Sunday, March 15, 2009

PROJECT BOOK BABE

I have a great event to tell you about, if you're in the Phoenix area or if you're not but would get to the Phoenix area to attend it. It's Project Book Babe, on April 4, and it's a fundraiser for fabulous bookseller Faith Hochhalter, who is going through chemotherapy right now for breast cancer. Faith has done so much for YA authors over the past years, as buyer at the wonderful Changing Hands bookstore as well as helping organize author visits, doing extraordinary promotions, and spreading the enthusiasm of reading YA to teens and adults alike. So, her author friends want to help her out during this not-great time, and are throwing a whopper of a charity event.

The line-up:
Shannon Hale (The Goose Girl) (One of my favorite writers!!!)
Stephenie Meyer (Twilight)
Brandon Mull (Fablehaven)
Frank Beddor (The Looking Glass Wars)
Janette Rallison (My Fair Godmother)
James Owen (Here There Be Dragons)
PJ Haarsma (Softwire series)
Jon Lewis (Revenge of the Shadow King)
Chris Gall (There's Nothing to Do on Mars)
ME!!!

I am so excited to be part of this, and so deeply impressed with all the hard work the organizers have put into making it happen.

Tickets are available in a range of prices from $25-$300, each level coming with different perks, including signed books. The event itself, in a high school auditorium, will feature live music and a panel discussion emceed by Shannon Hale who is a natural at such things. If you've ever seen her speak, you know what I mean. Tickets go on sale Tuesday, and I hear tell they're expected to sell out fast, so head on over to the Project Book Babe website and take a gander.

Besides the main event, there will also be an online auction of signed books from many different authors besides those above, and all proceeds will go to offsetting Faith's medical costs. I'll post more info on the online auction later; I'm not sure when that's happening.

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Another cool thing: Blackbringer has just been named to its first state reading list, for which I am THRILLED and hope there will be many more! Thank you so much, fabulous librarians of Oklahoma! To see Oklahoma's Sequoyah Book Awards Master Lists for 2009-10, go HERE.

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OOH! And yet another cool thing: I've been invited, for the first time, to contribute a story to an anthology!!! It's a YA anthology, and I probably can't say more about it now, it's still very much in the planning, but I'm very excited. In general, I am all-around very excited these days. Can you tell? Makes it a little hard to concentrate on writing, heh heh. No, I've been writing, and am having so much fun with my new book. My mind is all a-fizz with it, kind of the way my belly is fizzing with a baby (daughter!) squiggling around in it :-)

16 comments:

Alysa Stewart said...

This is terrible. My life just got much worse. I can't believe that along with a bunch of my other favorite authors now YOU are going to be there too. And my chances for making it are very very slim.

On the other hand, it sounds awesome and like it will be a great time!

tone almhjell said...

Oh, cool news! Wish I could teleport to Phoenix, but at least I can get my hands on the anthology. Yay, you!

My little (one, twos?) dance(s) riverdance when I have caramel peanut icecream. Impeccable taste already, you see.

Shelli (srjohannes) said...

woot woot to Oklahoma! wish I could be at the event! sounds amazing!

Suzanne Young said...

WOW! WOW! WOW! Congrats!!!!

Q said...

Can I say that I ache to be there?

Lexi said...

ooooh. I wish wish wish that I could go....
:(

johanna said...

Yahoooooza! So cool!!!!

persnickety_jen said...

I have never wanted to go to Phoenix more in my life. You, Shannon, AND Stephenie?!? I think YA fandom everywhere just exploded.

Maggie May said...

I'm glad to find your page! Hi:) I think my daughter Lola might love your books as well as myself. I have, and always have had, a huge love and interest in fairies. We have many in Lola's room.

Saskia Ekstrom said...

Em notified me about this-congrats! Hope to see you while you are here. At least at the event or ? Would love for you to meet Kai:-)

Laini Taylor said...

Hi Maggie May! I love the name Lola; it might be a contender right now :-)

And Saskia! I would love to see you and meet Kai!

Enna Isilee said...

I'm so incredibly jealous. Could you just fly home with Shannon and visit Utah? Just for a bit? Pretty please? *puppy face*

Amber said...

I am sooooo happy for you. :)

About all of it. And I hope the event takes in lots of moolah to help out.

:)

Anonymous said...

As Faith's sister I must say THANK YOU for everything you are all doing to help her during this time. I'm having trouble finding the right words to express it so I'll just stick with thank you.

Sharon

Anonymous said...

I wish I could be there. I remember Faith from Chicago.If you have a minute get to the Chihuly Exhibit at the Phoenix Botanical Gardens. And congrats on making onto a reader's choice list!

Unknown said...

Thank you for all your love and generosity. I am truly overwhelmed by the support of my daughter Faith. I am looking forward to meeting you at this wonderful event. With sincere thanks, bookbabesmom