Out today: OUT NOW!

I am thrilled that my very first traditionally published short story (one of MANY to come) is out today in an anthology titled, Out Now: Queer We Go Again. A sequel to the critically-acclaimed All Out, this anthology is all contemporary stories (in multiple genres) from queer YA authors.

You can read more about my story, “Refresh,” in today’s “Inside an Anthology” feature on LGBTQ Reads; if you would like to purchase a copy, you can do so here and help support independent bookstores!

Introducing my next YA novel... EACH OF US A DESERT

Hello, friends. I am thrilled to official reveal the follow-up to my award-winning YA debut. To be published September 15, 2020 with Tor Teen, I introduce you to Each of Us a Desert.

Cover art by Jenna Stempel Lobell | https://jennastempel-lobell.com

The lovely folks at Latinx In Publishing have revealed not only the cover and title, but have the full synopsis and an exclusive excerpt from Each of Us A Desert.

I’m so excited for you to take a trip through this creepy, romantic, and heartfelt story, which I’ve spent the last three years working on. It’s truly the kind of book I’ve wanted to write since I was a kid, and very soon, it will be out in the world.

I’ll be announcing tons of events over the course of the next few months, including all of the release tour dates, so make sure to keep checking my Tour page and sign up for my newsletter.

Thank you for your patience. I’m so glad I can finally talk about this book!

Where to find me at NCTE 2019

Last year, I got to attend my first ALAN workshop at NCTE, but this year will mark the first time I am at NCTE’s Annual Conference proper! Held in downtown Baltimore, this is a HUGE meeting of literacy educators from around the country, and I’ll be speaking/signing multiple times over the course of the next week! Here’s where you can find me:

Thursday, November 21

9:30am: Centering a Diversity of LGBTQ Voices in Education - Room 307

Friday, November 22

9:30am: ¿And Now, Qué Onda? A Roundtable on Latinx Storytellers and Readers - Room 317

Saturday, November 23

1:00pm: In-Booth Signing @ Tor/Forge Booth #919 for first 100 people

2:45pm: Dangers of a Single Story: Diversifying Classroom Bookshelves and Curriculums - Room 316

4:15pm: When Inquiry Gets Uncomfortable: Facilitating Tough Discussions Using YA Lit - Room 312

Sunday, November 24

5:30pm: ALA Cocktail Reception

Tuesday, November 26

11:30am: Exploration of Self-Identity: Combatting Stereotypes, Prejudices, and Circumstance - Ballroom I & II

Hope to meet many of you lovely educators this year!!!

My YALLFEST 2019 Schedule!

I am so thrilled that after attending this festival for a couple years now, I am actually one of the guest authors at this year’s YALLFEST!!!

I have a number of appearances, panels, and signings throughout the two days of the festival in Charleston. Here’s where you can find me!

Friday, November 8

3:00pm: YALLCrawl - American Theater, Ballroom

Saturday, November 9

11:00am: Signing - American Theater, Ballroom
1:00pm: I Bounce Back - American Theater, Cinema
2:00pm: Tor Teen Lit and Lattes Lounge - American Theater, Stars Bar
3:00pm: Slice of Life - Charleston Museum
6:00pm: YALLFEST SMACKDOWN - Charleston Music Hall

Hope to see some of you there!

My LeakyCon Dallas schedule!

Hello, friends!!! I’m so excited to return to LeakyCon for yet another year, and this will also be my second year as a special guest author! Here’s where you can find me all weekend.

Friday, August 9

11:30am: Hogwarts Night School for Late Blooming Witches and Wizards, Phoenix Room
2:00pm: More Than One: Intersectionality in Publishing, Owl Room
4:30pm: Signing, Pigwidgeon Signing Area

Saturday, August 10

10:15am: Trauma and Healing in YA, Occamy Room
11:30am: Writing Love Stories, Occamy Room
3:00pm: The Importance and Challenges of #OwnVoices, Occamy Room
4:30pm: Signing, Pigwidgeon Signing Area

Sunday, August 11

11:30am: Friendship in YA, Occamy Room
12:45pm: The Great YA Sorting Hat Debate, Unicorn Room
2:00pm: Signing, Hermes Autograph Area

Hope to see some of you this weekend!

The ANGER IS A GIFT trade paperback is out TODAY!

