The 22nd Annual Norfolk Public Library Literature Festival

This past Saturday, July 30th, it was my privilege to be a guest at the The 22nd Annual Norfolk Public Library Literature Festival. The event was held at the Lifelong Learning Center and featured three current nominees for the 2017 Golden Sower Award, myself,  Jill Esbaum (Teeny Tiny Toady), and Sally M. Walker (Winnie: The True Story of the Bear Who Inspired Winnie-the-Pooh), along with Alan Gratz (Prisoner B-3087), a 2015 Golden Sower Award winner.

All four of us flew into Omaha on Friday, where the wonderful Karen Drevo, Youth Services Librarian and general festival head honcho, picked us up and drove us the two and a half hours north to the city of Norfolk. After checking in to our hotels, we went out for a great dinner along with more library staff and volunteers.

After dinner, Alan Gratz and I got a ride to downtown Norfolk. As it turned out, it was "Cruise Night," a couple-times-a-year event where classic cars, muscle cars, and, well, just car-cars drive up and down the main street and the whole town turns out on lawn chairs to sit and watch the parade. There was live music and food trucks, although we were both stuffed from dinner so we didn't sample. After walking up and down the strip several times, we ducked into Black Cow Fat Pig, where I sampled a local stout. Then Alan and I walked the 45 minutes back to our hotel, catching several Pokemon along the way!

Then it was Saturday and time for the festival! Things kicked off at 9am with attendees choosing between five offerings, writing workshops taught by the four guests or a preview of all the Golden Sower nominated works. I taught a permutation of the writing workshop I perfected in the trenches in my recent sojourn in Columbus. The room was full and the students were great. Special shout out to two particular fans, the brothers who came in early and talked Pokemon Go with us!

After the morning, the rest of the festival was only one programming item at a time. This was solo presentations from each of us, two before lunch and two after. I don't often get to listen to
my fellow authors talk, so I was thrilled to be able to be in the audience for all three of them. And Alan's "Choose Your Own Adventure" style presentation was inspired! (We got killed by a tornado.)

The day ended with a huge signing where we all autographed for long lines of fans.

Then we drove to Omaha --thanks Sam for the ride; hope we didn't drive you crazy with authory-businessy talk! Finally, our weekend ended with dinner on the upstairs outdoor patio of the Upstream Brewing Company.

A huge thank you to Karen Drevo, all of her staff and volunteers, my fellow authors, and all the enthusiastic readers who make the Norfolk Public Library Literature Festival a great time for all! I'll have to get nominated for another Golden Sower one day so I can come back!

Pottery Barn Kids Presents Author Spotlight with Lou Anders

Yesterday, I was the guest of Pottery Barn Kids at The Summit Shopping Center in Birmingham, Alabama for "Pottery Barn Kids Presents Author Spotlight with Lou Anders." I was there from 11am to 3pm, selling and signing copies of Frostborn and Nightborn at the front of the store.

I have never done an event at Pottery Barn Kids before. Thus far, I have appeared in over 40 schools around the Unites States, as well as numerous bookstores, libraries, literary festivals, and conventions. But never a Pottery Barn. I had no idea what to expect.

Also, it should be mentioned that I have a Viking helmet that has gone with me on most of the aforementioned travels. But there's a full costume with it that I have never worn publicly anywhere but Trick-or-Treating with my kids. At the last minute, on my way out the door, I decided to break it out, because if you can't go The Full Viking at Pottery Barn Kids, where can you?

Well, the day was great. I spoke with a lot of great kids and parents, sold and signed a lot of books, meet several educations interested in school visits, and had a blast!

Though, mind you, the choice to wear a fur-lined cape in July in Alabama might not have been the wisest.

Reflections from the Road: Catfish and ASLA

This past Saturday, June 4th, I was a guest of the Athens-Limestone Public Library's 2nd Annual Catfish Literary Festival, held in Athens, Alabama. There were no catfish in attendance that I could see, but there were some 33 Alabama authors exhibiting their works. I participated in a science fiction and fantasy panel and then gave a solo presentation on the world of Thrones & Bones. Thanks to host Kristopher Reisz, director Paula Laurita, and everyone else who came out to the show(and especially to those who bought books!).

