Tag Archives: Lauren Bjorkman

Where are you going and where have you been?

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My last blog post was on the 1st of October, which seems like a lifetime ago. Saundra Mitchell actually checked in to see if I was okay, which I thought was very caring. I am okay, just very busy. My library is hopping, which is awesome. I have a toddler who is also awesome and hopping. And I’ve been working on some projects whose awesomeness is TBD. Since I’m an inconsistent and ambivalent blogger as it is, it was easy to let this go by the wayside.

However I wanted to check in because less than two weeks from now I will be Albuquerque, New Mexico for the YALSA Teen Lit Symposium! I am going to be a part of two author panels, one on LGBTQ lit and one on Body Positivity and Fat Acceptance. I am very, very excited about these, not the least because the other authors are so awesome. For the LGBTQ panel: Malinda Lo, Kirstin Cronn-Mills, Lauren Bjorkman, and Michael Cart; this is part of the pre-conference On Beyond Stonewall, organized by Cart and Christine Jenkins. For the Fat Acceptance panel: Madeleine George, Susan Vaught, and Allen Zadoff; that one will be moderated by Angie Manfredi, a fantastic librarian from New Mexico.

And then, to cap it off, this introvert is going to speak in public one more time:

Malinda, Kirstin, Lauren, and I will be joined by Alexandra Diaz to speak about LGBTQ issues with teens at Alamosa Books.

Then I will curl up and sleep for days. No! Then I will enjoy the rest of the conference which sounds like it is going to be so cool. What I’m most excited about it is meeting other librarians and authors — the ones listed here, the ones presenting other sessions, and the ones in attendance. There’s something energizing about being around so many other people who are excited about YA lit.

I hope that some of you can make it to New Mexico, and I will see you there.

Debs Pageant: Lauren Bjorkman

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In Secrets of Truth & Beauty, Dara is a former child pageant star. So, in order to introduce you to the wonderful authors and characters of the 2009 Debutantes, I am hosting a Debs Pageant on my blog. Today we have Roz from Lauren Bjorkman’s debut, My Invented Life.

Name: Roz Peterson aka Chub (That’s my sister’s evil nickname for me. Preferred nickname–Pixie.)
Age:17
Biography: I like attention, except the negative kind I keep getting for some reason. I’m so not new age, but sometimes turn to online ouija to answer life’s little questions.

my_invented_lifeWhat is your talent? I was born to be on stage. And this time I’m going to get the lead in the school play, even though there are others who might possibly be more talented than I am. But Shakespeare wrote Rosalind for me. For the pageant, I’ll perform a monologue from As You Like It.

What will you wear for the evening dress competition?
A neo-goth black dress. I have a secret “crush” on someone who’s into neo-goth.

Who is your escort? I hate to limit myself to a single person. My people will get back to you on that.

And now for the interview portion . . .

What’s the biggest challenge facing today’s youth?
I believe that it’s figuring out who you are, and daring to be that person, in a world with so many competing expectations (parental, societal, and peer).

What color best represents you and why?
Pink because I’m cheerful, naive, and generally nice to people. But I’m not fond of all things pink-e.g. the frilly frou frou stuff. I never owned a Barbie doll. I wanted a pink tutu to go with my black leotard when I was five, though.

If you could change one thing about the world, what would it be?
In my ideal world, we would accept each other in all our glorious diversity. Oh, can I delete greed and the hunger for power, too? I think this would end war, and let us focus on the important things.

Thank you Roz and Lauren!

If you want to learn more about Lauren and My Invented Life, please visit her website.

You can order My Invented Life from Amazon. You can also get it from a local indie. Here’s a recommendation from Lauren:

My small town of Taos, NM has a wonderful Indie bookstore called Moby Dickens. If you ever come here, be sure to drop by.