June 30-July 4: Laurie Halse Anderson [ Edited ]

[Maria_H]

Let's welcome Laurie Halse Anderson to The Family Room!

Do you have a question for the author? Reply to this message to talk about Laurie's books or ask her for her insights about summer reading.

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About Laurie Halse Anderson:

Laurie Halse Anderson is the author of several wonderful picture books and numerous highly acclaimed novels. Her young-adult novel Speak was a National Book Award finalist, Printz honor book, and ALA Best Book for Reluctant Readers. Her S&S BFYR novel, Fever 1793 was named one of New York Public Library's 100 Best Book of 2000, was selected as an ALA Pick of The List title, and has won even more state awards than Speak. In Summer 2008 S&S BFYR will be publishing a follow-up to her critically acclaimed 2002 picture book, Thank You, Sarah, entitled Independent Dames. Laurie lives in Mexico, New York.

Message Edited by Maria_H on 06-26-2008 04:33 PM

[Laurie_Halse_A…]

Good morning, everyone!

I am writing this as I sit in the John Wayne Airport near Anaheim, CA, waiting to fly home. I'm out here because of the American Library Association conference - which is sort of like Christmas, New Year's, and a really good barbecue with friends all wrapped up into one event. I've spent the last four days seeing old friends (almost everyone who writes or illustrates for children knows everyone else) and telling librarians how much I adore them for the important work they do for our kids.

Last night I was a very lucky and happy author because I had an invitation to the Newbery/Caldecott award banquet. It is sort of like the Academy Awards of children's literature; the highlight of the year for our profession and a celebration of excellence. The award winners gave terrific speeches that had us laughing, crying, then applauding madly. I'll post photos on my blog tomorrow - the internet connection at this airport is too slow to upload pictures.

But the life of an author very rarely includes dressing up and spending evenings in glittering ballrooms. The other 364 days of the year you'll find me in jeans and a sweatshirt, up in my attic, writing books for kids and teenagers.

They're getting ready to call my plane. I fly first to Ohio, then change planes and head to Syracuse, NY. I'll be home (I live north of Syracuse, outside a tiny town called Mexico) just in time to go to bed. I promise to wake up early and log back on here to answer any and all questions.

I'll wave to everyone as I fly over America!

Bookishly yours,
Laurie Halse Anderson

[JMashike]

I may not be the intended audience for your books (I am a teacher in my mid-20s), but I have to admit that you cover some controversial issues very well.  From the day I started to read Speak, I couldn't wait to get and read more of your books.  I don't have many, but each one that I have, I have thouroughly enjoyed.  I just bought one at a recent trip to the bookstore, and I can't wait to start it.

I do have to ask, how difficult was it to write about some of the issues that you cover (for example, the issues in Speak)?

[ceast]

I am a fifth grade teacher and I have to say I really enjoy your books. We have read Fever as a trade book in my class for the last three years and I have introduced it to the other fifth grade classes (there are three at our school) and they read it now also. The students are able to relate to the struggles of young people living in a different era, but they are made vividly real through your imaginative and spell binding writing. Thank you so much for using your talent to produce excellent and compelling books for kids.

Could you please write some more books that are similar to Fever in that they are historical fiction? I know students within this age range, 11-15 year olds, have a great many activities that compete with their time demands and reading may not be high on their list of favorite things to do. But, I also recognize that you have a way of intriguing them into finding out what is going to happen next and making them feal as if the story is very important. As an adult who is presently involved in higher education for myself, I know that reading is a ticket that will take these future adults to a great many opportunities and it is one key that will lead to their own future success. As a teacher it is hard to convince them of this truth without the outstanding tools, great novels, that your profession supplies. Again, I just want to say thank you so much and keep on doing this outstanding work!

[readingbeader]

Laurie,

Let me add to the kudos--love your books.  I am a middle school librarian, soon to be at the High School, too.  I have recommended your books to many of my students.  I must say, as a mom, I was so angry at the mom in Speak!  I would hope that I would notice if my daughter stopped speaking to me for a year!  Dear daughter is currently 9--seldom stops talking.    Teenage son still talks to me.  I know--I'm lucky. 

Are you writing anything for the teen set right now? 

Message Edited by readingbeader on 06-30-2008 09:55 PM

[readingbeader]

Laurie,

Hit the return key twice!  Sorry. 

