Thank you TLA! (Also: MICHIGAN, I am coming for you.)

This is the quickest blog post ever. I am giving myself 10 minutes to write it. That means if you're looking for deep and interesting thoughts, this is probably not the blog you're looking for.

But hey, isn't it deep and interesting to say TEXAN LIBRARIANS ROCK? I think it is. And going to Fort Worth to see them was awesome and I loved every minute. So, thank you TLA, for having me.

I have had a week off to try to catch up with life, but it was my favorite week of the year...Vagina Monologues week! I'd usually write something about why I do it, how V-Day helps, how the organization has raised nearly 100 MILLION DOLLARS to help women and girls who have been raped and sexually abused. Instead, I'll send you to the last piece I wrote about in case you're interested. The Book Lady Rocks for asking me to write this.

Also, you can check out the blog about my two BFFs, which talks about how I got involved with the Monologues. It's here and there are pictures of me as a teen, including a prom pic, so you might want to click. 

MICHIGAN!

I will be in Ann Arbor this Friday night at Nicola's Books at 7pm. 

Come out and see me. We will have fun. 

And then on Saturday, I'll be at the 

Ann Arbor District Library
343 South Fifth Avenue
Ann Arbor, Michigan 48104

More details here.

Pictures now!

The trippiest hotel carpet yet. 3D baby. 

Courtney & Karin, my favorite OK PhDs. :) The water bottle represents
our missing comrade, Mark, who I will see later this year.
A great signing of REALITY BOY ARCs at TLA. Woot. 

TLA teen giveaway night. Photo cred: Andrew Smith

The night before the Vagina Monologues.
Working on programs long after midnight.

I am only posting this picture so you can see my boots.
I am boot obsessed.
I know this. You should too.
These are my 1997 Amsterdam boots.
They have metal heels.
I love them.
They make me 6 feet tall.
Photo cred: Tina Buchter. xo

 BONUS SCREENSHOTS YOU'D NEVER EXPECT FROM A SHORT BLOG

She doesn't look 27. She looks jewel-encrusted.
And ridiculous.

I have no idea why I didn't click on this. I totally should
have clicked on this. I want to know what those 37 things are.
I welcome all guesses in the comment section.

In two weeks, I'll be the keynote speaker for the Backspace Conference in NYC. After that, I am DONE traveling for a while, have a revision due, a book to write, and a house to move. When I am feeling more sure about it all happening, I will post my OMGTREDAWT (OMG that real estate deal actually went though) post. Until then, send good vibes to the real estate/mortgage gods for me, eh?

And then after that, we'll talk about how excited I am to be starting a faculty position at Vermont College of Fine Arts during the July residency. 

But for now, we will just get to the OMGTREDWT part and breathe. 

Hey Wow! The L.A. Times video interview!

The L.A. Times posted a great interview with me from last weekend. I totally thought this interview went oddly at the time. I was really tired. It was the end of the day. Short skirts and tall chairs are a tough match. But in the end, it turned out to be okay.

YOU HAVE TO CLICK HERE TO SEE IT BECAUSE I CAN'T EMBED IT.

Still in Texas.
Be back soon.

An interview and a glog from some PA readers.

Heading to Texas early tomorrow for TLA and ALL THE AWESOME LIBRARIANS. 

Two things before I leave:

One, a GREAT interview is here with the amazing Caroline Leavitt.

Two, I'd never heard of a glog before (grog, yes, glog, no.) I'm thrilled to be part of a multi-couny read in Pennsylvania this summer. Some students have put together this awesome glog for it. Cool, eh?

 

On winning the LA Times Book Prize

So, yeah.
Last weekend was LA weekend. And yes, I knew I was a finalist for the LA Times Book Prize but did I think I'd win it? Hell no.
Look.
I'm an optimist. A positive thinker. But when it comes to awards, I just try not to think about it much.
That's just a sane way to approach that kind of stuff, I think. Anyway, I was honored to be a finalist...there was a lot of heavy medal on that list of contenders.

Anyway, I won it. And thank all gods that the young adult literature category was first because I didn't have to wait long for my heart to stop thumping out of my chest as the lovely Robin Benway announced each finalist, described our books, and then said the most unexpected words after the "And the winner of the Los Angeles Times Book Prize for Young Adult Literature is..." part.

