BEA...visions of Spike and enmass book signings

Subway, more than a sandwich, eh?

Sorry to my Canadian travel buddies I had to toss that “eh?” bit in. We rode the subway today, and I have to confess it wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. I did have flashes of Spike fighting that seventies slayer chick, in the subway, where he commandeers his trademark leather trench coat. Alas, no Spike.

We traveled to Central Park with a group of the Class of 2K10 authors including Alexandra Diaz, Shari Maurer, Irene Latham, Shannon Delany (and brother Morgan), Janet Fox, Bonnie Doerr, Denise Jaden, Brynn (Judith’s sister, and our awesome documentarian!) Judith Graves, and me, Kitty Keswick; where we posed for a photo op in front of the John Lennon “Imagine” mosaic.

In the pre-summer heat, we trekked through the park admiring the myriad of dogs and people whilst dodging bicyclists who seemed to have gotten a memo that we were worth some sort of points if run over.

After a fun day at BEA, in the park, and riding the subway, we hurried back to the hotel to doll up before our group signing at Books of Wonder (18 W 18th Street, New York, NY—awesome cupcakes and old fashioned soda too!) with Alexandra Diaz, Shari Maurer, Irene Latham, Shannon Delany, Janet Fox, Bonnie Doerr, Denise Jaden, Jame Richards, Jeri Smith-Ready, Leah Cypress, Swati Avasthi, Rhonda Hayter, Jennifer R. Hubbard, Judith Graves, and me, Kitty Keswick. Books of Wonder graciously hosted the class signing.

We had a blast meeting bloggers and fans and chatting with the owner. Thanks, Pete!

Here's the footage of today:

Teen Author Carnival and other trapeze acts...

What a day today! Judith was a panelist as part of the Teen Author Carnival in NYC (created by teen bloggers, you guys rock!) …talk about having a circus of nerves performing a trapeze act in your stomach! Yet, Judith handled it like a pro, slinging wit and fielding questions without a single bead of sweat rolling.

I (Kitty) got to sit on the other side and play fangirl. Even as a published author, I was more than giddy and I do admit a few girlish squeals escaped my lips….one topper on my super coolness scale was meeting Tonya Hurley of Ghost Girl fame. (Insert major screams here.) Her books are amazingly cool.

Both Judith and I got autographed copies of Ghost Girl. (I own the hardcover, which sits on a special altar on my bookcase, but was thrilled to have the paperback.) Tonya is witty and cool and it was humbling to have her break in my new silver pen , purchased to use at my signings. Maybe her luck will rub off? A girl can dream right?

The Teen Author Carnival couldn’t have had a better setting, massive ebony gothic arched doors welcomed us accompanied by a stone spiral staircase, visions of hauntings rattled my imagination as I listened to Marie, the teen librarian, share the history of the building…a women’s prison in its previous incarnation. The energy level was infectious, alive, buzzing with an enthusiasm that made me proud to be a witness to it. Teens reading and loving it!

To follow the carnival half of the Class of 2K10 met for dinner. This was the first time that a majority of us had met face to face. They are an incredible group of women and I am honored that I am able to serve them as Co-president, I share this with Judith. We laughed, we drank, and we cheered just as if we were old friends I get a thrill walking into bookstores and spotting my fellow authors on the shelves. We found a few of their books at the Borders at Madison Square Garden.

As with most of this week a huge thank you goes out to Brynn, Judith’s sister, for being our documentarian, for without her we would not have such amazing footage to share with you:

Wolfy Chicks in NYC: Day TWO

On our second day in NYC the Wolfy Chicks wandered the Chelsea area which features shops selling silver jewelry, little wee Buddhas, a used guitar store barely wide enough for a rock-n-roll pinwheel, great restaurants/pubs and movie theatres.

After browsing the shops we ate some grub at Jake's Saloon (note: the chicken fingers exceeded my standards – I’m a bit of a CF freak).

Hotel Chelsea is apparently the resident muse of authors and creative folks. They even have plaques to celebrate.