Then on Monday, June 6th, I attended the Alabama School Library Association Summer Conference, held this year at Corner High School in Dora, Alabama. This is an annual meeting of school librarians from across the state. They come for a day of workshops and lectures, but in between each session, they mingle with the attending authors (and buy books!). As I've spoken to some seventeen schools in Alabama, I saw a lot of familiar faces. It was a good time and the door was opened on the possibility of several more school visits in the fall.

Reflections from the Road: Dacula Elementary and Mulberry Elementary

This week, I made a return visit to Gwinnett County, Georgia for two school visits. On May 11th, I was a guest of Dacula Elementary School. I previously visited Dacula for an evening appearance at their Scholastic Book Fair. This time, I came back during the day to give three separate Thrones & Bones book presentations to their third, fourth, and fifth classes respectively. It was a great time, and all together I spoke to around 560 students across the three grades. What's more, the students had made some fantastic Thrones & Bones fan art--always a highlight of school visits!


That evening, I was treated to Jim 'N Nicks Bar-B-Q by Media Specialist Paul Carey and his wife Dea, where we had great food and wonderful conversation (everything from Terry Pratchett to Babylon 5.)

Then it was up early on May 12th for my first visit to Mulberry Elementary School, marking what is my 40th school since I began touring with the debut of Frostborn. (If you want to see the full list of my travels, click here.) I did three back to back presentations for their 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade classes as well at Mulberry, and had an absolute blast! Thank you very much to Media Specialist Susan Noland for having me in her fine library  and making it such a fantastic visit!

Reflections from the Road: My Visit with Boy Scouts of America Troop 86

I've spoken to around forty schools since Frostborn debuted, all across America. You can see the list here if you are curious. I've also spoken at a lot of libraries and at literary festivals in addition to science fiction and fantasy conventions. But recently, a new venue for sharing the world of Thrones & Bones has opened up. You see, I'm very fortunate that this month my short story, "Kori and the Troll," is the featured fiction in the May 2016 issue of Boy's Life, the official magazine of the Boy Scouts of America. And through that connection, I got invited to speak to Troup 86!

Last night, I spoke to a room full of Boy Scouts. The scouts were from several different schools, but in a room of about twenty scouts, only two had me visit their school before. I presented the world of Thrones & Bones, including a ton of amazing imagery created by artists Justin Gerard, Andrew Bosley, and Robert Lazzaretti. I showed pictures of my research trip to Norway. And I talked about the creation of the Thrones & Bones and Charioteers board games (which feature in the books Frostborn and Nightborn respectively, with rules for each included in the back of their books). Afterwards, I got to sign and rune-stamp books for the scouts.

It was a great time, and I hope I get to talk to other Boy Scout troops in future. Meanwhile, thank you Troop 86 for hosting me!

Reflections from the Road: Alabama Library Association 2016 Annual Conference

With my handler Annabelle. Thumbs up!

Last night, I drove to Gadsden, Alabama for the Alabama Library Association 2016 Annual Conference. I was there for the Author Expo, which was held at 210 at the Tracks, an event venue in downtown Gadsden. I got there an hour early so that I could visit Dragon Quills, the local comic and gaming store. Dragon Quills even has a small SF&F book selection, and I was tickled to see some fantasy books I edited on their shelf.

4pm saw a reception for the attending authors, about thirty of us, and then we were paired at booths with an equal number of exhibitors from 5pm to 8pm to mingle with librarians from around the state and sign books. Booksamillion was on hand with copies of Frostborn (in paperback) and Nightborn (in hardcover). I signed lots of books, met tons of wonderful librarians, and nearly sold out of Booksamillion's stock.

Afterwards, I got into an intense discussion with Joshilyn Jackson (The Opposite of Everyone) about Grant Morrison's best work and her peculiar "every other Doctor" preference for actors in Doctor Who (a bit like even numbered Star Trek films).

Thanks to Amanda Jackson, Director of the Gadsden Public Library and Gadsden Museum of Art, everyone at the Alabama Library Association, Booksamillion, and my wonderful handler Annabelle Barrow (check out her design work here).