I made a speech about love and how I've sent love to random passengers in airplanes my whole life. I asked the audience to send love to random passengers more often. I said, "Send love. It helps."

Then I sat down and enjoyed the rest of the fantastic ceremony with a downright normal heart rate. (And it really was a great ceremony. The LA Times and USC know how to do an award ceremony.)

At the end of the ceremony, I got to chat with Margaret Atwood about how she'd shown me early in my writing career (thanks to my HS English teacher who'd sent me Dancing Girls in a box full of books by women because I'd told her I was reading mostly male writers) that women could be serious literary writers and could be as innovative as they wanted to be. I cried as I talked to her, so it's safe to say that Margaret Atwood would never believe in a million years that I am part Vulcan.

Did I mention that Mr. King was with me for this trip? Oh he was. And how cool is that? I'll tell you how cool. Mr. King stays home to mind the kids every time I go anywhere. So not only did I get to take him to California, where he's wanted to go since he was a kid, but he got to see me win this thing. That's huge.
Seriously.
The man has been watching me write novels for 20 years.
He watched me get rejected for over 12 years.
He watched me get my first book deal.
He saw my face when I came down the steps that day after the Printz committee called...but he didn't get to come to New Orleans to hear me speak.
But he was there this time.
And it was so so great.

The festival was awesome. Every bit as amazing as I'd heard the LA Times Book Festival was.
I got to meet a load of very groovy fans (thank you all for coming out to see me!)
As always, I wish I got more pictures.

But I did get some good ones & Mr. King got some great ones too.
So here's our weekend in pictures...

Probably my favorite picture of us ever.
This is in the stretch limo from the airport to the hotel.
Had no idea there would be a limo.
I mean, come on. We're stinking hippies.
Right?

Screenshot form the LA Times Friday night/Sat morning.
This is the only picture of me accepting the award, so thanks to
Lawrence K. Ho for capturing my knack for speaking
with my hands.

Those are your winners and LA Times peeps.

That's me telling Margaret Atwood that she's awesome and telling her
about Rosemary Hauseman, my high school English teacher.
And that's the really cool Florence Williams on the right.
Florence wrote Breasts: A Natural and Unnatural History
and won the Science and Technology prize.

Mr. King wanted to get a shot of me in front of the green room with my prize and those rocking
chandeliers behind me. USC campus is really beautiful. Did I mention that?

Our panel on Saturday morning was fantastic.
Left to right, a picture of the attending finalists and
the judges for this year: Martine Leavitt, Elizabeth Wein,
myself, Rollie Welch, Angie Benedetti, Lynn Rutan.
(Missing finalists Paolo Baciagalupi & Matthew Quick.)

LEMONY SNICKET AND A.S. KING BOTH WEAR GREEN SHOES.
This is the only picture I have (or will ever have) of Lemony Snicket. 

I ran into Daniel Handler and we decided to pose for prom-style pictures.
I couldn't keep a straight face.
The man is a comedic genius.

You know I love wing pictures.
Here's one over northern Arizona.

Now...I'm off to Texas.

TEXAS! Are you ready for me? I've been waiting years to get to you. YEARS. True fact: when I was 19, I outlined Texas on my US map in red marker because I was obsessed with getting there.

So, if you're a Texas librarian and you're heading to TLA, you can see me on Friday from 12-1 at the LBYR booth. We'll have copies of my books as well as ADVANCE COPIES of REALITY BOY.

Rock it.

Panel at L.A. Festival of Books 4-20

This week is LOS ANGELES WEEK.

Wow. That came fast.
Friday night I will be at the Los Angeles Festival of Books Award Ceremony with Mr. King and I may or may not be wearing my lucky boots.


Then on Saturday, I will be part of a fantastic panel at 11am called:

Young Adult Fiction: Danger & Determination
Location: Taper Hall (THH 201)
Moderator: Angelina Benedetti
Panelists: A.S. King, Martine Leavitt, Elizabeth Wein

You already know me, but in case you don't know my fellow panelists...

