We are sad to announce that Sarah Darer Littman, Rebecca Serle, and Jessica Burkhart are no longer able to attend PAYA this Saturday, due to unforeseen circumstances. We hope to see them there next year!
Last Minute Author Changes
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Author Schedule and FAQ
The authors will be signing in one-hour shifts at PAYA. The schedule is below, though please be aware that there may be last minute changes made as necessary.
Signing from 12-1
Susan Shaw
Victoria Schwab
Victoria Schwab
K.M. Walton
Margie Gelbwasser
Charlotte Bennardo
Jackie Kessler
Amalie Howard
Ellen Jensen Abbott
Amalie Howard
Ellen Jensen Abbott
Signing from 1-2
Jennifer Hubbard
Jennifer Murgia
J.R. Wagner
Shannon Delany
Beth Kephart
Brigid Kemmerer
Jaclyn Dolamore
A.S. King
Jessica Spotswood
Signing from 2-3
Jeri Smith-Ready
Maria V. Snyder
Cyn Balog
Josh Berk
Cesya MaRae Cuono
Gwendolyn Heasley
Dianne Salerni
Rebecca Serle
Signing from 3-4
Jennifer Armentrout
Christine Norris
Alissa Grosso
Wendy Higgins
Amy Holder
Elisa Ludwig
Tiffany Schmidt
Jessica Burkhart
I also wanted to answer questions that I’ve been asked many times.
Is registration required for the event?
No. The only thing that requires registration is the Writing Workshop. However, you may join the FB Event here.
How do I get books for the event?
Children’s Book World from Haverford, PA will be in attendance to sell books by all of the authors. However, you may still bring books from home, though we do appreciate it if you buy some books at the event.
Does the event cost money?
There is no entry or attendance fee to the event. The only expenses are any books you choose to buy and any fundraisers you choose to participate in. The writing workshop, however, does requires payment.
Any further questions may be emailed to bringya2pa[at]yahoo[dot]com.
2012 PAYA Writing Workshop
This year, as in previous years, PAYA will be hosting a writer’s workshop, with some fabulous authors!
2012 PAYA Writer’s Workshop
August 25
10am-12noon
featuring 11 authors, published in variety of genres.
The authors this year include Jackie Kessler, Amalie Howard, Char Bennardo, Dianne Salerni, Susan Shaw, Victoria Schwab, Margie Gelbwasser, Jackie Dolamore, Brigid Kemmerer, Gwendolyn Heasley, and Ellen Jensen Abbott.
The event will be held immediately prior to the PAYA Festival. This event requires pre-registration. The price is $35 BEFORE August 7th and $40 AFTER August 7th.
The two-hour workshop includes a panel of each author speaking on a variety of topics related to writing and publishing. Then, authors and attendees will split into small, pre-determined groups with 1-3 authors and up to 3 attendees. Each attendee is asked to bring the first three pages of their WIP, which will be read in the small group, and receive a critique from the other attendees and authors in the group. There will also be time to ask specific questions to the authors in your group.
To register for this event, send an email to bringya2pa[at]yahoo[dot]com with the following information:
Name:
Age:
Email:
Phone:
What is the current stage of your WIP? (rough draft, ready-to-publish, revising, etc.)
What is the genre of your WIP? (paranormal, contemporary, etc)
Which of the authors participating in the workshop would you most like to work with? (List 3)
Please send payment via Paypal to bringya2pa[at]yahoo[dot]com or email for alternative payment methods.
2012 Book Drive!
We are currently collecting new and gently used young adult novels for PAYA 2012!
These books will be used in our “Librarian Room” where librarians in attendance at PAYA will be able to choose books for their young adult collections at there library, free of charge .
To donate books, please email bringya2pa[at]yahoo[dot]com.
Books may either be donated at the festival or mailed before the event.
New This Year – Libriarian-Only PAYA Workshop!
Librarian-Only PAYA Workshop!
This year, from 10am-12noon, PAYA will be hosting a workshop just for librarians. This workshop will feature various authors speaking to librarians on ways they can work together or improve their services and will also include time for fellow librarians to get together and chat about their own ideas.
Keynote Speaker:
A.S. King, author of Everybody Sees the Ants and Please Ignore Vera Dietz
speaking on: How to Bring a Community Together With a Book
Other participating authors:
Jennifer Hubbard, author of The Secret Year and Try Not to Breathe
J.R. Wagner, author of Exiled
Shannon Delany, author of 13 to Life series
2012 PAYA Festival!
I am pleased to announce the 3rd Annual PAYA Festival! This year’s festival will be held on August 25 in West Chester, Pennsylvania! The year is already guaranteed to be bigger and better than every, with other THIRTY authors confirmed to attend!
Authors attending include:
Sarah Darer Littman
Maria V. Snyder
Jessica Burkhart
Cyn Balog
Elisa Ludwig
Shannon Delany
Jaclyn Dolamore
& many, many more!
Please check out the 2012 Festival Page for a full author line-up and more details on the festival!
IMPORTANT CHANGE!
Due to the impending weather hitting West Chester on Saturday night, the PAYA Festival will BEGIN at 11am and end at 2pm.
3 authors added!
Three authors have been added to the PAYA Festival line-up!
These authors are:
Beth Kephart
Susan Shaw
Scott Tracey
I’m especially excited to include Scott Tracey in this list because we will have his book available BEFORE it’s actual release! So if you’re anxiously waiting for Witch Eyes, be sure to stop by PAYA to get a copy before anyone else!
