Book Fun in Corpus Christi, Texas

 

Last weekend, I had a blast at the Teen BookFest by the Bay in Corpus Christi, Texas. It was snowing in Boston when my flight left, so the weather in Texas was a nice change of pace. The event was held at the American Bank Center, a gorgeous venue with a view of the bay. We had a wonderful author dinner the night before, and I had great conversations with author Margot Kelly and illustrator Evan Turk. I fell in love with his work. (Seriously, check it out online.) We received awesome author swag bags with treats. Woohoo! The T-shirt was even designed by a local student.

texas-7.jpg
View from my hotel. I mean, come on.

View from my hotel. I mean, come on.

texas-4.jpg
texas-5.jpg

The next day, I appeared on the World Away Panel for four talks with a fabulous group of authors, including Joe Shine, Becky Wallace, and Manuel Ruiz. I was so impressed by the teens in attendance and their questions. Future authors, perhaps?

texas-8.jpg
(left to right) Authors Joe Shine, Becky Wallace, Kristy Acevedo, and Manuel Ruiz on World Away panel

(left to right) Authors Joe Shine, Becky Wallace, Kristy Acevedo, and Manuel Ruiz on World Away panel

Our panel's moderator Sarah Walker was awesome. She read our books ahead of time. Did I mention she's also a fellow English teacher? English teachers are superheroes :)

Our panel's moderator Sarah Walker was awesome. She read our books ahead of time. Did I mention she's also a fellow English teacher? English teachers are superheroes :)

I snuck in two selfies when I could with author Rose Garcia and Jeff Zentner.Jeff is a fellow 2016 debut author who just won the William C. Morris Award for his book The Serpent King, so it was great to finally meet him in person. Sweet Sixteens unite! The day ended with a group book signing, where I was lucky enough to sit next to the fabulous Miracle Austin. The teens were super polite and excited to be there, and I loved talking to them about books.

After a great weekend, I spent an extra day there to finish edits on CONTRIBUTE. The next day, I got stuck in the Corpus Christi airport when a huge thunderstorm rolled through early in the morning. Brendan Kiely came to chat with me in the airport (thanks to Twitter). It was my first author event on the road, and it couldn't have gone better. Thank you to all the volunteers and sponsors who made the event possible.

Authors Rose Garcia and Kristy Acevedo

Authors Rose Garcia and Kristy Acevedo

Authors Jeff Zentner and Kristy Acevedo

Authors Jeff Zentner and Kristy Acevedo

Authors Miracle Austin and Kristy Acevedo

Authors Miracle Austin and Kristy Acevedo

Authors Brendan Kiely and Kristy Acevedo

Authors Brendan Kiely and Kristy Acevedo

Special shout out to Debbie VanZandt for your dedication to connecting teens and authors. And to all the teens, happy reading!

texas-2.jpg

June 10-12, 2016 Barnes & Noble B-Fest Teen Book Festival Weekend

B-Fest_LandingPage_V5.jpg

 The first Barnes & Noble B-Fest Teen Book Festival is happening nationwide June 10-12, 2016.  Check your local stores for author events!I will be participating at three locations along with a group of fabulous YA authors:imageOn Friday, June 10 I'll be at Barnes & Noble in Warwick, RI from 6-7pm for an Author Chat & Book signing along with Padma Venkatraman.See event Facebook page for more info.bfest 1On Saturday, June 11 I'll be at Barnes & Noble in North Dartmouth, MA from 1-2pm for a five YA Author Panel & Book Signing along with Emily Ross, Melissa Schorr, K.R. Conway and Huntley Fitzpatrick (updated).See BN event page for more details on each author.bfest 2On Sunday, June 12 I'll be at Barnes & Noble in Hyannis, MA from 1-2pm for a five YA Author Character Discussion & Book Signing along with Kate Conway, Laura Woolett, Lauren Roy, and Hillary Monahan.See BN event page for more details on each author. Come out and support local authors!