Liesl Shurtliff's Blog

This is a test. Just ignore. :)

The Spring 2013 Kids' Indie Next List is up! And gee...there's a very familiar book in the 9-12 section!

So nice to get some love in the Month of Love.

When I tell people that I've written a retelling of Rumpelstiltskin, often I get asked, "Do you watch Once Upon a Time ?" Yes! I love that show! And Rumpelstiltskin is one of my very favorite characters, of course. Robert Carlyle does an amazing job of staying true to the creepy villainy we so often associate with the character, and yet he is sympathetic (when he's not all green-scaly and ripping out hearts and other mean things.) Also his body language is spectacular.

Sometimes people as...

One of the reason I think picture books are such a tough sale is because kids are a tough sale! They dismiss things so easily, and there's no convincing them to try something that doesn't look appealing to them. Parents are a tough sale too. We have to read the books to our kids and since we often have to read them over and over and over, we appreciate it if they're not super lame and give us a wink here and there.

So when I find a new picture book that both my kids and I love, I shout HUZZAH!...

A couple weeks ago I attended an SCBWI event at my local indie 57th Street Books, where a panel of children's book experts discussed "The State of the Industry." The panelists included Todd Stocke, VP and editorial director of Chicago based publisher Sourcebooks; agent Paul Rodeen of Rodeen Literary Management; and Angela Sherril, collection development manager at Children's Plus and organizer of the 57th Street Children's Book Fair.

So, what is the state of Children's Publishing? Well I think...

It's here! The Class of 2k13 is starting off with a release from Alex Lidell, and friends, what a way to start us off! THE CADET OF TILDOR features a kickass heroine, gritty complex character and plot, and breathtaking adventure. I, for one, could not put it down. If you are a fan of Tamora Peirce, R.R. Martin, or just plain good fantasy, this is a book for you!



"A gripping debut embraces the trend toward gritty grimdark fantasy....Every character is complex and multilayered...[A] portrayal of...

Ah! I forgot to post my annual top seven reads before the year changed! Well, here we are. 2013! OH MY GOODNESS MY BOOK IS GETTING PUBLISHED THIS YEAR! I can hardly believe it's almost here, but while we wait, let's talk about some books I really enjoyed last year that I didn't write. 
I  read so many freaking good books in 2012, I ended up having to go by category. I read pretty widely, so if anyone is looking for a good read and has specific tastes, I can usually point you in a goo...

Happy Holidays to you from me. You're welcome. 
Yes, I made it from scratch. No, I did not use a template. It took 10 batches gingerbread, 8 batches of royal frosting. Too much candy. 3 weeks and 60+ hours of my life. A few extra pounds on my rump. It was so fun! 

 Ron, Harry, and Hermione. Ron's wand is complete with spellotape. Hermione is carrying a stack of gingerbread books. She eats it up.

 You-Know-Who

The tower roof is made of these mint-waffle wafers I...

<!--[if gte mso 9]>

Happy Halloween! I know it has been a while since I've blogged. October has shaped up to be one crazy month, the smallest event being that my Macbook suffered death by hot chocolate a couple weeks ago. It was bound to happen, what with my addiction. (I have no intention of quitting.)

But on to better things!

I recently read WONDER by R.J. Palacio. Here's a description:

I won't describe what I look like. Whatever you're thinking, it's probably worse. 

August Pullman was born with a facial def...