Reflections from the Road: Altamont and Hilltop

With Spring Break just behind me, I've been remiss about reporting on recent school visits for the Nightborn tour. But last month, I visited both The Altamont School and Hilltop Montessori School. This was my second time speaking to both schools.

On March 15th, I spent a day with students at Altamont. In the morning, I spoke to the entire middle school, then I had lunch in the library with a group of about twenty students. Then, in the afternoon, I drew on my ten years as an art director to give a presentation about how book covers are commissioned, illustrated, designed, and produced to the 5th and 6th grade English classes. It was a fantastic time with some great kids.

Then, on March 23rd, I visited Hilltop Montessori School during their Spring Scholastic Book Fair. I didn't speak this visit, but sat at a table at the end of day signing the Scholastic edition of Frostborn. The school had also purchased several copies of Nightborn for sale to the students, and I'm thrilled to say we nearly sold out of both books.

More school visits coming up later this month! Stay tuned. And if you are a teacher, librarian, or student interested in having me visit your school, see the "For Educators" page of my website for information on how we can make this happen.

Reflections from the Road: Mountain Brook Junior High

Last week, I visited Mountain Brook Junior High School, where I taught my ScripTips writing workshop to around 24 students from their writing club. This is a presentation where I use examples from contemporary films to teach plotting and outlining. It went over very well, though it is sad to me that the Matrix is now a classic film and not something junior high students know!

Today, I returned to Mountain Brook Junior High to give a Thrones & Bones presentation to about 60 students drawn from the writing club, the book club, the drama club, the art club, and the graphic novel club.


There were maybe 10-15 students from last week coming back and the rest new, but all with an interest in various things creative.

Both visits were a blast! This was largely due to very smart students who asked very good questions and made very clever observation. I was really impressed with all of them and had a great time interacting. And I'm sure I've met the next generation of writers.

And we sold out of Frostborn and Nightborn! So I'll be making a return visit in the next week or so to sign books for students who wanted books but couldn't get them. Thanks to Little Professor for facilitating book sales and to Librarian Susan Zana for hosting!

Reflections from the Road: Mythicworlds 2016

This past weekend, I was honored to be a guest of  Mythicworlds 2016, which was held at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Seattle Airport. This is a music-and-costumed focused, Celtic and other mythologies themed weekend. I participated on two panels, gave a Thrones & Bones presentation, ran a demonstration of the Thrones & Bones board game, and taught my ScripTips writing workshop.

The convention was a blast, in no small part because friends Duane Wilkins (bookseller extraordinaire at Seattle's University Book Store), Pierce Watters (of Paizo and the Pathfinder Role Playing Game), and Todd Lockwood (world famous artist and author of the upcoming and brilliant novel, The Summer Dragon) all came down to hang out. And my friend, fabulous author Melissa Marr, was already there as a fellow guest!

As an added bonus, I got to spend some time Sunday morning chatting with Einar Selvik of the band Wardruna about his work with Norse runes and his music, which is played on reconstruction of Viking instruments.

Thanks to Robert Gould, Emilio Miller-Lopez, and Jason Pitzl-Waters for putting on a great show! And thanks to everyone came out and everyone who picked up copies of Frostborn and Nightborn!

Sea-Tac here I come: Heading to Mythic Worlds 2016

This coming weekend I am a guest of Mythicworlds 2016, to be held at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Seattle Airport (18740 International Boulevard, Seattle, Washington). I'll be giving a Thrones & Bones presentation, demonstrating a game of Thrones & Bones, teaching a writing workshop, and appearing on world building and cover art panels with the other great guests! If you're in the Seattle area, come say hi and get a signed copy of Frostborn or Nightborn!


Here is my convention schedule:

FRIDAY

3:00 – 4:00 Building Imaginary Worlds in Novels – Danika Dinsmore,
Anna Kyss, Nina K Hoffman, Lou Anders, Deborah Schneider
(Worlds of Fantasy)

World building is a vital aspect of speculative fiction and some authors have a special knack for it. Do they build their worlds before they put words on the page, as they are writing their stories, or a combination of the two? Are there special tricks, exercises, or skills for world-building? Listen and ask questions as our authors share their unique world-building experiences and read a short selection from their work.

