Barb Stuber has sold her first young adult novel, CROSSING THE TRACKS, to Karen Wojtyla, executive editor at Margaret K. McElderry, a division of Simon and Schuster, due for release in 2010. Wojtyla said the novel is lyrical and haunting, wrapped her in an embrace and spoke to her heart. Barb is represented by Ginger Knolwton at Curtis Brown, Ltd.
The Johnson County Library will host a reception for Elizabeth C. Bunce on Sunday, March 22 from 2 pm to 4 pm at the Lackman Neighborhood Library. She’ll be honored for receiving the first ever American Library Association’s William C. Morris Award for her debut young adult novel, Curse Dark as Gold (Arthur A. Levine Books, March 208). Come listen to Elizabeth talk about Curse, enjoy refreshments and buy a copy of her amazing book. (Read more…)
Block off March 21 on your calendar. You won’t want to miss the latest Writers at Work series
Stay in the Phone Booth with the Gorilla:
Tired of boring yourself when you write? Have you ever begun a story full of enthusiasm, only to lose interest after a few chapters…or paragraphs? Wonder what your favorite author knows about page-turning prose that you don’t?
Join Daniel Schwabauer and the Kansas Society for Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators as we pile into the phone booth with a 600 pound gorilla. Watch the fur fly during workshops designed to help you keep your readers locked in the death-grip.
Get more information or download a registration form at the Kansas SCBWI Website.
Ronica Stromberg will speak at the Nebraska SCBWI conference, held March 28 at Durham Western Heritage Museum in Omaha, Nebraska. Her hour-long presentation will be on “Divine Words: Writing for the Inspirational Market.” For more information, contact Nona Morrison, Regional Advisor at nonamorrison@yahoo.com.
In October, Ronica also will present a workshop “Success Through Reading and Writing: One Author’s Story” at The Plum Creek Literacy Festival at Concordia University in Seward, Nebraska. The festival runs from Thursday, October 1, to Saturday, October 3 and welcomes such authors and illustrators as John Archambault (author of Chicka Chicka Boom Boom), Herm and MJ Auch (authors and illustrators of Poultry in Motion), Avi, David Biedrzycki (illustrator for many of Jerry Pallotta’s alphabet books), and Carmen Deedy (Pura Belpre Medal Award winner for Martina the Beautiful Cockroach), Richard Peck, Pam Munoz Ryan, and Sharon Weeks. Fore more information, visit www.cune.edu/plumcreek.
Elizabeth C. Bunce’s A CURSE DARK AS GOLD wins the American Library Association’s William C. Morris YA Debut Award. 2009 is the first year for this award, which honors a debut book published by a first-time author writing for teens and celebrating impressive new voices in young adult literature. The work cited will illuminate the teen experience and enrich the lives of its readers through its excellence, demonstrated by: compelling, high quality writing and/or illustration; the integrity of the work as a whole; and its proven or potential appeal to a wide range of teen readers.
(Read more…)
Bridget Heos’ first book, Jay-Z, was released January 2009 from Rosen Publishing as part of their Hip Hop Library series. Watch for Bridget’s forthcoming books: The Alkaline Earth Metals; The
Formation of Peninsulas; and Wisconsin: Then and Now. Bridget has also been contracted to write three more books for Rosen about Ronde and Tiki Barber, Rihanna, and Alabama. Excellent news, Bridget!
Anola Pickett’s book on Multiple Intelligences has just been published in Simplified Chinese. There are currently English, Thai and Chinese editions. And look for her short story, “Double Surprise,” in the May/June issue of Humpty Dumpty’s Magazine. Congratulations, Anola!
Lisa Wade McCormick announces the release of three of her new non-fiction books with Capstone Press. The books are titled “Bigfoot,†“Ghosts,†and “Near-Death Experiences†and are part of the company’s “Mysteries of Science†series.
McCormick’s “Near-Death Experiences†book has already received accolades. “Lisa McCormick has done a wonderful thing by introducing children to the near death experience!,†said Jody Long of the Near Death Experience Research Foundation (NDERF). “This is a very good, easy book for children to read and she has done a great job explaining a complex subject in a way that children can understand it. â€
McCormick has written four other books for Capstone’s “Mysteries of Science†Series. Those books are titled “Mothman,†“Alien Abductions,†“Psychic Powers,†and “Haunted Houses,†and will be released later in 2009.
In related news, McCormick also has a story in the February/March 2009 issue of Dogs for Kids magazine. The story is about five dogs who have won Guinness World Records.
That lovable little cockroach strikes again! Henry Holt Books has bought Katie Speck’s third Maybelle chapter book, MAYBELLE AT THE FAIR. This follows much critical acclaim for the first two books. MAYBELLE IN THE SOUP earned a starred review from Kirkus, and MAYBELLE GOES TO TEA earned a spot on the New York Library’s Top 100 children’s books of 2008 and is shortlisted for the Cybils award. Look for MAYBELLE AT THE FAIR in early 2011. Congratulations, Katie!
Nancy Pistorius earned accolades in the 2009 Langston Hughes Creative Writing Contest. Nancy submitted the first pages of her novel, PEKING DUCK, in the fiction category and will be honored at the awards ceremony in the Lawrence Arts Center auditorium on February 1, 2009 at 2 PM. Congratulations, Nancy!
