November 2011
3 posts
See You Next Year!
We just want to thank everyone for making the first annual YALLFest such a huge success! By everyone, we literally mean everyone, our wonderful authors, our enthusiastic YA readers, our equally enthusiastic adult chauffeurs, our willing volunteers, our exhibitors, our sponsors, and our event organizers. Hopefully all those in attendance had as great a time at the festival as we did planning it and...
YA Smackdown Finale hosted by CCPL!
You definitely don’t want to miss the YA Smackdown Finale: an “all-star jam” with all 26 of our featured authors on stage at once. Come root them on as Team Dystopian, Team Vampire, Team Gothic Girls, et al. compete in storytelling games for Lowcountry glory. Hosted by the Charleston County Public Library and moderated by Kaleb Nation, this is your chance to see New York Times bestselling...
Thanks to our sponsors!
Presenting Sponsor: Blue Bicycle Books
Premiere Sponsors: Pressque Editing, Lowcountry Local First, Kerry Kimmel and Pollack, Ashly Stohl Photography
Media Sponsor: Charleston City Paper
First Editions Club: LILA, CreateSpace, Burton Stohl, John Thompson and Julia Forster, Stephen and Jean Kaplan, Paul and Lucy Chen
Supporters: Deborah and Mark Lindee, Virginia Stock and George...
October 2011
16 posts
2 tags
YALLFest Interviews Kami Garcia
What were you like as a teen?
I wore a lot of black, and rings on every finger. I spent a lot of time writing poetry in spiral notebooks. I still have a giant tub full of them in the garage. I wasn’t completely fringe and I did have friends, but I always felt different and it was hard to fit in.
What were favorite books as a teen?
The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton, To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper...
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YALLFest Interviews: Isaac Marion
What were you like as a teen?
I was a huge nerd, but since I went to an extremely small school where not even the alpha dogs were actually cool, no one could tell. I read lots of fantasy novels, played role playing games, and composed overwrought orchestra music on my $100 Casio keyboard, yet I was still relatively popular. Those poor kids were too sheltered to know they should’ve been...
YALLFest Program
The YALLFest Schedule is now available! Please visit the official YALLFest website here to see the entire program for Saturday.
YALLFest Interviews: Michelle Hodkin
What were you like as a teen? Hopelessly insecure. Quietly rebellious. What were your favorite books as a kid? As a little kid: The Joss Bird by Sarah Garland. As an elementary school-aged kid, anything with R.L. Stine’s name on it. As a middle schooler, anything with Michael Crichton’s name on it. As a teen, Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov, Geek Love by Katherine Dunn, and On Gold...
Win a Green Room Pass to YALLFest
Coming to YALLFest? Want to win a Green Room Pass to hang out with us?
We are giving away one pass. How do you win you ask? Well, it’s simple. You have to tweet
I am going to #YALLFest on Nov.12. I can’t wait to meet all the amazing authors that are coming. Learn more http://yallfest.org/ @yallfest
We’ll chose a winner Oct.31.
One entry per day. Good Luck!
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YALLFest Interview: @melissadelacruz
What were you like as a teen?
Pretty much the same as I am now, I was working on my “novels” (air quotes for the ones I wrote when I was a teen - I would get about sixty pages in and give up) I had a fashion column in the school newspaper, I was an honor student and class president. I was the classic over-achiever. The only difference is that back then I was also very shy and had very...
YALLFest Grand Finale Smackdown!
It’s official, YALLFest will conclude with the YA Smackdown Finale: an “all-star jam” with all 29 of our featured authors on stage at once. Come root them on as Team Dystopian, Team Vampire, Team Gothic Girls, et al. compete in storytelling games for Lowcountry glory. Hosted by Kaleb Nation, this is your chance to see New York Times bestselling writers struggle...
There Shall be Pie!
