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June 2013
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August 2013

Invisible Inkling, Hamline MFAC and more.

Hello from a couch where I am sitting with Sarah Mlynowski and Courtney Sheinmel, WRITING STUFF. Well, they are writing stuff. I am blogging. 

My new book for elementary-aged readers came out this past week. Invisible Inkling: The Whoopie Pie War is the third book in the Invisible Inkling series. The return of the killer unicorn head, 15 ways to make pumpkin ice cream, pygmy hedgehogs, romance, a league of supervillains, moderate violence. What more could you want? Oh! Pictures by Harry Bliss. It's got those, too.

I am recently returned from teaching at Hamline's MFAC -- an MFA program in writing for children. It's a low-residency program, which means there are intensives in July and January, and the rest of the time the students work directly with an advisor on their creative and critical work. There are only a couple programs like it in country, specializing in writing for kids, so if you're interested I recommend you check it out.

This was my second residency, and one of my favorite things about teaching there is that I get to attend my colleagues' lectures on the craft of writing. Oh, hearing Franny Billingsly explain how to develop a character, or Anne Ursu talk about "staging" a novel, or Gary Schmidt talk about point of view -- all in a day's work.

I did a lecture this time called Self Editing: Better Living Through Technology, which was about using Final Draft, Scrivener and the Track Changes function of Word. 

The other big thing that's going on with me right now is I am judging the National Book Awards, young people's literature category. There are five judges total, and the long list of top ten books is announced on September 12, 2013. So I am reading reading reading. Here is a link to Up All Night Reading, the National Book Foundation's online exhibition of the YPL category winners and finalists, organized by year. It is very fun reading and has loads of essays about the books and tidbits about their authors.

Hope you are doing some amazing summer reading, too! 

xo E


My first boyfriend, Tumblr, and more.

So, this video shows me talking about my first boyfriend, and I made it hiding in the bathroom at a ballroom dance studio. It's part of a promotion for Julia DeVillers' fun new middle-grade series launcher: Emma Emmets, Playground Matchmaker.  

If you click through to the video on YouTube, you'll see similar videos by loads of other authors, including Lauren Myracle, Lauren Oliver, Elizabeth Eulberg, Jon Sciezska, Julia DeVillers, and way more. You can also watch this "first crush medley," which is pretty darn amusing. 
In other news: I have attempted Tumblr. The results are mixed so far. I haven't totally got the hang of it, so if you stop by or follow me, bear with me while I learn. 
I am reading reading reading right now, rather than writing, because I am judging the National Book Awards this year. They recently put up an online exhibition of all the Young People's books that have won the NBA, including finalists. There are lots of articles and fun facts on there, and I encourage you to check it out. Here's the link to the section of books 2007-12, which includes The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks
Happy summer!  I hope you are all eating pie, feeling sand beneath your toes, and slagging off work.
xo
E