Kitty, rabid Robin Hood fan that she is, dragged us to see the show at the Clearview Theatre. Wonderful prequel to the RH tale, Russell Crowe and Cate Blanchett have great chemistry. The setting is beautiful, yet gritty.

My sister and I enjoyed a personal connection to the film. Canadian band, Great Big Sea singer, Alan Doyle, acts in the film as Allan A’Dayle (right down to his name, this guy was meant for this role). Years ago my sister won a back stage pass for me and her to meet the members of Great Big Sea and we fairly talked Allan’s ear off. ;)

So cool to see a home boy doing us proud in a big US production (he even shot a few arrows and looked like he knew what he was doing!)

Here’s footage of our excursions today:

Wolfy Chicks in NYC: Day ONE

Heya!

Kitty and I (along with my sister, Brynn) have arrived safely in New York City!

We spent our first day playing tourist – gawking at the tall buildings and taking photos and video like mad women (especially Brynn who is doing a wonderful job of documenting our adventures).

Here are a few highlights of NYC Tour DAY 1:

The architecture and media eye candy that is NYC.

The amazingly talented (and funny) street performers!

Eating at Chevy’s. Fabu food if you love all things hot and spicy! We lucked out and met, Rufus the Balloon Guy. Rufus (oddly enough) is an author working on a scifi/paranormal of his own. When we asked him to make us a balloon werewolf, he stepped up gladly. Thanks to him, we now have “Wolfy” our Wolfy Chicks mascot. He’s a typical teen werewolf, complete with no shirt, jeans and a toothy grin.

You'll see more of Wolfy around NYC (until he pops, that is...)

Check out some footage of our day:

We encourage other paranormal authors and all wolfy fans attending BEA to drop by Chevy’s and ask Rufus for their own “Wolfy”. ;)

Judith as Fangirl! Teen Author Carnival ROCKS

So I received more details on my panel at Teen Author Carnival (TAC). I'm going to make a fool of myself, I'm sure....because....just look at this list of authors I'll be hanging with - how is fangirl Judith to contain herself ?*twitch*:

Teen Author Carnival: May 24 - 5-8pm
Jefferson Market Branch Library
425 Avenue of the Americas [at 10th St.],
New York, NY 10011-8454

The Mystery / Fantasy Panel
Location (aptly so): The Red Room

Participating authors: Jeri Smith-Ready (Shade - fellow Class of 2k10 member!), Judith Graves (Under My Skin - that'd be me), Linda Gerber (Death by Late), Melissa Kantor (The Amanda Project), Eliot Schrefer (The Deadly Sister), Michelle Zink (Prophecy of the Sisters), Tonya Hurley (OMG loved Ghost Girl!), Michael Northrop (Gentlemen), Violet Haberdasher (Knightley Academy), Maryrose Wood (Children of Ashton Place)

All those fabulous authors - and that's only one of THREE panels! 30 authors in total. The mind boggles.


After my easy breezy chat with Barry on Blog Talk Radio's, Book and a Chat - it's awesome to see two male YA authors on this panel. (You'll get why I mention this if you listen to the show.) Perhaps Eliot and Michael will be future guests on Barry's show (if they haven't been on already).

TAC is going to be a smorgasborg of candy, YA authors, bloggers, publishers and readers. Why "candy" you ask? Well, authors were encouraged to bring some carny fair along to share. I purchased some "Canadian/Commonwealth" treats - Winegums and maple sugar candies, plus Coffee Crisp bars as someone told me they don't get them in the US. I think people will get a kick out of seeing our two official languages on all our packaging (French/English).

Thanks again to TAC for inviting me! Event organizers are young adult book bloggers: Devyn Burton, in association with Mitali Dave & Korianne Wey. (See what cool things kids can do?!)

Skype Author Visit Vlog

A writer friend of mine, Joan Marie Galat, invited me to make an ass of myself for the benefit of other authors. You know I can't resist hamming it up. I wish I had thought to make the "me" screen bigger so you could see my face - and perhaps seeing the crowd at the session would have been a bonus, but you get the idea.

Joan and the guild members were a blast to virtually "hang" with. I hope to meet them in person if I can get to Edmonton for a session or two.