YALLFest welcomes Toby Simmons, Charleston’s very own Pie Man to cater to the round, crusty cravings of our visiting writers and guests. The local master pie maker has spent a lifetime perfecting old Southern recipes using fresh local ingredients and hand rolled crusts. He and his family are renowned for their secret sweet potato-peach pie along with delicious varieties of rum pecan,...
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YALLFest Interviews: Kimberly Derting
What were you like as a teen?
At the time, I thought I was pretty cool. Of course when I look back now, I realize I was kind of a dork. Don’t get me wrong, I had plenty of friends, but I was always the one who was going off on crazy tangents in the notes we passed in class, you know, making up long, outlandish stories about dead flies or how the cafeteria lady was secretly poisoning us with...
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YALLFest Interviews: Carrie Ryan
What were you like as a teen?
When I was a teen I tried to cover up all my insecurities by presenting a strong face to the world. I was really big into sports, especially field hockey and soccer (I actually played on boys’ soccer team one year until the school added a girls’ team.) I also loved school (yep, I’m a bona fide nerd and proud of it).
What were your favorite books...
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Author Addition: Donna Frietas
Donna Freitas is an assistant professor of religion at Boston University. Her nonfiction books for adults include, most recently, Sex and the Soul: Juggling Sexuality, Spirituality, Romance and Religion on America’s College Campuses (Oxford), based on a national study about the influence of sexuality and romantic relationships on the spiritual identities of America’s college students. She is also...
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Author Addition: Marie Rutkoski
I grew up in Bolingbrook, Illinois. I have three younger siblings, and used to tell them an awful lot of lies when they were growing up. The best thing about being a writer is that now I can say that my lies were all in the name of literary creativity. Unfortunately, my brothers and sister don’t believe me.
I went to the University of Iowa and majored in English. Although I insisted on wearing...
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Author Announcement: Natalie Standiford
Natalie Standiford was born in Baltimore, Maryland, where her family has deep roots. Her most recent YA novels, HOW TO SAY GOODBYE IN ROBOT and CONFESSIONS OF THE SULLIVAN SISTERS are set in Baltimore, and her next book, a middle grade novel called THE SECRET TREE, takes place in Catonsville, just outside the city. She studied Russian Language and Literature at Brown and now lives in New York...
YALLFest Author Announcement: Eliot Schrefer
ELIOT SCHREFER is a resident of New York City and an honors graduate of Harvard College. A contributor to The Huffington Post and a reviewer for USAToday, Eliot has been profiled in Newsweek, New York Magazine, the New York Post, WWD, and NPR’s “Leonard Lopate Show.” His first novel, Glamorous Disasters (Simon and Schuster), became an international bestseller and has been...
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YALLFest Interviews @bethrevis
What were you like as a teen?
I was painfully shy, terribly bossy, and a total bookworm, not too much different from Hermione Granger, actually! It wasn’t until I started attending 4-H meetings that I go over my shyness, but I’m still a bossy bookworm.
What were your favorite books as a kid?
I adored The Chronicles of Narnia by CS Lewis. I read them when I was very little, and I was...
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YALLFest Interviews @rclementmoore
What were you like as a teen?
I was awkward with strangers and silly with friends. Prone to accidents and crushes, both of the painful sort.
What were your favorite books as a kid?
The Wrinkle in Time quartet, the Dark is Rising series by Susan Cooper, the Harper Hall books by Anne McCaffery, all the Nancy Drew books, and a series called the Danny Dunn Mysteries, sort of like a sci-fi Hardy...
September 2011
16 posts
2 tags
YALLFest Interviews @adelegriffin
What were you like as a teen?
I was mostly exactly the same as I am today, though with fewer sun spots and more of a crush on David Bowie.
What were your favorite books as a kid?
On my shelf: Robin McKinley’s Beauty, Jane Austen’s Emma, Daphne DuMarier’s Rebecca and Anya Seton’s Katherine. (Woman power!)
Under my bed: Flowers in the Attic, Hollywood Wives, and Lace....
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YALLFest Interviews Andrea Cremer
What were you like as a teenager?
