Trailer

Coming Soon to a Bookshelf Near You...


Another Kind of Cowboy

Cue swelling Dolby THX Surround!

All Growed Up!

As I've mentioned before, Alice, I Think is being released in an adult version in August. Here's what Alice looks like when she's all growed up:



Isn't she a stunner? Thanks to the design department at HarperCollins Canada and Kate and Patricia.

Man, how much do I love this...

Malkolm The Birder Boy

My new hero.

Check out also:

Bird Year

If I was a teacher, I would totally make studying this adventure one of my topics. That and making the perfect cupcake. Because students need diversity.

The list...

Here is the list of must-read books I gathered at the HDS dinner at Book Expo:

The Yiddish Policeman's Union by Michael Chabon

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

The Raw Shark Texts by Steven Hall

Brief History of the Dead by Kevin Brockmeier

Lamb, Coyote Blue by Christopher Moore

The Emperor series and Wolf of the Plains by Conn Iggulden

The Divine Ryans by Wayne Johnson

A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry

Sky Burial by Xinran Xue

A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini

A Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

Crimson Labyrinth by Yusuki Kishi

Sweet Francais by Irene Nemirovsky

Do as Depp Does

Dear Avril,

It has come [this word used to be "some" but thanks to the alert eyes of a certain Brandon, this spelling travesty has now been fixed. Thanks!] to my attention that you are bit of a humourless git when you are doing publicity. I think it's time you watched a real superstar (and a gentleman) in action to see how it should be done:

Johnny Depp in Japan

Book Expo and Bathing Suits

I am home from Book Expo and attempting to fix all the things that went spiraling out of control in my absence: my pot full of baby potatoes (not an on-the-stove pot, but a plant pot in which the fledgling potatoes are growing like Jack's beanstock), the mess in the laundry room, my Outlook inbox etc. Now I can take a quiet moment to review my trip to Toronto for Book Expo.

It started strong and proud with a lovely dinner with my Canadian editor, Lynne (whom I adore) and former Harpercollins children’s publicity guru, Felicia (whom I also adore).

Then there was a talk with Martha Brooks and Deborah Ellis, two of Canada’s most celebrated writers for young people. They were great and the audience of grade sevens and eights (I think) were full of amazing questions. Seriously. Someone asked a question about handling advanced point of view and another (maybe the same person) asked what was the single greatest comic masterpiece. I’m more accustomed to questions such as: “Will this be over soon?” or “Did you know that you have spinach in your teeth?” The masterful questions lobbed at us by the students at the Booked! event were most impressive. Afterwards my agent Hilary and I had a good visit.

I did a round-table sort of thing with the managers of various airport bookstores and two other writers: James Rollins and Tim Flannery. James is a mega-bestselling writer of thrillers who also happens to be a small animal vet. I didn’t know that tidbit until later which is a shame because I love telling vets about Frank’s medical history. It’s kind of a hobby of mine. You know, it’s good to get second and third and fourth opinions. Basically, I’m looking for the piece of advice that will allow my dog to live forever. Tim Flannery wrote a book called The Weathermakers. He’s been instrumental in helping change government policy about global warming. He was very nice and was booked to go for lunch at the British High Commission the next day. I’m pretty sure they would have asked me, too, had they not been so intimidated by my tremendous intellect and aura of gravitas.

I got the opportunity to tell all the lovely airport bookstore managers that I have been using their books to keep me alive on flights, my theory being that god won’t allow a plane I’m riding in to crash when I have a new book to read because that would be cruel. We had much fun discussing books I should read. (See list at end of this extensive blog).

Then I got to meet Barb Hawarth-Attard, one of Canada’s best loved writers for teens. She’s very funny and nice and she was accompanied by my very good web-friend, whom I’d never before met in person, Maggie Woods. Maggie is an amazing fantasy writer. If you like fantasy even a little, you must read her Princess Pawn series. Barb has a new book out called A is for Angst and I can't wait to read it. It looks hilarious. The three of us had dinner together in our pajamas and are now bonded for life, whether Barb and Maggie like it or not.

I had Saturday to myself and, after I worked for a while, I ventured out into Yorkville to go window shopping. Unfortunately, I ran into the same trouble I always have when I go to Yorkville: a sudden, catastrophic money hemorrhage. I went two doors down from the hotel to a store that sold bathing suits. Now, I hate buying bathing suits as much as the next person, but Shan, the store, had them lining the walls in this very minimal way that was somehow quite enticing. And I tried one on and damned if it didn’t look not terrible. And it was a bikini! I now realize they were employing the old skinny mirror/special lighting trick, but at the time I was completely taken with all the toning and slimming my body had done all by itself in the two days I’d been in Toronto. A miracle! One doesn’t walk out of a shop without purchasing a miracle.

I should have been suspicious when I realized there was no price tag. I asked about the price when I brought the suit up to the counter and was chagrined to realize it was nearly the price of my flight to Toronto. But again, one doesn’t like to scorn the miracles god sends our way, so I bought it. Also, I figured that since I paid so much for it, I wouldn’t be tempted to eat ever again. So it’s really kind of a weight loss device as well as a bathing suit. After that, I retreated to bed to lick my bank book in hopes of fixing the injury to my balance.

That night Barb, Maggie, Lynne, lovely fellow author Don Aker, as well as Harpercollins super vixens Charidy and Patricia, and I went to the HarperCollins party and then the Children’s Gala where we partied with Liza, sales manager for the children's division at Harper, and many other publishing luminaries. I finally got to meet Ken Oppel, who was charming and funny and tall and Teresa Toten, comic genius behind Me and the Blondes. I ran into my friend Richard Scrimger, who is amazing in about twelve different ways and Marnelle Tokio, who is a fine, funny writer and a fellow horse lunatic. I’m probably forgetting to mention a whole host of other people. Forgive me. It’s past my bedtime.

Then it was back to the hotel and room service in Barb and Maggie’s room. The next day we went for breakfast and on our way out we saw the publicity director waiting for Clive Barker, horror master, who was a bit late descending from his room.

I did my signing and met many amazing readers, including Kasey, who was particularly funny and nice (send me that photo, Kasey, unless it is another one in which my biceps look gargantuan!) Then Clive Barker finally showed up looking every inch the… horror writer. He had on peculiar pants, perhaps sewn by a demon with a background in home-ec, a delightfully raspy voice, and a very attractive companion. I didn’t get to meet him but I could tell his fans thought the wait well worth it.

And then I came home. With a bathing suit that is too expensive to wear.

All in all, another fine Book Expo.

With thanks to Anna, George, and the rest of the HDS managers as well as the magnificent HarperCollins book sales reps, here are a few book recommendations:

… Crap! Where is that list? Okay, I’ll post this and add the list as soon as I find my book. This is really boning my big “book reveal” moment.

I am NOT an addict

This ever-worsening visiting via facebook compulsion of mine could be viewed as a problem, but since there is a Teens In Transition (Not in Trouble)group on facebook, it is now a completely legitimate, non-work avoiding thing to do.

Lordy, I love me some facebook.