Month: March 2005

In 30 hours I leave on Road Trip #1, which stretches for 2 weeks.

*choked sound of dismay*

Am I ready?

*play audience laughtrack*

I’ll write more later…

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, CHRIS!!

God, I love Fridays. Everything seems easier.

Thanks for all the encouragement and hurrahs about PROM’s release yesterday. I got a note from Editor Sharyn that it has also been nominated for the Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers 2006 list, which I am thrilled about.

I know I had a bunch of things to write here, but my brain is still fuzzy. Arg.

Yesterday’s school visit at Limerick Elem was fun – it was Slipper Day. You can tell a lot about a kid by her or his slippers. Today is another elementary school visit. I am feeling like I don’t have enough hours and I have way too much work. Still have revising to do on the pb manuscript and I desperately want to send that off before the road trip starts.

I’ve also been feeling guilty about my response to Stuart a few days ago. I think I was too harsh and I apologize if he’s reading this. Here’s why I was cranky: I get email every week from kids who want Spark notes or Cliff notes to one of my books, or they want me to answer their essay questions. For them to find my email address, they have to go to the paragraph on the website that says I do not do homework. But still they try. I suppose they should get points for persistence, if nothing else.

Lazy kids not wanting to do homework I understand. I was one of those kids. But there is an additional issue here.

Kids and teachers have unprecedented access to authors via the Web. This is mostly good. I love hearing from readers, and I’ve had a blast keeping this LJ. But I think that the notion of a student’s personal interpretation of text is quickly vanishing. I hear from kids who want to know why I put a scene in, or what a symbol stands for, or – in Stuart’s case- what are the connections between Scarlett Letter and Speak. While I have opinions about all of these things, I think the reader’s interpretation is every bit (if not more!) valid than mine. That’s why we read books – they can hold up a mirror that allows us to see ourselves more clearly. This is especially important when you are a teenager and half the time you have no clue who you are.

If somebody wants me to do their homework I will laugh hysterically and say “no.” If somebody wants “the author’s official answer”, I’ll probably turn that one down, too. If someone is confused about a character or plot point, or wants to have an online discussion about it, I am totally there.

Opinions, anyone?

PROM is officially out! I hope you like it.

No limos, ball gowns, or tiaras for me. I have a school visit and have to start getting ready for the book tour that starts Sunday.

But I’ll be giggling all day.

Writing a book takes a lot of time and energy, and for me, anxiety. It feels awesome to have it out there in the world.

More later.

No snow today so my school visit is on as planned. Before I dash, a couple of quick things…

We’ve set aside the week of Oct. 31st – Nov. 4th, 2005 for school visits in the Boston area. If you are interested, email Sarah Henry, Keeper of the Schedule – henrysa78@yahoo.com.

To Max from the Casimir Pulaski Fine Arts Academy – if you want me to visit your school, you have to email Sarah. That’s how you get the ball rolling.

Stuart writes: What was the precise relevance (of SPEAK) to “The Scarlet Letter” on page100-102? I am writing it for my 9th grade Honors English class. We all think that this is a great book to read. Is there going to be a sequel? Please respond as so I may recite what your response is to my class.

Sorry, Stuart. I didn’t like doing homework when I was in high school, and I’m not going to do it now. That is one of the pleasures of being grown-up. However there is an entire page on my website that discusses the connections between the two books. Feel free to check it out.

The Horn Book review for PROM is up.

Flotsam that cluttered my brain today:

Can something be “very surreal”? A reporter used that phrase to describe the trial of Michael Jackson. Maybe it should be sur-surreal. That gets it close to susurration, which means “the indistinct sound of people whispering”. Which sort of fits.

I saw a flock of robins three days ago. Where did they go in the Nor’easter snow storm? Do they get spun around and flung at Vermont?

I made the mistake of watching Real World for more than sixty seconds. Because life is real when you live in the nicest apartment for one hundred miles and you don’t have to worry about your electricity being turned off. When you have a cheesy lame job that nobody cares about. When you become a stock character thrown in with other stock characters and people are supposed to be shocked when you throw up in boring, predictable, stock ways. (See the beer go down. Watch the beer come up. Oops – beer on your open-toed sandals. Oops – vomit in your hair. Grandma is so proud of you, sugar.)

I call game over on reality TV shows because they always suck. Can we go back to fiction now? It does a better job reflecting the truth.

Beloved Husband has the flu and I am 300 miles away from him. I do not feel very much like a Loving Wife. I’ve been trying for two days to send him virtual chicken soup. Now I am afraid I might succeed. I have these disturbing images of BH dragging himself off the couch, struggling to the kitchen just so he can get a drink of water… “Water,” he croaks, his face the color of an oyster…and THWAP! out of nowhere a massive amount of steaming chicken noodle soup materializes out of the ether (because of my amazing powers of concentration) and dumps all over his head.

I’m sorry, honey! I was aiming for the pot on the stove! Just shake those noodles off. The dog will clean it up. Maybe you should go back to the couch.

What if they made a reality TV show based in my head?

Something for all of us oxymorons.