Posts for category ‘the SLC’

Clown on unicycle passed on on our way to the Days of ’47 Parade. Running late! I wonder if this is the same guy we sometimes see commuting on his unicycle, in a suit.

A couple of bloggers/writers are giving away ARCs of How to Save a Life. Check out Lindsey Roth Culli here, and Samantha Rowan. Thanks for your support, ladies!

By the way, I am currently writing the most first-drafty of first drafts in the history of my life, is what it feels like. If you are in the same boat, I send you my respect and empathy. Let me know how it’s going.

WOW, you guys, thank you for all your comments/entries! Using Mrs. Glosser’s Custom Random Number Generator, I came up with comment #44266 as the winner. So, congrats, Shari Green! And thanks again to all of you for the participation and for celebrating with me. And! There are five more chances to win this month! Including right now. Same deal – leave a comment on this post, even just a “yeah so I didn’t win last time” and you’ll be entered again. Comments will close in three days.

Speaking of Once Was Lost, as you may know by now, I was inspired to write it when Elizabeth Smart was kidnapped from her home here in Salt Lake City. If you’re not from around here, you may not know that it’s taken years to bring her kidnapper to justice. He worked the system like a pro, causing delay after delay in the courts. But finally, just about one month ago, he was found guilty for his crimes.

The next day, this picture ran on the front page of the Salt Lake Tribune. It still gives me goosebumps. Elizabeth Smart’s boldness in facing the man who made her life hell for nine months, but, more, her refusal to let his cruelty and evilness keep her from living her life, are powerful, and I admire this young woman very much. She and her mother and sister were named Utahns of the Year.

This is only tangentially related to OWL, of course, because the book turned out not to be about the Smart case, specifically, at all. But the process of writing OWL, the questions I was asking myself, and the mood of the book will, for me, always be associated with the time Elizabeth was missing.

As I mentioned in my last post, the third annual Writing for Charity event is tomorrow, at the Waterford School in Sandy. Great event, worthy cause, wonderful people. But if you aren’t a writer, or don’t have all day, I wanted to make sure you knew that the Evening Extravaganza is open to all as a separate event.

6:00-8:30 pm- Evening Extravaganza This fun-filled, book-themed evening is for everyone! Whether you’re a writer, a book lover, or just want to go out for a nice night, come celebrate with us, and know that your admission ticket goes to a great cause. Enjoy music by the fabulous Nancy Hanson, improv comedy by the hilarious troupe Divine Comedy, and an all-star author panel. Authors include:

Ally Condie, James Dashner, Bree Despain, Jessica Day George, Shannon Hale, Brandon Mull, Brandon Sanderson, Sara Zarr

Pre-order with Google Checkout at the web site, or pay at the door. Cash or check preferred for at-door payment.

• Writing Workshop: $70
• Evening Extravaganza: $10 (individual)
• $25 (family)
• Both Workshop and Evening Extravaganza: $75

NOTE: The workshop is for ages 12 and older. All ages welcome to the evening event.

Hope to see you there!

I missed you.

Also, I wanted to let you know about the third annual Writing for Charity event, right here in Salt Lake, right this very weekend! As in Saturday, August 21st. No, it is not too late to register! This is a great opportunity for anyone interested in writing or illustrating for young readers, especially those of you who may not have the time or money or confidence to invest in a full-on conference. Panels, workshops, critiques, lunch, and meeting writer friends…the perfect way to dip your toes in, and at the same time get books in the hands of kids, and what is better than that?

Go here for the whole scoop. I’ll be there in the evening for the extra-extra-vaganza, on a panel with the Brandons Sanderson and Mull, and up and coming superstar Ally Condie. As a double bonus, the panel will be moderated by the beautiful and charming Shannon Hale, and the debonair and mischievous James Dashner. (Seriously, you never know what’s going to come out of his mouth, or for that matter Shannon’s, so you don’t want to miss that.)

Please come, and bring a few friends. We’d love to have you there.

Here’s a favorite spot from hiatus – the lagoon at Bolinas:

And it’s allll links, baby.

- The New York Times recently featured Salt Lake City in its “36 Hours In...” series. I think you should go ahead and make it 72 hours. There are so many children’s and YA authors per square inch here, if you stay long enough you’ll probably be here during someone’s book release party. (For instance, Jessica Day George’s, tomorrow afternoon at 2 p.m. at the King’s English.)

- Maureen Johnson wrote a manifesto. Though I think there are definitely some practical things to think about in terms of “brand” and networking, MoJoFesto gets a big thumbs up from me.

- Speaking of manifestos, there’s this song, which I discovered via Pandora, and it pretty much blows my mind. It’s Josh Garrels’ Zion & Babylon. Scroll down. It is hot musically, too. He’s got his music streaming on his site – check it out. I don’t really know how I didn’t hear about him before. I ordered a couple of his CDs; right now Over Oceans is my favorite. He’s kind of a Jesusy Matisyahu, or something? I don’t know. It’s just really good.

Okay, that’s all I have. Pretty soon, I’m vacating this space for a large-ish chunk of time. More on that later. Have a great weekend!