• RT Booklovers Convention …

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    I wanted to let everyone know that it looks like I will be going to the RT Booklovers Convention, April 11-14, in Chicago.

    If you’ve never been, the RT convention is a really fun event with tons of panels, parties, and a big, Saturday book signing that features hundreds of authors. I’ll be participating in a couple of panels and some other events, including the following:

    Murder, Mayhem and Madness: YA Action & Suspense — Wednesday, April 11, 1-2 p.m.

    Trends — What’s Hot, What’s Not & What’s Next in UF — Thursday, April 12, 10-11 a.m.

    Club RT — Thursday, April 12, 11:15 a.m. I believe these are 30-minute segments.

    Kensington Books & All That Jazz  — Thursday, April 12, 12:20-1:20 p.m. I actually have another event at this time as well, so I’ll probably only be at the Kensington event for the first fifteen minutes or so.

    Giant Book Fair — Saturday, April 14, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Note that during the book fair, I will be signing in the YA Alley with about 55 other YA authors.

    ROOM B: Author Speed-Reading — Saturday, April 14, 3:45-4:45 p.m.

    Teen Day Party — Saturday, 6:15-7:30 p.m.

    I believe it’s $5 if you just want to come to the Saturday book fair or $25 if you want to participate in the Teen Day events, which are also on Saturday. You can check the convention website for more information.

    There is a possibility that I might not make it to the convention after all, especially if something unexpected comes up at the last minute. But I hope that I will be able to make it. We’ll see what happens.

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    You say potato, I say potato …

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    A while back, I wrote a post about some regional words that I use in my books. Today, I thought I would talk a little about pronunciation.

    Just like words, pronunciation varies widely from region to region (not to mention accents). Simple words always seem to trip me up the most. For caramel, do you say car-mel or car-a-mel? I usually say car-mel.

    I like The Weather Channel, but my ears perk up every time one of the forecasters talks about the Appalachian Mountains. The forecasters almost always pronounce it as App-uh-lay-chan. But I’ve always heard and said it as App-uh-latch-in.

    Another word that I’ve heard pronounced two ways is pecan. I’ve heard it as peh-cahn and pea-can. I usually say peh-cahn. And as long as we’re talking about food, there is bruschetta, which is bru-sket-a to some and bru-sche-tah to others (including me).

    One thing that always surprises me is when people mispronounce Estep, my last name. Many folks say it as Es-tep, but I’ve always heard and said it as E-step. That’s how I would say it, no matter how it’s spelled — Estep, Eastep, Estepp, Eastepp, etc.

    In the end, I guess it’s just like regional words — you say them the way you hear them growing up.

    What about you guys? What words have you heard pronounced different ways?

  • Giving in to the buzz …

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    I have to admit that I’m a sucker for buzz. Hype. Buildup. If there’s something that it seems like everyone is talking about, I usually want to know what all the fuss is about, whether it’s books, movies, television shows, or music.

    Like The Walking Dead television show. Now, I don’t particularly like zombies. It’s just not something I normally enjoy reading or watching (brains!). But it seems like everyone loves the show, and a couple of my friends recommended it to me as well. So I bought Wheezley (who is a zombie fan) the first season DVD set of The Walking Dead for Christmas, with the idea that if he liked and recommended it, well then I could watch it too.

    Yes, there are lots of zombies (brains!) in the show, and it is visceral at times (that poor horse!), but I enjoyed the first season. I can see what all the fuss is about. (And I’ve also realized that I am woefully unprepared for a zombie apocalypse.)

    I’m glad I gave in to the buzz and gave The Walking Dead a chance. I think the next buzzy thing that I will try will be Game of Thrones. Not sure if I’ll start with the book or the first season DVDs.

    What about you guys? Have you given in to the buzz and watched The Walking Dead or something else? What television shows are you enjoying right now?