I was a music and drama geek and lived for musical auditions every fall – I had the lead role in Oklahoma!, Brigadoon, and Carousel and I miss singing and acting very much.
What were your favorite books as a kid?
Richard Adams’ Watership Down, David Eddings Belgariad and Malloreon series, Marion Zimmer Bradley, Lloyd Alexander, Susan Cooper, Piers...
3 tags
YALLFest Interviews Margaret Stohl
What were you like as a teen?
I thought I was a rebel, but really I was a giant dork. With blue eyeshadow and fabulous free-standing 80’s hair.
What were your favorite books as a kid?
I was the head of the Susan Cooper, Dark is rising fan club at my school. We met under the stairs. In High School I was a Jane Austen snob.
If you had one wish what would you wish for?
More wishes. DUH.
...
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YALLFest Interviews @KalebNation
What were you like as a teen? I was very introverted and shy, and would rarely talk to other kids my age. But I wanted to be an author, so I was constantly working on different stories. Writing was also a safe way to pass my time with little of that scary social interaction. This is why my parents are still shocked that I’ve made a career of speaking at schools, hosting shows and posting...
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YALLFest Interviews Saundra Mitchell
What were you like as a teen?
Alien. I was goth before Hot Topic, which was good because people kept their distance. However, it was bad because people kept their distance. (Actually, in a lot of cases, that wasn’t bad at all…)
What were your favorite books as a kid?
The Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson, Alanna: Song of the Lioness by Tamora Pierce, The Outsiders by S.E....
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Kami gives suggestions for Great Pie in Charleston
Looking for some great pie? Here are some suggestions for you if you will be in the Charleston area for YALLFest. Jestine’s Kitchen located at 251 Meeting St Charleston, SC boasts some amazing pie. Kami says if you go to Jestine’s you have to absolutely try their Coca-Cola Cake. Kaminsky’s which is located at 78 N Market St also boasts a great dessert menu! There are so many...
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Lineup Announcement: Holly Goldberg Sloan
Holly Goldberg Sloan (born 1958) is a film director, writer, producer and novelist. Sloan was born in Ann Arbor, Michigan and spent her childhood living in California, the Netherlands, Istanbul, Washington D.C. and Oregon. She received her undergraduate degree from Wellesley College in Massachusetts, and sold her first script at the age of 24.
Her film credits include writing Made in...
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Lineup Announcement: Katie Crouch
Blue Bike Books is happy to welcome our Carolina Neighbor Katie Crouch, to the YALLFest!
Katie Crouch (@katieacrouch) is the author of The Magnolia League, a book for young adults set in Savannah called “the perfect mix of humor, romance, mystery and the supernatural” by the School Library Journal. Her other books include the New York Times bestselling novel Girls in Trucks and Men and Dogs,...
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Lineup Announcement: Pseudonymous Bosch
Pseudonymous Bosch is a pseudonym, or as he would prefer to call it (because he is very pretentious), a nom de plume. Unfortunately, for reasons he cannot disclose, but which should be obvious to anyone foolhardy enough to read his book, he cannot tell you his real name. But he admits he has a deep-seated fear of mayonnaise.
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Lineup Announcement: Caitlin Kittredge
Caitlin started writing novels at age 13. Her first was a Star Wars tie-in. Fortunately, she branched out from there and after a few years trying to be a screenwriter, a comic book writer and the author of copious amounts of fanfiction, she tried to write a novel again. Her epic dark fantasy (thankfully) never saw the light of day but while she was struggling with elves and sorcerers she got the...
Lineup Announcement: Diana Peterfreund
Diana Peterfreund has been a costume designer, a cover model, and a food critic. Her travels have taken her from the cloud forests of Costa Rica to the underground caverns of New Zealand (and as far as she’s concerned, she’s just getting started). Diana graduated from Yale University in 2001 with dual degrees in Literature and Geology, which her family claimed would only come in handy if she wrote...
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Lineup Announcement: Saundra Mitchell
Blue Bike Books is happy to welcome our Carolina Neighbor Saundra Mitchell, to the YALLFest!
