• The new What A Girl Wants post is up! (And I am blushing because Colleen says very kind things about my work in the introduction.) We wrote about the books we wished we’d read when we were sixteen.

• Portlanders! On Saturday, 5/22 I’ll be giving a talk at the Ooligan Press-sponsored Write to Publish conference on “YA Trends And Audience.” It’s at 9 AM, which is counter to the trend of when I like to wake up on the weekend, so I will make sure to be especially caffeinated! Y’all come!

You may have noticed, it is almost time for the Stumptown Comics Fest?

In mere hours, I’ll be headed over to Things From Another World for the party in celebration of Steve Lieber & Jeff Parker’s graphic novel UNDERGROUND, a crackerjack entrant in the crowded category of spelunking thrillers.

On Friday, I’m going to Drink & Draw Like A Lady, at the ever-swell Secret Society Lounge. I have every reason to suspect that my collaborator on the forthcoming Bad Houses graphic novel, Ms. Carla Speed McNeil, will also be among the ladies present.

And Saturday afternoon at 2 pm, I’ll be moderating a panel:

Comics for Young Readers — Comics and graphic novels for kids, teens, and tweens are quickly gaining popularity among readers. Join creators Hope Larson (Chiggers, Mercury), Raina Telgemeier (Smile, Baby-sitters Club), and Alexis Fajardo (Kid Beowulf) for a discussion on their work, their audience, and their influences. All ages welcome!

Other Things Are Also Happening. I will tell you about them…soon.

Emily Whitman, author of Radiant Darkness, MJ Beaufrand, author of The River, Anne Osterlund, author of Academy Seven, and yours truly will converge upon A Children’s Place Bookstore on Saturday, 4/10, at 1 pm. We’ll all read briefly and then answer questions about writing.

But because, you know, I already posted that, here also is a picture of the cat:

(Why yes, he is inside a box that once contained copies of A Working Writer’s Daily Planner. Yay for Small Beer Press!)

Oh, here’s what I’m going to be doing; I suppose that would be useful to include:
“Join Sara as she reads from her work, leads the group through a few short writing exercises, and answers questions about writing and publishing.” It’s part of the library’s Third Tuesday Author Series.

In other news, Rich Johnston is the first person to publicly make the connection between my new project and my story for Significant Objects. Good catch!

(See, PW says.)

Okay, backstory: ten years ago my husband Steve Lieber illustrated a graphic novel called Whiteout, written by Greg Rucka.

A while after that, Wolfgang Petersen thought he might want to make a movie based on it, but he didn’t. Then Reese Witherspoon thought the same thing, but she didn’t, either. Then Joel Silver bought the rights, and he did. The red-carpet premiere is Wednesday night, and Steve and I are going to be there.

So, this event is utterly and completely not about me. I am attending in a spousal support capacity. Nonetheless, I have anxiety.

I didn’t think I did, so much. And then today, I realized: I’ve displaced all my anxiety about the trip into Extremely Specific Fashion-Related Quests.

Despite The Storied Glamour of Hollywood, I am certain that no one’s going to care what I look like. But if I obsess about finding neutral-toned fishnets, an exactly correct black tank top, and the precisely right pair of jeans to take with me, my brain has less room to worry about, you know, coming off like an idiot to any Important Hollywood People to whom I might randomly end up talking.

On October 9th, I’ll be speaking at the Washington Library Media Association conference in Yakima, Washington.

My talk is called “Balancing Act: Being an Author/Librarian And How You Can, Too!” (Yes, it will be a talk filled with enthusiasm and exclamation points. But don’t worry, it won’t be annoyingly chipper, or at least that is not my intent.)

Anyway, I bring this up for two reasons:

1. Some of you may be attending this conference and I’d love it if you would come to my session, and

2. I’d like to ask y’all for your thoughts on how I can make this talk most useful and effective.

Even if you’re not a library-person-with-authorial-ambitions-and/or-accomplishments, feel free to imagine that you are, and comment about what you think I should discuss, explain, cover, or otherwise address.

Enormous thanks in advance from me and on behalf of my audience!

Here is the object:

I’ve written about it in the voice of Anne Cole, a character from my forthcoming graphic novel.

WAIT, WHAT?

Yes, I have a forthcoming graphic novel.

It will not be forthcoming any time soon, but it IS forthcoming.

I’d love to tell you more. I’d love to tell you who’s working with me, and from where it will be, eventually, coming.

I can’t yet.

But that story is your first glimpse of one of the characters. I hope you like it, and her. (If you do, comment! And, um, you could bid for the object plus story on eBay, too!)

I’m thrilled to be part of the Significant Objects project. The question the project asks — What value does a story add to an object?– dovetails eerily well with one of the questions I’m asking in the graphic novel: How do we infuse objects with meaning?

That’s all I’m gonna say for now.

On the librarian side, I will attend many fascinating meetings and programs and peruse the exhibits with an eye to the book collection at our Juvenile Detention Hall, which I’m now responsible for maintaining. Librarian friends who work with incarcerated teens, find me and tell me about titles that have gone over well with your folks! (And/or comment here…)

On the writer side, on Sunday July 12, from 8:30am-10am, Marriott Chicago, Chicago A-D, I’ll be part of YALSA’s Morris Award Presentation & YA Author Coffee Klatch, where I will talk very fast to many people about the project I can’t really talk about yet (it will be a neat trick!), and hand out some Rules stickers if I can hunt up any.

Hopefully by Sunday only my enthusiasm will be infectious.

And may I beseech y’all once again to head over to Chasing Ray, read What A Girl Wants #3 — yeah, it’s a long post, we all have a lot to say! — and add your thoughts in the comments, and also to Significant Objects to read, comment, and bid!