SATURDAY

11:00 – 11:45 Inside the World of Thrones & Bones:
Story & Art – Lou Anders (Worlds of Fantasy)


Lou Anders introduces the experience that is Thrones & Bones: a book series, a board game, and, of course, the art. Lou’s viking-inspired creation is heavily illustrated, and Lou will be giving MythicWorlds a behind-the-scenes look at the art and writing of his adventure series. “Thrones & Bones” series will appeal to fans of Rick Riordan, Brandon Mull, and Lloyd Alexander.

12:00 – 12:45 Thrones & Bones Game Demonstration – Lou Anders (Worlds of Fantasy)


Lou Anders’ fantasy adventure series, “Thrones & Bones” takes its name from a board game that appears in the first book, “Frostborn.” Come learn about and play the actual “Thrones & Bones” game that appears in the novel. Loosely based on ancient Scandinavian board games, “Thrones & Bones” is a strategy game with a fantasy twist.

2:00 – 2:45 Storytelling with Images & Words – Lou Anders,
Melissa Marr, Cynthia Sheppard, A.M. Sartor, Deborah Schneider  (Worlds of Fantasy)

Book covers and illustrations are an essential part of marketing books but do authors and artists collaborate or work independently? On this panel we bring authors and artists together to discuss the process, and how images and words serve each other to dramatically tell stories in fantastic worlds.

SUNDAY

11:00 – 1:30 Author Book Signing / Reading Event – Open to the Public

In addition, I am also teaching a Writing Workshop:

SATURDAY, 3:00 PM - 5:00 PM 

LOU ANDERS:  SCRIPTIPS:  USING SCREENWRITING TECHNIQUES TO IMRPOVE YOUR NOVEL

Everyone who has tried their hand at writing has a folder full of openings that go nowhere. Many promising ideas bog down in their second half. In this audio-visual presentation, Lou Anders, author of the Thrones & Bones series from Penguin Random House and Hugo-award winning editor, discusses how a unique approach to structuring story in Hollywood screenplays can be repurposed to help writers struggling with outlining their novel. Using examples from film, Anders will demonstrate how character and structure work together to provide pace and reveal theme.

Learn simple techniques that have been demonstrated to help authors bring out the most in their story and maximize their emotional connection with their readers. Whether an author is a plotter or a panser, an understanding of these simple underlying principals in screenwriting can offer valuable insights for all novelists. Recommended pre-workshop viewing: Casablanca, The Dark Knight, The Avengers, Big Hero 6, Ant-Man, The Amazing Spider-Man (2), Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol.

Duration: 120 min

Class limit: 40

$30 REGISTER NOW

Reflections from the Road: Randolph School

Friday, I raced the weather to go to Huntsville and give two talks on writing to about eighty 7th graders at Randolph School. I visited Randolph last year as well and it was fun to return. Although the then-impending weather meant the school had an early dismissal and I was in a hurry to get out of there. So after the second talk, I quickly signed copies of Nightborn, then leapt in my car and raced to beat the snow and make it home. The snow started coming down when I was minutes out of Huntsville, but I got ahead of it. It turned to rain and didn't snow again until I reached home.

Meanwhile, Saturday was a great day. My son and I went to meet two 5th grade fans from Vestavia Hills Elementary Central at Starbucks who wanted to have hot chocolate with the author. We talked about the books, and we played two games of Charioteers (from Nightborn). Fun!

Interview in The Leaf

A wonderful article about my visit to Riverchase Middle School in specific and my books and school visits in particular has appeared this week online in The Leaf. 

Thanks to journalist Angie Bell for a great piece! 

“I like fantasy,” said sixth grader Haniya. “This book has really good characters. I like the dragons and giants.”

Reflections from the Road: Fultondale Elementary School

On Tuesday, November 10th, I visited Fultondale Elementary School in Fultondale, Alabama during their Scholastic Book Fair. The moment I walked through the door, I was impressed by the library. It's a huge, bright space, dead center of the school, adorned with beautiful white columns and glass bricks. Nice!


