I can't believe it's almost June! I also can't believe that the three-month-long YA Buccaneers Spring Writing Bootcamp is coming to a close. Wasn't it just yesterday that we were dividing into teams and setting goals? I wrote last week that I'd pretty much accomplished my Bootcamp goals, and so there's nothing new to report on that front; I just wanted to acknowledge one more time how awesome it was, and how much the format pushed me to accomplish. I'm proud to display my survival badge:
Since I'm taking a brief writing break before diving back into revising my various projects, you might not hear about writing for a bit—but that's probably fine, since I've written about almost nothing but writing during the Bootcamp months! Instead, I want to try to do some Friday Reads posts in the coming weeks, to catch you up on some of the amazing books I've read. And of course I'll share any other exciting news that happens in my life...
Such as how this week has been chock-full of writer-friend get-togethers. It's BEA week here in NYC (that's Book Expo America for you non-publishing folks), which means a lot of writers are converging on Manhattan to visit the Expo and sign books and do promotional appearances and such. On Wednesday evening, I went to the Teen Author Carnival, where my friend Lauren Morrill was on a panel with a bunch of other YA Contemporary authors. I may have mentioned before on the blog that I've known Lauren since high school, and that we reconnected when we both ventured into the YA author world. It's always great to see her and catch up! (And it doesn't hurt that I got to attend two fab panels at the TAC, and connect with a few published authors, and buy some books, and get those books signed…)
And then, last night, the Fearless Fifteeners had a group dinner. There were about 16 of us, some New Yorkers and others who are in town for BEA. I definitely met six or eight new faces! We talked and talked and had a blast. As I inch closer to my pub date (and I promise I'll be able to tell you when that is very soon!), I'm so thankful for all of the networking I'm able to do and the friendships I'm developing—with published, soon-to-be-published, and aspiring authors. I can't say it enough: It's so good to be reminded that we're all in the same boat. Or have been in the same boat. Or will be in the same boat.
More soon!
~Kathryn