Chicago School Visits (finally!)

Hey everyone,

I did lots of fun events in Chicago a couple weeks ago... and I've been meaning to post these pics ever since then!  One of my school visits was to the eighth graders of Bateman, who read Red Glass.  What an incredible visit-- I loved the teachers and students I met, and was blown away by their enthusiasm.  It's such a joy doing school visits like this, where the students have thought really deeply about the book and connected with it in so many interesting ways.

Delicious taco lunch with students...

The teacher, Mrs. Tellez, worked with university professor and author Steve Wolks to put together phenomenal activities to go with Red Glass.  (Steve is writing a book for educators on using literature in the classroom to explore social issues, and Red Glass will be featured in the chapter on global social issues.  I can't wait to read this book, and I'm sure I'll be recommending it heartily, based on seeing his ideas at work in the classroom.)  Here's a smattering of some of the activities displayed on the eight-grade classroom walls-- the first involves writing about memories:

They also did some interesting extension activities-- one involved learning more about the genocide in the former Yugoslavia and Guatemala.  And they took the international theme a step farther by talking about journeys they'd like to make... 

Inspired by the poetry that Sophie reads to Pablo and Angel on the roadtrip, students wrote their own journey poems:

And another poetry activity, to encourage students to make connections with poetry outside the book:

Here's another fun activity:

Not surprisingly, many students picked the scene in the world's most disgusting bathroom! ;)

I love seeing readers' visual interpretations of characters and scenes-- so much fun!

Hehehe! 

Here I am with the teacher, Mrs. Tellez, who put so much energy into making the Red Glass reading experience special for her students!  I'm grateful to her and Steve Wolks for letting me share their activities with you all...

Before Chicago, I was in Michigan for an event at Schuler Books (a great indie bookstore), I did a library presentation to a fabulous audience of avid readers and book clubbers.  Here I am with some teens from the library's teen group and the genius behind it all, librarian Mary Hennessey.  The world has some pretty spectacular teen librarians in it... and I'm lucky enough to meet a lot of them!  And the teen readers were so smart and funny and insightful... it was lovely having dinner with them after the presentation.

 I also did another fun school visit in Chicago, and had a lovely day with folks at the IRA conference-- I'll share those pics in my next post-- time to get Lil  Dude dressed and ready for his day now!

xoxo
Laura

EMLA retreat!

Ah... Chicago in the springtime... tulips galore!

One of the many amazing things I experienced last week in Chicago was a retreat with the authors of EMLA (which stands for Erin Murphy Literary Agency)-- also called the Gang of Erin. The retreat was my third, and it was truly phenomenal-- three energizing and inspiring days... I learned heaps about everything from the publishing industry to techniques for plotting and revising novels and much more...

The best part, of course, was the people... spending time with my agent, Erin...

 and the agency's other wonderful agent (and author), Ammi-Joan Paquette (here she is in green) with Cate Tiernan (her next book, Immortal Beloved, will be coming out soon!) perusing review copies of other authors' books...

and nearly thirty other fabulous authors...



It was a special opportunity to bond with everyone in person (after months or years of only online conversations.) And what I'm most grateful for is that everyone, whether published or prepublished, was a talented writer with so much to offer in discussions-- and everyone was so warm and gracious and enthusiastic about each other's writing. I love these ladies (and man-- hi Bob!)  Here's Ruth Barshaw, Ammi-Joan, and Audrey Vernick (in the middle-- I can't wait to read her picture book Is your Buffalo Ready for Kindergarten? with Lil Dude!)

I feel SO lucky to be part of this group, and can't wait for next year's retreat (which will be in Austin next spring). I know I seem overly-gushy and mushy, but I'm not the only one... we all came away from the retreat just spilling over with gratitude.

                        me with Sarah DeFord William

We spent mornings in large-group discussions in a comfy suite on the 19th floor, and then we scattered for the afternoon-- some of us (me) writing in our rooms or at cafes, some sight-seeing, some lounging in the suite and talking.  Then, in the evenings, we gathered in small or large group for dinner.  Delightful! Here I am with Natalie Lorenzi, Liz Garton Scanlon, and Cynthia Omololu-- we're in a pretty little park, waiting for our scrumptious deep dish pizza...

