rgz Seattle HOST: Carrie Jones and Alyx Harvey!

Hello, again, readergirlz!

So, my posted schedule had me going to see Heather Brewer last night, and I wish I could've been in two places at once. I missed Heather because a friend of mine from the Vermont College MFA program in Writing for Children and Young Adults was in town: Carrie Jones! Carrie's a wonderful writer with a super-fun blog (link on her site), another blog called Through the Tollbooth that she and I keep up with seven other Vermont Grads (it's about the craft of writing, how to get down and dirty with words), and can I please just mention that her books NEED and CAPTIVATE are both currently on the New York Times bestseller list? So, basically, Carrie is made of awesome.

She's touring the west coast with Alyx Harvey (at left, Alyx is Little Miss blurry and Carrie is Little Miss Naughty), who is making a big splash with her debut novel, HEARTS AT STAKE, the first in THE DRAKE CHRONICLES (lots of info on her site), a new vampire series that also works as a spin on the Snow White story. Trusted booksellers and librarians have assured me that it's fun and amazing and that even if you're a bit burned out on vampires, you should give it a try. I hope to bite in (couldn't resist) this weekend.

It was SO MUCH FUN to hear these two chat about their books and their lives. They told oodles of interesting stories. Some highlights: Alyx lives in a haunted house but the ghosts are friendly, Carrie wrote an awesome haiku in second grade, both of their books feature blue-skinned non-human characters, Carrie's writing space is small and rickety and Alyx's features photos of Johnny Depp, Mr. Darcy, and all the other important men, both writers love and raise dogs, and both have more exciting projects that you'll hear lots about in the near future (Victorian ghost book for Alyx! Co-written book set in spooky Maine town for Carrie!)

One of the most fun parts of the event was the group of authors and obsessive-in-a-good-way book lovers (rgz street team member Sarah, in particular) who came out. On the left, that's Sarah with rgz Diva Holly Cupala and Seattle-area author Suzanne Selfors. Holly and Carrie share the same literary agent. What a lucky agent! Other awesome people were spotted, too! The bookseller Kari said she wished there'd been a red carpet. :) I wish all of you readergirlz could've been there. Keep an eye out for this tour! Check here to see if they're coming near you!

Liz with Two Authors for your enjoyment:

See you soon!