The ALA Report

So, you can pop on over to Galleycat to read about all the prize winners but, for what it's worth, here's one author's roundup of the amazing weekend that was ALA Midwinter 2013...

Why this picture of me in a very tacky 1970s tutu here? Well, I am loathing blogger right now because it no longer lets me upload pix from my computer but only via Picasa, which I don't really know how to work, and this is one of the few pictures that somehow meandered into accessibility. Also, I know that tacky, unimportant and a little exposed is how many authors who AREN'T being wined and dined by their publishers, whose ARCs are in piles all over the exhibit hall, who DON'T have a book coming out this very spring feel at ALA. But I am here to tell you that they shouldn't.  I was delighted to be given a conference badge by my publisher, THRILLED to have met Penguin's amazing PacNW rep for cofffee, and fascinating by the presentation given by the dynamic Liz Van Doren of Boyds Mills Press (they have this incredible picture book about Thomas Jefferson's library coming out next year that I will preorder the second it's available).

If you realize how much you can learn, collect a dainty number of arcs that you plan to read and blog about, do a little fangirling, and celebrate the amazing opportunity you have to make any contribution to this great and beautiful world of literature of which you are a part, then you should not feel tacky and ten-year-old-ish, but stand proud and listen well. Learn and be inspired.  Wear a coat, because Seattle is damp and cold in January!

Other favorite moments...

• Hosting the exquisite wordsmith and all-around sweetie pie Katherine Longshore at my place. (Thanks for enduring my noisy boys and smelly dog!)
• Getting yelled at by Libba Bray's husband, Barry Goldblatt, for my failure to recognize the distinction between paranormal and urban fantasy literature. Okay, fangirled a little here.
• Catching up with former colleagues from Random House, Simon & Schuster and other houses, having them press books they loved into my hands, and being reminded how many people in this business truly love it.
•  Lunch with friend and sf/fantasy literature editor genius, Susan Chang. (Cannot wait for Tor Teen's release of P.J. Hoover's SOLSTICE.)
•  Catching up with Sara from Novel Novice, Candace from Candace's Book Blog, and other terrific bloggers.
•  Super-fun dinner with J. Anderson Coates, Helen Landalf, Karen Kincy, Deb Lund, Dawn Simon, Karen Finneyfrock, Chelsea Campbell, Katy Longshore and...oh I know I'm missing some people.
•  One more time because she is an absolute east-coast-talking, hilarious tower of awesome, I'll once again mention coffee with Colleen :)
•  Finally, returning home inspired to write, excited to be part of this whole thing in some small way.