Caren Johnson Literary Agency

I have just a few housekeeping announcements before I launch into the post. CJLA is closing submissions from now until the first of the year (Jan. 2008). Because of the number of submissions gotten in the last few months, it’s been almost impossible to respond in a timely manner. For those who attended the M&M conference this weekend, if your material was requested, please feel free to send it. Those will still be considered. However, if your material wasn’t expressly requested, please wait until the beginning of the year to submit it.

The teen lit author loop had some interesting news about making October Teen Read Month. Readergirlz and Yalsa (Young Adult Library Services Associations) are interviewing a different YA/Teen author every day during the month of October. It began with Meg Cabot yesterday and will commence will Holly Black on Halloween. How cool is this? You can ask questions about their books, their writing process, and who their favorite charater is on Buffy. Here is what readergirlz has to say about it:

The readergirlz divas and YALSA will be hosting 31 of your flavorite authors for 31 days in October — all in honor of Teen Read Week.

From vamps to vampires, the creators of your favorite characters in YA lit will chat nightly at our group forum at 5 PM PST/8 PM EST (with the exception of the Halloween chat, which will be held at 9 PM PST/MIDNIGHT EST). So, readergirlz across the world, get ready to hang with:

The #1 international best-selling author Stephenie Meyer (Eclipse) and #1 New York Times best-selling authors Meg Cabot (The Princess Diaries) and Ann Brashares (The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants), along with the Andre Norton Award for Excellence in Young Adult Literature winner Holly Black (Ironside), National Book Award finalist Deb Caletti (Honey, Baby, Sweetheart), Mythopoeic Fantasy Award for Children’s Literature winner Dia Calhoun (Avielle of Rhia), Mark Twain Award winner Janet Lee Carey (Dragon’s Keep), YALSA Great Graphic Novels for Teens nominee Cecil Castellucci (Boy Proof), Publishers Weekly Best Book of the Year winner Rachel Cohn (Gingerbread), Margaret A. Edwards Lifetime Achievement Award winner Chris Crutcher (Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes), Printz Honor recipient K.L. Going (Fat Kid Rules the World), Printz Award and Honor recipient John Green (An Abundance of Katherines), Coretta Scott King Award winner Nikki Grimes (Bronx Masquerade), NYPL Book for the Teen Age pick Lorie Ann Grover (On Pointe), four-time Book Sense pick Brent Hartinger (Geography Club), Asian Pacific American Award for Literature winner Justina Chen Headley (Girl Overboard), New York Times best-selling author Ellen Hopkins (Crank), Newbery Honor recipient Kirby Larson (Hattie Big Sky), ALA Best Books for Young Adults recipient E. Lockhart (The Boyfriend List), Printz Honor recipient Carolyn Mackler (The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big Round Things), Vanity Fair Hot Type pick Kirsten Miller (Kiki Strike), Book Sense pick Sarah Mlynowski (Bras & Broomsticks), New York Times best-selling author Lauren Myracle (ttfn), NYPL Book for the Teen Age pick Mitali Perkins (Monsoon Summer), Borders Original Voices nominee Cynthia Leitich Smith (Tantalize), Christopher Award winner for Best Children’s Book Sonya Sones (What My Mother Doesn’t Know), ALA Quick Pick Tanya Lee Stone (A Bad Boy Can Be Good for a Girl), IRA/CBC Young Adults’ Choice Gaby Triana (Cubanita), Book Sense pick Tiffany Trent (In the Serpent’s Coils), Sid Fleischman Humor Award winner Lisa Yee (Millicent Min, Girl Genius), and NYPL Book for the Teen Age pick Sara Zarr (Story of a Girl).

Go to www.readergirlz.com and visit the current issue. That has more info, not to mention the complete line up.