Howdy, Texas!

As easily as I say “Pass the butter,” teens in Texas say “Ma’am” and “Sir,” and to my Northern ears, it’s a gracious sound. When I write about characters from Texas, I recall the kind, polite readers I’ve met there, and when I think about going back, I smile.

Texas

In the YA community, Texas is known for its book enthusiasm. The librarians (Yay for the TAYSHAS Reading Lists!), booksellers, bloggers, teachers, local writers (Yay for Jennifer Mathieu!), and readers are fun loving and first rate. There’s no question, then, that the North Texas Teen Book Festival this upcoming Saturday is bound to be great!

I get to go! Wahoo! The festival is all about readers who love Middle Grade (MG) and Young Adult (YA) books, so I’m super excited. I’m on four different panels with other amazing writers throughout the day. If you happen to be going to the festival, too, please say hi! I’m always happy to chat, and I love meeting fellow readers and writers in person. We can talk books!