I presented after lunch to the entire fourth and fifth grades, who were a very enthusiastic bunch (with a high percentage of Skyrim players in attendance. Fus Ro Dah!). Then I signed in the library for those who had bought books. The kids were great -- one boy said he was so excited he was going to faint. Fortunately, he didn't. But they were all very enthusiastic about Frostborn and it was great fun meeting them!

Thanks very much to Librarian Laurie Purser for arranging such a great visit! And for asking me to sign a Viking helmet!

And a huge thank you to Fultondale Elementary for giving me a place on the Wall of Visiting Authors!

Reflections from the Road: FaerieCon 2015

This past weekend, I was excited to be a guest at my first ever FaerieCon, where I joined such fabulous authors as Melissa Marr, Holly Black, Kami Garcia, and Kelley Armstrong. FaerieCon is a faerie/celtic themed event with a strong emphasis on music. The internationally famous  German band Faun appear every year, as well as bands like the marvelous Woodland. This year's FaerieCon had a Norse sub theme (explaining my appearance there), and featured a performance by Einar Selvik of Wardruna, the Norwegian band who play on traditional Norse instruments and whose music has been featured on the TV series Vikings.

After an early morning flight Friday morning, I arrived just in time to make a panel with Melissa Marr, Holly Black, and Kami Garcia ostensibly about the Faerie Marketplace, though it turned into more of a writing instruction panel. After which a friend I haven't seen since I was in college drove up to hang and found himself dragged to an Author's Tea where fans and authors gathered to sample tea and eat cookies, and he was nearly smashed by Wotan the Faerie Smasher. Then it was goodbye to my old friend and hello to four new ones, with a fabulous dinner with the three aforementioned authors and Kelley Armstrong. And after dinner Scotch.

Saturday was a full day with a panel entitled "Sex & Politics in Modern Fantasy" (hello? Children's book author!), an absolutely jammed packed/standing-room-only panel entitled "Norse Culture & Mythology in Modern Fantasy," a signing where I signed books for most of an hour, another Author's Tea, and a Faun concert.

Afterwards, I ended up giving an impromptu two-hour session of my ScripTips course to several interested parties in the bar, and then more Scotch, and then wine in a suite where the various band members were hanging out. And then suddenly it was 4:30 am.

Sunday yet another college friend drove up from DC to meet me for breakfast. Then I had my final signing and I'm happy to say we sold out of Frostborn and nearly of Nightborn! By this point, enough people had heard about ScripTips that I volunteered another session (in exchange for coffee and beer, which is considerably cheaper than my usual fee) and I taught another two hours to a group of about eight to ten people (who were very smart and very fun to teach).

The evening ended with an acoustic show, in which various members of Faun and Woodland played, bracketing a solo performance by Einar Selvik that was transcendent for this Norse-enthusiast.

And there ended a fantastic weekend!

Thanks to organizer Robert Gould, all the other authors, my two old college buddies, the tireless booksellers and convention staff, the Hunt Valley Inn, my drivers Cybele and Kim, all the musicians, and Wotan the Faerie Smasher for an unforgettable time.

FaerieCon 2015 Schedule

This weekend I'll be at FaerieCon 2015 in Baltimore, MD!  Come see me and a host of other guests, including Holly Black, Kami Garcia, Kelly Armstrong, Melissa Marr and Einar Selvik, founder of the band Wardruna, who provide the music for the show Vikings!  The convention has a Norse theme this year, so be sure to get your copy of Frostborn and Nightborn signed and stamped in Elder Futhark. 

My schedule for the weekend:

Friday November 6th

2:30-3:30 Panel: The Faerie & Fantasy Marketplace: 
Melissa Marr, Holly Black, Kami Garcia, Lou Anders

5:00-6:00 Author Tea: Drop by and see who’s hanging out! Meet our featured authors! Held in the Chase Room of the Tack Suites.

