Slightly exaggerated announcement

OK, so I got a little carried away yesterday. The announcement isn’t big by the standards of the world. It’s big by my standards. In fact, I am stoked.

I’m taking some time off.

Not from writing – I have miles to go before I sleep on that score. But I’ve decided to step away from a couple work-related tasks for the month of August. I’m taking a break from writing here in the blog, responding to non-critical email and correspondance, and anything else I can let go of for a few weeks without my world falling apart.

We are calling it a home-based vacation. What kinds of thrilling things will I be doing, besides writing? The list is endless:

Reading books
Killing poison ivy
Sweltering
Picking up sticks
Weeding
Painting the bathroom
Refinishing a table (maybe)
(gasp) Cooking
Haunting the library and gym

I vow to eat blueberries and corn on the cob and clams. I might have to drive to Philly for a water ice.

I vow to drink lemonade every day.

I vow to watch sunsets and moonrises.

I vow to slather on sunscreen.

I vow to spend part of every day utterly lost in a book.

What else do you think I should do with my vacation?

I’ll be dropping in here to check comments and if anything startling or earth-shaking happens, I’ll post about it. But with your kind permission, I am going to kick back a little.

See you in September!

(edited to add)…Looking for something to do while I hide in the Forest? Visit Wesley’s LHA Official Fan Club and create merriment!)

33 Replies to “Slightly exaggerated announcement”

  1. Good for you! I’m envious of your at-home vacation. Ignore the world, enjoy the little things, and definitely lose yourself in many books. That’s what summer is for.

  2. That is big news, and good news. Congratulations. For what it’s worth, I’ve been pleased by how well things have been going since I stopped booking any new speaking engagements. I hadn’t realized how much time each event eats up just with email and other preparations. My productivity validates my decision. It feels good to be a full-time writer again. I hope you have a wonderful vacation. Feel free to swing by Nazareth if you need a pit stop on the way to Philly.

  3. Enjoy!

    Hey, Laurie! I must admit that I thought you were going to announce that you are PREGNANT!!! No babies; just vacation, which is lovely. Enjoy every moment. Hope to see you one day soon!!

    Linda Oatman High

  4. I am completely envious of your hiding in the forest. I would love to get lost in so many books and watch the sunsets and moonrises form, but I just seem to waste my time away on not so important things…like the internet.

    P.S.
    I love the Robert Frost poem reference.

  5. Have Fun.

    By the end of vacation everyone at the ren faire will know you by name. If they already don’t. Have a nice break and enjoy reading. See you in Sept!

    -Wesley

  6. something to do…

    I feel like this is my time to plug my aunt’s new restaurant! If you and BH feel like taking a little trip to the catskills, my aunt just opened a restaurant in Hancock, NY called The Bluestone Grill. You can check out their beautiful website at http://www.bluestonegrill.com!

    And if you go, make sure to tell them that Jobie sent you! I mean really, cooking is overrated anyways 🙂

  7. have a nice home-based vacation!

    i hope you have a nice long home-based vacation for the month of august. you deserve it. i’ll look forward to your september posts and your surprise startling or earth-shattering posts too. bye for now. ♥

  8. hey Auntie

    hey i miss you! lol one week we should hook up and hang out i havent heard from you in a while which is understandable. I get every thrusday off from working at Rudy’s so if you want a day to relax and have fun call me up. *Big kisses and Big Hugs* Tell Uncle Scott I said hi

    Love always,

    April Lynn Stevens

  9. From an aspiring writer

    I love your books. They’re clever, well-written and I just love them! I’m hoping to write a story myself, though I’m only 13. I’m working on it though! I’m sure right now you couldn’t tell that I am an okay writer. I don’t want to flatter myself too much. But I thought that I’d just let you know that when I read Catalyst the other day I cried when Mikey died. I finished it that day too. It was either sad or I was very hormonal. Well I read Speak aswell and I loved it. I’d write more but I’m on the clock. I’ll comment again. I hope you write a lot more. Do you have carpel tunnel yet? (Don’t make fun of my spelling, according to my mother I’m not very intelligent so…)I have to go. I need to work on my storyline…

