chains – Page 5 – Laurie Halse Anderson

January 28, 2009

Shiny Days and over the pond news

Whew! I’m still in a post-announcements daze. Uncle Simon and Aunt Schuster have made images of CHAINS sporting its pretty NBA and O’Dell hardware available. I cannot resist.

Shiny!

Yesterday brought two last bits of very-much appreciated news. CHAINS was named a 2009 Notable Book by ALSC and it made the YALSA Best Books for Young Adults list. Yes! Thank you!

I spent much of yesterday corresponding with my British publisher, answering interview questions and putting in my two cents about the proposed paperback cover. (Can’t wait to see what they do – their ideas are really interesting!) Ian, in charge of publicity, sent a new quote from over the pond.

“Chains is one of the most moving and striking books I have read in a long time; finally some thoughtful, stirring historical fiction for young adults … Anyone reading this brilliant book will be left beguiled and bewildered by her bravery as she suffers under slavery.” Waterstones Books Quarterly

I’ve never had any books that attracted much attention in the UK, so this is very exciting.

Today brings a jumble of tasks. I am still trying to clean up a particularly thorny chapter, I have to go to a recording studio and tape some stuff that will be included in the audio version of WINTERGIRLS, I have to do some things for my mom, WebGod Theo has been patiently waiting for some content from me and – best of all – I need to pack because tomorrow is the Kindling Words retreat and I can’t wait!!!!

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January 23, 2009

Friday Five – Book News Edition & Twitterpation

Thank you everyone for the very sweet comments and emails about the O’Dell Award! I am still tingling with excitement and hyperventilating.

Christmas is finally over up here on the Tundra. We’ve had Daughter #1 (aka Bookavore) and her boyfriend up here for the final celebration. Author Alert – Bookavore is moving to the Big Apple and will be managing WORD, a super-cool bookstore in Brooklyn, starting next month.

I have finally signed up for Twitter. I think it will be most fun while I’m on tour. My Twitter name is halseanderson. Feel free to follow!

My Friday Five is an assortment of book news I’ve been accumulating for a while.

1. Along with all the other amazing news this week, Isabel in CHAINS garnered a Cuffie Award. Be sure to read through the whole list!

2. The Israeli rights to TWISTED have been sold. Check out this student project about the book.

3. Penguin has posted my poem “Listen” on their website. The poem shares reader reactions to SPEAK. I wrote it for this year’s 10th anniversary of the book. (Follow the link, scroll down, and open the pdf.)

4. Illustrator Matt Faulkner has posted a DAMES video on YouTube.

5. We have a WINTERGIRLS Facebook page now. Another nice review has come in for WINTERGIRLS, but I can’t post it for a few weeks. Stay tuned!

I’m headed into the Writing Cave this weekend, hoping to blast through a plot knot and weave in a subplot. What are you doing?

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January 21, 2009

Doing the Happy Dance in my Longjohns

SQUEEEEEEE!!!!!

I have a wee bit of news to share.

CHAINS is the winner of the 2009 Scott O’Dell Award for Historical Fiction.

Here is the formal language: “Laurie Halse Anderson has won the 2009 Scott O’Dell Award for Chains (S&S, October 2008), narrated by teenaged Isabel Finch during the Revolutionary War. Although Isabel and her enslaved five-year-old sister were to be freed upon the death of their mistress, the woman’s heir sells the siblings to a new owner in New York City–that is the first of the betrayals that lie ahead, but also the beginning of Isabel’s fight for freedom. The award, established by O’Dell (best known as the author of The Island of the Blue Dolphins), is given annually to a meritorious work of historical fiction and includes a $5,000 prize.Chains was also a National Book Award Finalist, just like Anderson’s debut novel, Speak(Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 1999).”

I found out Friday night and have been walking around with my hands clenched over my mouth ever since because I wasn’t supposed to tell anybody. I formally apologize to my writer’s group for not even telling them. I offer to make cake for our next meeting as my penance. Or bread. I’m better at bread than cake. (Paging Marie Antoinette…)

This is an unbelievable honor – one that I never imagined my work would receive. It feels delicious and bubbly and affirming and huzzah! huzzah! The hardest part is I want to tell Isabel and it takes so long for letters to reach the 18th century!

OK, I’m pretty much not capable of forming any other complete sentences.

Except for THANK YOU!!!!

68 comments

November 10, 2008

Book Tour Daze 16-18

The last time you heard from me I posted a hasty note then dove into the depths of late last week. Now it’s Week 4 and I’m writing this from my hotel room in Atlanta. Today and tomorrow are busy with schools and stock signings. Wednesday and Thursday will be slower paced as I participate in the Miami Book Festival, then it’ll be off to New Orleans, which I am very excited about!

And next week will be even wilder, but I’ll talk about that later…..

This BookPage interview with me explores the way I researched CHAINS.

I was interviewed at the DC-area public TV station for a website aimed at teachers and parents. When the tape goes live, I’ll let you know.

Then it was off to Politics and Prose for a stock signing – they have an incredible selection of books and cool non-book items.

This is what the last three days of last week looked like: thousands of enthusiastic kids in cafetauriums and libraries. It was awesome.

My evening events were mostly attended by teachers and writers, including my friend Kimmie.

In South Hadley, MA, we had a library full of high school students listening to me in person, and another group participating via Skype connection on the computer. That was fun.

When I was signing stock at Odyssey Bookshop, one of their local authors wandered in – Leslea Newman.

Thank you, Rebecca of Odyssey for a tremendous day!

TONIGHT’S EVENT: Monday, November 10 at 7:00 pm: Little Shop of Stories, Decatur 404-373-6300

TOMORROW’S EVENT is not an event, but you can find my signed books at The Reading Tree, Alpharetta, 770-740-7171

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November 7, 2008

Book Tour Day ? – What’s My Name?

I haven’t had Internet access recently, hence the lack of posts. That, and by the end of today, I will have spoken to 3,000 students in 3 days. But they were nice kids and I had a blast. I’m just a little…. disoriented. Befuddled.

But not so confused that I can’t remember good news!

CHAINS has been named one of Publisher’s Weekly’s Best Books of 2008.

CHAINS has also been named to the Amazon Top Ten of 2008 List.

This is the end of Week Three of the Tour and I need to do laundry. And I miss my husband. And, yes, the dog. So after my South Hadley, MA events today, I’ll be driving home for a couple of days. I head back on the road Sunday evening. (I’ll post the rest of this week’s photos this weekend, I promise.)

Next week: THE SOUTH – Atlanta, Miami and New Orleans!

Apparently, the Creature With Fangs misses me, too, that’s why she sent me this picture.

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