Saundra Mitchell is an author of YA novels including SHADOWED SUMMER, THE VESPERTINE, THE SPRINGSWEET, the forthcoming AETHERBORNE and MISTWALKER. She’s also the editor of the forthcoming YA anthology, DEFY THE DARK.
For almost fifteen years, she was the sole screenwriter for the Book of Stories, On the...
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Lineup Announcement: Rosemary Clement-Moore
Blue Bike Books is happy to welcome our Carolina Neighbor Rosemary Clement-Moore, to the YALLFest!
I’ve always loved to write, even when I should have been doing other things, like Algebra homework. My first job was as Chuck E. Cheese, and I worked in theater for years, but now I put my drama queen skills to use writing books, which is a much better job, since I get to work in my pajamas and...
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Lineup Announcement: Kwame Alexander
Kwame Alexander is the founding Director of Book-in-a-Day, a program that teaches and inspires teenagers to write and publish their own books. Kwame has written 14 books—two for children, two for young adults—owned owned several publishing companies, directed plays, written an episode of Hip Hop Harry, recorded a CD, performed around the world, produced jazz and book festivals,...
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Lineup Announcement: Michelle Hodkin
Blue Bike Books is happy to welcome our Carolina Neighbor, and one of Charleston’s own local writers Michelle Hodkin to the YALLFest!
Michelle Hodkin grew up in South Florida, went to college in New York, and attended law school in Michigan. When she isn’t writing, she can usually be found prying strange objects from the jaws of one of her three pets. This is her first novel....
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Lineup Announcement: Victoria Schwab
I am the product of a British mother, a Beverly Hills father, and a southern upbringing. Because of this, I have been known to say “tom-ah-toes”, “like”, and “y’all”. But since this is about what I write and not how I pronounce my a’s, I will say that I tell stories.
I love fairy tales, and folklore, and books that make me wonder if the world is...
August 2011
15 posts
2 tags
Lineup Announcement: Adele Griffin and Lisa Brown
Adele Griffin
Adele Griffin, a two-time National Book Award Finalist (Where I Want to Be, Sons of Liberty), is the acclaimed author of Tighter, The Julian Game, Picture the Dead (with Lisa Brown), the Vampire Island series, and many other books for young readers. She lives with her husband and daughter in Brooklyn, New York. Visit her at www.adelegriffin.com.
Lisa Brown
Lisa Brown is the...
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Lineup Announcement: Kimberly Derting
Born and raised in the Seattle area, with the exception of a few short stints in Phoenix, Boise, and San Jose. I had a colorful childhood, raised by a single mother who worked her butt off to make ends meet. She showed my brother and me how to enjoy life on a shoestring budget. She was the kind of person who, given the choice between paying a bill and taking us to the circus, would always opt...
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Lineup Announcement: Sarah Rees Brennan
Sarah Rees Brennan was born and raised in Ireland by the sea, where her teachers valiantly tried to make her fluent in Irish (she wants you to know it’s not called Gaelic) but she chose to read books under her desk in class instead. The books most often found under her desk were Jane Austen, Margaret Mahy, Anthony Trollope, Robin McKinley and Diana Wynne Jones, and she still loves them all...
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Lineup Announcement: Isaac Marion
Isaac Marion was born in north-western Washington in 1981 and has lived in and around Seattle his whole life, working a variety of strange jobs like delivering deathbeds to hospice patients and supervising parental visits for foster-kids. He is not married, has no children, and did not go to college or win any prizes. Warm Bodies is his first novel. It is currently being adapted for the Silver...
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Lineup Announcement: Carrie Ryan
Blue Bike Books is happy to welcome our Carolina Neighbor Carrie Ryan, to the YALLFest!
Carrie was born and raised in Greenville, South Carolina. During her time in high school she was: vice president of her class, a cheerleader (no, seriously), captain of the field hockey team (one of only two teams in SC—her team was always state champs) and founder of the girls soccer team (she played on the...
