News!

Kathleen Ernst

Winter, 2005

I was thrilled to learn that Betrayal at Cross Creek has been nominated for two national awards.  First, it is one of three nominees for the Agatha Award for Best Children's/Young Adult Mystery of 2004.  The Agatha Awards will be presented on April 30 at Malice Domestic, a wonderful mystery convention held in Arlington, Virginia.  This is a fan-based award, nominated by readers and voted upon by those attending the conference.

Betrayal at Cross Creek is also a nominee for Disney Adventures magazine's Best Historical Fiction Novel of 2004.  The nominees were chosen by a panel of judges that included the Children's Book Editor from Publisher's Weekly and the Youth Services Consultant for the New Jersey State Library.  The other nominees are Here Today by Ann M. Martin, Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy by Gary D. Schmidt, The Teacher's Funeral:  A Comedy in Three Parts by Richard Peck, and The Trial by Jen Bryant.  I am, frankly, overwhelmed to be in such company!  The winner will be chosen by write-in vote from the magazine's readers, and announced in the May issue.

I'm so glad to know that Betrayal at Cross Creek has touched readers' hearts.  Thank you, from the bottom of mine!

I'm very excited about my latest book, Danger at the Zoo, which features one of my favorite American Girls--Kit!  It was an honor to be invited to write a mystery about such a beloved character.  As I planned the story I spent time walking the Cincinnati neighborhood Kit calls home, read stacks of neat old Cincinnati newspapers, and visited the Cincinnati Zoo.  Who says research is boring?

In November the Scott County Public Library, with help from the local community, sponsored my trip to Indiana.  I had a wonderful time visiting schools in Austin and Scottsburg, and giving a presentation at the library.  I was particularly impressed with all the young writers I met!  The photo above shows me with Miss Agatha (Christie), the resident library feline.  I think all libraries should have cats!

On the way home I visited two American Girl Clubs at Blue Kangaroo Books in Danville, IL.  It was joyful to meet the girls, and to see such a lovely bookstore!

I also visited St. John's Lutheran School in Jefferson, WI, and Evergreen Elementary in Mosinee, WI.  It's always a treat to meet readers, and the students at these schools had great questions.  Thanks to everyone involved in all these visits.

Great Manhattan Mystery Conclave

I enjoyed visiting Kansas in September to attend this wonderful conclave--my bonnet is off to the organizers.  On the way I visited another cool bookstore, The Book Barn in Leavenworth.  I also took time to do a little hiking in a tallgrass prairie, and came home convinced that I must one day write a book with that setting!

I'm not doing many presentations this winter, due to an unexpected convergence of projects!  I'm juggling revisions of three different novels for three different publishing companies.   In addition to working on another mystery for American Girl, I'm polishing a contemporary young adult novel for Cricket Books and a Civil War novel for Dutton.

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