Martine Leavitt was born in 1953 in Alberta, Canada. She received a Bachelors of Arts degree, first class honours, from University of Calgary and a Master of Fine Arts from Vermont College. She has seven children and twelve grandchildren and lives with her husband in Alberta, Canada. Leavitt writes contemporary and fantasy novels, and short stories for young adults. Her books have been translated into German, Italian, Danish, Dutch, Japanese, and Korean. Her first three novels, the Marmawell Trilogy, are published under the name of Martine Bates. Keturah and Lord Death was a finalist for the National Book Award. Leavitt currently teaches in the MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults program at Vermont College of Fine Arts.

Elizabeth Wein's first five books recount a version of the King Arthur stories which moves the narrative to the kingdom of Aksum in 6th century Ethiopia. The stories focus on her interpretation of Medraut (Mordred) and his half-Aksumite, half-British son Telemakos. Her 2012 novel, Code Name Verity, is a World War II thriller focusing on the friendship between two young British women, a transport pilot and a spy. It was designated a Michael L. Printz Award Honor book in 2013. Wein's short stories have been published in collections edited by Ellen Datlow, Terri Windling, and Sharyn November.



After this panel, there is a signing and THEN at 1:30, I will be signing at the Mysterious Galaxy booth #368. Come see me chilling with one of my favorite indie bookstores!

I will try to take some pictures so I can update you when I get home...but I turn around and leave for Texas the following week, so I may be late because I have these books to write and all sorts of real estate jargon floating around my life right now.

Rock it!

NYC Author Carnival in Pictures, Kinda

I know I'm on a blog break, but I hit 23,000 words on the new book last night, so I am giving myself a half hour to post a few pictures from NYC Author Carnival before they become completely irrelevant.

It was a fantastic time and I have to thank David Levithan, the world's most fantastic human, for making sure I got there this year. Coaxing a hermit is not the easiest task. David, you can now add 'hermit coaxer' to your long list of talents.

Random Pictures from NYC:

This is the amazing Deirdre Jones from
Little, Brown and her cool shirt at the NYPL on Saturday.
You know, you can buy one of these shirts.
Just look over to the right at the first link that says
buy cool SHIrTs.
The panel at NYPL was fantastic and someone has a picture of it...
oh look. It's here.

Thank you Alice Pope! This is me, and four of the smartest people I have ever met...Aaron Hartzler, Marissa Calin, Jacqueline Woodson and David Levithan. It was a great panel.

We call this: I'm looking at you, NYPL.

While this may seem like a typical snapshot of a subway sign,
what it really is, is: a scene from the book I'm writing right now. 

I would like to thank whoever wrote this on the trashcan in the
bathroom at McNally Jackson Bookstore.
I was struggling with a name for a character and I now have one.

The reading at McNally Jackson on Saturday was awesome. I got to hang out with
and read with Sharon Cameron, Michael Northrop, Diana Peterfreund,
Victoria Schwab, Nova Ren Suma and David, too, of course.
Then we went out to dinner and I ate eggplant and
I didn't call it aubergine even though I really wanted to.
My apologies to those awesome participants in this photograph who look like demons.
I tried so hard to get rid of that red eye, but even my
fancy photography degree didn't work.
I figure it's more badass to say I went out to dinner
with people who are partial demons.
I am not afraid of you.  

I want this sign.
I want it 12 feet from my head at all times.

This picture brought to you by The Joys of House Hunting:

I thought it was spooky, so I shared.

That's me. Thank you to all of you who came out to see us in NYC and to those who came to Books of Wonder for the awesome Sunday signing, wow! You all rock. Thanks for making that trip.

I'll be back before I go to LA to say some more stuff if I have stuff to say.
But mostly, I'll be writing.

I do have a soup recipe to share. I also want to talk to you about business suits and if authors ever wear them.
Also, I want to talk about racism and I will have to talk about V-Day, rape, and the Vagina Monologues because ours are happening the first weekend of May and it's been a while and I have a lot to say about that these days. For now, here's a great article I read about it. 

Gone Fishing.

I'm about to go fishing for a while. (I don't really fish. I used to sit by the river while Mr. King fished and write in a tiny book about things. I have no idea where that book is, now that I mention it. I'm guessing it's in the attic here with everything else I never unpacked 8 years ago when I moved in.)

