Let the Battle begin!

The Battle of the Books, that is. This is a competition held by Loudoun County Public Schools and let me say, I wish this existed when I was in high school. Students from each high school form teams, and are then responsible for learning all about 10 books, chosen by the competition organizers.

I was given the great honor of having The Lady of Steinbrekka chosen to be the fantasy choice for the 2014-2015 school year, and for students around Loudoun County to have my book available for their reading pleasure!

Last year, I was given the double honor of being invited to speak about writing, publishing, and being an author at the finals. This year I was invited back, but in a different role. The students were treated to the chance to meet not one author, but two! Val Muller, whose book The Scarred Letter was also one of the Battle  Books, was also on hand!

Together, we answered questions about inspiration, advice for writing, and signed a lot of programs! I was so pleased by how excited the teens (and adult sponsors) were to take home bookmarks, postcards, and my favorite, fridge (or locker) magnets.

I write because it keeps me sane, but days like this, this is why I go that extra step to publish. It is so wonderful connecting with readers, meeting other authors, and knowing that my books are being loved.

The table set-up. I've been so used to the 2' or 3' tables that it was nice being able to spread out a bit more. In the bin were posters (created by the sponsors) of all of the books that have been part of the last 10 years of the Battle of the Books.

My fantasy series. This will likely be the last event before the big re-release

Faulks even came with me this time.