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Lineup Announcement: Beth Revis
Blue Bike Books is happy to welcome our Carolina Neighbor Beth Revis, to the YALLFest!
Beth Revis was born and raised in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains in North Carolina. Despite being a complete over-achiever and teacher’s pet in high school, she often wrote short stories instead of taking notes during classes. This habit persisted into college, except the stories became novels.
...
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Lineup Announcement: Andrea Cremer
Andrea Cremer spent her childhood daydreaming while roaming the forests and lakeshores of Northern Wisconsin. She now lives in Minnesota, but she thinks of her homeland as the “Canadian Shield” rather than the Midwest.
Andrea has always loved writing and has never stopped writing, but she only recently plunged into the deep end of the pool that is professional writing. When she’s not writing,...
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Lineup Announcement: Ellen Hopkins
Born: March 26, 1955 in Long Beach, CA. I was adopted at birth by an older couple. Albert C. Wagner 72 at the time; Valeria was 42. To put that into perspective, he was born in 1883 and she was born in 1912.
Grew up: in Palm Springs, CA, in a neighborhood with movie stars and entertainment icons, including Elvis Presley, Bob Hope, Kirk Douglas, and Arnold Palmer. We were, however, the “poor...
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Lineup Announcement: Kaleb Nation
When Kaleb Nation was twelve, he telephoned the editor of a major publisher to pitch a book idea… and got to talk with security instead. Unhindered by rejection, he continued to write, and on the third night of the third month in 2003 had a sudden idea for a novel. His debut, The Farfield Curse, was published on 9/9/09 – one week before his 21st birthday – and the sequel, The Specter Key, on...
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Lineup Announcement: Gayle Forman
Once upon a time, in a galaxy far, far away, I was a journalist who specialized in reporting on young people and social-justice issues. Which is a fancy way of saying I reported on all the ways that young people get treated like crap—and overcome! I started out working for Seventeen magazine, writing the kinds of articles that people (i.e. adults) never believe that Seventeen ran (on...
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Lineup Announcement: Heather Brewer
Heather Brewer was not your typical teen growing up. She wore black, danced under full moons and devoured every book in sight. She hasn’t changed much.
Today, Heather can be found writing in her funky, black Happy Bunny jammie pants, dancing under the full moon, devouring every book in sight, and attending renaissance faire in costume (and in character).
When Heather’s not writing,...
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Author Announcement: Melissa de la Cruz
Photo © Denise Bovee
Melissa de la Cruz is the New York Times and USA Today best-selling author of many critically acclaimed and award-winning novels for teens including The Au Pairs series, the Blue Bloods series, the Ashleys series, the Angels on Sunset Boulevard series and the semi-autobiographical novel Fresh off the Boat.
Her books for adults include the novel Cat’s Meow, the...
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Lineup Announcement: David Levithan
David Levithan will be joining Kami and Margie at YALLFest. David is co-author of Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist and Dash and Lily’s Book of Dares. He is also author of The Realm of Possibility and The Lover’s Dictionary.
Here is a little more about him:
I find it downright baffling to write about myself, which is why I’m considering it somewhat cruel and usual to have...
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Lineup Announcement: Kami and Margaret
Obviously the first two authors that will be at Yall Fest will be the festival coordinators Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl, authors of The Beautiful Creatures Novels. (Margie is also author of the new series Icons coming out 2013)
KAMI GARCIA
I grew up outside of Washington DC, but it always felt like I had one foot in the South. By the time I was thirteen, my family moved in with my...
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YALL Festival Announcement
Today, Hollywood Crush announced the YALLFEST—the first YA book festival to come to Charleston, SC! YALLFEST will hit Charleston on November 11-12, 2011, with a serious line-up of YA authors.
Founded by Jonathan Sanchez of Blue Bicycle Books, the two-day festival is open to the public and sponsored by Blue Bicycle Books, the College of Charleston, the Charleston Area Convention and Visitors...