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Two Letters

My mail makes me smile. This came in last week, from A.M.

okay,
so i dont even know if this will ever get to the author of “speak,”
but i just thought it was VERY neccesary to thank her for creating such an amazing book.
i was completely in awe of how much i learned from and connected to this book.
So Laurie Halse Anderson, thank you for understanding and helping others to understand the thoughts of someone going through anything difficult in their life.
i know a lot about going through hard times, as i’m sure you do, and this was very much an encouraging story about the life of a teenage girl.
“Speak” spoke to me in a way no other book has in my life (and i read a lot!)
i jut wanted to send this e-mail as a bit of encouragment, so PLEASE keep on writing and inspiring people with this talent of yours.

Is it surprising that I woke up at 5 this morning, thought about characters, then watched the sun rise and set to work eagerly? No, not at all.

And then there are letters like this, which tend to come to my MySpace account:

first of all Hello Laurie! Let me introduce myself.. my name is XXX and I am 13 years old. Thank you so much for having time to read and pay attention to my letter. I am writing to you because I need help from an expert..YOU! OK.ok. I’ll tell you! I need major HELP!!! My 8th grade English teacher assigned me a major task!
Which is to read your WONDERFUL PERFECT book Speak which i know is an excellent book because she told me..and to write a Summary. I have barely read half of your book and guess what!!!! I LOST THE BOOK!!! And the worst part is that it’s my teacher’s. Please HELP ME DO MY Summary! Please I beg you with all my heart. Can you please write me a short summary of the other half of the book?

Please! Laurie.. thank you sooooo much for being able to help me!

thanks.. PS. your book is really interesting!

No, I did not write her a summary. The biggest part of growing up is learning to deal with your own problems and to own your mistakes. She’ll figure it out.

Crazy day today…. the Creature With Fangs is going to have a hysterectomy because she has dysplasia. We’re going to be running around trying to fit a million things into 12 hours.

It really was an amazing sunrise.

Happy World Book Day!
Get ready for Read Across America Day tomorrow!
 

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Random school visit question

Like many authors, I visited schools for years to talk about my books and the writing process. I have spoken to around half a million high school students and maybe half as many elementary school students.

Yeah, that’s a lot of kids.

I loved visiting schools, loved meeting the teachers and librarians, and really learned a lot from the students. I did not love how much energy the visits drained from me, and how much time it took away from writing. I also found that every day spent visiting a school generally took two days of preparation, not to mention travel time and time away from my family. So I decided to take a very long sabbatical (at least two years) from visiting schools.

But many of my friends are still out there. And several of them have written this week about a strange new requirement. Suddenly, school districts are requiring them to show proof of insurance… an insurance that would kick into effect if anyone decides that the author’s presence at the school somehow harmed them. In addition, one author has been asked to sign an 8-page Hold Harmless agreement, in which the author states the 50 million ways she will not pursue the district in any kind of lawsuit.

Several of these friends have consulted with lawyers and brokers and are preparing to pay close to $500/year in the required insurance.

Does anyone else have experience with this?

I have to say, it makes the decision to stay home and write even more attractive.

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Odds & Ends Day

This morning I have chained myself to my desk in order to respond to ALL the fanmail that has piled up. I made a dent in it last week, and hope to finish today. If you have been waiting to hear from me, I am sorry. Check your mailbox later this week.

By the way, I still have teacher’s guides for TWISTED that I am happy to send out. Put your address in the Comments section, or email me at laurie AT writerlady DOT com and I will send you one ASAP.

There are many more pictures of the Whispering Pines SCBWI retreat on the blog of Liz Goulet Dubois. Liz was the featured artist at the retreat. She is a stellar example of a working artist; someone who day in and and day out uses her artistic talents on a million different projects and somehow manages to pay the bills. I salute thee, Liz, with this mug of Earl Grey! (Be sure to noodle around her site, too.)

A hale and hearty happy 200th birthday to Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. Maybe we should call him Oldfellow. I had to memorize lines from “The Village Blacksmith” in third grade. Despite that, I still like him.

Except when it comes to how he mucked up history.

Longfellow did not let the messy facts of Revere’s ride get in the way of a good story (or poem). The always wonderful J.L. Bell points out the differences between Paul’s ride and Longfellow’s poem. Historian Brian Leigh Dunnigan does the same thing for the Poetry Foundation.

How do I get this gig? Seriously, folks. I really mean it. I think I would do a remarkably good job. And it wouldn’t even have to be in London. New York has some lovely hotels. I hear Boston has a couple, too, as does San Francisco. Please put in a good word for me.

A Central New York Shout-out to 1979 Liverpool grad Julia Spencer-Fleming who just had her mystery novel All Mortal Flesh, nominated for a posh Agatha Award. I graduated in 1979, too. Must have been something in the water. (Thanks, Shelf Life for the tip.)

The book tour starts in exactly three weeks.

It is snowing again.