Message Edited by readingbeader on 06-30-2008 09:57 PM

[Laurie_Halse_A…]

My intended audience is anyone who enjoys a good story, so no worries there.

Several of my books were difficult - emotionally - to write. When I'm writing, the line between me and my characters blurs and I feel what they're feeling. But I try to remember how much more difficult it is for the teen readers who are struggling with these issues in real life. At least I have the option of walking away from the story. They don't.

So yeah, it's hard, but a good hard.

[Laurie_Halse_A…]

ceast wrote: I am a fifth grade teacher and I have to say I really enjoy your books. We have read Fever as a trade book in my class for the last three years and I have introduced it to the other fifth grade classes (there are three at our school) and they read it now also. The students are able to relate to the struggles of young people living in a different era, but they are made vividly real through your imaginative and spell binding writing. Thank you so much for using your talent to produce excellent and compelling books for kids.
Could you please write some more books that are similar to Fever in that they are historical fiction? I know students within this age range, 11-15 year olds, have a great many activities that compete with their time demands and reading may not be high on their list of favorite things to do. But, I also recognize that you have a way of intriguing them into finding out what is going to happen next and making them feal as if the story is very important. As an adult who is presently involved in higher education for myself, I know that reading is a ticket that will take these future adults to a great many opportunities and it is one key that will lead to their own future success. As a teacher it is hard to convince them of this truth without the outstanding tools, great novels, that your profession supplies. Again, I just want to say thank you so much and keep on doing this outstanding work!"




Thank you for your support of FEVER 1793!

Your wish is my command. My next novel, CHAINS, is historical fiction! It will be published on October 21. It is the story of a 12-year-old slave named Isabel who is trapped in New York City during the British invasion of 1776. It has the same format as FEVER 1793, with non-fiction back matter and primary source quotes opening up each chapter.

I'll be posting teacher resources for the book to my website.

Oh - and my publisher was so pleased with the way that CHAINS turned out, that I will be writing two more novels set during the American Revolution. The second one is slated for 2010, and the third for 2011.

Message Edited by Laurie_Halse_Anderson on 07-01-2008 10:48 AM

[Laurie_Halse_A…]

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readingbeader wrote:

Laurie,

Let me add to the kudos--love your books. I am a middle school librarian, soon to be at the High School, too. I have recommended your books to many of my students. I must say, as a mom, I was so angry at the mom in Speak! I would hope that I would notice if my daughter stopped speaking to me for a year! Dear daughter is currently 9--seldom stops talking. Teenage son still talks to me. I know--I'm lucky.

Are you writing anything for the teen set right now?

Message Edited by readingbeader on 06-30-2008 09:55PM

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I am just finishing up a YA novel called WINTERGIRLS that will be published in May, 2009.

It is a little darker than SPEAK and will appeal to the same audience.

[ConnieAnnKirk]

Hi, Laurie!

Thank you for joining us.  I'm a moderator on other boards here at BN.com, so I'm just stopping by.

I have a few "writerly" questions for you--Are you able to write fulltime?  Also, were you ever inspired to write a series?  Lastly, how long did it take for your first fiction book to get published after you wrote it? 

Thank you!

~ConnieK

[Laurie_Halse_A…]

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ConnieK wrote:

Hi, Laurie!

Thank you for joining us. I'm a moderator on other boards here at BN.com, so I'm just stopping by.

I have a few "writerly" questions for you--Are you able to write fulltime? Also, were you ever inspired to write a series? Lastly, how long did it take for your first fiction book to get published after you wrote it?

Thank you!

~ConnieK

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Welcome, Connie!

I started writing for kids and teens in 1992. My first book (a picture book) was published in 1996. (It is now out of print - sigh.)

I have been a full-time writer, supporting my family, since 2002. It is not easy, but we live frugally so we don't stress about unpredictable income flows.

I was asked to write a series by American Girl in 2000. It was called "Wild at Heart", and featured five kids who volunteered at a vet's clinic. When Mattel bought American Girl they canceled the series (along with a lot of other work) and it went out of print temporarily.

I'm happy to report that Penguin Books has reissued the series under the name "Vet Volunteers", with gorgeous new covers. I think this link will take you there: http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/results.asp?SID=386862

I loved working on the series. It was fun to create the internal characer arcs for each book, but then figure out how to weave them in and out of the larger story lines of the series.