Anyway.

Two bits of cool news before I pack up and head off.

1. ASK THE PASSENGERS was a Los Angeles Library Best Teen book of 2012. See the entire list here.

2. ASK THE PASSENGERS landed on the 2013 Cooperative Children's Book Center Choices list. This is awesome. CCBC is such a great organization.

ALSO, BRADFORD, PA READERS: 

MY 3/20 EVENT AT UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH BRADFORD HAS BEEN POSTPONED UNTIL NEXT WEEK.

NEW DATE & TIME 

UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH, BRADFORD:

TUESDAY, MARCH 26TH 6:30PM

So.
I've been writing a book.
My goal is to have 20,000 words written by April-ish.
It's a cool book.
A very cool book.

21 years is a lot of years

So, today is my anniversary and I'm in the library because Mr. King is working the circ desk and we're going to go out to lunch. In between then, I have to finish the library minutes for tonight's meeting and check the personnel paperwork I'm supposed to have with me for the same meeting.

We'll call this the library anniversary.

Anyway, here's a picture or two of us since I'm no longer all that shy to share things like this here.

That's Mr. King's "Hey you crazy Americans, why are you
throwing birdseed at me?" face.

Yes. I am wearing a leather in this picture.

OTHER NEWS I DIDN'T TELL YOU LAST TIME:

A lovely review appeared in the San Francisco Book Review last week for Ask the Passengers.
An excerpt:

It shouldn’t be a shock to anyone by now that A.S. King has written another masterpiece with Ask the Passengers. The depth and growth of Astrid through her own self-discovery accompanied by friends, family, and the girl she falls in love with make this a book worthy of any shelf.

AND UPCOMING STUFF:

Are you near Bradford, PA? Next Wednesday (3-20) night I'll be speaking on the U of Pittsburgh Bradford campus about all sorts of things from 6-8pm.

ALSO DO NOT MISS THE NYC AUTHOR CARNIVAL!

Details: 

Saturday March 23 

Symposium (42nd Street NYPL, Bergen Forum, 2nd Floor, 1-5) 

 1:00-2:10 – Defying Description: Tackling the Many Facets of Identity in YA 7-8:30- Mutual Admiration Society reading at McNally Jackson McNally Jackson, Prince Street 

 Sunday March 24 

1-4pm: Mega-Signing at Books of Wonder Amy will be signing at 2:30-3:15

Okay! Romantic lunch time!

#43inAZ and Arizona in Pictures

I am giving myself an hour to write this blog.
I will rely on pictures, mostly. But first with the words. (Warning from the future: there is time travel required in order to piece together this story. My brain is fried. Forgive the brain-fried author.)

So, you all know I was headed to Arizona for the Tucson Festival of Books and to sign at the awesome Changing Hands Bookstore. Let me stop here and say just how awesome the Changing Hands Bookstore is. I love this place. It makes me smile all over. I want to hug everyone in the shop when I am there. I do not know why, but this is the phenomenon of Changing Hands.

Anyway, we packed the house for the kickoff for my birthday weekend and I want to thank everyone for coming out to see me. It makes it so special to see familiar faces when I come back to Tempe. It makes me so happy that shopping local means so much to all of you. Yay Tempe! Yay Arizona family! You make me feel so loved. Thank you!

Since we're still talking and not in picture mode yet, I gotta send huge love to Lisa McMann, who not only drove us all around but who is a very amazing friend and a very special person and a very awesome woman and an all around winner. Lisa, you are the win. Thank you so much for everything. Next time, I will christen your pool with 100 laps. I will make sure to come when it's not freezing.

The weather. It was cold. I hadn't expected that even though I saw it on the weather report.
It said 60. I just reckoned it was lying and 60 was warmer than it was here, so I just ignored it, you know?
But 60 is cold.
Especially in Arizona.
But that did not stop people from coming to the Tucson Festival of Books on Saturday. As always, it was a great festival. So many authors! So many great people to see!

