Yesterday my library put on its first annual Teen Book Festival. Scott Westerfeld was the keynote speaker. If you haven't heard Mr. Westerfeld speak in public before--he is a RIOT! I especially loved hearing about how he came up with the idea for writing his Levianthan trilogy (which I love) and how he and the artist, Keith Thompson worked together to create such an interesting world. There were many local authors invited to speak and do book signings as well. I was one of them. Some of the other authors that came to present were: Ally Condie, Brandon Sanderson, Carol Lynch Williams, Brandon Mull (who I sat next to during Mr. Westerfeld's speech), Sara Zarr, Jessica Day George, Bree Despain, Kristin Chandler, and many more than I could possibly list here. Hundreds and hundreds of teens and their parents came to the Teen Book Fest. You should have seen some of the lines for the author book signings. Scott Westerfeld's line went on forever. The building was so packed you could barely get around from place to place. My favorite part of the evening was getting to talk to the teens in the question and answer sessions. My favorite question was "Don't you get rich when you get a book published?" I quickly explained that unless you are J. K. Rowling or Stephanie Meyer--most authors definitely have to keep their day job. They seemed a little disappointed by my answer. : ) Because it was the day before Halloween, all the kids and authors came dressed in costumes so they could take part in the costume contest and win some prizes. I was a steampunk Victorian lady in honor of Scott Westerfeld's visit. (See picture above) The whole event was such a success I think the library will be putting on another one next year.
Hope I'm invited again!
