Blog

Band of Misfits Launch Party

In April, we celebrated the release of Band of Misfits: Adventure on the High Seas, an all-teen anthology published in conjunction with Teen Author Boot Camp‘s annual teen writers conference. We had a blast! The turnout was fantastic, and all but two of our twenty-six teen authors were in attendance. We couldn’t be more grateful for the community support, Provo Library for hosting and helping set up their gorgeous ballroom, the amazing NYT bestselling authors who shared the night, and Jeremy Willden, father of one of the teen authors, who generously took and shared these photos of the event.

Here are a few of the highlights:

Our teen authors:

DSC_0633

DSC_0716

(behind them, you can kind of see the finalists names on the screen)

These wonderful authors worked so hard on their stories. They went through a rigorous selection process and several rounds of edits, and they were nothing but hard working and delightful.

In addition to the 26 stories found in the anthology, the finalists’ stories are posted online for you to enjoy now. Feel free to leave them constructive feedback–and watch for all of the finalists and authors to someday pop up on bestseller lists!

We were so lucky to have an amazing foreword written by NYT bestselling author, Kiersten White. It’s a fabulous writer pep talk of sorts, fitting with the theme of our book. We suggest checking out the book just for her advice.

DSC_0751

We brought 150 copies of the anthology…and they sold out almost immediately! We were blown away by the show of support for teens and their artistic pursuits.

30725957_10155440843039142_1197206225201135616_n

Each of the authors was given a copy of the book, a cash prize, and a special lanyard to display their celebrity status.

30716008_10155440871979142_3319417345033633792_n

As if that weren’t enough, NYT bestselling powerhouses Kiersten White, Maureen Johnson, Roshani Chokshi, and Matthew Kirby spent the evening signing books and mingling with fans. They were wonderful, and we’re so grateful they would share the spotlight with these emerging writers.

30716016_10155440842959142_3118727589309448192_n30705233_10155440872064142_2098201664237338624_n30726099_10155440872014142_7114572532224622592_n

We were even joined by YA author Jo Schaffer, whose son Nathan has a story featured in the anthology. A creative, dynamic family to watch out for!

30729164_10155440843034142_8814571925725511680_n

We had a costume contest as well as snacks, games, and writing activities scattered throughout the room.

DSC_0650

30709673_10155440871989142_7455259070539235328_n

DSC_0653

MG author Darby Karchut came to present at the conference, and we put her and anthology editor Nicole Brouwer to work running the cash registers. What troopers!

DSC_0651

DSC_0677

And the rest of the night flew by, filled with autographs, mingling, and making new friends.

DSC_0639

DSC_0652DSC_0656DSC_0657DSC_0658DSC_0659DSC_0660DSC_0662DSC_0663DSC_0667DSC_0668DSC_0669DSC_0671DSC_0672DSC_0673DSC_0675DSC_0676DSC_0678DSC_0679DSC_0681DSC_0683DSC_0685DSC_0687DSC_0692DSC_0693DSC_0695DSC_0697DSC_0698DSC_0702DSC_0703DSC_0710DSC_0735DSC_0736DSC_0737DSC_0738DSC_0739DSC_0743DSC_0745

30710820_10155440872129142_5805001716222918656_n

Some of us couldn’t even wait to leave the building before digging in:

DSC_0753

Thank you again to Teen Author Boot Camp, Provo Library, The King’s English Bookshop, and all who made this event so magical. We’re sure it’s a night these teen authors will never forget.

DSC_0670

More about Band of Misfits: Adventure on the High Seas.

Leave a Reply