We Heart YA Authors and Agents! A YA A to Z Conference Review

POSTED BY tolly ON April 18, 2011

Man. Who knows how to party?   YA authors.

Who just became our new besties here at PR By the Book?  YA authors.

Who flies to town for a literary conference, and while there, pops out for a brand new tattoo?  YA authors.

Or more accurately, YA authors and agents. Several of whom Marika and I got to know at the Writers’ League of Texas YA A to Z Conference, held last weekend at the Hyatt.  And can I just tell you something?  This may have been the most fun I’ve ever had at a conference.

After participating in a Blogging Basics panel on Friday, I sat down with author Heather Hepler, and immediately noticed the gorgeous book in her hands: The Cupcake Queen.

Eeek!  So pretty!

A 2009 release, The Cupcake Queen tells story of a big city girl forced to a small town, where her mother plans to open a cupcake bakery.  The main character, Penny, quickly becomes a target for the local mean girl contingent, but does find a friend in a sweet girl named Tally.  Which made me happy because “Tally” and “Tolly” almost sound alike.

Anyway, talking about the book made my publicist mental-dinger went off, and I immediately thought about the cupcake-themed book tour that could accompany it.  Picture it with me: DIY cupcake stations, cupcake tasting contests, abundant pastel signage!  I’ll wear the poof skirt, you wear the tiara.  You can hear my estrogen levels rising, can’t you?

Heather is coming out with a candy-themed book in the Fall, so let’s all watch out for it.

I also got to hang out with agents Regina Brooks (Serendipity Lit), Mary Kole (Andrea Brown Literary), and (John Cusick (Scott Treimel NY).  Yes, I made a John Cusack crack to the last one.  No, he’s never gotten any Say Anything jokes before. Yes, I am lying.  He’s heard them all, and was still gracious enough to talk to me anyway.  John is also an author himself, and his book Girl Parts is published by Candlewick Press.  Always drawn to the darker side of YA, where this book surely resides, I am dying to read it.  Think robot love, a video blog suicide, and children who need to be taught how to love again.  See?  Now you’re dying to read it too.

Mary and I went to brunch on Sunday post-conference, where I got to see her nod to Stephen Sondheim — object of her theatrical affection — tattooed on her arm!  I am being absolutely serious.  This is why I must attend more YA conferences.  John and Mary both wrote up accounts of their YA A to Z trip, and you can read them here and here.

Major hats off to Cyndi Hughes and her whole team at Writers’ League of Texas for pulling off the YA A to Z Conference.  I came home from it practically tap-dancing, and when my husband asked me what the fuss was about, I said: “I’ve just gotten to talk about BOOKS with fellow BOOK LOVERS for a whole four hours!!”

He said, “I think you need to get out more.”

I said, “You may be right.”

Then I picked up my two new Ruth Reichl volumes,  and embraced my unabashedly book-loving self.

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