More writerly questions are encouraged!

Laurie

[KeklaMagoon]

Hi Laurie,

I'm a young adult writer/author as well. My first novel will be released in January. It's a historical novel, set in 1968 Chicago during the Civil Rights Movement. I'm now looking to develop some teacher guides and classroom activities so that the book can easily be used in schools, particularly with History and English classes.

In one of your earlier posts, you mentioned you will be putting teacher resource material on your website for Chains. I visited your site, and I see that there is also already a lot of supporting information up there for Fever. It all looks great, and very useful. 

Have you received any feedback from teachers as to what is most helpful for them? Also, are there any resources you would recommend to help historical fiction writers who wish to develop teacher's guides and companion material for classrooms?

Thank you!

Kekla Magoon

author of The Rock and the River (Simon & Schuster/January 6, 2009)

www.keklamagoon.com

[Laurie_Halse_A…]

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KeklaMagoon wrote:

Hi Laurie,

I'm a young adult writer/author as well. My first novel will be released in January. It's a historical novel, set in 1968 Chicago during the Civil Rights Movement. I'm now looking to develop some teacher guides and classroom activities so that the book can easily be used in schools, particularly with History and English classes.

In one of your earlier posts, you mentioned you will be putting teacher resource material on your website for Chains. I visited your site, and I see that there is also already a lot of supporting information up there for Fever. It all looks great, and very useful.

Have you received any feedback from teachers as to what is most helpful for them? Also, are there any resources you would recommend to help historical fiction writers who wish to develop teacher's guides and companion material for classrooms?

Thank you!

Kekla Magoon

author of The Rock and the River (Simon & Schuster/January 6, 2009)

www.keklamagoon.com

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Congratulations about your book!

I find that teacher's appreciate discussion questions and suggested activities that span different areas of the curriculum. If you can provide them with quality websites about the time period, and describe how and where you did your research, they'll like that, too. The only resource I know for authors like you preparing to do this work is to study the other author websites out there.

Good luck!

laurie

[ConnieAnnKirk]

Thank you for your reply, Laurie! 

Writing series sounds like so much fun.  Thank you for alerting me to this type of book of yours.

Since you invited other 'writerly' questions, I always seem to have them!

Agents.  What was your journey like to acquiring representation?  Of course, I'm not expecting you to identify your agent by name here; I'm just wondering if it took you the proverbial long time; if certain agents responded lukewarm to your work at first; then you could tell you had something stronger out there after awhile given their responses, etc.  How did that all go for you?

Thank you!

~ConnieK

Message Edited by ConnieK on 07-02-2008 03:53 PM

[ConnieAnnKirk]

Indeed.  Congratulations on your book, Kekla!  I like the title.

~ConnieK

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KeklaMagoon wrote, in part:

I'm a young adult writer/author as well. My first novel will be released in January. Kekla Magoon

author of The Rock and the River (Simon & Schuster/January 6, 2009)

www.keklamagoon.com

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Message Edited by ConnieK on 07-02-2008 03:54 PM

[Laurie_Halse_A…]

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ConnieK wrote:

Thank you for your reply, Laurie!

Writing series sounds like so much fun. Thank you for alerting me to this type of book of yours.

Since you invited other 'writerly' questions, I always seem to have them!

Agents. What was your journey like to acquiring representation? Of course, I'm not expecting you to identify your agent by name here; I'm just wondering if it took you the proverbial long time; if certain agents responded lukewarm to your work at first; then you could tell you had something stronger out there after awhile given their responses, etc. How did that all go for you?

Thank you!

~ConnieK

Message Edited by ConnieK on 07-02-2008 03:53 PM

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In the very beginning of my career, I tried and failed to get an agent. This is not surprising because my early books were enthusiastic, but poorly written. So I stopped pursuing agents, and focused on writing and submitting my work to the slush pile.

I published my first seven books (in addition to my series) without an agent: two work-for-hire projects, three picture books, and two novels; SPEAK and FEVER 1793.

When SPEAK won that boatload of awards, agents came crawling out of the woodwork. Not all of them were legitimate, so I'm glad I took the time to check them out. I went to New York and met with the two who I thought were closest to what I was looking for. I wound up choosing the woman that my friend Paula Danziger had recommended me to; an agent at Writer's House. (For the record, this was 8 years after I started writing.)

