Some Bookish News!

Hi everyone!

I was recently told about a few different happenings in the bookish world (there seems to be a lot these days!) and I thought I would share some of them with you today.

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Remember how I reviewed In the Storm and interviewed its author Karen Metcalf a few months ago? Well, In the Storm is now officially available in both eBook AND print formats. To find out more about this, head over here. And be sure to check out Karen's site in the coming weeks for some great giveaways!

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One of the artworks available for bid, and one
of my personal favorites. What can I say
I have a soft spot for pandas... :)

In other news, Scholastic is holding month-long online charity auction to benefit Reading Is Fundamental and Reach Out and Read, two literacy organizations that have recently lost all federal funding. Interested in helping out and making a bid? Here's all the info you need to know:

Twelve original works of art created by some of the top children’s book illustrators and featuring some of the most beloved characters in children’s literature are now available on auction at charitybuzz.org through June 5, 2011. Net proceeds from the auction will benefit the literacy organizations Reading Is Fundamental and Reach Out and Read, organizations that provide books to underserved children and are suffering from recent federal funding cuts.

The artwork, ranging from pen and ink sketches to acrylic and watercolor paintings to digital art, was commissioned by Scholastic, the global children’s publishing, education and media company, as part of the company’s 90th Anniversary global literacy campaign, Read Every Day. Lead A Better Life. Artists were asked to provide their own artistic interpretations of the campaign message, underscoring the importance of reading in the lives of young people. The resulting art captures the whimsy, the imagination, the adventure and the humor to be found in great children’s books.

"At Scholastic, we believe that books are key to ensuring that children have access to a world of big ideas," said David Saylor, VP and Creative Director of Scholastic Trade Publishing, and the curator of the collection. "We are proud to have brought some of today’s most talented children’s artists together to raise awareness of the critical role that books play in all of our lives."

Artists participating in the project are: Norman Bridwell, creator of Clifford the Big Red Dog®; Bruce Degen, illustrator of The Magic School Bus® series; Mary GrandPré, illustrator of the U.S. editions of the Harry Potter series; Jeff Smith, author/illustrator of the BONE graphic novels; David Shannon, author/illustrator of No, David! and its sequels; Jon J Muth, author/illustrator of Zen Ties and Zen Shorts; Mark Teague, author/illustrator of the LaRue series and illustrator of the How Do Dinosaurs...? series; Stephen Savage, author/illustrator of Where's Walrus?; Edwin Fotheringham, illustrator of Tony Baloney; Barbara McClintock, illustrator of fairy-tale retellings; Sean Qualls, illustrator of Dizzy; and RainaTelgemeier, author/illustrator of Smile.

To extend the reach of the Read Every Day. Lead a Better Life campaign message to millions of children worldwide, Scholastic is making poster editions of the twelve works of art available for schools, libraries and literacy organizations. Posters will also go on sale exclusive at www.scholasticstore.com on June 6, 2011.

For more information about the artwork or to access the auction, please visit www.scholastic.com/readeveryday. (info taken from Scholastic's Media Room)

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One of the featured titles!

Those of you loving the eBook trend, will be happy to know about Fiction Express, a new online fiction express including books form Luisa Plaja, Stewart Ross, and many others! The unique part? YOU have a say in deciding what will occur next in the story! Interested in joining in on all the fun? Here's all the info you need to know:

Fiction Express allows readers to control plotlines in real time.

• Gripping e-fiction written chapter by chapter in real time
• Online voting determines the course of the plot

Providing high quality YA fiction, Fiction Express holds readers' interest with a gripping twist. At the end of each weekly-released chapter, readers are given options and can vote to determine what happens next in the plot. With chapters released every Friday at 3:30 pm, readers have until 10 am the following Monday to cast their votes. A challenging but exciting prospect for authors, they will write each new chapter in real time according to the most popular reader choice.

The list is launched with four titles:
Diary of a Mall Girl by Luisa Plaja (Split by a Kiss and Extreme Kissing - also author of the Chicklish fiction site)
The Soterion Mission by Stewart Ross (Timewarp Trials and What if the Bomb Goes Off?)
Soul Shadows by Alex Woolf (The Chronosphere)
The Last Symbol by Rebecca Morton

Each e-book is published in 11 weekly episodes. The first is available for free, and subsequent episodes sell from as little as 59p (or equivalent local currency).

Fiction Express also gives readers the opportunity to submit their own ideas for incorporation into the plot, and there will be competitions for readers to become a part of the story itself.

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In other news, Jennifer Weiner, author of several books including the upcoming Then Came You, is hosting a great giveaway in sponsor of her 10-year anniversary of the publication of Good in Bed, her first novel published back in 2001.

How to enter: What's the most memorable thing that has happened to you in the last ten years? That's the question Jennifer's asking you to answer to enter. Have an answer that's between 125 and 175 words long? Click here.

Deadline: May 31st.

Prize up for grabs: A winner and a guest will fly to Los Angeles and experience the best Hollywood has to offer. From Sunday, June 19th through Wednesday, June 22nd, they will stay at the luxurious Beverly Wilshire, enjoying breakfasts and spa treatments, a workout with a trainer, dinner at one of Los Angeles' top restaurants, and an invitation to watch a taping of State of Georgia, the new ABC Family sitcom co-written and executive-produced by Jen herself.

In conjuction, Jennifer's publisher, Atria Books, is releasing an anniversary edition of  Good in Bed on May 24, 2011! This edition will include an updated cover and a special introduction by Jennifer Weiner herself.
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And that's all for today...  :)