Countdown to Summer

[Authors Booking Service]

There are just two more regular editions of our newsletter before we break for the school holiday but we will be here all summer and ready to help with your fall bookings.  Response time may be a little slower than usual.

 

Coming Up:

 

Book Draw Winners

News

Meet the Authors: Pam Bustin and Jan Thornhill

Fall Tours

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BOOK DRAW WINNERS!

Since the beginning of this school year we are proud to have given away more than 125 books!

 

Congratulations to the following May winners, who select a title of their choice from a list of autographed books from our members: Eva Wills, Tara Neate, Jane Mundell, Nicole Hamel, Jane Glassco, Peggy MacInnis, Judy Wilkins, Laura Hill, Tracy Walker, Shelley Merton, Alicia Subnaik-Kilgour,  Kimberly Oliver, Sharon Mills-Fields, Lexi Sensicle, Kathy Hammer, Lina Barnes, Waldo Aristizabal, Craig Bell, Mary Jo Wheeler-Ali and Debora Attack.

 
Each session booked through Authors' Booking Service automatically earns you one ballot in our monthly draws!

 

Some of you may be contacting authors directly, thinking this will save time or money. Neither is true - we pride ourselves on speedy responses, and there is no difference in an author's fee whether booked directly or through this service. Remember, if we don't know about your booking, your name will not be in the draws for free books.

If you'd like to see a full list of available books, check out the posting titled "Books for our Draws!" on our blog at: http://authorsbooking.blogspot.com
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NEWS

 

The shortlist for the Trillium Book Award, which recognizes excellence and supports the promotion of Ontario writers, was announced on Monday and we were thrilled to see that Ken Sparling’s experimental novel, Book was among the stellar titles on the shortlist. Winners will be announced on June 17 at a reception in Toronto. 

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MEET THE AUTHORS: Pam Bustin and Jan Thornhill

 

Pam Bustin loves grilled cheese, good shoes and giggling like a lunatic. She also hears voices – in a good way. It’s how she finds her stories. It took her six years to write her first novel, Mostly Happy. A LOT of that time was spent winnowing down the words and finding the heart of the story. You may not believe this, but Bean E. Fallwell had a HECK of a lot to say once Pam started listening to her. These days, Pam is wandering around graveyards and train tracks listening to the newest incoming voices – a girl named Izzy, her grandfather Hank, a wild-haired witchy woman named Minna, a badman called Jimmy and a mostly silent boy. She has no idea how long this new adventure will take.

 

As well as being a writer and illustrator, Jan Thornhill is also a naturalist, birder, and amateur mycologist (wild mushroom nut), so it’s no surprise that her books are nature and animal based. Her most recent work, I Found a Dead Bird: The Kids’ Guide to the Cycle of Life & Death, is a visually exciting introduction to life and death in the living world. Inspired by the contents of her “museum-in-a-bag,” which Jan shares with kids during school visits, the book explores everything from life spans to causes of death to decomposition to more human aspects of death, such as grieving and burial rituals. Without banging anyone over the head, Jan is trying to get across the idea that death is not only a natural part of life, but a necessary part. Jan lives in “The Plywood Palace,” a house that she and her husband built in central Ontario. In her spare time, she wanders around in the woods with her dog, Betty Boots, looking for birds, wild mushrooms, and animal bones.

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Tours for the 2011 – 2012 School Year:

 

Booking a fall visit NOW means you can get your application for funding in early!

 

Coming from across Canada this FALL:

 

Arthur Slade will be in the GTA from October 19 – 21.  Limited time remaining!

 

Susin Nielsen will be visiting the Oakville-Burlington corridor, as well as the Barrie area the week of October 24.  Time slots are going fast so book now to avoid disappointment. 

 

Linda Bailey will be visiting Ontario the week of November1. Please drop us a line if you’d like to be added to Linda’s waiting list.

 

A list of our regular members can be seen here:

 

http://www.authorsbooking.com/2043/index.html

 

 

Contact us today to book any of our members, or to be notified as to when they will be in your area.

 

Is the author you would like to book on our list but living in another province?  Let us know you’re interested and we’ll put you on that person’s waiting list and let you know when he or she will be visiting Ontario.  (There is, of course, no obligation to book.) 

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Visit our web site for full details on any of our members! www.authorsbooking.com  Just click on Our Presenters for a list of links to details on any of our members.  Each individual page has information on publications, presentations, fees and much more!

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Questions?  Comments?  We’re listening!

 

Marsha & Valerie

Contact us at a...@authorsbooking.com.  We respond quickly to all e-mails.

 

Please note: If you haven't had a reply to messages sent to the above address within 2 working days, your message may have gone astray.  In that case, please contact either of us at home.

Valerie Sherrard: val...@nbnet.nb.ca or Marsha Skrypuch: mar...@calla.com