Who needs the Golden Globes when you have the American Library Association Mid-Winter Meeting? Last weekend (I know, I know. I’m a bit behind on this post), while Hollywoodites were huddled around their TV sets to watch a press conference announcing the winners of the Globes, librarians from across the country were gathering in my hometown (Yo, Philly!) for a considerably more glamorous affair. You know … Considering … Press Conference.

During the ALA Meeting, The Young Adult Library Services Association chose Rainbow Party as one of the titles on the 2008 list of Popular Paperbacks for Young Adults. (Yes, the book came out in 2005. The themes on the list change annually. Just go with it.) And the best, best, BEST part is it puts me on a list alongside some of my faves: Meg Cabot, Bret Hartinger, David Levithan, Rachel Cohn, and the one, the only Judy Blume.

Did I mention JUDY BLUME!?!

For the full list go here!

But wait! Those wacky librarians didn’t stop there. In this month’s issue of Booklist (the magazine of the American Library Association) they’ve included a nice review of Everyone’s a Critic. Here’s an excerpt:

…Wry, sensitive, and sitting comfortably in the closet, Bryan makes an engaging narrator, whose takes on privileged classmates, the la-la-land setting, the craft of acting, and his own emotional highs and lows go down as easily as a Starbucks latte. By the final scene he and his circle have played hard, worked hard, done their best, and developed a bit more self-awareness…

This the first time my writing has ever been compared to a coffee drink. Well, the first time that I know of. Personally, I would have preferred if the critic had said it was like a White Chocolate Mocha with extra whip, but I’ll take what I can get.

Thanks, librarians!

That’s “Publication” Day. I’m not going on any pub crawls or anything like that.

Today is the official release day for Love, Hollywood Style, my first (and, hopefully, not last) entry in the Simon Pulse Romantic Comedies book line. Although the book is in no way autobiographical, it was inspired by the job that led me to the job that ultimately led me to my writing career. After college, I moved to Hollywood and got work as a tour guide at a major motion picture and TV studio. Can’t you just picture me stepping off the bus with bags in my hands, a naive expression on my face, and a dream in my heart? (Except, I took a plane to get here.) To read one of my favorite tales from my days as a tour guide, check out my latest post on the Simon Pulse Ro Com blog.

But while you’re still here, I’d like to take a moment to share some thanks. A couple months back, I found myself with some extra copies of my final Charmed book, Leo Rising. Since the Charmed fan site, TheCharmedOnes.com, has always been very kind to me, I offered the books to them to give away. And thus, the contest mentioned previously in this blog, was born. Little did I know that they would ask the fans to write in with their thoughts on the Charmed books and my books in particular. There was no need to have read any of my books to enter the contest, but if they had read the books and wanted to share their thoughts, it was encouraged. And they did. And then the site shared those words with me. It was some of the nicest and most thoughtful messages I’ve ever received. Such a nice way to start off the new year! (In addition to the fun first weekend of 2008 I spent watching all of Veronica Mars season 1 on DVD.) So, thanks, Charmed Ones and Charmed fans. And congratulations to all the contest winners.