In honor of the book festival, the
Statesman had an article on Saturday about the
Austin writing scene.
Our goings-on this year began at the Children's Author and Moderator party graciously hosted by Clay Smith, literary director of the festival.
After much Tex-Mex and one or two libations...
Me: Is the very tall blonde woman whose name tag says "Jane Smiley" THE Jane Smiley?
Cyn: I don't know, why don't you go and ask her.
Later, while I was in conversation with Jacqueline Kelly and a gentleman from PW, Jane Smiley approached, and I blurted, "Hi! I love
Moo!" Jacqueline Kelly also expressed admiration for that book, although much more serenely. So, anyway, Jane Smiley was very gracious as we talked about humor and horses and writing...
Next morning, Cyn and I went over to the Capital and ran into Ken and
Kathi Appelt in the green room (author reception)
At noon, we attended the
Small Town Girls panel with
Jill S. Alexander, author of
The Sweetheart of Prosper County;
Heather Hepler, author of
The Cupcake Queen;
Jacqueline Kelly, author of
The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate; and
Diana Lopez, author of
Confetti Girl. All offered fun insights into their writing and writing processes.
Later, was the
Deals with the Devil: Writing about Faustian Bargains, with Cyn and
Daniel and Dina Nayeri, authors of
Another Faust. The discussion, led by moderator, April Lurie, ranged from literary antecedents to, well, Faustian bargains, and what teens look for in fiction. Daniel and Dina, whom we met for the first time, are smart and fun. You should go out and read their book, even though Daniel is a
Sooners fan.
After the signing, Cyn, April, Daniel, Dina, our author escort, and I headed out for an early dinner at
El Chile on Congress. Margaritas and chile rellenos were excellent, as was the conversation. After taking the Nayeris through the lobby and bar at the
Driskill Hotel, Cyn and I called it a night.
Sunday morning, we got up early to have brunch with
Anita Silvey, whom Cyn had met up in Vermont last summer. We had a lovely time at
Moonshine, where we all ate far too much :-). Conversation ranged through a variety of publishing-related topics and we all agreed that sunlight seems to make people more optimistic. :-).
Cynthia attended the
Ouch! That Hurts panel featuring
Libba Bray, author of
Going Bovine;
Jessica Lee Anderson, author of
Border Crossing; and
Sara Zarr, author of
Once was Lost; while I concurrently attended Anita's talk on her new book,
Everything I Need to Know I Learned from a Children's Book. Insights from prominent personages were both surprising and gratifying.
After the signings in the signing tent, we all (and with the addition of Erin Edwards and Emily from Book People) wandered down Congress Avenue for dinner at Roaring Fork in the Stephen F. Austin Hotel. Food and conversation were, again, outstanding.
More photos to come. Also, check out Cyn's blog for her take on the event.
THE BOOK OF THE MAIDSERVANT, by Rebecca Barnhouse (Random House 2009)(ages 12+). The holy woman, Dame Margery Kempe, is on pilgrimage to Rome, so naturally, she must take Johanna, her maidservant. Along the way, the pair fall in with an eclectic group of fellow pilgrims, most of whom treat Johanna as if she was their servant and are antagonized by Dame Margery's frequent preaching and crying and gnashing of teeth (she feels the suffering of the Virgin Mary). 
