A new link to the left: My appearance schedule. I’ll update as I get more info.

A reminder that there’s going to be a conference in Vail, Colorado in October called Sirens, all about women in fantasy — Tamora Pierce, Sherwood Smith, and I are the guests of honor. The website is here and the LiveJournal is here. It’s going to be FUN, not to mention gorgeous scenery!

Also, go here to learn more about the Simmons College Summer Institute 2009 in Boston in July, called Crimes and Misdemeanors. Some of the names on the program (that’s a pdf file, btw): Gareth Hinds, Lenore Look, Marilyn Nelson, Martha Brooks, Kevin Henkes, Avi, Blue Balliett, JonArno Lawson, Natalie Babbit, Ellen Levine, Jack Gantos, and M.T. Anderson. (and me)

Next, a couple of answers to recent questions: Yes, there will be a Graceling audiobook. It’s by Full Cast Audio and comes out in June. And yes, Graceling is available as an ebook. Buy the Kindle Harcourt (USA) edition at Amazon, or the ebook of the Gollancz (UK) edition at Waterstones. There are probably other places to buy it, but people well-versed with ebooks will know those places better than I do. I wouldn’t know an ebook if it… what do ebooks even do? Zip past invisibly at the speed of light? (Is that redundant? Would anything moving at the speed of light be invisible? [Ahem, other than light, that is?]) If you know where ebooks can be purchased, please feel free to elucidate (ha!) me in the comments.

Also, Graceling has managed to advance to Round 2 of the Battle of the Books, thanks to very kind Judge Tamora Pierce. On Thursday, Judge Nancy Werlin will decide between it and Candace Fleming‘s award-winning The Lincolns: A Scrapbook Look at Abraham and Mary, a book which, frankly, looks fantastic, and which I need to go read, seeing as Lincoln is not only a fascinating figure but one of my favorite writers ever. (And self-taught!) Good luck to everyone whose book is brawling this week. :o)

Finally, I’m thrilled to announce that Graceling and Fire will be published in Portugal by Alfaguara Infantil & Juvenil, an imprint of Santillana.

I hope to have time for a less business-y post on Thursday. In case I’ve totally bored you to death, here’s something fun: Go to this newspaper article, look at the spinning lady, come back, and tell me whether she’s turning clockwise or counter-clockwise (or anti-clockwise, depending on where you learned to speak English). (Thanks to my friend and fellow writer Sandra McDonald, who hooked me into this optical illusion a long time ago!)