Just a reminder that the Mirrorstone blog is your source for announcements regarding all of Mirrorstone’s books. I’m a little biased here because, of course, I’m talking about my work in particular. But at the Mirrorstone blog we’re going to make sure to point out news that relates to all the books we’re publishing, the authors who write those books, and even all the editors. Take note of yesterday’s post in particular, if you’re in the San Francisco area and thinking about going to the local SCBWI conference next month:

A few words from Nina Hess, Mirrorstone’s Senior Editor

Thanks to everyone who has friended Mirrorstone! We’re excited to be here on MySpace and able to reach out to people across the country. %
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A few upcoming appearances, we’d like for you to know about:

I will be speaking and critiquing manuscripts at the San Francisco East/North Bay Region SCBWI conference on Saturday, September 8, 2007. If you’re in the area, please stop by! I’d love to meet you. Information available at the SCBWI site.

Stacy Whitman, intrepid Editor, has graciously agreed to step in for me to speak at L.A. Public Library’s monthly meeting on September 4 at 9 AM. (The meeting is open only to L.A. librarians.) Thank you, Stacy! I’m sorry I had to miss meeting librarians in L.A., but I’m excited to have the chance to meet with writers in the San Francisco area that same week!

If you can’t make any of our in-person appearances, meet me on the Internet! I’ll be speaking via the magic of the world wide web on September 28 at 11 AM Eastern time. This “webinar” is hosted by the amazing duo of Susan Raab of Raab Associates and Jeannette Larson of the Texas Public Library. A webinar is a speech broadcast over the Internet. You call in to a phone number to get the audio, and log in to a website to see the power point slides. Pretty fancy, huh? Here’s the write-up:

A Practical Guide to Fantasy
Nina Hess is Senior Editor at Mirrorstone, an imprint at Wizards of the Coast, where she edits fantasy fiction for children and teens. She is also the author of A Practical Guide to Monsters (August 2007), which follows the company’s New York Times bestseller, A Practical Guide to Dragons.

In her web-based seminar, Hess will discuss the popularity of fantasy for all kids and its value as a means for encouraging more boys to read. She will introduce ideas, including role-playing, costume parties, and fantasy script writing, that can be incorporated into library programs for school-age children and teens.

Though this webinar is primarily aimed at librarians, it should be of interest to any writer intrigued by the fantasy genre, or any published fantasy authors looking for ideas to use in school-visits or local bookstore appearances. There is a fee to participate, but there are discounts for groups of ten or more. Full information and registration available here.