I've mentioned before that I have a young adult novel, His Boy Elroy, coming out in the fall.  The latest news is that the marketing staff at Holt wants to change the title to The Second Base Club.  I must admit I have a little twinge of sadness to lose my title, but their argument is that today's teen won't relate to the reference to a 60s cartoon.  I agree with them...The Second Base Club it is.

I few days ago I received the layout of the novel, and as I read through the pages, I'm not only seeing various little typos that need to be changed, but there are also a few areas where I feel like I'm holding back, areas that might need a bigger tweak to pack the necessary emotional punch.  I'm going to experiment with writing freehand, which is not my usual way.  Maybe this will force me to dig deeper.  We'll see.

So here's my question.  Do you write directly into your computer, or do you write with a pen or pencil first?  Serious revisers want to know...Greg

Recently I spent time at the Santa Barbara Mission at the Cyber Book Promotion Retreat.  The event hosted some of the current gurus of social networking, Harold Underdown, Greg Pincus (otherwise known as the other Greg, Anastasia Suen, and famed blogger Lisa Yee.  One of the things that developed over the weekend was that we were encouraged to find the one thing we'd take away—whether it was Twitter, Facebook, blogging, etc.  Find one thing that appeals to us and jump in.

Here's my one thing...Google Alerts.  Many of us have Google Alerts set up on our names and book titles, but it also makes sense to use them in other areas of interest...in my case, YA and middle grade novels or humorous kids' book.  Find not only where people are talking about us and become a part of those conversations, but join in other conversations that are related.  Great stuff.

By the way, if you're ever in the area, the Santa Barbara Mission is a must see.  Built in 1886, it can house hundreds of people (folks in the know call them retreatents).  I'd like to make a private retreat there some day, both for spiritual and creative writing renewal...Greg

Yes, ladies and gentlemen, the ALA awards have been announced.  I don't know about you, but I have lots to read in the coming months...and it looks like my publisher, Henry Holt and Company, is fairly well represented.  Check out the list below and then hit the book store.  I'll see you there...Greg.

John Newbery Medal for most outstanding contribution to children’s literature
“When You Reach Me,” written by Rebecca Stead, is the 2010 Newbery Medal winner. The book is published by Wendy Lamb Books, an imprint of Random House Children’s Books.

Four Newbery Honor Books also were named: “Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice” by Phillip Hoose and published by Melanie Kroupa Books/Farrar Straus Giroux, an imprint of Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group; “The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate” by Jacqueline Kelly and published by Henry Holt and Company; “Where the Mountain Meets the Moon” by Grace Lin and published by Little, Brown and Company Books for Young Readers; and “The Mostly True Adventures of Homer P. Figg” by Rodman Philbrick and published by The Blue Sky Press, An Imprint of Scholastic Inc.

Randolph Caldecott Medal for most distinguished American picture book for children
“The Lion & the Mouse,” illustrated and written by Jerry Pinkney, is the 2010 Caldecott Medal winner. The book was published by Little, Brown and Company Books for Young Readers.

Two Caldecott Honor Books also were named: “All the World,” illustrated by Marla Frazee, written by Liz Garton Scanlon and published by Beach Lane Books; and “Red Sings from Treetops: A Year in Colors,” illustrated by Pamela Zagarenski, written by Joyce Sidman and published by Houghton Mifflin Books for Children, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.

Michael L. Printz Award for excellence in literature written for young adults
“Going Bovine,” written by Libba Bray, is the 2010 Printz Award winner. The book is published by Delacorte Press, an imprint of Random House Children’s Books, a division of Random House.

Four Printz Honor Books also were named: “Charles and Emma: The Darwins’ Leap of Faith” by Deborah Heiligman, published by Henry Holt Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group; “The Monstrumologist” by Rick Yancey, published by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing Group; “Punkzilla” by Adam Rapp, published by Candlewick Press; and “Tales of the Madman Underground: An Historical Romance, 1973” by John Barnes, published by Viking Children’s Books, a division of Penguin Young Readers Group.

A few months back I mentioned that I was working on two stories simultaneously, hoping one would emerge as the book I should work on.  I did this for several weeks but had no real passion for either story, and I was eventually at the point of tossing both of them in the trash.  Then, this past October, I entered one of the stories (ten pages and a synopsis) in the middle grade category at an SCBWI (got Google?) conference and won first prize in that genre.  Winning the award brought back the passion.  The story is now complete and in the hands of my agent.

Perhaps this is what entering writing contests are all about.  If nothing else, they give the winners the passion and confidence in their projects to press on.  By the way, the last time I won an SCBWI award, it was for an young adult novel called His Boy Elroy, which is coming out in the fall of 2010.  I'm hoping for the same success for the current winner...Greg.