Echolocation in the International Year of the Bat

I absolutely love how everyone has a theme for this year. According to my calendar, it's the International Year of the Bat, and with that in mind, may I present to you the first SQUEALworthy (or "squee"worthy which is more batlike, and really more the sound I made when I read this) event of the year: The Teens & Kids Fantasy & Science Fiction Convention. This is in its nascent stages, and is the brainchild of one TAMORA-my-idol-Pierce and Julie Holderman.


(YES. That is a bat at a hummer feeder. I happened upon this coolness here.)

A YA Fantasy/SciFi Convention? People: How cool is this, really?
I've never been to a Something-Con in my life, but I've always thought it would be fun to go. I read Maureen Johnson's blog this past year, about her getting ready to go to some science fiction thing and wear a (very scary) costume. It sounds like so much fun for ...um, non-costume wearing, lurking, observant introverts like me.

Okay, never mind.
Seriously: It sounds like such a great idea. So, why don't the REST of you who are all about costumes and craziness -- and especially those of you who were so awesome with the Kidlit Bloggers conference, and who know how to do these things: a.) drop by Tamora Pierce's site and give her some ideas, b.) start thinking about who you'd want to hear at a conference like this, c.) join me in squealing.

And this really does fit with the International Year of the Bat: every conference, convention and convocation of readers and writers and bookish types is like...echolocating. So we fantasy and science fiction book nerds can all find each other.

2008 looks like it's going to be happy already.

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Wow. The Class of 2K8 officially begins. Though I didn't join, that's a reminder that my book is out this year, too.

Squeak.

Via Galleycat: Have you heard the story of the guy with the imaginary publicist? Oh, WOW, could you imagine doing this? Troy Tompkins claims he merely used "every trick up his sleeve" to attract the attention of Simon & Schuster with his self-published YA novel, including signing his "press releases" with a fake name, so that it appeared that he had a publicist.

Some people are fairly peeved that he's won himself a hefty contract out of it (one guy mentioned that it was a "bad message to aspiring writers" but do you honestly feel like you've been put on earth to give messages to other writers? Maybe the point we're missing is that this is a YA novel... is this a message-to-YAers thing, here? Do we as YA authors stand in as examples... maybe that's a whole 'nother blog topic...). What do you think: did he benefit from a lie, or is that part of vigorous self-promotion? I have to admit that I would not have the chutzpah to do that -- but lying gives me hives... not because I'm not good at it. I'm very, very, VERY good at it (I'm a writer, after all). But I always like to begin as I intend to go on... I don't think I'd do it. You?

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Mitali is a readergirlz diva. Can you say "Cool?!" Looking forward to this year's lineup with readergirlz, definitely. Nikki Grimes! Sarah Dessen! Shannon Hale!!!!

Sara has posted about the best advice for the new year that I've seen yet: plan for failure. No, don't plan to fail, have a Plan B. for when things go completely "pear-shaped" as the Brits say, and the Universe says no to your carefully thought out plans. And since this is Sara we're talking about? Her Plan B. sounds remarkably fun. Could it be that there's no real failure in failing... unless you don't acknowledge that not getting things done the way you want can teach you something you didn't know?

Hm.