Squid curry

Yes, that’s what I had for dinner tonight. How can you resist a menu item like that? It had squid (duh), bamboo shoots, broccoli, onion and chili in coconut milk. I liked it. Didn’t love it, but liked it enough to eat an entire plateful. I wonder if I will have strange dreams because of it.

The day flew by.

Image hosted by TinyPic.com The ladies of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis High School hung out with me at Teen Central, a HUGE YA section at the Donnell Library on 53rd Street. This is the library that had an Anti-Prom last spring, for kids who were feeling a little rebellious about the prom concept, but still wanted a good party. They had more than 100 kids show up for it. This is an idea whose time has come.

Image hosted by TinyPic.com The men and women of Bushwick High, Academy of Urban Planning, Bushwick School for Social Justice, and New York Harbor School. I had such an amazing time with them…. and one of their teachers brought cookies. For everybody.

Image hosted by TinyPic.com Some of the kids who stayed late to chat.

Now it’s back to revisions and then sleep. I’m at Long island City High School in Queens tomorrow morning, then the long train ride home. Since I was in Brooklyn today, I want to answer an email I received last week from Jessica in Sheepshead Bay. She wrote: i read the comments section where you said you don’t read many ya books because your usually busy writing them and since i want to be an author i always thought it was important to write books i myself would read i mean whats the sense of writing a book you yourself wouldn’t read? what would make you think other people want to? do you think that aspect of writing is important?

Thanks for giving me the chance to clarify this, Jessica. I agree if you want to be an author (or if you are an author) you need to read a lot. And I really encourage people to read outside of their favorite genre; that’s how you learn new things. I was not in any way disrespecting other YA books. I LOVE them. But books and characters I love tend to stick around in my head, like ghosts. And I think it would be immoral as well as illegal to steal from other authors. So when I am writing YA, I read other kinds of books. That way, the voices of my characters are coming solely from me. Does that clear it up?

30 Replies to “Squid curry”

  1. its kinda the elephant in the room, sorta…

    Didn’t have time to post yesterday, heres my rant. I enjoy it.

    “We hold these truths to be self evident: that all men are created equal…” So people should treat goths with the same respect. In my tewenty person Chem class there are only myself and four other kids who aren’t goths. But you know what? I like it. It pushes me to make friends with some people I never thought I would be friends with, not becuase there goths, they just all hang together. Everyone in my class gets along great and its real upsetting to read and hear people talk about goths as if it’s a bad thing to wear black. I think the majority of my school is goth/punk so I accually don’t hear much bad talk about it, but when I do I usually step up and state my case to the unsuspecting person at my lunch table.

  2. its kinda the elephant in the room, sorta…

    Didn’t have time to post yesterday, heres my rant. I enjoy it.

    “We hold these truths to be self evident: that all men are created equal…” So people should treat goths with the same respect. In my tewenty person Chem class there are only myself and four other kids who aren’t goths. But you know what? I like it. It pushes me to make friends with some people I never thought I would be friends with, not becuase there goths, they just all hang together. Everyone in my class gets along great and its real upsetting to read and hear people talk about goths as if it’s a bad thing to wear black. I think the majority of my school is goth/punk so I accually don’t hear much bad talk about it, but when I do I usually step up and state my case to the unsuspecting person at my lunch table.

  3. its kinda the elephant in the room, sorta…

    Didn’t have time to post yesterday, heres my rant. I enjoy it.

    “We hold these truths to be self evident: that all men are created equal…” So people should treat goths with the same respect. In my tewenty person Chem class there are only myself and four other kids who aren’t goths. But you know what? I like it. It pushes me to make friends with some people I never thought I would be friends with, not becuase there goths, they just all hang together. Everyone in my class gets along great and its real upsetting to read and hear people talk about goths as if it’s a bad thing to wear black. I think the majority of my school is goth/punk so I accually don’t hear much bad talk about it, but when I do I usually step up and state my case to the unsuspecting person at my lunch table.

