I’m happy to announce that I’ve been invited to speak at the Banff/Calgary International Festival of Authors this coming October!
WordFest is a 6 day annual writers festival that “brings over 13,000 readers in contact with marquee authors and emerging talent from around the world. It begins in the heart of Calgary then moves west to The Banff Centre, nestled in the breathtaking Rocky Mountains.”
Needless to say, I’m thrilled to be presenting LURE to the audience in Southern Alberta!! More info about my presentations and readings to come…
Last week, the super-talented Debbie Ohi interviewed me on her website. Read all about it here and be sure to check out Debbie’s wonderful cartoons while you’re at it!
Last Friday, Shannon Whibbs - my lovely editor at Dundurn Press - sent me the official cover for my upcoming YA novel, Lure. I have to say, I’m thrilled! Lure is a semi-historical ghost story based on a real-life haunted library near where I live in Thornhill. I was hoping for something creepy (but not too scary) that depicted a water scene. And, of course, I wanted a cover that would grab the interest of both boy and girl teen readers and make them want to know more about the story inside. I think the designers managed to acheive all that with this great cover!
Watch for Lure to hit bookshelves in September, 2010
I’m so thrilled to share the news that Girl on the Other Side has been shortlisted by the Canadian Library Association for their YA Book of the Year Award!
Here’s the official blurb the CLA website:
“This award recognizes an author of an outstanding English-language Canadian work of fiction (novel, collection of short stories or graphic novel), published in 2009, that appeals to young adults between the ages of 13 and 18.”
And I’m in some pretty incredible company here - check out the full list of nominees:
Poster Boy by Dede Crane (Groundwood)
Come, Thou Tortoise by Jessica Grant (Alfred A. Knopf)
Not Suitable for Family Viewing by Vicki Grant (HarperCollins)
Haunted by Barbara Haworth-Attard (HarperCollins)
Girl on the Other Side by Deborah Kerbel (Dundurn)
Wondrous Strange by Lesley Livingston (HarperCollins)
The Gryphon Project by Carrie Mac (Puffin)
Dragon Seer by Janet McNaughton (HarperCollins)
Vanishing Girl by Shane Peacock (Tundra)
The Hunchback Assignments by Arthur Slade (HarperCollins)
I’m hugely excited and so incredibly honoured to be included on this shortlist!!
February’s shaping up to be a pretty busy month for me - if you’re in the Toronto area, come on out and say hi!
February 10, 2010 - I’ll be speaking at the Toronto meeting of CANSCAIP (the Canadian Society of Children’s Authors, Illustrators, and Performers) about my latest novel, Girl on the Other Side and how I broke into the publishing business.
Time: 7:30pm
Place: The Northern District Library—Second Floor
40 Orchard View Blvd.
(Just north of Yonge & Eglinton.)
February 11, 2010 - I’ll be signing copies of Girl on the Other Side at the Reading For the Love of It - Canada’s largest annual reading conference.
Time: 11:00am
Place: The Sheraton Centre in downtown Toronto.
Booth #308
February 26, 2010 - I’ll be signing lots of books for lots of librarians at the 2010 OLA Superconference in Toronto.
This coming Saturday at Indigo Books, Yorkdale Mall, Toronto, I’ll be launching my latest YA, Girl on the Other Side, along with fellow awesome YA authors Marina Cohen and Mahtab Narsimhan. If you’re in the Toronto area, we’d love to see you at our launch! Please click on the attachment for all the details.
YA event flyer1.pdf
Happy New Year to all! I wanted to start the New Year off with a bang by sharing some exciting news - my 3rd YA novel has been acquired by Dundurn Press and will be coming out in September, 2010!
I am super excited about this book - titled Lure, it’s a YA ghost story set partly in 19th century/partly in modern time based on a real-life haunted house near where I live. I wrote it during a four-week creative binge last fall and I’m thrilled that it will be turning into a book this year.
It’s the first time I’ve ever written from a double male point of view, as well it’s my first attempt at a semi-historical novel. Here’s the cover I imagined for it:
The details for my awesome contest to celebrate the release of my newest YA novel, Girl on the Other Side, are finally available!!
Go here for all the details and good luck with your entries!
So, how many of you make last minute wardrobe changes before heading out the door for an important event? Yeah…me too.
Well, did you know that book designers do the same thing? There’s a cute new pair of shoes gracing the cover of my upcoming YA novel, Girl on the Other Side. I think this new pair is a fabulous choice! Do you guys agree?
LIve in the Toronto area? Love YA? Then come on out to the sparkly new McNally Robinson bookstore at The Shops at Don Mills to hear YA authors Eric Walters, Deborah Kerbel and Shaun Smith talk about their novels and the writing life.
While there, you can pick up signed copies of their books, ask the authors a question or two, and check out Toronto’s coolest new indie bookstore. (Voted Toronto’s best bookstore by Toronto Life magazine!)
If you’re lucky enough to live in Vaughan (you know…the city above Toronto) then mark your calendars for next October 27 when I’ll be giving a writing workshop for 12 - 18 year old to help prepare for NaNoWriMo.
…the fabulous news that my next YA novel, Girl on the Other Side, will be published this coming fall by Dundurn Press! And here’s the awesome cover (isn’t it gorgeous??)
To read a synopsis of Girl on the Other Side, just go here
April is shaping up to be a busy month on the tour! I’m hopping around the blogosphere like crazy! Be sure to check out the following sites for interviews, Mackenzie reviews, and giveaways:
I’ll be popping up in lots of places around the blogosphere this Spring, doing interviews, guest posts, and giving away some signed copies of Mackenzie, Lost and Found as well as some FAB bookmarks! So come by for a visit at any of all of these awesome YA blogs:
I’ll be presenting Mackenzie, Lost and Found at the CANSCAIP Book Launch during the OLA Superconference in Toronto this coming Friday, January, 30 at 12:00pm. The conference will be held at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre at 255 Front Street West.
Who wants to come to a party?
You’re all invited to join me at Susan Gray’s blog, Gottawrite Girl tomorrow — Friday Dec. 5, 2009.
There’ll be pictures, an interview with ‘yours truly’ and a chance to win a signed copy of Mackenzie, Lost and Found!
Hope you’ll come out and help me celebrate!
I’m going to be interviewed about Mackenzie, Lost and Found this coming weekend on YA Fresh, a web blog featuring new YA books and authors. There will also be a chance to win a free copy of the book, so be sure to check it out on November 21!!
