I am so excited to share with you the cover for my latest novel: Gil Marsh. It’ll be for sale in February, 2012. Woot!

Here’s the book blurb:

Gil Marsh is the golden boy of Uruk High School. Smart, athletic, and good-looking, he is popular with his classmates, his teachers, and girls. Then a new kid, Enko Labette, arrives from Montreal. Enko has no trouble keeping up with Gil both on and off the track. Though the competition makes Gil wary at first, the two become inseparable.

Fate is not on their side. Almost as soon as their friendship is cemented, Enko dies, leaving Gil inconsolable. Unable to find comfort in family or friends, Gil secretly heads to Quebec in search of Enko’s grave. The journey north will test his intelligence, strength, and endurance to their limits.

Based on the Epic of Gilgamesh, the oldest of written tales, Gil’s contemporary story weaves together a quest to find immortality with Quebec’s landscape and history.

Last night I attended the 11th annual award celebration for the New Voices in Children’s Literature: Tassy Walden Awards at the beautiful Blackstone Library in Branford, Connecticut. We were treated to a warm welcome by our master of ceremonies, Doe Boyle; inspiring speeches by agent Julie Just, with Janklow & Nesbit, and by author Cat Urbain; and excerpts of the winning entries read by their authors.

My favorite words of wisdom for the evening came from Ms. Just. She told us to cultivate that thing inside of us that is original, that is ourselves. It is worth standing above the fray and not being just like everyone else. That’s what people look for. And as Cat Urbain emphasized, don’t give up: the world will eventually recognize true spark and embrace it.

My hearty congratulations go to:

• this year’s winners: Anne Kubitsky (illustrated picture book), Betsy Devany MacLeod (middle grade novel), and Steve Parlato (young adult novel);
  
• this year’s honorable mentions: Justin Van Deursen (illustrator’s portfolio); and Faith Hough (young adult novel);
• this year’s finalists: Jordan Fenster, Maribel Girnius, Paula Wilson (picture book text); Jennifer Edwards, Natalie Fifer, Katherine Kopcha (illustrated picture book); Karen Lindeborg, Kate Lynch, Traci Grigg, Heather DiLorenzo (middle grade novel); and Leslie Cahill-Milford (young adult novel).

I look forward to seeing all of your names on bookshelves.

I attended the New England SCBWI conference last weekend in Fitchburg, Massachusetts. There were 590 children’s book authors, illustrators, editors, agents, and publicists in attendance–I met so many great people!

I saw an entertaining cabaret (some of those authors, illustrators, editors, agents and publicists can sing!); watched a movie about why adults should love children’s books; listened to keynote speakers, workshop presenters, and fellow conference attendees. I walked away with 30 pages of notes, tons of resources, and a whole lot of great ideas that left me both energized and exhausted.

So here are a few things I learned (or relearned):

* As an author, your brand is yourself.

* You may put your heart and soul into a manuscript, but all the editor sees are the words on the page.

* Describe only one action per panel in a graphic novel.

* If what you are writing about is incredible, give your story a skeptic.

* Always ask for proofs before you agree to a print run on anything.

* No matter how many books we’ve sold, we are all shallow.

* Beware of out-of-print clauses that never revert rights.

* When working on an extensive series, it’s not that the story is so big it’ll take three books to tell it, it’s that there’s an overarching thing that you can fit many stories into.

* Very young kids don’t get puns.

* Unlike music, books don’t require a gizmo to be read.

* Never say no to anything. Eventually you’ll find your connection to the project.

There was much more . . . but I’m still digesting.

Thank you to the great organizers and volunteers who managed to pull together such an intricate event and make almost everything run on time. You guys rock!

Just a reminder that this Saturday May 7, from 10 to 4, I’ll be at the third annual Hudson Children’s Book Festival at the Hudson Junior and Senior High School in Hudson, New York.

There will be over 100 children’s and young adult authors and illustrators, hundreds of books to browse, author and illustrator presentations, arts & crafts, cooking and workshops. Music will be provided by Radio Disney and there will be food and other treats available. Admission is free.

Come by and say hello!