Oh. Back up. Let's time travel back to Friday. Friday we went to Casa Grande and visited Casa Grande Union High School where awesome librarian Lisa Morris-Wilkey set up a fantastic day for Lisa, Heather Brewer and me. A great day was had and I love being on stage with Lisa and Heather. We've known each other such a long time now, it's the most natural thing in the world to be with them doing what we love to do.

Also: Friday night I got to call RL Stine "Bob."

ANYWAY. Saturday was boss at the festival. Came home to relax in the hot tub with Joanne Levy (Joanne, does it strike you as a theme that we end up together in water?) who traveled with us all weekend as well (a shout out here to Jen Nielsen, who was with us, too!) and then Sunday was my birthday.

Here's where I thank Heather Brewer for being an amazing person and hanging with me on my birthday. It made my day special and though we didn't really do much except chill out (I had one of the best naps ever--welcome to 43) all day, Heather is the most perfect person to chill out with. Also, she gave me THE COOLEST BIRTHDAY PRESENT EVAH. (I don't have a picture of it, but I'll give you a hint: it was a very cool squid.)
Then my Arizona family took me out to dinner and we had a real birthday party! #43inAZ. Imagine that. Last birthday party I can remember: when I turned 21. So, it had been a while.
There was cake. (Shannon YOU ROCK.)
I got married to two lovely derby girls. (Two. I am the luckiest honorary derby girl in the whole damn world.)
I had flowers in my hair to prove it.
And there was another squid. This time a boss ceramic squid.
Prediction: when I die, I will be buried with many squid.

Picture time!

Picture thanks to Joanne Levy
Dinner before Changing Hands event with Heather, Faith, Robyn, Joanne, Amy Dominy, Jim Blasingame,
AKA my Changing Hands knight in shining armor, and Lisa. 

Photo thanks to Shannon Bailey
Reading at Changing Hands. The audience asked cool questions.
I read from 2013's REALITY BOY too. I think they dug it.

The Casa Grande Union High School Auditorium before it was packed
with students who actually SANG HAPPY BIRTHDAY to me.
You guys ROCKED. Thank you.

This is me and Aaron.
Aaron is totally boss.
Aaron wrote a cool poem that was really really good.
I hope he continues to write poems.
(And maybe make it to a few slams, too. Go Aaron.)

I'm Ted Danson and I don't need no stinkin badges.

Neither of them shared their ice cream. 

Photo Crd: Erin's awesome fiancé
Tom Leveen & me during our panel.
Tom, have you ever seen Monty Python's Life of Brian?
I believe here we are playing the jailer and the jailer's assistant here.
"Well, it's not as n-- n-- n-- n-- n-- n-- n-- n-- no-- no-- no-- not as n-- nasty as something I just thought up, sir."

Photo Crd: Erin's awesome fiancé
Erin Lange rocks. Here she is cracking me up.
Random: I should mention that I ran while eating a bratwurst to get to this panel. 

Photo Crd: Erin's awesome fiancé
I'm tossing this one in there because said awesome fiancé caught me in my favorite pose.
This is the pose I make when I talk about the business side of being an author.
The heels of my hands are digging into my forehead so as to guard my eyeballs
from me poking them out on the spot. 

I am a huge fan of Jacqueline Woodson. Huge.
I was so stoked to be on a panel with her.
Fact: only book I brought home from the festival was Summer of the Mariposas
 by Guadalupe Garcia McCall, our fellow panel mate. I can't wait to read it.

Last sunset of my 42nd year. 

Last Mexican meal of my 42nd year.
Also, as Heather Brewer pointed out, there were huge frogs attacking from above.
I AM BADASS SO I ATE THE FROGS BEFORE THEY ATE ME.

The morning of my birthday breakfast, Heather and I found this on the wall of the diner.
We voted to share it with you.

Birthday with airplane. On a bench in the sun in Phoenix.

Derby wives are the most badass wives on planet Earth.
Also: First Mexican meal of my 43rd year. 

Two words: Buttercream icing.
Also note the candles say 34.
Coolest server ever. 

Happy family when I got home yesterday.
Birthday glasses FTW.

Other news:
This blog has now taken me way longer than two hours.
There is a massage chair and Pandora Cuban radio waiting for me.

Remind me to tell you about the lovely review in the the San Francisco Book Review and NYC Author Carnival next time.

Go have fun.