Earlier this week, I was lucky enough to attend David Levithan’s book signing at the Tattered Cover. David’s latest book, Someday, is the sequel to Every Day, a wonderful story about A, a soul who changes bodies every day.  

     David is one of my favorite writers and also an aspirational figure in the world of children’s publishing. Not only is he the prolific author of many of my favorite books, he’s also an editor at Scholastic Press and the head of his own imprint. I mean, wow! 

    During the event, David read a scene from the book that highlighted A’s depth of character. A is not your ordinary YA book hero. They’re something spectacular. I cannot wait to dive into Someday! 

    In addition to the reading, David had a wide-ranging conversation with Kristen Gilligan, owner of TC.  There were a lot of great takeaways. My favorite: David spends about 2/3 of the total time it takes to write a book on the first few chapters, as he gets to know the characters and the story. 

     This is reminiscent of what Laini Taylor said about her writing process at a workshop I attended last year. She might rewrite the opening act up to 60+ times in order to figure out the right way into her story. 

    I love hearing about authors’ processes. This gives me encouragement because sometimes it feels like my YA novel in progress is trying to kill me.

     One more cool thing about David, he’s a true ambassador for children’s literature. Throughout the hour long discussion, he continuously championed and recommended other books and authors.

     A few of those books: Odd One Out by Nic Stone, one of my October book picks; I Felt a Funeral in My Brain by Will Walton, a book David edited and that I lost my mind over back in August (also mentioned on this blog); and a graphic novel, Hey Kiddo by Jarrett J. Krosoczka.

     Overall the event made me so grateful to be on this incredible writer’s journey. And for authors like David whose books changed my life. Write on!