Anderson's YA -- Part 3 : Multiple Author Tidbits

That's Charles Benoit after a "Contemporary Edge" breakout session talking to an audience member. His featured speech, by the way, was fantastic. He told the story of his mom always having a book when he was a child and encouraging him to come sit with her and read. At some point he realized she wasn't actually reading and questioned her. She replied that she needed glasses and couldn't afford glasses for both herself and her kids. When questioned why she always had a book: because she wanted to be a good influence. He also told other very funny "mom" stories. This was his first YA conference and he spoke of his book YOU which is in second person! Writing in second person would scare the crap out of me.

Simone Elkeles told another story about cover demands--she had to write a scene into RULES OF ATTRACTION for the scene of the guy and girl leaning out of car windows kissing (my last blog talked of Stephanie Hemphill's change for matching cover art). I have another note of Simone talking of cover art for another book showing a flat model representing a well endowed main character, but my notes are a bit vague. One of Simone's fears: Being seen in public (and recognized) when she's in the midst of an intense writing period and hasn't showered or washed her hair in days. One of my fears: That Simone will kill me for blogging that she said this.

Stacy Kade compares the banter between her two main characters to that on the old TV show "Moonlighting". I might add I read the first couple chapters of THE GHOST AND THE GOTH and loved the voice.

I still need to talk about friends I saw and which author graced my table. Oh, and John Green, David Levithan and Kenneth Oppel. But that will be another day or three.