ALA Panel

Here's the final description for my Sunday panel this weekend (this time with room number). Hope I can meet a few of your there...

First Author, First BookSunday, 6/29/08, 1:30pm - 3:30pmAnaheim Convention Center, Room 203 A
Be the very first to hear from writers who are sure to end up on the best-sellers list in this popular annual program. Meet newcomers Kaya McLaren (Church of the Dog, Penguin), Scott Douglas (Quiet, Please, Perseus Books), Mark Sarvas (Harry, Revised, Bloomsbury USA), Daniel White (The Cactus Eaters: How I Lost My Mind - and Almost Found Myself - on the Pacific Crest Trail, Harper-Collins), Janelle Brown (All We Ever Wanted Was Everything, Spiegel & Grau), and Anya Ulinich (Petropolis, Penguin). Library Journal's book review editor, Barbara Hoffert, will moderate the program. The authors will sign copies of their books following the event most of which will be given away free while others will be sold at a generous discount.

ALA Away & Other Things I Wanted to Say

I hope everyone is enjoying that free book; I've had several hundred downloads, so I'm glad to know a few people got it. It's already been converted to Kindle format (as well as an iPod notes format, iPhone format, and several other formats) here! So if you have a eReader, then go there and see if there's a compatible version for you.

Just reminder to all those going to ALA Anaheim this week, I will be at a panel called "First Authors, First Books."

To get ready for the panel, my wife gave me a haircut. She's given me plenty of haircuts (she used to cut hair for a living), but this is the first time she let me play my Xbox while she cut it; it was perhaps one of the most amazing experiences of my life! It takes a truly gifted woman to cut hair while someone is playing a game!

Also, to all you Louisiana readers, I'll be speaking at the Louisiana Book Festival in October; come hear me speak if you live in the area!

LJ Restaurant Review

If you'll be in town for ALA later this month, Library Journal has posted the restaurant guide that I did for them this year...check out my dining picks here. If you go to any of them, and enjoy them, let me know...

Also, I was on the John McMullen Show (KNEWS, Palm Springs); if you'd like to hear that, follow this link.

ALA Panel

Below are the details on my ALA appearance. It can also be found here: http://www.folusa.org/about/conferences/2008-first-author.php


First Author, First Book
Sunday, June 29
1:30 p.m. - 3:30 p.m. (Location to be announced)
Join new (and soon to be best-selling) authors as they talk about their first adventure in writing - what motivates them and how they got published. This program has become a favorite for those looking for the “next big thing” in print. Authors include Kaya McLaren (Church of the Dog, Penguin), Scott Douglas (Quiet, Please, Perseus Books), Mark Sarvas (Harry, Revised, Bloomsbury USA), Daniel White (The Cactus Eaters: How I Lost My Mind—and Almost Found Myself—on the Pacific Crest Trail, HarperCollins), and Anya Ulinich (Petropolis, Penguin). This program will be moderated by Barbara Hoffert, Editor of the Book Review, Library Journal. A book signing will follow.

ALA & Censorship?

A library group called "Friends of Cuban Libraries" is claiming that American Library Association, a group that champions free speech, is censoring. It's not exactly a new claim. Hundreds of people have claimed throughout ALA's long history that it censors, but the claim is nonetheless intriguing. We all censor to a certain extent, I suppose...is that what ALA is doing? Read the press release and judge for yourself. Feel free to comment below and weigh in on the issue...

ALA Anaheim Conference

A few of you know that I will be speaking this summer at the ALA conference in Anaheim. If you didn't, I will be speaking at the ALA conference in Anaheim. I'll have more details on that soon, but what I have so far is my date will be Sunday, June 29. I will also be signing autographs at the Perseus Books Group booth probably the same day I am speaking, but none of that is for sure.


If you have never gone to the conference, I encourage you to go and at least see what they are about. If you hate it, it's literally across the street from Disneyland this year, so there's plenty of other things to do! If amusement parks don't cut it, come see me at the library I work at in Anaheim...I'll give a tour!