What A Day at TLA!

Ahh....San Antonio, Texas....home to the Riverwalk, chips, salsa, and great margaritas. Oh,it's also home to the Alamo and other historic sites, but it's the chips, salsa, and margaritas that called my name earlier this month. For a few days in mid April, San Antonio was also home to the Texas Library Association conference. My wonderful co author, Ellen Rothberg and I were lucky enough to be there, and it was definitely an experience we won't forget.

According to librarians we spoke with, there were amazing workshops, lots of time to meet and greet, and of course, opportunities to hang out with famous children's authors like Gary Paulson and Rick Riordan. And there we were, among the greats! Rick Riordan may have Percy Jackson, but we have Sue Ellen the cow! Hmm...not really the same, huh? But still we were there.....very close to the creator of The Lightning Thief . So close that when we were in the authors' area, we were surrounded by him. Literally. His "people" began to load all his books around us while we were still there signing our books (and pointing people in the direction of his line). A young woman in high heels and a tight skirt who seemed to be physically attached to her BlackBerry was busy pointing her manicured fingers in our direction. We knew she wasn't waving at us, but we were a bit confused. Before we knew it, boxes upon boxes of Percy Jackson books appeared, making a fortress around us and our little cow books. Getting out of there was not a pretty sight. But although I still have a few bruises from the fall, I must admit that I was a little starstruck myself. After all, it's Percy Jackson and the Olympians!

So no, we're not one of the famous ones, and we usually carry our own books around, but it still was a great conference. We met new people, hung out with old friends, and took some lady's picture while she smiled with one of the famous ones. Can't wait 'till next year!

Last month I was lucky enough to visit some schools in the Clint Independent School District in West Texas. Now, those of you who know me know that I love kids, love teaching, and love writing. So having five author school visits in a row is right up my alley, right? However, you also may know that I hate flying, I have no sense of direction, and I certainly don't love driving a strange car. I live in Houston, so getting to those schools involved the aforementioned hated things. I also spend a fair amount of time worrying. It doesn't matter if there's really something to worry about. I am just so good at worrying, I figure I shouldn't waste a God given talent. Well, even though my head was filled with disaster scenarios, the plane didn't crash, I didn't end up in Juarez (a true concern), and although I did leave my brother's Lexus running one day, I didn't wreck his car. And the BEST thing is that every school was wonderful! After a long drive from my brother's house each day, each school welcomed me with open arms. I was so impressed, and a bit embarrassed. I'm not comfortable being the center of attention, but I was comfortable with the kids, the teachers, and the librarians. And the cakes. And the candy. And the lunches, and.....well, you get it. Being hungry was not one of my worries. But on those drives through the mountains, I did let my mind wander a bit. I had never done five different schools in a row, and I was sure I would mess some things up. What if I got the schools mixed up and talked about the teachers and principal from another school? What if the computer didn't work? Or worst of all, what if I went to the wrong school one day? Well, MOST of my worries were unfounded. However, I did call a "MR. So and So" "MS. So and So", and the computer did act a bit funky at one school, and I did lose my voice and just about choked on a Halls at another. But if truth be told, those five days at those five schools have left me with amazing memories that I will cherish (even though one of my first encounters with a child was, "Miss....you are old!"). I certainly hope that I was able to make a small difference in the children's day helping them create their own memories. I did get to the correct school on the correct day, I loved every minute at each school, and if you are lucky enough to get to West Texas, you've got to go hang around the schools in Clint. Maybe you'll get to make memories too! Thanks, Suzanne, Julie, Fonnie, Rose, and Ann. You are librarians supreme! Ellen