One of my annual highlights for the past several years has been attending the Montana Festival of the Book. I love everything about the Festival: readings and panel discussions; chats about the craft of writing and about the publishing industry; films; vendors and the Festival bookstore; and the opportunity to meet and mingle with authors, agents, editors, publishers, and other Festival attendees. As its website states, “The Humanities Montana Festival of the Book is one of the biggest cultural events in the Northwest.”

This year, I am honored to be a guest author at the 2013 Montana Festival of the Book. The kickoff begins Thursday, October 10 with three events, including an evening with Sherman Alexie. I have the privilege of reading from Nanny on the Run October 11 and being on a panel October 12: “Girl Power: Writing the Teenaged Heroine,” with fellow authors Natalie Brown, Janet Fox, Pete Fromm, and Blthye Woolston. I am humbled to be in their company.