Saturday November 7th

11:00-12:00 Panel: Sex & Politics in Modern Fantasy: What’s Changed? - Kami Garcia, Holly Black, Lou Anders

2:30-3:30 Panel: Norse Culture & Mythology in Modern Fantasy - Lou Anders, Melissa Marr, Kelley Armstrong

5:00-6:00 Author Tea: Drop by and see who’s hanging out and meet our featured authors! Held in the Chase Meeting Room.

FAERIECON AUTHOR SIGNINGS SCHEDULE
BOOK SHOP, BOOTH B33 - LOWER LEVEL

Saturday November 7th

4:00 Holly Black & Lou Anders Signing

Sunday November 8th:

1:00 Kelley Armstrong, Melissa Marr and Lou Anders Signing 

Reflections from the Road: Fort Daniel Elementary and Dacula Elementary

Last Thursday, I had the pleasure of visiting two schools in Gwinnett County, Georgia, Fort Daniel Elementary and Dacula Elementary.

I drove down Wednesday afternoon, where Dacula Librarian Paul Carey and his wife met me for dinner at Jim 'N Nicks barbecue. We had a wonderful evening talking about books, gaming (role playing and board), Scifi TV, and other things, and ate entirely too much!

The next day it was up and off to Fort Daniel, where I met Librarian Beth Martinez. Beth showed me the fantastic artwork on their hallway wall depicting students' favorite scenes from Frostborn. I was really impressed, and, as you might imagine, honored and flattered. Then I presented to the fifth grade students (about 120 kids), followed by a signing of Nightborn (Their Frostborn order hadn't come in yet so I signed bookplates for that).

Afterwards, we had a lunch break - Domino's Pizza! - where I ate with Beth and about ten or so of her students. It was a very fun meal with some very bright kids (and one budding actress). Then I presented again to the fourth grade (about 115 students) and had another signing. Thanks so much to Beth Martinez and all her students for a great morning.

After a quick trip to the Barnes & Noble at the Mall of Georgai, and an obligatory recovery period at Starbucks, it was off to Dacula Elementary for their after-hours Scholastic Book Fair. Paul wisely planned my visit to coincide with their Literary Carnival, thus ensuring that there was a large turn out of parents and students. I was seated at a table with a big display of the Scholastic edition of Frostborn and my Thrones & Bones boardgames "travel set." I got to talk casually with parents and kids from 4pm to 7pm, after which I did a short presentation on my Thrones & Bones series. Having an author present during a book fair was great, and having a Literary Carnival there too was even better. I signed a LOT of books. And I got to meet Clifford the Big Red Dog!

Thanks very much to Librarian Paul Carey and all the parents and teachers.

Finally, after a fantastic day in Georgia, it was time to make the three hour drive home. But if you live in Gwinnett Country, don't worry. Like Frosty the Snowman, I'll be back again one day!

Pelham Reporter: Author thrills RMS students with ‘Thrones and Bones’

Today, I am interviewed by the Pelham Reporter in an article entitled "Author thrills RMS students with ‘Thrones and Bones.’ The occasion of the interview, which was conducted by Jessa Pease, was my recent visit to Riverchase Middle School, though the article is also about my Thrones & Bones series and school visits in general. Please check it out!

Here's an excerpt:

“I wanted to write a strong, strong female and a clever boy instead of what’s usually done,” he said. “I wanted to write a fantasy that would encapsulate all the things that I loved about the fiction I read growing up, but that would have parts for girls and parts for people who are not white. I wanted to write a fantasy for today’s kids.” - See more at: http://www.pelhamreporter.com/2015/10/30/author-thrills-rms-students-with-thrones-and-bones/#sthash.WSuUti6x.dpuf

Reflections from the Road: Vestavia Hills Elementary Central

Yesterday, I got to visit with the students at Vestavia Hills Elementary Central. I arrived in the morning, walking into a busy project-in-progress in their library, but was quickly swarmed by kids wanting their Scholastic Book Fair edition of Frostborn signed and personalized. This library is clearly the heart of the school, with a lot of activities and interesting things ongoing on tables throughout the room and students taking advantage of it throughout the day. The library even has a 3D printer, and I got to see student-designed fabricated creations!

