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What I’ve been up to: Epic Recap — TLA, Camp NaNoWriMo, and Austin Mini Maker Faire!

May 07, 2013 1 Comment ~ Written by E. Kristin Anderson
What I’ve been up to: Epic Recap — TLA, Camp NaNoWriMo, and Austin Mini Maker Faire!

I love the Texas Library Association Annual Conference. Love. It. TLA is one of my favorite events of the year. Sometimes I describe it as Christmas for book lovers. What’s not to love? Signings! Advance copies of your favorite authors’ books! Plus, as an author, meeting your readers and librarians and teachers is absolutely a highlight. I didn’t take TOO many pictures, but I’ve scavanged quite a few from Facebook and Twitter that I’d love to share with you here.

I rode up to Fort Worth from Austin with P.J. Hoover, K.A. Holt, and Jessica Lee Anderson. It was a long but fun trip, in which I totally got in trouble for cracking open Slim Jims. Hey, it’s perfect road trip food, right?!

That evening, after a fantastic party hosted by Guys Read, John Scieszka and various publishers, K.A. Holt, Jo Whittemore, and I headed out to fill our bellies. And, you know, generally get into trouble. I’m pretty sure our waiter only hated us a little.

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Posted in books, career, catching up, community, nanowrimo, poetry, publishing, reading, writing, YA - Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Review: DEATH OF A KLEPTOMANIAC by Kristen Tracy

Mar 01, 2013 Leave a Comment ~ Written by Guest Blogger
Review: DEATH OF A KLEPTOMANIAC by Kristen Tracy

Reminiscent of HEAVEN LOOKS A LOT LIKE THE MALL by Wendy Mass, the latest YA novel from Kristen Tracy takes a look at a near-death experience from the point of view of a girl stuck in between this world in the next. With a hearty sense of humor, and a sweet protagonist, DEATH OF A KLEPTOMANIAC is a smart, fun read that makes me feel all squishy inside.

Molly is the girl who has worked her butt off to have it all — the right seat in the cafeteria, the right image, and the right boy. Finally, it’s looking like things are going her way, until an accent leaves her facing the afterworld, with just a few chances to experience life. Given the limited opportunity to revisit her favorite moments as a living, breathing person, Molly has choices to make. Choices she’s not ready for.

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OMG! The Montgomery County Book Festival!

Feb 08, 2013 1 Comment ~ Written by E. Kristin Anderson
OMG! The Montgomery County Book Festival!

So last weekend had me so wiped out that I had to come home and pretty much sleep for two days. Seriously. That is the kind of fun that is had at The Montgomery County Book Festival in The Woodlands, Texas.

I road tripped up there with Bethany Hegedus in a nice little caravan of authors with car #2 containing Cory Putman Oakes, Mari Mancusi, Cynthia Leitich Smith, and Greg Leitich Smith. It’s always nice to see these guys, but it’s especially nice to discuss the following over fajitas: writer coping mechanisms, book fest strategies, and sneak peaks of forthcoming book covers. Shhhh!

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My first book is out today! OMG, DEAR TEEN ME!

Oct 30, 2012 Leave a Comment ~ Written by E. Kristin Anderson
My first book is out today! OMG, DEAR TEEN ME!

They say it takes a village to raise a child. Similarly, it takes a community to create a book. At least in my world, this is true.

I’m a writer. I write, in some ways, by myself, clicking away at my computer at odd hours, in bed, at the dining room table, at various coffee shops (once at a Wendy’s)…and yet, this is only part of the writing. There are the critique partners, the cheerleaders, the conferences where we gain insights from industry pros and heroes. There are the books that you read by other authors — friends and strangers — and every word touches what you do.

This past weekend, as you could see from my post yesterday, was a huge meeting of two worlds for me.

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Posted in books, Cohorts, community, culture, dear teen me, events, literature, my books, pop culture, publication news, publishing, reading, texas, writing, YA - Tagged , , ,

Members-only DEAR TEEN ME contest at deviantART.com!

Oct 20, 2012 Leave a Comment ~ Written by E. Kristin Anderson
Members-only DEAR TEEN ME contest at deviantART.com!

So you might have heard of this little book I co-edited called DEAR TEEN ME. It’s an anthology of letters from authors to their teen selves. The authors in the anthology range from best-selling and award-winning authors to some fabulous up and comers. I know that no matter what, if you pick up the book, you’ll find a letter or two (at least!) that speaks to you.

This is our fancy Amazon/Goodreads/B&N/Book Depository/Pick-your-bookseller blurb:

DEAR TEEN ME includes advice from over 70 YA authors to their teenage selves. The letters cover a wide range of topics, including physical abuse, body issues, bullying, friendship, love, and enough insecurities to fill an auditorium. So pick a page, and find out which of your favorite authors had a really bad first kiss?

