Thanks to Jo Knowles for her kind words about my upcoming Tantalize (Candlewick, 2007). Among many lovely things, Jo says: “I think, for a little while anyway, I’ll be pouring my own red wine, thank you very much.” Prudent idea. Jo is the author of Lessons from a Dead Girl (Candlewick, fall 2007).

Thanks also to Big A little a, girl uninterrupted, Puggy’s Hill, Chicklish, One Writer’s Journey, and Bookburger for recommending my recent post, Author Picks of 2006.

More News & Links

The Book of Life: Jewish People and the Books We Read Celebrates Its First Anniversary. BOL editor “Heidi Estrin is the library director at Congregation B’nai Israel in Boca Raton, Florida. She is President of the South Florida Chapter of the Association of Jewish Libraries, as well as Past Chair of AJL’s Sydney Taylor Book Award Committee. She also serves on the Book Selection Committee for the PJ Library, a project of the Harold Grinspoon Foundation.”

Check out Blog Crushes EXPOSED! at Mitali’s Fire Escape, and count me honored to be in such great company.

The 2006 Horn Book Fanfare List includes The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume I: The Pox Party by M. T. Anderson (Candlewick)(author interview); An Abundance of Katherines by John Green (Dutton)(author interview); The Wand in the Word: Conversations with Writers of Fantasy compiled and edited by Leonard S. Marcus (Candlewick)(recommendation); Ballet of the Elephants written by Leda Schubert, illustrated by Robert Andrew Parker (Brodie/Roaring Brook)(author interview); and Moses: When Harriet Tubman Led Her People to Freedom written by Carole Boston Weatherford, illustrated by Kadir Nelson (Jump at the Sun)(illustrator interview).

Podcasts of speeches from the 2006 National Book Awards from BookExpo America.

“Current Trends, Blogs I Like, Agent and Publisher, Outline vs. Synopsis, Plagiarism” from The Purple Crayon Blog. November 2006. Thanks for mentioning Cynsations!

“Forcing the Issue” by Kristy Dempsy from the Institute of Children’s Literature. Avoiding common pitfalls in rhyme.

“How to Write a Picture Book–A Guide for the Already Rich and Famous” by Michele Regenold at Writing for Kids from the Boondocks: a blog about writing for children and the quest for publication. Michelle offers thoughtful literary analysis of celebrity books, such as they may be.

“Storytelling with Dianne de Las Casas:” a chat transcript from the Institute of Children’s Literature. ICL says: “Author and award-winning storyteller Dianne de Las Casas shared tips on her dynamic storytelling and how you can beef us your school visits with traditional storytelling techniques.”

Author Tanya Lee Stone announces a signed bookplate and bookmark holiday promotion for her YA novel A Bad Boy Can Be Good for a Girl. Tanya’s debut YA novel has been called “brave and beautiful” by Megan McCafferty, “Sure to be the new Forever” by me, and “irresistible” by Libba Bray. School Library Journal gave it a starred review and said the book “will be passed from girl to girl to girl.” Contact Tanya at tanyastone@tanyastone.com with your name, snail mail address, and any personalization information. Read a Cynsations interview with Tanya.

Brian Yansky: new official site of the author of YA novels My Road Trip to the Pretty Girl Capital of the World (Cricket, 2003) and Wonders of the World (Flux, 2007). Learn more about Brian and check out his articles for writers. A smart, innovative site designed by Lisa Firke of Hit Those Keys. This is a don’t-miss link!