RESILIENCE at the SOUTHERN FESTIVAL OF BOOKS

Laura Golden, me, Andrea Beaty

What fun to be part of this year's Southern Festival of Books! I was on a panel with Andrea Beaty and Laura Golden, each of whom are just fabulous and should you ever get a chance to meet them you should. And if not, at least sample their awesomeness by taking a peek at their wonderful books!

Our moderator Melissa helped keep great questions coming on the topic of resilience. (Isn't every MG novel somehow about resilience?) I talked a lot about Katherine Paterson, whose book of speeches continues to be one of my favorite books ever. I also shared a letter from a reader who was thanking me for writing about "real" issues kids have to deal with. The letter helps me remember why I write what I write --- and why my work is important, even my books never hit the NYT list or win a Newbery.

I was thrilled to see some of my favorite writers in the audience, including Beck McDowell and Kristin Tubb... and several of my most favorite librarians were there too! Here's a few pics from the event:

Yes, ours was a serious topic! But we also had fun with it. :)

Our signing table, on the Plaza

Many thanks to all the organizers... what a great time, and how well-run! Special thanks to Pat for helping make it a good time. xo