YANovcon 2022

 I finally got to go back to the young adult novelist convention! I haven't been there since I started working at the zoo. I was always working while it happened. But I took off part of the day so I could go this year. 

It was nice to be back. I so rarely get to interact with the writing community lately.

I never know any of the writers or books when I walk into the convention. Mostly because I'm very bad at keeping up with new books - there's a million old ones I'm already trying to get through XD

But despite not knowing any of the stories, I still like to hear writers talk about the craft. The theme of the day was identity. Whether race, or gender, or health. 

One of the things they talked about was banned books. Many states will ban books if the heroes aren't the most typical gender or race. And it's heartbreaking to the writers. They're trying to help different people be understood and accepted, and then their books get banned. And they're obviously banned in the communities that need them the most. Apparently the publishers don't even help protect their own books. Some of the authors at the convention were part of a program that delivers those banned books to the places that need them. To give hope to any kids that are different, and to help anyone else understand them. Otherwise the cycle of hate is never going to break. 

One author was talking about her book with a magic school that had students that were actually diverse. "Unlike She-Who-Shall-Not-be-Named." Everyone laughed when she said that. It was a great line. Turn that author's own phrase against her (Yeah, I still like Harry Potter - I have to be able to separate the creator from the things they create. But it sucks when you expect better of someone - especially someone who wrote something that was a big part of your childhood. Why did she have to talk out against a group of people that already have enough thrown at them?).

And there was one small thing that one writer mentioned. I think through his publishing company, there were fact checkers that helped him make sure the historical information in his book was accurate. That was a relief to me. Even something thoroughly researched will benefit from many sets of eyes checking the data. And I worry about getting things right @_@

So far, whenever I've gone to this convention, I've limited myself to buying one book. but I always write down a bunch of others that I want to check out. 

This time I bought All the Impossible Things, by Lackey. I won't lie. The blurb about living with a petting zoo influenced my decision. I just finished reading it. I liked it. I haven't read enough YA lately, and I want more. Plus I love the Aldabra tortoise. We have a pair where I work. They're still young and will get HUGE. 

Then on the way out, one of the authors asked me if I wanted a free copy of her book. Teen Killers Club, by Sparks. She'd started to sign it to someone, and spelled it wrong. It was a book that I'd written down on my list, so I said yes! I jokingly said that if I messed up a signature, I'd draw a picture over it and pretend it was deliberate. So she drew this cute little leprechaun over the old name. I haven't read it yet, but I will soon.