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Posted in books, contests, reading, writing, YA - Tagged , , ,

Step Up Your Game EARLY for NaNoWriMo 2012: PreWriting Prowess!

Oct 15, 2012 2 Comments ~ Written by E. Kristin Anderson
Step Up Your Game EARLY for NaNoWriMo 2012: PreWriting Prowess!

I’ve talked a lot about prewriting. But prewriting is kind of vague, especially for someone who is either new to noveling/writing, or even for a seasoned writer who just has never tried prewriting. Or, you know, I bet there are plenty of folks out there who prewrite and just don’t call it that. But I thought today I’d share my prewriting process, starting back on September 8, 2012, at 12:30 am, when I began planning my novel for NaNoWriMo 2012.

OK, I’ll admit it, I spent way too much time at Target picking up a pile of notebooks while poor Boyfriend waited in the cafe, and then I came home and agonized over which one to pick. But then I came home and I wrote the working title on the cover. Et voila!

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Posted in books, community, literature, my books, nanowrimo, pop culture, publishing, SCBWI, writing, YA - Tagged , , ,

Got excuses? Suck it up, weenies! (A short treatise on NaNoWriMo)

Oct 12, 2012 Leave a Comment ~ Written by E. Kristin Anderson
Got excuses? Suck it up, weenies! (A short treatise on NaNoWriMo)

It’s October right now. And that means every writer I know is buzzing about NaNoWriMo. Is it a good idea, is it a bad idea, am I doing it, have I done it before, can I do it again, do I have time…blah blah blah. Suck it up, y’all. Nose meet grindstone. [Insert hard-working cliché here.]

This might be a rumor or just something I made up, but I think there’s a reason that they put NaNoWriMo in what, for many of us, is one of the most chaotic times of the year. American Thanksgiving ( and the holiday shopping and family visiting that this entails). Finals — or studying for finals — for writers who are in middle school, high school, college, graduate programs. Local and national Elections in the States.

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Posted in books, community, nanowrimo, pop culture, publishing, writing - Tagged ,

Review: THE KNIFE AND THE BUTTERFLY by Ashley Hope Perez

Mar 29, 2012 Leave a Comment ~ Written by E. Kristin Anderson
Review: THE KNIFE AND THE BUTTERFLY by Ashley Hope Perez

There are a lot of heart-wrenching books out there.  But there’s something special about THE KNIFE AND THE BUTTERFLY.  The latest by Ashley Hope Perez, this novel is artfully written, with a voice that reads so authentic the story feels horrifically real.  Horrifically because the narrator is a young boy in jail, awaiting sentencing, and [...]

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Posted in books, reading, reviews, YA - Tagged , ,

Requiem for the Paper Journal

Feb 21, 2012 1 Comment ~ Written by E. Kristin Anderson
Requiem for the Paper Journal

When I was in high school and college, I journalled like a pro.  No, seriously, if I were paid by the hour to write in a journal, I would have been able to buy a lot more vintage shoes on eBay. In high school I kept two journals — one that I shared with friends, [...]

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Posted in books, culture, my teen journals, teen life, writing, YA

Review: CATCH & RELEASE by Blythe Woolston

Feb 03, 2012 1 Comment ~ Written by E. Kristin Anderson
Review: CATCH & RELEASE by Blythe Woolston

I’m essentially blown away by Blythe Woolston‘s latest novel, CATCH & RELEASE.  Never has a book about a flesh-eating disease been so oddly romantic, so compelling.  And perhaps you, readers, are thinking, “but I don’t know of any other novels about a flesh-eating disease.”  But that’s the thing.  It doesn’t matter.  This book is the [...]

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Posted in books, reading, reviews, YA - Tagged , , ,
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EKA

E. Kristin Anderson grew up in Westbrook, Maine and is a graduate of Connecticut College. She has a fancy diploma that says “B.A. in Classics,” which makes her sound smart but has not helped her get any jobs in Ancient Rome. Ms. Anderson is the co-editor of Dear Teen Me, an anthology based on the popular website. Her poetry has been published worldwide in many magazines and she is an assistant YA and Children’s editor at Hunger Mountain. Once upon a time she worked at The New Yorker. Look out for Ms. Anderson's work in the forthcoming anthology Coin Opera II, a collection of poems about video games from Sidekick Books and Futuredaze, an anthology of YA SciFi from Underwords. She now lives in Austin, TX and blogs at EKristinAnderson.com and MetreMaids.com. She is represented by Christina Hogrebe at the Jane Rotrosen Agency.

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