Below, Ruth Barshaw (of Ellie McDoodle fame) never fails to crack me up... and she's one of the warmest, kindest people you'll ever meet.  She carries a wee sketchbook everywhere she goes... I'm sure it's hidden somewhere under her mink...

which brings me to the vintage minks...  they were decorations on our beds in the Whitehall Hotel (a charming place, right down to the tiny old creaky elevators).  Actually, I suspect the furs came from some other animal-- beaver?  Who knows.  But we had fun with them on Saturday night after dinner...

A few people brought along family and friends to participate in some events with us.  Here I am with one author's lovely daughter, Emily, an avid reader and writer who offered us great ideas and insights from a teen perspective...

Here (from the left) is Cynthia Omololu -- author of Dirty Little Secrets-- a teen novel involving hording, which sounds fascinating. In the middle is Natalie Lorenzi, whose pre-published novel about a Japanese-American family sounds really good, and right up my alley... and she has a background in ESL teaching, as do I!  Then there's Sarah DeFord Williams on the right-- her first novel, Palace Beautiful, just came out, and I'm so excited about reading it--there's magic and mystery and secrets in an attic... the kind of story I always adored as a kid (and still do).

Below (laughing) is Jennifer A. Nielson on the left, whose debut novel Elliott and the Goblin Wars is coming out in October-- this'll be so fun to read aloud with my son in a few years.  And on her right is Susan Vaught (also laughing), author of Trigger and Big Fat Manifesto, among many others-- she creates fantastic voices, and her books deal with timely and important issues (and did I mention she's also a practicing neuropsychologist?)

We spent lots of time in informal small-group conversations-- it's such a delicious feeling to talk with writers who you can really relate to... there were many great bonding experiences throughout each day. Here is super-cute Susan Larsen, pre-published YA author (on the left), Liz Garton Scanlon (in the middle), author of one of my son's favorite picture books-- All the World (and she's just as dazzling in person as I'd imagined she would be after reading her poetic words every night at my Lil Dude's bedtime).  Zu Vincent is on the right-- she's the author of The Lucky Place-- a beautifully written and touching YA novel.

Here are Ruth Barshaw and Jennifer Nielson looking radiant at dinner on Saturday night.

And there were so many more lovely, talented people-- I wish I had the space and time to do all 28 authors justice.  This is just a little smattering, but I hope you enjoyed it!  Lil Dude just woke up from his nap, so I don't have time to link to everyone's individual websites.  If you're interested, you can go here to see a list of Erin's clients and their websites.

In my next posts, I'll give a recap of some super-fun school and library visits I did earlier that week, in Chicago and Michigan.  Thanks for  reading!

xoxo,
Laura

Unveiling of The Queen of Water...

Hello everyone!

I've been in Michigan and Chicago this past week, having a fun time doing school and library visits, the IRA conference, and my agent's annual retreat... it's been a whirlwind! I'm dying to post pics of all these amazing events, but the little slot in my computer where the memory card goes is broken... it got drenched with tea (with lots of milk and honey) one disastrous morning a few months ago (hmm... now how did that happen?) Anyway, I'll be doing a bunch of posts about this trip when I get home next week, but in the meantime, I thought I'd give you this treat...

Isn't it beautiful!? This is more-or-less what the cover of The Queen of Water will look like when it comes out next spring (2011). A coupla little details will be changed, like the word order of the title). This is a photo of Maria Virginia that my friend Ken Burgess took of her! I'm so excited that she's on the cover. I love the rich, warm colors, and the shimmery gold of the beads and lace and her lips... and her expression is so tender and introspective.

Let's hope this is the final cover... there's always a chance it could change, depending on the whims of the giant bookstore chains.