  4. I’m liking that school.
    Anti-Prom. That’s pretty unique.
    Although I personally would go to prom.

    But that’s just me. I like my raving. =D

  5. I’m liking that school.
    Anti-Prom. That’s pretty unique.
    Although I personally would go to prom.

    But that’s just me. I like my raving. =D

  6. I’m liking that school.
    Anti-Prom. That’s pretty unique.
    Although I personally would go to prom.

    But that’s just me. I like my raving. =D

  7. That’s the best anti-prom ever. The only anti-proms around my school were pathetic excuses to get wasted and/or knocked up.

    Needless to say, I went to the real prom (one year my mom practically made me go. It was kind of sad. I had the best dress though, lol)

  8. That’s the best anti-prom ever. The only anti-proms around my school were pathetic excuses to get wasted and/or knocked up.

    Needless to say, I went to the real prom (one year my mom practically made me go. It was kind of sad. I had the best dress though, lol)

  9. That’s the best anti-prom ever. The only anti-proms around my school were pathetic excuses to get wasted and/or knocked up.

    Needless to say, I went to the real prom (one year my mom practically made me go. It was kind of sad. I had the best dress though, lol)

  10. Happy Birthday!

    Happy Belated Birthday! Sorry I couldn’t wish you it before, but because of Hurricane Wilma we didn’t have power. -.- I hope you had a good day. (:

  11. Happy Birthday!

    Happy Belated Birthday! Sorry I couldn’t wish you it before, but because of Hurricane Wilma we didn’t have power. -.- I hope you had a good day. (:

  12. Happy Birthday!

    Happy Belated Birthday! Sorry I couldn’t wish you it before, but because of Hurricane Wilma we didn’t have power. -.- I hope you had a good day. (:

  13. yeah, the crucial part is while you are writing. i know so many authors who won’t read anything in their genre while they’re working on a new book for just that reason. when they’re done, they read like insaniacs.

  14. yeah, the crucial part is while you are writing. i know so many authors who won’t read anything in their genre while they’re working on a new book for just that reason. when they’re done, they read like insaniacs.

  15. yeah, the crucial part is while you are writing. i know so many authors who won’t read anything in their genre while they’re working on a new book for just that reason. when they’re done, they read like insaniacs.

  16. thanks for answering my ya question much appreciated i just wasn’t quite clear on why a ya author wouldn’t read many ya books but i understand now i also think it’s important for people to read outside of their favorite genres too me for example i read a bit of everything from harry potter to dave pelzer{his was the worst child abuse case in california state history really inspirational story you should read if you haven’t a child called it} so thanks

  17. thanks for answering my ya question much appreciated i just wasn’t quite clear on why a ya author wouldn’t read many ya books but i understand now i also think it’s important for people to read outside of their favorite genres too me for example i read a bit of everything from harry potter to dave pelzer{his was the worst child abuse case in california state history really inspirational story you should read if you haven’t a child called it} so thanks

  18. thanks for answering my ya question much appreciated i just wasn’t quite clear on why a ya author wouldn’t read many ya books but i understand now i also think it’s important for people to read outside of their favorite genres too me for example i read a bit of everything from harry potter to dave pelzer{his was the worst child abuse case in california state history really inspirational story you should read if you haven’t a child called it} so thanks

  19. none

    When I was about nine years old, a woman I sat next to on the plane was reading A Child Called It and I kind of read over her shoulder 🙂 and it was really depressing. 🙁 I hope to read it someday, when I’m able to find it.

    I love Harry Potter! Have you finished the 6th book?

  20. none

    When I was about nine years old, a woman I sat next to on the plane was reading A Child Called It and I kind of read over her shoulder 🙂 and it was really depressing. 🙁 I hope to read it someday, when I’m able to find it.

    I love Harry Potter! Have you finished the 6th book?

  21. none

    When I was about nine years old, a woman I sat next to on the plane was reading A Child Called It and I kind of read over her shoulder 🙂 and it was really depressing. 🙁 I hope to read it someday, when I’m able to find it.

    I love Harry Potter! Have you finished the 6th book?

  22. of course i finished in in two days would have been less but my sister made me stop reading

  23. of course i finished in in two days would have been less but my sister made me stop reading

  24. of course i finished in in two days would have been less but my sister made me stop reading

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