Not my own, of course, since Fortune’s Folly won’t be out til next Spring. But a few days ago I was walking downtown and I saw a publicity flyer talking about a group signing of Maine authors and illustrators at my local Barnes and Noble.

Accordingly I raced over there tonight after work, half nervous (I tend toward wall-flowery-ness, except when I go haywire and start chattering and gesturing and won’t stop) and half-excited. I think of myself as a relatively “junior” author, even though I feel I’ve learned a lot in the past few months. And here were a bunch of folks who all had books out and on the shelves.

It ended up being wonderful. Book people in general seem to be a nice sort, but I think Children’s book people are the cream of the crop. I met Ellen Booraem, one of the Class of 2k8 and author of The Unnamables. Ellen was very kind and generous in sharing her experiences as a debut writer. I am looking forward to reading her book!

I also met illustrator Jeannie Brett and snapped up a copy of her gorgeous Fishing for Numbers, a counting book chock full of lovely puffins, coon-cats, and other Maine images.

Super-nice author Deb Landry shared some of her experiences visiting schools — a lot of her books help kids deal with bullying.

Author-illustrator Sandra Dutton had Dear Miss Perfect, her humorous beastly take on “Miss Manners” available, and also shared some info about an organization I’ve been curious about: The Maine Writers and Publishers Alliance. Next year I have to try to visit their Books and Blooms event at the Coastal Botanical Gardens!

I also made it out into the adult section long enough to visit author James Hetley, who writes contemporary fantasy set in Maine. I look forward to reading his Dragon’s Teeth.

So everyone was really nice and friendly and excited about books. It definately has inspired me to look into joining some of the many great organizations out there for writers and illustrators, not to mention the festivals and events.

Oh, and the unexpected bonus to visiting the bookstore was discovering copies of two new releases I’ve really been looking forward to: The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins and Graceling by Kristin Cashore. Ahh, books!