Anyway, here's a vlog of my Skype author visit, demonstrating what NOT to do during a Skype visit:

Vlogging Our New York Tour

Well, kids, only four more sleeps until I jump on the plane bound for NYC! Wowza, this has been almost a year in the making and I can’t believe it’s finally this close, this real. I’ve packed and repacked. Even loaded up stuff I still need to survive – hello – you can’t pack your CHI a week before your trip…duh….

Kitty and I will be rooming together and taking NYC by storm. We’ve been critique partners for over two years, but this will the first time we meet in person. I can’t wait to hang out with her and talk without my Skype connection going wonky. ;)

Since my hubbie has to work, my sister – and wonderful champion in all that I do – has agreed to join us on this adventure. Thanks, Brynn!! She’s our honorary Wolfy Chick and has agreed to help us document our BEA/NYC experiences by manning the video camera.

At the end of each day, we’ll compile our video / still pictures and create vlogs of the amazing, odd or fantastical moments. You’ll get an insider view of what it’s like for newbie authors as we do our Class of 2k10 events - book signings / panel discussions.

Look for our first vlog on Saturday, May 22nd!

What are you doing Tuesday May 25th??

Did you hear a squeal? That was me! Books of Wonder is hosting 13 authors from the Class of 2K10 and I just saw that they posted the info on their website.


Books of Wonder located at
18 West 18th Street New York, NY 10011(212) 989-3270

http://www.booksofwonder.com/events052510.asp


From their website:"Books of Wonder is New York City's oldest and largest independent children's bookstore, as well as the city's leading specialist in children's literature both new and old. Whether you're looking for the newest books just published, classics from your own childhood, or old, rare, and out-of-print editions, Books of Wonder is your source for the very finest in children's books."

The really cool blurb they wrote up about the Class of 2k10!
Books of Wonder is thrilled to welcome 2010’s class of debut authors in a HUGE event featuring 15 talents on Tuesday, May 25th, from 6-8pm! SWATI AVASHTI will shock us with Split about a troubled 16-year-old with a disturbing past; LEAH CYPRESS will fixate our attention on an immortal creature bound by an ancient spell in the ever-spooky Mistwood; SHANNON DELANY will freak us out with a monstrous adventure in 13 to Life: A Warewolf’s Tale; ALEXANDRA DIAZ will excite us with Of All the Stupid Things, a tale that follows a high school drama involving promiscuity, gossip, and abandonment; BONNIE J. DOERR will sail us off to the Florida Keys for a love story wrapped up in a mystery in Island Sting; JANET FOX will enchant us with Faithful, a tale of star-crossed lovers with Yellowstone National Park as their romantic backdrop; JUDITH GRAVES will take us for a roller-coaster ride complete with magic, beasts, and all sorts of paranormal activity in Under My Skin; RHONDA HAYTER will regale us with The Witchie Worries of Abbie Adams about a young witch trying to keep her unusual abilities a secret; JENNIFER R. HUBBARD will alarm us with The Secret Year about a puzzling relationship that leads to an unexplained death; KITTY KESWICK will bring in Freaksville, a high school mystery involving two lovers with freakish talents; IRENE LATHAM will inspire us with Leaving Gee’s Bend about 10-year-old Ludelphia, a visually impaired sharecropper trying desperately to help her sick mother before it’s too late; SHARI MAURER will show us that lost love can in fact be rekindled in Change of Heart; ERICA PERL will introduce us to a fashion-minded but friendless 15-year-old who works in a vintage boutique in Vintage Veronica; JAME RICHARDS will regale us with Three Rivers Rising, a tale about sixteen-year-old Celstia trying to find the right guy in the screwy world of society; and JERI SMITH-READY will spook us with Aura, a girl who can speak to ghosts, not excluding her dead boyfriend in Shade. Beginning at 6pm, these 15 talents will introduce their titles, take questions from the audience and then sign copies of their exciting new titles. Ages 10 and up. 6-8pm.





http://www.booksofwonder.com/events052510.asp

Daybreakers

I know we're Wolfy Chicks, but I had to share...


