On February 9, booksellers, authors, and publishers attending Winter Institute 10 in Asheville, N.C., gathered at Scholastic's Meet-and-Treat party. Here are some highlights from the event.

From left, booksellers Kate Ryan, Kim Burton, and Debbie Burke of Jan’s Paperbacks in Aloha, Ore., enjoy local ice cream and a bag full of books at the beginning of Winter Institute.

Author Pam Muñoz Ryan signs galleys of Echo (Feb.), for booksellers. In the middle-grade novel, a harmonica links together the narratives of Friedrich in Germany, Mike in Philadelphia, and Ivy in California. Ryan described Echo as a “genre-defying” mix of music and magic.

From left, Calvin Baker, author of Grace (F&W, Tyrus), Anna Thorn of Upshur Books in Washington, D.C., Jeremy Hawkins of Flyleaf Books in Chapel Hill, N.C., and Chris Allen of Changing Hands Books in Tempe, Ariz., get better acquainted.

Ellen Richmond (l.) of the Children’s Book Cellar in Waterville, Maine, chats with YA author Ally Carter. The author told booksellers during her presentation that she was inspired to write her new Embassy Row series by a trip to Politics & Prose Books in Washington, D.C. The first novel in the series, All Fall Down, released in January.

From left, picture book author Sarah Weeks (Glamourpuss, illustrated by David Small, Jan.) talks with Anne Bustard, author (Anywhere but Paradise, Egmont USA) and former bookstore owner; and bookseller Kris Vreeland of Once Upon a Time Books in Montrose, Calif. Weeks noted about picture books that “the story has to be as appealing as the cover.”

Debut children’s author Dan Gemeinhart (center) talks about his novel, The Honest Truth (Jan.), with Australian booksellers Fiona Slager and Suzy Wilson. Gemeinhart presented his YA novel at the after-party as well as at the ABA Indies Introduce session on February 11. The Indies Introduce event featured 10 of the 20 adult and children’s authors selected for the spring 2015 Indies Introduce program for debut authors.