I adore my agent. She is the business side of my work and she is my friend. A good agent is a very nice thing to have, but you can certainly be published without one.

[Jordan_Sonnenb…]

Hi all -

I'm next week's discussion author, plus I love Laurie's work, so I've been following this week's Q&A with interest.  I figured I should chime in with regard to this agent business.  I was just discussing this yesterday with my Scholastic editor, because she was telling me about a writer's conference at which she had spoken a week ago.  What she told the writers is that, with or without an agent, ultimately, whether or not an author gets published comes down to the work.

Now, I would like to modify that somewhat,  because I believe that good work gets overlooked all the time.  However, I think my editor has a point, in that truly lousy work will never get published.

Like Laurie, I have an agent now, but didn't at the time of my first publication.  It's definitely a catch-22 situation: it's very easy to get an agent once you've gotten past the hardest part on your own.  On the other hand, I know that my agent has earned his keep several times over through changes he's made to my various contracts with publishers.

My conclusion: writers should work on their craft first, and then try simultaneously to get A. a publishing offer and B. an agent.  If and when a publication offer comes, THEN it will be both easier and more important to get an agent.

Jordan

PS - If you are serious about a career in writing, you should know that one should never, ever pay a publisher or an agent.  Anyone who wants money from you ahead of publication isn't legit.  A great book on all this stuff is HOW TO GET HAPPILY PUBLISHED, by Appelbaum.

[Laurie_Halse_A…]

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Jordan_Sonnenblick wrote:

Hi all -

I'm next week's discussion author, plus I love Laurie's work, so I've been following this week's Q&A with interest. I figured I should chime in with regard to this agent business. I was just discussing this yesterday with my Scholastic editor, because she was telling me about a writer's conference at which she had spoken a week ago. What she told the writers is that, with or without an agent, ultimately, whether or not an author gets published comes down to the work.

Now, I would like to modify that somewhat, because I believe that good work gets overlooked all the time. However, I think my editor has a point, in that truly lousy work will never get published.

Like Laurie, I have an agent now, but didn't at the time of my first publication. It's definitely a catch-22 situation: it's very easy to get an agent once you've gotten past the hardest part on your own. On the other hand, I know that my agent has earned his keep several times over through changes he's made to my various contracts with publishers.

My conclusion: writers should work on their craft first, and then try simultaneously to get A. a publishing offer and B. an agent. If and when a publication offer comes, THEN it will be both easier and more important to get an agent.

Jordan

PS - If you are serious about a career in writing, you should know that one should never, ever pay a publisher or an agent. Anyone who wants money from you ahead of publication isn't legit. A great book on all this stuff is HOW TO GET HAPPILY PUBLISHED, by Appelbaum.

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Hi Jordan!

I'd like to second everything you just said, and suggest that folks read my favorite "how-to" book on children's publishing: Complete Idiot's Guide to Children's Publishing, 3rd Edition.

It is one of the few books I have ever blurbed, chock-a-block full with useful information.

Have fun next week, Jordan!

[sandraca]

Hi Laurie,

I'm a middle school librarian. I have another "writerly" question for you about point of view. Do you plan in advance of starting to write a book, what point of view the narrator will have? Are there reasons to choose first person as opposed to third person or the reverse? I would like to share your answer with my students.

Another thing the kids like to hear is how many times you generally re-write a book before it gets published?

Thank you for going to library conferences. Seeing the authors on panel discussion sessions and getting autographed books is my favorite part of the Texas Library Association conference.

sandraca

[chickade64]

I'm a high schooler that is in love with your books. I've read all of the teen ones you have out (and I think one adult). They consisted of Speak, Catalyst, Twisted, Fever, and Prom. This past year I did a book report on Catalyst and had such a hard time since the book made me cry (which is good since I really like emotionally tuned books). My teacher loved how the book sounded and decided to read it herself. I have just two questions to ask you.

1.Where do you get all of your inspirations and ideas?

2.Do you have any advice for young writers such as myself?

One more thing. I don't know how much say you had in this but I just wanted to comment that the movie for Speak was amazing! I've never seen a movie so like it's book.

~Kat

Message Edited by chickade64 on 07-04-2008 12:00 AM