Happy New Year 2013

Happy New Year, everyone!  Hope you all had a wonderful New Year's and a great start to 2013.

A few years ago, my husband and I started a New Year's Eve tradition that I love: we buy a ton of hors d'oeuvres (frozen mozzerella sticks, chips and dip, potstickers, taquitoes, cheese and crackers, etc.) and we eat them all as the clock clicks toward midnight.  Then we watch the ball drop on TV and clink the champagne glasses that we got as wedding presents and only ever use on New Year's Eve.

Of all the ways I've ever spent New Year's Eve, it's my favorite.

On New Year's Day, we watch the Rose Parade.  Some years I remember to eat black-eyed peas for good luck.  Usually I forget.  We also forget to buy a new calendar for the kitchen every single year.  That's practically a tradition now too.

This year, on New Year's Day, I had a lovely surprise.  I woke to find out that VESSEL was named a finalist for a Cybils Award.  This was a wonderful start to the new year.  VESSEL also had a lovely end to the old year: Kirkus listed VESSEL as one of the Best Books of 2012.  And YALSA's The Hub blog chose VESSEL's cover as one of the best covers of 2012.  So, yay, yay, and yay!

I am really excited about this year.  For the first time ever, I have two books coming out in the same year!  My next YA novel, SWEET NOTHINGS (title may change), will be out from Walker/Bloomsbury in fall 2013.  And my first novel for adults, THE LOST, will be out from Luna/Harlequin also in fall 2013.  THE LOST is the first in a trilogy.  I'll be posting more about both books on my website and blog in the coming months.

So... goodbye, 2012!  And hello, 2013! 

Wishing you heath and happiness (and lots of books) in the new year!

Cybils Announced!

The 2006 Cybils (Children's and YA Bloggers' Literary Awards) winners have been announced!

I was a judge in the Middle Grade Fiction category, and we had five fabulous books to read. The book we chose as our winner is a true gem. Unique premise, memorable characters, great storyline. We all fell in love with it from the very first sentence: "On the morning of the best day of her life, Maud Flynn was locked in the outhouse, singing 'The Battle Hymn of the Republic.'" Of course I'm talking about A DROWNED MAIDEN'S HAIR: A MELODRAMA by Laura Amy Schlitz. Congratulations to Ms. Schlitz!!! This is a truly wonderful book. The win is well-deserved.

Here's a list of the winners in all the categories:

Middle Grade Fiction:
A Drowned Maiden's Hair: A Melodrama
by Laura Amy Schlitz
Candlewick Press

Young Adult Fiction:
Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist
by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan
Knopf Books for Young Readers

Fantasy and Science Fiction:
Ptolemy's Gate (The Bartimaeus Trilogy, Book 3)
Jonathan Stroud
Hyperion: Miramax

Fiction Picture Books:
Scaredy Squirrel
by Melanie Watt
Kid’s Can Press

Graphic Novels - Ages 12 and Under:
Amelia Rules! Volume 3: Superheroes
by Jim Gownley
Renaissance Press

Graphic Novels - Ages 13 and Up:
American Born Chinese
Gene Yang
First Second

Non-Fiction, Middle Grade and Young Adult:
Freedom Walkers: The Story of the Montgomery Bus Boycott
by Russell Freedman
Holiday House

Non-Fiction Picture Books:
An Egg Is Quiet
written by Dianna Aston; illustrated by Sylvia Long
Chronicle Books

Poetry:
Butterfly Eyes and Other Secrets of the Meadow
written by Joyce Sidman, illustrated by Beth Krommes
Houghton Mifflin

Congratulations to all the winners! And happy reading, everyone!