Quote of the day: Neil Gaiman

"Remember: when people tell you something's wrong or doesn't work for them, they are almost always right. When they tell you exactly what they think is wrong and how to fix it, they are almost always wrong."

Happy Friday: here's some Neil Gaiman for you

I'd call this a YA picture e-book--what about you?

The Graveyard Book Halloween Party at Eagle Harbor Book Company

Eagle Harbor Book Company presents a Halloween party for young people middle school aged and above, Thursday, October 29, at 7:30 pm, based on THE GRAVEYARD BOOK by Neil Gaiman. The event is free and open to the public and includes trivia, costume and cupcake contests, spooky campfire stories with Lynn Brunelle and refreshments.

THE GRAVEYARD BOOK, which won the 2009 Newbery Award for Children's Literature, introduces Bod, the only living resident of a graveyard. Can a boy raised by ghosts face the wonders and terrors of the worlds of both the living and the dead?

Gaiman has promised to visit the book store with the best Halloween party based on his book, and Eagle Harbor intends to win!

Eagle Harbor Book Company is located at 157 Winslow Way East, Bainbridge Island, a short walk from the Seattle ferry. With advance notice, sign language interpretation can be arranged for this and other events at Eagle Harbor Books. For more information, please call 206 842 5332 or 360 692 2375 or visit the store's website at www.eagleharborbooks.com .

The appeal of the vampire narrative

The New York Times has this fun Op-Ed piece explaining why we're suckers for blood-suckers:

TONIGHT, you or someone you love will likely be visited by a vampire — on cable television or the big screen, or in the bookstore. Our own novel describes a modern-day epidemic that spreads across New York City.

It all started nearly 200 years ago. It was the “Year Without a Summer” of 1816, when ash from volcanic eruptions lowered temperatures around the globe, giving rise to widespread famine. A few friends gathered at the Villa Diodati on Lake Geneva and decided to engage in a small competition to see who could come up with the most terrifying tale — and the two great monsters of the modern age were born.

Read the rest.

UPDATE: Neil Gaiman hates vampires! He wants to drive a stake through their undead hearts! OK, that's an exaggeration. But he does want them to go away for 25 years or so.

Get This: thought-provoking articles and posts

Nikki Grimes thinks artists of African descent are getting robbed in the Caldecott Awards.

Replacing Best Books for Young Adults with a Reader's Choice Award: pros and cons.

Seven things every author's website oughtta have: a guest post on Nathan Bransford's blog.

How to read out loud: advice from Neil Gaiman.