This past Sunday was a busy day for book lovers in Austin, Texas. Saint Edwards University hosted the Texas Teen Book Festival, and boy was it packed! Excited energy filled the panel halls, as well as the lawns outside. It was a beautiful day for writers and readers alike.
Jenny Han:
I was lucky to snag an interview with Jenny Han, author of The Summer I Turned Pretty, Ashes to Ashes, and more. When asked how
she was enjoying the Texas Teen Book Festival, Han responded: “I love seeing all of the kids running around with their books. I love their excitement.” Jenny loves to catch up with other authors at events such as these. Always aspiring to be a writer, Jenny loved to read and write, but decided to truly follow her dreams of becoming an author when the idea sparked for her first book in a college writing workshop.
When I asked for advice on how to overcome writer’s block, Han simply stated that there is no such thing as writer’s block. “I think that writing is just hard,” Jenny explained. “Listening to music or talking to a friend helps me to move through the toughest parts.” I was interested in Jenny Han’s experience in co-writing Ashes to Ashes with her close friend Siobhan Vivian, “The experience was really great. It was a natural progression for us because we just trust each other.” Make sure to check out Jenny Han’s website, as well as her newest works. She was a pleasure to speak with, although she did get me off topic with her jokes and hilarious personality. All in all, it was a dream to sit down with one of my personal favorite YA authors.
Later in the day, I spoke with Maria Andreu, author of The Secret Side of Empty. Her featured YA novel is focused on a 
teenage girl who emigrated from Mexico. When I asked what sparked the idea to write this story, Andreu said that she had been listening to the radio one day when the host of the show began speaking about “these people,” referring to immigrants. Being from Mexico herself, Andreu felt that the longer she stayed quiet, the longer people – such as the radio host – would get to speak on these matters unopposed. “I’ve got this story, and I want to share it,” Maria explained. I then ventured on, and asked Maria what her thoughts were on the idea of writer’s block. “Plumbers don’t get plumber’s block,” Maria said, quoting Anne Lammott. “It is a craft, and a hard one at that.” Andreu believes that, when the story seems stuck, the writer may need to take the plot in a different direction. The characters themselves tell the story, and the writer must follow their lead. Make sure to keep your eyes out for Maria Andreu’s work. Be prepared, for Maria hinted at a memoir in the making. It was wonderful to sit down with a newly published author, and her words inspired me to push through the rough patches in my own writing.
Future Possible Panel:
Speakers – Pierce Brown, Claudia Gray, Sophie Jordan, Jenny Martin, Rick Yancey
I was able to sit in on the Sci-Fi panel hosted in the Saint Edward’s Recreational Center. Brown gave a quick synopsis on his newest
book, Golden Son, hinting that the story was based around the fight for love across galaxies. Gray just finished Star Wars: Lost Stars, the first YA Star Wars novel to be published. Sophie Jordan, author of Unleashed, explained that her book focuses on the unraveling of identity due to genetic profiling in a future world. Martin has just published her first book, Tracked, and advised the audience to be prepared for an adventure involving street racing on another planet. Yancey, author of The Fifth Wave, introduced us to his newly published sequel, The Infinite Sea, the story of the destruction of humanity via aliens. If you find yourself interested in genetic profiling, journeying through the galaxy, or watching humanity lose to the power of other life forms, then these books NEED to be on your reading list. Make sure to check them out!
Drawing Between the Lines – Graphic Panel:
Speakers – Stephen Emond, Gareth Hinds, Andrew Smith, Nicola and David Yoon
Full as the Maybee Ballroom was, I was able to grab a seat for the Drawing Between the Lines Panel, focused on graphic novels. Emond, author and illustrator of Bright Lights, Dark Nights, explained that he used black and white charcoal illustrations to further dwell on the issues his interracial couple faces in his novel. Hinds explained that he uses a mix of digital art as well as watercolor, pencil, and paints, to create his illustrated adaptations of classic stories, such as Macbeth, Beowulf, and Romeo and Juliet. Smith had hired an illustrator out of college to take his rough sketches and turn them into final drawings for his graphic novel, Stand Off. Smith explained that, although he has yet to fully illustrate any of his novels, he is working on one now with that goal in mind. Nicola and David Yoon, creators of Every Thing Every Thing, explained that Nicola wrote, while David – her husband – illustrated. The couple detailed how they chose specific parts of the book to add images in order to further emphasize how their main character was feeling. If graphic novels are for you, or if they are a new genre for you, do not hesitate to check out these awesome authors and illustrators!