Don't know about you, but my weekend rocked the house. I worked on revisions, I did not touch the pile of research I was supposed to, BH and I ran 13.3 miles on Saturday morning, and I was both mom and daughter yesterday. Spent most of it in the garden, a most Demeter-like day.

(ETA - You should read my daughter's blog on what she learned from her various moms about books.)

I will be signing books on Thursday! Come see me at river's end bookstore in Oswego, NY from 6 - 8pm. The store is celebrating its 10th anniversary and it is time to party. We'll have TWISTED in paperback and INDEPENDENT DAMES (thank you Uncle Simon and Uncle Schuster for making it available a little early).

The next 6 weeks are going to scream by, so be patient if my posts are a little sporadic and shorter than usual. I am going to be posing questions in preparation for my July Writing Challenge; things designed to get you thinking and maybe open up some ideas for your writing during that month.

Today is Katherine Hepburn's birthday. Ms. Hepburn famously said: "If you obey all the rules you miss all the fun."

So here is today's question: Which rules are worth breaking?

Having your new book - the book you've worked on for years, dreamed about, fussed about, cried over, danced with, bored your relatives to tears with ("aren't you done with that thing yet?") - having that book arrive is the closest thing possible to the moment when you give birth to a child.

Without the mess and a room full of strangers wearing latex gloves and face masks.

Without further ado, meet INDEPENDENT DAMES: What You Never Knew About the Women and Girls of the American Revolution.

::wipes tears from eyes::


DAMES is a 40-page non-fiction historical picture book that highlights the revolutionary activity of 80 women and girls you've probably never heard of.

( When you spend more than a decade on a project, you want to show it off. )

Last month I gave the keynote speech at the New England SCBWI Conference. There were 550 people in the room. Most have them have written to me in the last couple of weeks (thank you very much - they have been sweet and much appreciated notes) commenting on what I had to say.

The most frequent topic is the challenge I issued: to write for at least 15 minutes a day for 21 days. Some people loved it, others struggled.

With summer coming, I thought I'd issue it again:

Can you commit to write for at least fifteen minutes every day from July 1st - July 21st?

Let know if you want to join by leaving a note in the comment section. You can comment anonymously, if you want. If there is enough interest, I will focus my blog posts in July on writing stuff.

What do you think? Want to play?

The Forest is decorated with streamers and margaritas today. Yes, it is Cinco de Mayo (and take it from me: San Jose is where you want to be on Cinco de Mayo weekend). But it is also the birthday of Stephanie, my oldest daughter. You can leave birthday greetings on Bookavore, her blog, if you want. AND it is the 50th birthday of my most very Beloved Husband, Scot. All he wants for his birthday are a few more donations to his charity run.

So, yeah. This is Party Central today.

It's also Catching Up from the Weekend Day. Friday morning I ran along the Guadalupe River Park Trail - it reminded me a lot of the trail that runs through the middle of Austin. After a long shower and lunch, my intrepid hosts, Dr. Mary Warner and Dr. Jonathan Lovell, drove me to Yerba Buena High School. Thanks you very, very much to Ms. Goltzer and her students for making the afternoon so much fun! After we left the school, we went to Hicklebee's, an amazing independent bookstore run by Valerie Lewis, who ought to be called She Who Knows Everything. I would love to take her out to dinner with Teri Lesesne. The two of them in the same room at the same time might be enough to fix everything that is wrong with our world.

This should be a Destination Bookstore; the kind you plan an entire vacation around.

Not only do they have tons of books, artifacts from writers (like The Pants from Ann Brasheres and an early drawing of Clifford the Big Red Dog), and a terrific staff, but they have wall after wall crowded with signatures and drawings from authors and illustrators who have dropped by.

( What San Jose, Stevie Wonder, and the Shippensburg Women's Rugby team have in common )

Yesterday was a lucky day for me. My tomato plants survived the frost, snug in their little handmade hoodies. My flights were on time, my flights were (relatively) comfortable, and my luggage did not wander off on its own. AND I won a contest. I have never won a contest before in my whole life. And get this - I won ICE CREAM.

Coconut & Lime is my favorite food blog. (You really should check it out and try some of her recipes.) When I was inbetween flights at O'Hare Airport yesterday, I saw the announcement of a contest to win some of the new flavors of Haagen-Dazs ice cream. So I entered. I always enter contests; it's a case of blind optimisim overcoming decades of painful experience. But yesterday, I won! I don't know when the ice cream is coming, or what flavors will be in the box, but I'll let you know.

One of the nice things about jet lag is that it's really easy, as an East-coaster, to wake up wicked early for a sunrise stroll. San Jose is a very walkable and runnable city. I am staying on the campus of San Jose State University and went for a run last night through the surrounding neighborhoods. This morning I wandered through downtown, enjoying all the public art. While looking for an open coffee shop, I came across a cool memorial to Ernesto Galarza, called Man of Fire.

He was a brilliant author, activist, and organizer who fought for decent working conditions for farm laborers and educational opportunities for all.

