Sep 30, 2014

Guest Post: #AtlantiaBelow Inspiration by Ally Condie

For as long as she can remember, Rio has dreamt of the sand and sky Above—of life beyond her underwater city of Atlantia. But in a single moment, all her plans for the future are thwarted when her twin sister, Bay, makes an unexpected decision, stranding Rio Below. Alone, ripped away from the last person who knew Rio’s true self—and the powerful siren voice she has long hidden—she has nothing left to lose.

Guided by a dangerous and unlikely mentor, Rio formulates a plan that leads to increasingly treacherous questions about her mother’s death, her own destiny, and the complex system constructed to govern the divide between land and sea. Her life and her city depend on Rio to listen to the voices of the past and to speak long-hidden truths.

Atlantia by Ally Condie
October 8th, 2014 by Dutton Juvenile
Add to Goodreads
You can find Condie at her website

The Little Mermaid was the beginning inspiration point for the story of Rio in ATLANTIA. It is, in my opinion, one of the saddest and most beautiful fairy tales of all. I am one of the lucky people who encountered what I think of as the real version, the Hans Christian Anderson version, before I encountered the Disney version. As was so often the case with the good things in my life, this happened because of my grandmother, Alice Todd Braithwaite.

Sep 2, 2014

Texas Teen Book Festival 2014

It's that time of year where it looks like I've fallen off the face of the planet, but in all actuality I'm busy bee with Texas Teen Book Festival. Check out the full lineup, and thank you to artist Michael Sieben for lending the image!

Feel free to share on your blog, social media, and in your library. Use #TTBF14 so we can find you and RT. Want a PDF or high res version? Email TTBFmedia@gmail.com and we'll send you one. We'll see you October 18th at St. Edward's University!