While I Was Out Partying at Necon

While I was out, Jason Sizemore left one of those pink post-its on my desk that said “APEX HAS A NEW ONLINE STORE. GO FIX ALL YOUR LINKS.” Sure enough, there is a new online store. Click here and go check it out. It’s snazzy. I’m looking forward to getting my wicked new alien t-shirt. It’s the least Jason…

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Dear Padawan

Ariell likes being called my Fairy Goddaughter far more than she likes being called my Padawan…but “protege” is so passe, isn’t it? I mean, once there’s a car named after it, the word doesn’t quite hold the same oomph. You might remember Ariell from her fabulous contribution to Kill Brian Keene Day. Since then, I’ve taken her under my…

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A Princess for All Seasons

I worked as a book buyer for nine years. We typically bought books at least 6 months ahead of publication date. Titles that were specific to a holiday or theme (SAT prep, summer reading) we called “seasonal titles.” So for nine years, I effectively celebrated Christmas in June. In September or October I’d bulk up our inventory for the…

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It Takes One To Know One

As I’ve said before, I am merely *a* princess of this world, not *the only*princess. There are many of us out there. Some call ourselves such, some merely shine from the inside. But if you look deep down into a princess’s soul, mark her manners and her bearing. You’ll know the real gold from fool’s. The Park Avenue Princess,…

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This Just In

AlphaOops: H is for Halloween is scheduled to appear in the “Our Favorite Things” section in the October 2010 issue of Disney’s FamilyFun. Woohoo! Now I just need to remember to get my hands on said issue. I’m interested to know exactly what that pesky Mouse and his polka-dot-wearing gal pal are saying about this princess behind her back….

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Happy Release Day to Me!

In honor of today’s release of AlphaOops: H is for Halloween, John Scalzi invited me to be his Big Idea for the day. In a very short & cute essay I cover the Big Idea behind AlphaOops in general and about H is for Halloween specifically. I explain exactly why my dedication reads the way it does.  I confess…

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Stars AND Garters!

Those of you who plod away, day after day, typing out words and then churning them over and over into the submission/rejection machine will understand exactly what I’m talking about when I tell you about the awesome moment I had today: I was in the middle of printing and signing the contract for an anthology I had just been…

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Cool Stuff, Stumbled Upon

It’s nice to trip over something like this in a really obscure Google Alert about some search results done on a health website. Apparently, www.childrensbooksguide.com did a Top 100 Children’s Books of All Time. AlphaOops didn’t make Top 10 on their ABC book listing (DARN YOU, CHICKA CHICKA BOOM BOOM!), but it did make the Honorable Mention. I’m cool…

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Well, That’s Done It

About a month or so ago, I accidentally clicked on the “Facebook Chat” icon, putting myself out there in the intarwebs available for interaction. Within about 15 seconds, I had 10 people open chats with me. Seven of them were from people I hadn’t heard from in a long time, all of whom I wanted to talk to. Three…

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Pre-SENT Squee!

Kirkus reviews AlphaOops: H is for Halloween. And it kind of rocks. Got yours yet? AlphaOops: H is for Halloween ******************************************* ALPHAOOPS: H IS FOR HALLOWEEN Author: Kontis, Alethea Illustrator: Kolar, Bob Publisher:Candlewick Pages: 40 Price ( Hardback ): $15.99 Publication Date: July 13, 2010 ISBN ( Hardback ): 978-0-7636-3966-2 Category: Picture Books Classification: Holiday Series: AlphaOops Volume: 2…

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