The
dog days of Texas summer aren't quite over, but summer break has come
to an end. It's back to school time, and The Texas Sweethearts &
Scoundrels are excited to kick off the 2012-'13 school year.
As writers and illustrators of children's and YA literature, we want you to know how much you are appreciated. It's our goal to tell stories that inspire, entertain, and educate children of all ages. But it's teachers and librarians, like you, who get our books into the hands of children. We thank you for your support, and we look forward to sharing our books and great news with you in the coming year.
As writers and illustrators of children's and YA literature, we want you to know how much you are appreciated. It's our goal to tell stories that inspire, entertain, and educate children of all ages. But it's teachers and librarians, like you, who get our books into the hands of children. We thank you for your support, and we look forward to sharing our books and great news with you in the coming year.
SUMMER UPDATE
The
Texas Sweethearts & Scoundrels sure know how to throw a party.
Since our last newsletter, The Texas Sweethearts & Scoundrels have
launched two new books with celebrations that will be long remembered.
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Don kicks off his book, It Jes' Happened. A day long remembered.
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In June, Don Tate launched IT JES' HAPPENED: WHEN BILL TRAYLOR STARTED TO DRAW.
The standing-room only party was held at BookPeople. Don presented a
multimedia presentation about how he became a published author, and he
talked about Bill Traylor. The party included a 'Drawing Smackdown'
competition for kids and adults, with prizes galore. An article in the
American-Statesman covered the event. Read more about it here.
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Jeanette Larson (left) beams at the TLA Annual Assembly.
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In July, Jeanette Larson, Jessica Anderson, and Don Tate
participated in meet and greet at the Texas Library Association's
Annual Assembly at The Hyatt in Austin. Texas librarians were
enthusiastic, and we were thrilled to meet so many of you.
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| Jo Whittemore signs her new book, D is for Drama, at her "wicked" launch party. |
Last week, Jo Whittemore celebrated the release of her latest middle grade humor novel, D IS FOR DRAMA, with an interview in the Austin American-Statesman, followed by a launch party at BookPeople on August 12th. It was a "wicked" event! (Read the book and you'll understand why!)
GOOD NEWS AND WHAT'S ON THE HORIZON
PJ Hoover
It's been a busy summer for P. J. Though the release of her debut young adult novel SOLSTICE (Tor
Teen/Macmillan, June 2013) is still nearly a year away, she's been
working through and has completed revisions. In addition, she's had a
sneak peek at her cover art! It's still not final, but it's going to be
awesome. And the best part? It features the skyline of Austin. Go,
Texas!
For
those in the San Antonio area, P. J. Hoover will be presenting on World
Building at the local SCBWI meeting this Saturday, August 18th, at
10:00am at the Barnes & Noble near the airport. Please come by if
you can!
Jeanette Larson
Jeanette will be presenting storytime
at Lakeline Mall in Cedar Park on Saturday, August 25 between noon and
1:00 p.m. The free event is part of the mall's Kidsgit Club.
September 10th Jeanette will present To Tell the Truth,
a workshop on writing non-fiction, at Austin Public Library's Hampton
Branch at Oak Hill Branch on Monday, September 10 from 7:00-8:30 p.m..
The program is part of the library's "Breathing Life Into Words"
program. It is free and open to the public.
Jeanette
will be a featured presenter at the Rockport Hummer Bird Festival from
September 13-16. On September 13, she will speak with students at
Sacred Heart's School and she will be speaking to festival goers on
Friday and Saturday. See the schedule and other information on one of the biggest and best birding festivals.
Teachers
who attend programs at the festival can receive continuing education
credit from the Texas Education Agency. The hummingbirds in Rockport
provided the inspiration for
Hummingbirds: Facts and Folklore from the Americas
so it is especially exciting to be speaking at these events.
Don Tate
Don
is looking forward to visiting your school! This past spring, Don
presented at more than 40 schools all over Texas and beyond. Be sure to
book early, as his schedule will surely fill up fast. Please see more
information about Don's school visits on his website.
Don
Tate is the illustrator of many acclaimed books for kids, however his
first authored book, IT JES' HAPPENED, published this past spring to
rave reviews. The book has garnered three starred reviews from Booklist, School Library Journal, and Kirkus.
And has received wonderful reviews from Publisher's Weekly and the
Horn Book. In addition, it was featured by Booklist Online as one of the
Top 10 Biographies for Youth.
Today, Don received the wonderful news that the artwork for IT JES'
HAPPENED, created by R. Gregory Christie, was included in the Society
Of Illustrators ORIGINAL ART show. Needless to say, Don is pleased,
humbled, and thankful.
GRATITUDE
The Texas Sweethearts & Scoundrels would like to say a special thank you to Sweetheart Emma Virjan for the wonderful artwork she creates for our newsletter and blog. You rock, Emma!
and you can win a Starbucks gift card.
Do you know someone who would make a great featured sweetheart for our blog? We're looking for librarians, teachers, authors, editors, anyone who has an impact on books, libraries, and/or getting kids to read.
If we choose the person you nominate, we'll give you a $5 Starbucks giftcard as a thank-you! Give us a holler today!