Daybreakers came out on DVD yesterday. I wanted to see this movie in the theaters but missed it and was happy to snag it at the video store.Being a writer that loves the paranormal ,it's a rare threat to find a horror flick that is well written and plotted. I was excited about this movie and it didn't disappoint.

It’s not your typical vampy horror flick. It’s stylish; almost film noir, which has a 1940’s flair mixed with cool ultra modernism. Set in the near future, 2019, where a plague turns almost every living being into a vampire. They strive to live normal lives, work, school, family and adapt life to their disability…sunlight. Until a food storage (human blood) threatens to turn the civilized into beastly blood hungry creatures.

I love the film’s tagline “In 2019, The Most Precious Natural Resource... Is Us.” There’s a scene in the movie where masses of humans are hooked up to these high tech machines, being farmed for their natural resource…blood. It’s a very powerful image.


This movie was the brain child of Australian writer/director sibling duo Michael & Peter Spierig. They came out of nowhere with only one film under their belt, Undead and managed to snatch the interest of Lionsgate.

The film boasts an all star casts of extremely talented actors (not the norm for horror flicks, but this isn’t your typical vampire tale.) Ethan Hawke, Willem Dafoe, Sam Neil, lend their talents making this a well acted and plot engrossed film.
Oh yeah, there’s plenty of action, fangs and blood it is a vampire tale after all.

The set design and special effects are stunning and the creatures eerie.
If you’re hungry for a horror flick mixed with a little social commentary, a strong plot and acting that will have you craving for more, check out Daybreakers. One of my favorite features of this DVD was the behind the scenes special feature. They document the many years it took to create this movie including cast interviews, special effects breakdown and how the Spierig brothers got their baby to the silver screen.

Kitty Keswick

I'm flying on a jet plane....

In ten days, I will be boarding an airplane (by myself...eeek!) and flying to NYC. I've been to NYC, a couple of times, once to see ground zero (very humbling and sad) once to see Phantom of the Opera, very cool and once to shop, equally cool. That's when I lived only a few hours away. I drove and then took the ferry with friends and family. Now I'm heading to NYC from the West Coast. I'm really excited about the trip. I'm doing my first book signing ever. (deep breaths) Plus I get to finally get meet a lot of the truly talent authors of 2k10, that have been a part of my life for the last year and a half.

This year has been a year of growth and change for me...some good and some bad. But I'm learning that we have to do things that we're afraid to do if we want to grow further. I AM SCARED SHITLESS OF FLYING. My father was a pilot and he died while flying.
I have flown since but not usually by myself. I did a very short hour and half flight and was okay. This flight is long and with a ton of changes, but even though I'm afraid, I'm doing it. Because the reward is worth it.

I guess what I wanted to truly say to everyone is take chances in life. You might be afraid to do it but close your eyes take a deep breath and leap. So what are some things you are afraid of? Maybe this will be your year to take charge too.


Kitty

Wolf Sanctuaries

I’m a huge fan of wolves. I think they are beautiful and misunderstood creatures. In my on- going research, I’ve found a few wolf sanctuaries along the way. Last year, I had the opportunity to chat with Nancy at Full Moon Farm in NC about her wolves.
This summer I hope to visit a few sanctuaries located in Northern California.
There are many quality wolf sanctuaries across the US. Many have wolf sponsorship programs (where you can help a wolf in need) or even allow tours of their facilities. Below are just a few… Most do not receive federal grants and survive solely on the generosity of fellow wolfy chicks…or wolfy guys.

http://www.howlingacres.org
Sadly they will be going out of business, but need help with funds to place the wolves in new sanctuaries. (Wolves can’t go to private homes.)

http://www.wolfmountain.com
You can sponsor a wolf at their sanctuary for as little as $10.00 a month. You can also set up private tours. They are located in Lucerne Valley Ca.
Their wolves were used in the creation of Twilight and New Moon.

http://www.wolfsancpa.com
They are located in Pennsylvania. You can contact them for private tours, the fees vary. They are very nice.