Then I had a nice lunch with Librarian Elizabeth Hester and several school staff and teachers. The brownies were delicious! After lunch, Elizabeth took me around the school on a whirlwind visit to most of the thirty-three classrooms, to pop in for quick hellos and pictures with students.

Finally, it was off to the gymnasium for two back-to-back presentations, one to the fourth grade and one to the fifth. These were shorter presentations than my usual, but we hit the highlights and you could tell the students were eating it up.

All told, I got to speak to a lot of VHEC students, both around the school and in the short Q&As after each presentation, and I was very impressed with their engagement, the quality of their questions, and how enthusiastic and polite they were.

Thank you to Media Specialist Elizabeth Hester, Principal Marian Humphries, and all the wonderful teachers and students for a great visit to VHEC!

I'm Coming to FaerieCon 2015: International Faerie Convention

I'm very excited to announce that I have joined the amazing guest lineup of FaerieCon 2015, held in Baltimore, MD on November 6th-8th!  Come see me and a host of other guests, including Holly Black, Kami Garcia, Kelly Armstrong, Melissa Marr and Einar Selvik, founder of the band Wardruna, who provide the music for the show Vikings! 

This year's convention has a strong Norse theme. Hmmm, wonder why they invited me?

Reflections from the Road: Liberty Park, Riverchase, and Berry Middle Schools

This week was an incredibly fulfilling but Herculean tour of three schools in three days, across which I spoke to a total of approximately 2, 193 sixth to eight grade students about my Thrones & Bones series.

On Tuesday, I visited Liberty Park Middle School in Vestavia Hills, Alabama. My visit started off by speaking to all 470 students in their gymnasium. After this, I went to their library to sign books at their Scholastic Book Fair. It was tremendous to once again see the awesome sign that Scholastic has made for their edition of Frostborn, the first time I've seen the sign in action (as when I saw it last that school's fair had already

ended). Then I had a bit of a break, during which I lunched with the teachers and talked about all things geeky. After lunch, I conducted a writing workshop in the LPMS Library for a small group of students who were all up and coming storytellers. The whole day was very nice. The students and teachers were great. I was very impressed by the students' questions after my book presentation, and I'm sure I've met the next generation of talented authors who will one day give the rest of us a run for our money. Thanks to everyone at Liberty Park, especially Librarian Jean Deal and Assistant Principal, Roger Dobnikar.

On Wednesday, I spoke to 523 students at Riverchase Middle School in Birmingham, Alabama, divided into five separate groups, with a book signing after each presentation. This was a day long undertaking, with books on hand courtesy of Little Professor Book Center.  The most talking I've ever done in one day before was four back-to-back sessions and that left me exhausted, but I've got a lot more experience presenting to schools since that time and this was both a blast and a breeze. The kids were great and had fantastic

questions. Highlights were being asked "Are you a feminist?" (after I described my reasons for writing Thianna the way I did) and meeting a girl who introduced herself as "the shortest person in my school" who said she felt an instant kinship with my half-sized giant character. Thank you to Librarian Kathy Collins, and all the teachers and students, for a wonderful day. 

Yesterday, I returned to Berry Middle School. I'd visited them during their Fall Scholastic Book Fair in September, but I came back to speak to all 1,200 students in there gymnasium across three sessions of 400 each. I did all three presentations back to back, speaking to the sixth, seventh, and eight grades separately. Once again, great questions from the kids and their enthusiasm was just tremendous. One girl is obviously the Berry Middle School resident expert on mythology and fantasy, as she answered four of my questions in a row! Finally, we ended

midday with a lunch with a student, several teachers, Media Specialist Ginger M. Hewitt, and Principal Dr. Chris Robbins.  Thank you to Ginger Hewitt, Dr. Robbins, and everyone at Berry for another great visit. (And to The Heavenly Donut Co.! Mmmm!) 

Talking with students about the world of my books has got to rank up there as one of the most fun things I've ever done. I'm grateful to everyone at Liberty Park, Riverchase, and Berry for such a fantastic week! 

Next week is three more schools on the Nightborn tour. I'll be back with another report then.