Texas

Texas was great! There are a million stories to tell, but I only have time for a few. First off, I won't tell you about a lunch with Cypress Fairbanks librarians where the waiter thought that one of the librarians was my mother. Because that would probably embarrass Leslie way too much. But I will tell you that I had another great year with all of the librarians down in the Cy-Fair district in Houston. They are true rock stars. This district knows how to do author visits right! They've been doing it for so long and they are so good at hosting. This marked my 4th year down to their district and it really is like a reunion with old friends. A HUGE thank you goes to Heather Jankowski who organizes my visit year after year and who ensures that each visit is a big success through her impeccable organizational skills and energy! Another big thank you goes to the Texas Book Festival for having me. It was a blast. There were a few really cool things that they did, which I didn't realize going in. 1) They bring picture book authors in a day early and send them into underprivileged schools. They then GIVE 100 books out to the kids who hear the authors read and speak! That is amazing! Aces all around! 2) They have a local kid introduce the picture book authors at he festival. There was Mitchell, who had read every single book of mine, dressed in shirt and tie with shiny shoes, ready to read a page long introduction that he had written himself! Amazing! And a complete honor! I had the chance to see a great panel on YA literature and saw some old friends and new friends read their work and discuss their books. Not for Required Reading was nothing short of entertaining. I'm home now and painting. I'm under a tight deadline! I have but 3 more book events for SLUG and then it will all be over! I'm in the final stretch here....