4-16-10 Dianne de Las Casas signing books at ABC-Clio Libraries Unlimited
Friends:
What a busy week it’s been! I attended the Texas Library Association Conference in San Antonio, Texas with my two illustrators, Marita Gentry and Holly Stone-Barker. My days were non-stop, running from book signing to book signing. I signed at both of my publishers, ABC-Clio Libraries Unlimited and Pelican Publishing Company. The only time I got to see the Riverwalk was from my 27th floor room balcony!
4-15-10 View from private balcony at Marriott Riverwalk in San Antonio, Texas
That evening, Marita, Holly and I attended the Storytelling Swap at the Grand Hyatt. Marita and I told a 7 minute version of Madame Poulet & Monsieur Roach, with her drawing the tale as I told. It was so much fun and everyone loved it. The next day, when we signed books, we had a lot of librarians come to buy the book because of our performance.
On Thursday, the girls and I hit the ground running. We signed books at Pelican Publishing during the Exhibit Hall opening from 10am-12pm. It was crazy buzy with non-stop signing for all three of us.
4-15-10 Holly Stone-Barker, Dianne de Las Casas & Marita Gentry sign books
I was lucky enough to get a picture with my good friend, Phil Bildner, a fellow author and amazing person. Phil started a non-profit called NOLATREE. He lives in NYC but takes youth to New Orleans during the summer to rebuild the 9th Ward and areas devated by Hurricane Katrina. Phil, you totally ROCK!
4-15-10 Dianne de Las Casas with Author Phil Bildner
I had a lot of librarians who came looking for me. 
It was a good day!
4-15-10 Dianne de Las Casas & Marita Gentry with a librarian fan
In the afternoon, I signed books with ABC-Clio Libraries Unlimited. Again, it was busy but fun because I got to see people I adore like Debby LaBoon, my author rep and Sharon Coatney, my editor. Plus, I got to see a lot of librarians I knew as well as making a lot of new connections!
4-15-10 Dianne de Las Casas with a fan at the ABC-Clio Libraries Unlimited booth
Later that evening, I went to dinner with Shannon, an editor with Libraries Unlimited, Kendall Haven, an LU author with nearly 25 LU titles, Debby LaBoon, and Sharon Coatney. We ate at a charming restaurant called Josephine Street Cafe, which had a tree growing in the middle! The food was delicious but the company was even better.
4-15-10 Shannon, Sharon & Debby from Libraries Unlimited
On Friday, Marita, Holly and I headed back to the convention center to sign more books with Pelican Publishing. At the beginning of my signing, Eric Kimmel, author extraordinaire and my friend, came to see me. I was so touched that he stopped by! Thank you, Eric. I <3 U!
4-15-10 Dianne de Las Casas & Author Eric Kimmel
I was also fortunate enough to hang out with the amazing Matthew Gollub, who is an author and phenomenal performer. On Thursday night, I went to the Doo Wop dance with Shannon from Libraries Unlimited and hung out with the two of them all night. What fun! Thanks for swapping tips with me, Matthew. You are one cool dude!
4-16-10 Author & Performer Matthew Gollub with Dianne de Las Casas
My last signing was at ABC-Clio Libraries Unlimited, where the company interviewed me for a video podcast. I’ll let you know when the video is up. After signing, I had a little while to walk the exhibit hall, find friends, and shop. I happened to catch Jenni Holm, my friend and the author of the Baby Mouse series. Her 2 year old daughter, Millie, was with her. I sat on the floor with Millie and told stories while her mom signed books. Typical! LOL But I had a ton of fun with Millie!
4-16-10 Dianne de Las Casas with Author Jennifer Holm (Baby Mouse) and her 2 year old daughter, Millie
We had to leave on Friday evening because I had a keynote and workshop to present on Saturday so I had to stop at the San Antonio airport store to buy gifts for Eliana. To my delight and surprise, I was privileged to meet Suzanne Collins, the author of The Hunger Games series. Suzanne and I were both buying “tortilla warmers.” She was so sweet that she let me pick the one I liked best. Despite all her success, she remains humble and gracious. Now, I am an even BIGGER fan! Thanks, Suzanne!
4-16-10 Author Suzanne Collins (The Hunger Games series) and Dianne de Las Casas buying tortilla warmers at the San Antonio Airport store
The Texas Library Association conference was rockin’ awesome and I had a blast. I look forward to attending next year, with several new books including There’s a Dragon in the Library, illustrated by Marita Gentry.
Until next time…
Warmly, Dianne