Here's a description of the book:

Born in an Andean village in Ecuador, Virginia lives with her large family in a small, earthen-walled dwelling. In her village of indígenas, it's not uncommon to work in the fields all day, even as a child, or to be called a longa tonta--stupid Indian--by the ruling class of mestizos, or Spanish descendants. On the day Virginia is taken from her Andean village to be an unpaid servant to a mestizo couple, she has no idea what the next decade will hold for her.

Virginia, who has always dreamt of leaving her village, soon embraces the privileges of mestizo life. But as much as she wants to be part of her new family, she instead receives a tangled mixture of love and disdain. Beaten and taunted by her boss, she has to fight to hold onto her spirit and humor. Told that the sole purpose of indigenous girls is to serve, she teaches herself to read and write… and performs science experiments in secret.

But when her most cherished ally betrays her, can she gather the courage and wits to escape? And once free, will Virginia—now a teenager caught between cultures—find a place where she belongs?

In this poignant novel based on a true story, acclaimed author Laura Resau has collaborated with María Virginia Farinango to recount an indigenous girl's unforgettable journey to self-discovery that will speak to anyone who has ever struggled to find his or her place in the world. Virginia’s story will make you laugh and cry, and ultimately, fill you with hope.

I can't wait until the book is out in the world for you to read! Okay, I'm off to take a walk in this windy, sunny city right now... and then I'll be having dinner with my agent (Erin Murphy) and a bunch of her wonderful authors. Thanks for reading!

Cheers,
Laura

Colorado Book Award Finalists!

Hello everyone,

Hope this finds you well! I just got news from the Colorado Book Award committee... and am thrilled that THE INDIGO NOTEBOOK is one of three finalists for the Young Adult category! Yipee!


I was happy to see so many of my writer-friends on the finalist list. The other YA finalists are Amy Efaw (After) and Julie Anne Peters (Rage: A Love Story). Amy and Julie are such talented, warm people-- I'm so excited for them.




All three finalists in the Juvenile category are writing buddies of mine, too! Congrats to Teresa Funke for V is for Victory: Homefront Heroes and Karla Oceanak for her debut novel Artsy-Fartsy: an Aldo Zelnick Comic novel (these are both Ft Collins writers, too) and Claudia Mills for How Oliver Olsen Changed the World.





My good friend Denise Vega is a finalist in the Children's category with Grandmother, have the Angels Come? Congrats, Denise!!


And finally, my good friend Laura Pritchett is a finalist in the Non-Fiction category for the fabulous anthology she edited called Going Green: True Tales from Gleaners, Scavengers, and Dumpster Divers.


The awards ceremony will be in Aspen in June-- it'll be fun... I've never been to Aspen before (even though it's just a few hours from my home). And I'll be in great company... can't wait to hang out with my other finalist friends! Congrats to everyone!

Now I have to sneak out to my trailer and finish going over the copyedits for The Queen of Water. Usually, I try not to work on weekends, but I have to drop this off at the Fed-Ex place before one today... and the clock's ticking...

xo,
Laura

Nebraska, Teen Lit Conference, Bookies...

Irena, Emma, Ruta, me, and Krista at my signing at Bookies in Denver

Hey everyone,

I've had an eventful week! I was in Blair, Nebraska for middle and high school visits-- had a great time there. Such nice people... Here I am with Anne and Dianne, librarians extraordinaire from the high school.


Check out this lovely display in the library...


I love feeling welcomed to a school with creative displays-- what a treat...


Here's a close up of the jewels-- cool, huh?


Pretty flowers...


And there's nothing better than being greeted with a six-foot-tall painting of your book cover! Here I am with middle school librarian Kris, who set up this whole wonderful visit...


Here's the artistic, book-lovin' man, Lynn-- a former English teacher-- who created this masterpiece!


Just after I got back from Nebraska, I had the Colorado Teen Lit Conference on Saturday in Denver. I got to hang out with the lovely Ellen Hopkins (of Impulse, Crank, etc fame...) and Matt de la Pena (Mexican White Boy, Ball Don't Lie, We Were Here-- he gave a fantastic, hilarious keynote, and he's a Delacorte author like me.) Here I am with Matt and Ellen...