Why You Should Come to PAYA (Josh Berk and Sarah Darer Littman)
PAYA newcomer Sarah Darer Littman chats with long-time Pennsylvanian Josh Berk about books, scrapple, and other things to expect when she visits the Keystone State.
Sarah: So Mr. Berk – Have you lived in PA your whole life?
Josh: I certainly have! I’ve lived in PA and nowhere else, except for a brief stint when I went to college in (whispers) Jersey. We shall never speak of this again.
Sarah: My son calls Jersey the second circle of Hell.
Josh: He is not the only one.
Sarah: Did you find many cultural differences between New Jersey and PA? Particularly when it comes to food? For instance – a lack of scrapple? And by the way, what the heck IS scrapple?
Josh: The main thing I noticed was that Jersey had a lot of Yankees fans and/or Mets fans, which bothered me deeply.
Sarah: Did everyone look like Snooki and The Situation?
Josh: Only the man in the mirror.
Sarah: Wait – did you look like Snooki or the Situation. Or BOTH, which is a very frightening prospect….
Josh: A little from column A, a little from column B …. OK: BACK TO SCRAPPLE. You have never tried it?
Sarah: I believe Scrapple has content of the porcine variety, and being a Nice Jewish Girl – well, at least a Jewish Girl, I refrain from such products.
Josh: Well, no one is quite sure what is in scrapple. It’s a great mystery, the likes of which will never be known.
Sarah: So it’s Mystery Meat! Maybe I’ve have eaten it! They served it in my college cafeteria at Duke on Thursdays….
Josh: You haven’t truly had Scrapple until you’ve had Pennsylvania Scrapple. We’re the champions of Scrapple. But yeah, maybe it’s a weeeee bit not kosher. We could go out for cheesteaks. That’s, um ….
Sarah: Yeah, also a bit of a problem 😉 Unless I put tofu cheese on it.
Josh: I’m 99% sure if you ordered tofu cheese at a Philly cheesesteak shop that the guy behind the counter would die laughing.
Sarah: Yeah, I was thinking that…I guess I’d better stay in CT, huh?!
Josh: My home state really is not kosher-friendly. I apologize in advance. But, no, you still should come! We’re very excited to have you come to PAYA.
Sarah: I’m very excited to be joining you!
Josh: It’s a really great event! Last year was a blast. Tell me a little about your latest book. Smooth transition, Berk!
Sarah: WANT TO GO PRIVATE? is about Abby, who is finding the transition to high school difficult because her best friend is spreading her wings and making new friends and Abby…isn’t. So she finds solace online in the form of Luke, who listens and finds her wonderful. They decide to meet. And then Abby’s missing. And the FBI, the police and her family and friends must figure out the clues if they ever want to see her again.
Josh: Whoah, sounds great!
Sarah: It’s had a good reception so far- in fact, there was a nice write-up in Entertainment Weekly (!!!!) last week!!!!!!
Josh: I saw that! Cyn Balog’s book was mentioned in there too. She’s going to be at PAYA as well. It’s totally star-studded with you EW superstars! (“EW superstars” does not sound like a compliment, but it is.)
Sarah: I have to say, that as a Mom, it gave me massive cred with my teenage daughter that my book was in there not just with, but ABOVE Sara Shepard’s latest. My stock with her rose for at least…45 seconds.
Josh: Forty-five glorious seconds.
Sarah: When you are the parent of teenagers, you learn to treasure each and every second of cred. Because there are so freaking few of them.
Josh: Sara Shep is from PA too, you know? Although I do not think she will be at PAYA.
Sarah: I didn’t know that!
Josh: I call her Sara Shep. She’s kinda my BFF.
Sarah: Can I touch you and then say that I’m BFF by association? It might earn me 5 cred units?
Josh: How many credits is it if I in fact met Miss Shepard just the once and nver called her Sara Shep?
Sarah: Maybe only 1 then.
Josh: I’ll take it.
Sarah: Awesome, you rock! So tell me about YOUR book, dude!
Josh: My first bit o’ news is that THE DARK DAYS OF HAMBURGER HALPIN is newly out in paperback, and will be available at PAYA with its shiny new cover and lovely papery-back.
Sarah: I will be buying and you will be signing. I NEED this book!
Josh: With this I will not argue J My next book comes out in March of next year. It’s called GUY LANGMAN: CRIME SCENE PROCRASTINATOR and is another funny YA mystery about a lovable (I hope) and sarcastic (definitely) teen dude.
Sarah: Wait – I have to wait till MARCH to buy your next book?! That’s SO NOT FAIR!!!!
Josh: However, I should warn you that this one, unlike HALPIN, is not set in Pennsylvania. It is set in … New Jersey?!?!?!
Sarah: The Second Circle of HELL!!!! Do any of the characters wear bumpits?
Josh: Just the guy in the author photo.
(Note: Dear Readers Who Live in New Jersey, you should totally make the short drive to PAYA. Josh & Sarah promise to be nice to you. PAYA, the Pennsylvania Young Adult Literature Festival, is held August 27th beginning at noon in West Chester, PA. The PAYA Facebook page has all the info.)
Book Drive!
We’re still collecting books for the 2011 PAYA Book Drive! Books (YA, in new or like-new condition) can be brought to the PAYA Festival or mailed (by the 20th at the latest). All of the librarians in attendance will be able to choose from the books for their libraries.
Bring YA to PA 