I am so thrilled to get to write this: a paperback edition of a book I wrote is out in the world today.

Behold, the paperback of Anger Is A Gift:

The paperback edition still uses Chris Koehler’s stunning illustration, and the Tor Teen design team have reworked the colors in this paperback edition. (It’s mostly greys and reads! IT IS SO PRETTY IN PERSON.)

I am so thankful for the immense support over the past year (the one year anniversary is in a couple weeks!!!), as it allowed me the joy of getting a paperback out in the world. You can now order your copy of the paperback (at a lower price than the hardcover!!!) from a number of places, and I highly encourage you to support your local indie bookstore to do so!

IndieBound
BooksAMillion
iBooks
Barns & Noble
Amazon

Thank you so much for reading my debut novel, and I’ll have updates soon about what’s coming next! (I’m busy at work on the final round of developmental edits on Book #2, so STAY TUNED!)

— Mark

I'll be a guest lecturer at the 2019 Alpha Workshop!

I still can’t believe I get to say this, but I GET TO TEACH AT A TEEN WORKSHOP!!! And not just any workshop, but the beloved Alpha Workshop, aimed for teens aged 14-19 who are writing science fiction, fantasy, and horror. It’s a dream come true!

(Also, one of the other guest lecturers is… Tamora Pierce. So. That’s a thing. I am FEELINGS.

If you are 14-19, I urge you to apply for this year’s workshop, which will take place in at the University of Pittsburgh’s Greensburg campus. You can find the application page here.

THIS IS SO SURREAL.

My New York Teen Author Fest Schedule!

I’m thrilled to be participating in this year’s NY Teen Author Fest, which will be my second time there! I am on a lot of panels that specific week, though I’ll be away for a few days to attend NoVaTeen Book Festival, then back AGAIN for the big Books of Wonder signing!!!

Here’s where you’ll be able to find me:

Monday, March 25 (Mulberry Street NYPL)
6:40-7:20: The Second Conversation – How Do You Find the Right Way to Tell the Story? 

Alyson Gerber
Jennifer Gilmore
Lizzy Mason
Amy McNamara
Mark Oshiro

Wednesday, March 27 (42nd St NYPL, Berger Forum)
6:00pm-8:00pm: The Past Eleven Years, The Next Eleven Years

Gayle Forman
Kody Keplinger
David Levithan
E. Lockhart
Mark Oshiro
Scott Westerfeld
Ashley Woodfolk

Moderator: Justine Larbalestier

Thursday, March 28: The Big Read

Sunday March 31: Our Big Ol’ Mega-Signing at Books of Wonder (Books of Wonder Downtown)

2:30-3:00
Zara Lisbon 
Sarah Darer Littman 
Katherine Locke  
Rachael Lucas 
Carolyn Mackler 
Derek Milman 
Mark Oshiro 
Melissa Ostrom

Hope to see some of y’all there!

ANGER IS A GIFT has won the Schneider Family Book Award for Best Teen Book!!!

It has been an absolutely surreal week in my life, and I’m happy to say that my debut YA novel, Anger Is A Gift, has been awarded the Schneider Family Book Award “for a book that embodies an artistic expression of the disability experience for child and adolescent audiences.”

I’ll be receiving the award and grant for this at the 2019 American Library Association Annual Conference in Washington, D.C. in June, and my book will have that incredible little sticker/medal on it from here on out. I’m so blown away by the response to my book, and this was completely unexpected. Thank you for supporting me and my writing all these years. I can’t believe this is happening, BUT IT IS!

I’ll have more news soon about some really cool things! Until then: thank you.

My ConFusion 2019 schedule is live!

Friends! I am so excited to return to one of my favorite SF/F conventions in the world, ConFusion. This year, it will be in Dearborn, MI, and you can find me at the following panels, readings, and signings:

Friday, January 18

6:00pm: Outlining Methods for Short and Long Fiction - Erie Room
8:00pm: Young Adult Authors in Conversation - Allen Park Room

Saturday, January 19

12:00pm: Writers Talk About Anything BUT Writing - Ontario Room
3:00pm: Autograph Session - Erie Room (Copies of Anger Is A Gift will be on sale in the dealer’s room!)

Sunday, January 20

11:00am: Reading from Book #2!!! - Rotunda Room

Hope to see you there!