble scavenger hunt. But Luke is an unlikely ally and potentially can't be trusted.


Perhaps it's his Shakespearean witticisms that reel Blythe in despite her better judgment . . . or maybe she just craves the thrill of the game. But as the hunt progresses, their relationship heats up. Soon their madcap mischief spirals out of control. Blythe is faced with arrest and expulsion, among other catastrophes - until Luke shows her what the Scramble (and love) is really about.


What People are Saying:


"In this hilarious account of a girl's reluctant adjustment to new circumstances...Walker (A Match Made in High School) focuses on Blythe's regrets and changing attitude... The vibrant, first-person narrative captures the humor and heartache of Blythe's predicaments." - Publishers Weekly


"7 Clues to Winning You is a definite winner for any contemporary fan! I loved it! This is exactly the kind of YA I need more of in my life. I want more of these kind of stories. Funny light yet deep and thought provoking. I hope you'll all give this book a try!" - Princess Bookie


"A clever, well-woven plot with a loveable cast of quirky characters and a sprinkle of Shakespeare. Kristin Walker's latest laugh out loud book will leave you wanting more." 
– Kristina Springer, author of The Espressologist and My Fake Boyfriend is Better Than Yours


My Thoughts:

Yep, that last blurb was from me. :-) I adored Kristin's newest book! It's on the long side at 317 pages but reads fast because Kristin has such a great and hysterical voice. She first won me over with her debut book, A Match Made in High School, which is a tears rolling down your cheeks from laughter kind of book. And her latest did not disappoint. While I loved her main character Blythe, I have to say the two elderly woman she befriends at the nursing home are by far my fave. Just read it, you'll love it. Promise. 

Find it now on Indiebound, Amazon, or Barnes and Nobles. Follow Kristin on twitter at @Kristin_Walker or visit her Web site www.Kristin-Walker.com.

Five Things I Love About Author Fairs

*cross post from author2author.*


Last weekend I attended yet another author fair-- this one in my town and it was so fun! I've been going to these things for years and you'd think I'd grow tired of them but they're actually getting better. I think it's because as young adult fiction gets hotter and hotter there are more YA authors at the events. It used to be just me and maybe one or two other YA authors years ago (and the rest would be adult book and children's book authors) but this time we had a long line of them and they were loads of fun to hang out with. Here's a shot of me and Megg at our table.

I thought this was also the perfect time to resurrect an old post on why I love author fairs so much. Enjoy!

---

THURSDAY, APRIL 15, 2010

Five Things I Love About Author Fairs

I attended another FUN Author Fair this past weekend. I can easily get hooked on these things (have I mentioned in previous posts that they give you candy? Oh wait, I gave up candy. Never mind.). I want to road trip around the country just hitting author fairs. The people who come are so nice and the people who run the fairs are awesome. Love it. But here are five specific things I love about author fairs:

1) Kids who are writing their own books and are very excited to chat about them.

I loooooove hearing about all of the cool books young people are working on! What a bunch of talented creative kids out there. When I was a pre-teen and teen I was too busy chasing boys (they could run fast! Haha.) to sit down long enough to write a book. So impressive!

2) Kids that come by with their autograph books.

I have huge love for the autograph book! I totally had one as a kid and I asked every famous person I met for their autograph. Of course, back then famous people to me were the guys on the soccer team and the high school kids in the school play. I still remember chasing Danny Zuko around after a matinee of Grease. "Danny Zuko! Danny Zuko! Sign my book pleeeeeeeease!"

3) All the authors.

It's so fun to walk around and see everyone's cool tables set up with all their books and swag. Some have tables covered with a dozen or so books. And everyone is so darn smiley and in a good mood. Of course, that could be from the free lunch (and the candy. Did I mention the loads of candy?) but I'd like to think it's just from sharing the love of writing.

4) The staff at the libraries.

They are always so nice! And they kinda treat you like a rock star. "You can go relax and grab a beverage in the Green Room." Green Room? Wh--? Am I on Oprah? I scooted right over to the Green Room (aka storytime room with a Green sign that said Green Room) and chilled with the other guests.

5) The badges.

Oh, the power of getting to wear an author badge. I kind of want to wear one everyday. Would that be weird? I could wear it at the gym, picking up kids from school, at the grocery store etc. How cool would that be? If I got pulled over for speeding I could be all, um, do you not see the badge? Emergency Author Fair obviously. You'll be providing police escort, no?

IRC Conference Recap (w/ lots of Pics)

I'm finally getting to share some pics from the Illinois Reading Council Conference in Springfield, IL, last week! First, it was AMAZING. Like, amazing amazing. I couldn't believe how huge it was. They were using meeting rooms throughout two big hotels and then also the convention center for exhibitors to set up. And then people still stayed at even further hotels and were bussed over. I heard there were about 3000 kindergarten through college English teachers there. So cool!

This is the view outside of my hotel room. Believe it or not, this was the first time I ever stayed in a hotel on my own! No husband or kids! It was weird at first but then I got used to the giant bed and massive tv all to myself. :-)

My badge and a page in the conference line-up guide.

The one and only pic I have of me from the whole conference. I sent it to my husband at 7am the first day to see if he thought I looked okay. :-)

Then I was off to give my hour long presentation three times.

My presentations went great! PHEW!

At the end of each one I gave out a list of my favorite funny contemporary YA also. Here's a copy of my handout if anyone is interested-- Kristina's Top Ten Fave Funnies.

I also got to sign in the exhibitor hall (and check out the great booths. Okay, and buy lots of stuff for the kids).

Then at 8:30 that night I went to the Hear the Authors Read event. It was HUGE.

Tons of teachers!

I got to sit with a ton of super cool award winning authors in the front. That's Nick Bruel above.

Including this year's Newbery Medal Winner, Jack Gantos. He's HYSTERICAL.

We took turns going up to read and when it was mine I read the first chapter of Just Your Average Princess. Then we signed books until about 11pm. It was a looooong but awesome day.

Night view from my window.

The next day was an awesome luncheon for 30 Illinois authors and 300 teachers to hang out at. We each got our own table and signed more books.

After two and a half days away from the hubs and the kiddies I was really missing them. I said goodbye to Springfield late Friday afternoon and headed for home.