I know I've been absent for a very long time.
So here is my list of what's going on at the moment:
1. Four weeks from Tuesday, Winger will be out. Exactly four weeks from today, May 11, I will be speaking on three panels at the Ontario (California) Teen Book Festival, which will be held at Merton E. Hill Auditorium, located on the Chaffey High School campus, 211 West 5th St. Ontario, CA 91764.
The festival starts at 9:00 AM and will include the following authors: Carrie Arcos, Jessica Brody, Morgan Matson, Lex Thomas, Marie Lu, Leigh Bardugo, Suzanne Lazear, Jennifer Bosworth, Gretchen McNeil, Gregg Olsen, Ann Stampler and Sara Wilson Etienne--quite an amazing list.
More amazingly, though, is that Winger will make its debut there, three days before you can get it anywhere else. The people at Simon & Schuster are allowing Mrs. Nelson's Books to sell the hardcover edition BEFORE its official release date of May 14.
2. On Wednesday, April 24, I will be heading out to Fort Worth, Texas for the annual Texas Library Association Conference. I'm not sure of all the events and signing times they've scheduled for me, but I know it's going to be a very busy four days there.
3. I received my first, on-paper, stamped and delivered piece of hate mail last week from an adult who was offended by my novel, Stick, and, in particular, the language used when the two boy characters--brothers--are talking to each other (about sex--the hate-fan provided the exact page number).
I suppose publishers have to forward those things on if they are actually addressed to authors, but they sure bum me out. It concerns me that the folks at the Flatiron Building opened and read the letter. It very well could have contained anthrax or some shit like that.
My hate-fan closed the letter with the following:
If this is the kind of trashy language that sells books then I'm not surprised that the morals and character of our children is on a rapid downturn.
As a writer, you can be making a remarkable difference in our society by feeding the minds of our children with good decent values and morals without the vulgar language.
Ugh. No comment.
