Enter to win an author-autographed copy of Noodle & Lou by Liz Garton Scanlon, illustrated by Arthur Howard (Beach Lane, 2011)!

To enter the giveaway, comment here or email me (scroll and click envelope) and type “Noodle and Lou” in the subject line.

From the promotional copy:

Noodle is a worm who is having a very blue day. Luckily, his best friend Lou is there to help chase his blues away.

Deadline: midnight CST April 22. Note: Author sponsored; U.S.-Canadian entries only.

Liz Garton Scanlon will be signing Noodle & Lou, illustrated by Arthur Howard (Beach Lane, 2011) at noon April 23 at BookPeople in Austin. See curriculum guide.

Giveaway Reminder

The winner of an author-signed copy of Hummingbirds: Facts and Folklore from the Americas by Jeanette Larson, illustrated by Adrienne Yorinks (Charlesbridge, 2011) is Ella in California!

More News & Giveaways

Congratulations to Janet S. Wong on the release of the poetry e-book Once Upon a Tiger: New Beginnings for Endangered Animals, illustrated by Sladjana Vasic. “Notes feature familiar animals such as the tiger and Asian elephant, but also unusual creatures such as the axolotl (also known as a ‘Mexican Walking Fish’).” Once Upon a Tiger is available as an eBook for $3.99 through the Kindle store.

Lee Bennett Hopkins: official author site. Peek: “To encourage the recognition of poetry, he has established two major awards: the Lee Bennett Hopkins Poetry Award, presented annually by Penn State University for a single volume of poetry, and the Lee Bennett Hopkins/International Reading Association Promising Poet Award (PDF), presented every three years by IRA.”

Twelve Tips for Twitterphobes by R.L. LaFevers from Shrinking Violet Promotions. Peek: “Today’s post is for those of you out there who haven’t yet tried Twitter or who have given up on it or who are just plain flummoxed by it.”

The Timeless Appeal of Beverly Cleary by Pamela Paul from The New York Times. Peek: “An only child, whose parents were forced to sell the family farm, Cleary was painfully shy. Troubled at school and beset by bad teachers, she didn’t learn to read until the third grade.”

Jo Knowles on the Importance of GLBTQ Characters in Teen Fiction from Lee Wind at I’m Here. I’m Queer. What the Hell Do I Read? Peek: “In my latest book, Pearl (Henry Holt, July 2011), a blogger who reviews books wrote that, while she liked the book very much, she couldn’t recommend it because of the homosexual content.”

Skype Authors: Partnering with schools and book clubs through virtual visits to support education worldwide. Suzanne Williams writes: “The authors on the site have pledged to contribute 25% of their fees for any Skype visits booked through the site to a charity that supports education in the developing world. For 2011-2012, that charity is Camfed, and they will be raising money to provide school supplies to elementary students in Malawi. I’m still adding authors to the site and hope to have a group of 20 – 25 participating authors within the next month or two.”

What If Your Characters Don’t Want Anything? by Charlie Jane Anders from io9. Peek: “If the plot happens in spite of your characters’ desires, that makes those desires more important.” Source: Gwenda Bond at Shaken & Stirred.

Agents mull change to AAA code of practice by Charlotte Williams and Benedicte Page from TheBookseller.com. Peek: “Literary agents are privately ­discussing removing a clause ­preventing them from acting as publishers in the UK Association of Authors’ Agents constitution.” Source: Rachelle Gardner, Literary Agent.

As Nike Says: “Just Do It” by Erin Vincent from Crowe’s Nest. Peek: “…I understand that you are busy with a million other obligations. But if you want to write – if you want to be published – you have to start. Right now. Don’t put it off any longer, because trust me, it will never be the right time.”

Congratulations to Rubin Pfeffer of East West Literary for signing Kari Baumbach, and congratulations to Kari for signing with Rubin! Note: link to Rubin includes a substantial video excerpt of his presentation at a Highlights Foundation workshop; he offers insights on technology-driven changes in publishing as a business.

You Need a Complete Manuscript by Mary Kole from Kidlit.com. Peek: “The only exception to this rule is if you’re writing older non-fiction, like something for the middle grade or teen age rage or a reference book/textbook. And picture books from author/illustrators…”

The Elusive Advanced Reader Copy by Mary Lindsey from QueryTracker. Peek: “If authors say no to requests, it’s not because they don’t want you to have an ARC, it’s because they are expensive and hard to come by, and in today’s market, the buzz from that ARC might be the only publicity that author gets.”

Interview with Holly Black by Malinda Lo from Diversity in YA Fiction. Peek: “…I think the tricky thing about fantasy is that issues in the magical world should ideally both remind us of issues in our world, but not parallel one thing so closely that it appears to be merely that thing in disguise.”

Social Networking and Your Picture by Jessica from BookEnds, LLC. Peek: “One of the things I’ve been thinking about lately is the use of your book’s cover as your profile picture.” Note: your mileage may vary.

Team ‘Hunger Games’ talks: Author Suzanne Collins and director Gary Ross on their allegiance to each other, and their actors by Karen Valby from Entertainment Weekly.

Making It Through the Middle by Kristi Holl from Writer’s First Aid. Peek: “…if you don’t get through middles, you’ll never get to the end–and be published.”

More Personally

Interview with Cynthia Leitich Smith by M.G. Buehrlen from Young Adult Books Central. Peek: “Book four is still untitled, but it will feature characters from all of the previous books. Expect more adventure, humor, chilling suspense, and moments that may well inspire Quinice/Kieren and Zachary/Miranda shippers to swoon.”

Lost Souls? from Book Moot (“Smith does not focus on any individual religion or faith here but the story reflects a belief that we all possess a spirit that can be imperiled. For teen readers, that is not a bad thing to ponder.”).

I’m on a revision deadline and spending the week at the annual Texas Library Association Annual Conference and the YA A to Z Conference, sponsored by the Writers’ League of Texas (more on all that to come), but first here’s a quick look at my comings and goings around town.

Highlights of late include lunch at the Shoal Creek Saloon with Austin author-illustrator Salima Alikhan. Read a Cynsations interview with Salima.

Last weekend, I had coffee with Vermont College of Fine Arts MFA student Melanie Crowder at BookPeople.

Afterward, we continued upstairs to the children’s section for Jo Whittemore‘s launch party for Odd Girl In (Aladdin, 2011).

Jo give a warm, upbeat, funny PowerPoint presentation and then signed books for her many eager fans.

Enter to win an autographed copy of Odd Girl In by Jo Whittemore (Aladdin, 2011)! To enter the giveaway, comment here or email me (scroll and click envelope) and type “Odd Girl In” in the subject line. Deadline: midnight CST April 15. Note: Author sponsored; U.S.-Canadian entries only.

More Personal Links of the Week:

• Writers and Dinosaurs: P.J. Hoover from Greg Leitich Smith;
• and Do You Read Cynsations? by Debbie Reese from American Indians in Children’s Literature.

Cynsational Events

Erin Murphy Literary Agency Wine Social will be at 3 p.m. April 16 at BookPeople in Austin. Peek: “Come meet Erin Murphy as well as some of the authors she represents.”

Chris Barton will be signing Can I See Your ID? True Stories of False Identities, illustrated by Paul Hoppe (Dial, 2011) at 7 p.m. May 14 at BookPeople in Austin. See discussion guide.

Diversity in YA Fiction: Austin Tour Stop 7:30 p.m. May 9 at BookPeople. Featuring authors Bethany Hegedus, Malinda Lo, Guadalupe Garcia McCall, Cindy Pon, Dia Reeves, and Jo Whittemore, and moderated by Varian Johnson.