I was on a panel with my good friend Todd Mitchell and some other fantastic authors who I was happy to finally meet! Here I am with Todd, who is very witty-- always cracks me up-- and he often waxes philosophical about writing-- I love hearing him quote the native American shaman Black Elk as he discusses how writers must enact our visions upon the earth (or something along those lines...) So true!


Todd Mitchell's next book coming in June-- it is SOOOOOO good! I've read an early draft, and I can't wait to read the final version...


Becca Fitzpatrick was another fabulous panelist-- I was so thrilled to meet her-- turns out we both live in Ft Collins and have boys the same age. It was especially exciting to hear that she, like me, watched Romancing the Stone a hundred times as a kid, and that it inspired her, too, to become a writer. And actually, once I thought about it, I realized I have had crazy bus adventures in Latin America, kinda like Kathleen Turner did... minus, of course, the alligators and emeralds and Michael Douglas... but it's funny to see some parallels. I didn't actually make this connection until I heard Becca talking about it on the panel!


Amy Efaw was another super-friendly and smart panelist-- she wrote After, which I'm really looking forward to reading-- I've heard it's an amazingly well-executed book. It's about a teen who throws her baby in a Dumpster... yet Amy manages to make you feel for the main character, despite the horrific act.


Tucker Shaw was the fifth panelist-- also a fascinating and nice person. I can't wait to read his newest book-- check out the pretty cover. I love the golden light. And there's a great story behind his inspiration for this book, involving another book (of poetry) slipping from the shelf into his hand as he was dusting... sweet serendipity!


Okay, that's all for now! Must get ready for the week ahead, which includes two school visits in Boulder... we're in the thick of school visit season now. Lots of fun, but very busy. I love going to Boulder-- I always stock up on exotic teas from the Boulder Teahouse and buy something cool at the second-hand shop downtown...

xoxo,
Laura

STAR IN THE FOREST Release Party!

Me and lucky Jesus (who won one of my audiobooks in a drawing!) and super-cute Montcerat

Hi everyone!

We just had fun with Lil Dude on his third-ever Easter morning. He's been talking about the Easter Bunny for weeks, and now that the big day has arrived, he's ecstatic about all his chocolate and his wind-up alien and turquoise parasol (he's been asking for a parasol lately) and egg hunts...

So, on Friday night, we celebrated the release of Star in the Forest! Had a great time-- the room was full of amazing people-- kids, teens, librarians, teachers, friends, writers, book clubbies...

Here I am with Gloria (dancer and singer!) and her sweet, smart niece Karla


Gloria does the coolest things with her hair...


Gloria looked gorgeous dancing-- we were all mesmerized...


She sang "Hay Unos Ojos"-- a traditional Mexican song-- and was captivating. Marty (also a poet, and an overall "cool guy," as described my three-year-old) did great accompanying her on guitar. Gloria's singing reminds me lots of Lila Downs (who is one of our favorite singers)...


Me with my wonderful writer friend Teresa Funke, along with the lovely Ava, Kami, Lydia, and Gracie...


Take your pick: a blurry me...


or, if you prefer, a me with closed eyes...


Autographing a book for Martha (in black-- fabulous bilingual school librarian who helped with Star) and Lana (in blue-- also bilingual-- high school educator and book club leader)... and the book-savvy Old Firehouse women busy selling books next to me... it's bliss to be in the company of so many book lovers!


Karla and Jesus watching Gloria dance... did I mention Jesus is a writer, too?!


My Lil Dude had been practicing singing happy birthday to Star in the Forest (and I must say he sounded exquisite)... alas, once in front of the mike, he clammed up. BUT, he did play the piano onstage a bit and he performed the esteemed duty of drawing winners' names from a bag with a great deal of flair...


Hope you have a wonderful week full of sunshine! Thanks for reading!

much love,
Laura