UP!–Young Author’s “Stanley & Katrina Book Blasty Tour”!

Posted on October 8, 2014 by writersideup

Stanley

Katrina’s

Book Blasty Tour 2014!

As we all know, there are times we simply cannot resist doing something, right? This is one of those times.*** When I see young people doing constructive, valuable, worthwhile things, it elates me—my heart overflows with joy 🙂 Since becoming active on Twitter and following Kidlit-related blogs, happily I discovered “kid” authors! I was immediately smitten—totally hooked! Felicia Maziarz is one such young author and it just so happens she recently released her SECOND book in a series! Pretty impressive, don’t you think? I can tell you I’m VERY impressed (in fact, here’s my review), but I’m certainly not the only one who recognizes the quality of these books.

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UP!–A SOLUTION to BANNING BOOKS?

Posted on September 26, 2014 by writersideup

So, here we go…it’s Banned Books Week! Something that, when you’re as immersed in the KidLit world on the internet to the degree I am, is impossible to miss. Discussion is ablaze, reaching virtually every corner of the realm of literature. It can be a heated topic, for sure, which is something I typically avoid online, but I don’t think what I’m going to say here will create any hoopla. Honestly, the reason I’m blogging about it at all is because I thought it was the appropriate time to offer a little gift for Harry Potter fans: a one-of-a-kind download! Why now? Because the Harry Potter series is BANNED*! What started out as a little download ultimately became a full-blown post about banning books. I’ll be curious to hear what you think: Continue reading →

UP!–A FESTIVAL of BOOKS in Princeton!

Posted on September 21, 2014 by writersideup

Last year, on September 21, 2013, was the first time I attended the Princeton Book Festival held at the Princeton Public Library here in New Jersey. The event began at 11 a.m. and since I hadn’t arrived ‘til after 12, the nearby parking garage was full, so I felt lucky finding a spot on the street. Not having seen the meter, I didn’t expect to find a parking ticket on my windshield when I got back—but I did. As a true bibliovore, the first thing I thought was Oh, man, I would’ve rather spent that $40 on books! So, ultimately, the two very important things I came away with that day were 1) I will never miss this book festival again, if I can help it, and 2) arrive early enough to get a spot in the garage.

The 2014 festival, hosting over 80 authors and illustrators, was held yesterday, September 20^th, and you can be sure I was there! As soon as I found a snugly spot Continue reading →