  10. Compliments

    Mrs. Anderson, you have truly touched my heart with all of you great books. In the special edition of Speak with you speaking about Speak, there was a statement about how the book was connected with many teenagers. YOur response was that you couldn’t find what you were looking for in contemporary YA fiction. And also that you were searching for characters who struggled with the same problems as you and I felt the same way. Speak was an amazing book! I personally loved it, it had so much meaning…it was humorous and there’s a lot you can relate to in this book. I congratulate you for winning the Michael L. Printz Award for Excellence in YA Literature. YOu clearly deserved it. I look foward to reading your other book, Catalyst. For another adventure and journey teenagers.

  11. have fun!

    Good for you for taking care of yourself! Have a wonderful vacation (and if you like odd british humor and mysteries, Jasper Fforde is an excellent author to read while on holiday…)
    See you in September!

  12. Trying to get back in contact.

    Dear Laurie,
    I don’t know if you remember me, but you came to my school,Unami Middle School to give a talk a few years back. I will never forget the writer’s workshop and it has inspired me to write. I am writing not for me but for my daughter Ashley Pizzi. She has fibro-myalgia which causes her a great deal of pain and fatigue. This past school year she had to come home for treatment and was not able to finish her senior year at James Madison because she was in so much pain. To distract herself from the pain, she wrote a book. She has had many set-backs since she contracted this disease in her junior year of high school at C.B. East. I know that you probably get many of these such letters, but she has just had another set-back in the fact that a friend that promised to introduce her to an agent or publishing house for an editor has just fallen through. She is going back to school to finish her senior year around her at Penn State Abington so she can receive physical therapy in Newtown. If there are any names that you can send our way, I would greatly appreciate it. Also, are you still doing the talk circuit and do you ever get around to the Bucks County area. I would love for you to come back. We loved having you! Thanks for reading this letter. I know that you are terribly busy, but I thought I’d give it a shot because the sensitive human side of you was what appealed to me most. Sorry for falling out of touch. Too many students to teach, so little time to teach them. :O) Dianne Pizzi 4931 Julie Court Doylestown, PA 18902 215-348-0749 P.S. If you are ever in town and need a place to stay, Mi casa es su casa! Take care! Love all that you are doing lately and still have many Anderson books on my shelves, growing each year, and becoming love worn.

  13. Thank you!!!

    Laurie, thank you so much for sending me Speak back!! I loved your note and I really, really appreciated your signing it. Thank you! 🙂

    As for my vacations, I love to re-read Harry Potter and Speak (since you wrote it, I don’t think you’d want to re-read it as much :)) but I’m a huge re-reader … I’m not sure why. I’ve re-read all my books at least twice.

    Have you ever seen Gilmore Girls? Very witty and funny … it’s a fantastically brilliant TV show.

    I have to admit, my version of a really nice vacation isn’t as exciting as most people’s, but it’s nice to just relax, as you said. ^^

  14. completely off topic…

    Laurie,

    So, while this is completely off topic, I couldn’t resist to ask. I’ve read your book Catalyst many, many times and I absolutely -love- it. The main character reminds me so much of my best friend, that I feel completely and utterly connected to her. Her quirky persona really keeps the book going; a must-read-in-one-sitting kind of book. My question is, are you ever planning on writing any kind of sequel to Catalyst?

  15. Re: completely off topic…

    Wow – thanks for asking! Your kind words just made me blush.

    The answer is “sort of”. I think about the characters all the time.

  16. Catalyst

    Well, I hope you do consider it! Anyway, good luck on that August 19th race if you end up doing it!

    By the way, I’m reading a book called “Broken For You”, by Stephanie Kallos…it’s very interesting and a fun read. If you are in need of something to read, maybe check it out. On of the main characters talks to her antique collection. It’s strange but interesting!

    -Shirley

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