The piece looks like a long dining room table, with objects that reflect Galarza's passions and accomplishments scattered on it.

See this memorial to his life and work, especially since we just celebrated International Labor Day yesterday and Cinco de Mayo on Monday, was a meaningful way to start the day.

I leave in a while to speak at Yerba Buena High School, then to Hicklebee's for a 4pm event and signing. You're coming, right? Please? Paleeeeezzzz?

I really dislike 3:30 am wake-up calls.

But sometimes, they're necessary. I'm at the Syracuse airport, waiting for the flight that will take me to the flight that will take me to San Jose, CA. I'll be speaking in the area thanks to the San Jose Writing Project.

If you live around San Jose, please gather up everyone you know and join me at 4 pm, Friday, May 2nd (i.e. tomorrow) at Hicklebee's bookstore.

A question came up in the Comments this week about what music I listen to when I'm running. They're about to call my plane, so I can't give you my playlist right now - I will as soon as I get a chance.

But I'd love to know about you. What are your favorite songs to listen to when you run or exercise?

So you don't know this about me yet, but I love, love, love the song "Baby Got Back" by Sir Mix-A-Lot. It is an excellent running song that gets my feet moving much faster than normal. Picture me dashing down a country road singing the lyrics at the top of my lungs, disturbing wildlife with every mile, and shaking my thang. OK, don't picture that. It's a disturbing image.

Well, this great song just got better. Editor Cheryl Klein has written new lyrics for it, in a literary vein. The new title is "Baby Got Book" and it is hysterical and awesome. (scroll down to the April 26th entry.) Click on the link and read it now, but remember boys and girls: she wrote it, she owns it. Don't go spreading it around without her permission.

I fretted muchly over my tomatoes last night. Here they are, naked in front of the approaching cold front.

And here they are all bundled up for the night. Cozy, no?

Maybe I should be packing them in my suitcase. I leave Thursday for sunny and warm San Jose, CA as the visiting author to the San Jose Area Writing Project. Those events are all sold out, but if you live in the area, please come out and hang out with me at Hicklebee's bookstore, Friday May 2nd, at 4pm.

Two grace notes in my life yesterday; simple things that made me smile. I spent an hour holding my 4-month-old grand nephew Kegan. There is something about the smell of a baby that makes everything right in the world. And for dinner, BH cooked up some locally-caught baked bullhead (it's a fish) and served it with the peach chutney I canned last summer. Yum!

Happy is the gardener who gets her plants in the ground and her tools put away before the rain starts.

I couldn't help myself. I jumped the gun this weekend. The broccoli I planted will be fine when the temperatures drop below freezing later this week. It won't bother the pansies either, though the hollyhocks are already trembling. The lettuce and peas I sowed are hardy enough to push through snow.

But I fear for the tomatoes. I put them out several weeks too early in a fit of blind optimism and while hallucinating about fresh tomato, basil, and mozzarella sandwiches. Maybe I could build them little bonfires or quick knit them all a blanket. Stay tuned....

Besides gardening (in a cloud of punkies so thick I had to work with a shawl wrapped around my head), the other fun thing this weekend was our nine-mile run around Cazenovia Lake with our Team in Training teammates. I've reached my fund raising goal and my Beloved Husband is 80% of the way there -- he only needs another $485. Our bribery offer of free books and other goodies still stands if you donate (scroll down the linked post for the details.)

Several important dates are sprinting towards us:
48 days until the Lake Placid Half-Marathon
60 days until ALA
146 days until the Philadelphia Distance Run
176 days until the release of CHAINS and my book tour (I got a preview of the tour plans last week, but I can't talk about it until the details are finalized.)

Looking backwards now:
2008 Resolution Tracker
Week 16 - Miles Run: 14.5, YTD: 329.25 (gone through another pair of sneakers!)
Week 16 - Days Written: 7, YTD: 118

This is Day 119 of 2008. We're just about one-third of the way through the year. Does that seems possible?

Don't know about where you live, but this morning is one of the most beautiful we've had in a while. When the Creature With Fangs and I stepped outside, she looked around and said "Dang! Why can't it be like this all the time?"

So, basking in natural goodness, I make Five Friday Announcements:

1. TWISTED has been chosen as a YALSA Teens' Top Ten nominee. The list of nominees is stellar; be sure to go through it. Teens who read titles on the list get to vote for their favorites during Teen Read Week, October 12-18, 2008.

2. In related news, the paperback version of TWISTED goes on sale in 20 days! I'll be celebrating it at the river's end bookstore in Oswego, NY on May 15th, 6pm. TWISTED has also apparently been released in England. I found the cover on the Amazon.UK website. You'd think they'd let the author know about these things, wouldn't you?

3. Speaking of new releases, we're about five weeks away from the release of INDEPENDENT DAMES: What You Never Knew About the Women and Girls of the American Revolution. It's illustrated by Matt Faulkner, who did the great art for THANK YOU, SARAH, and I am so excited about it I keep skipping, which amuses the dog.

4. Harold Underdown (author of the very important and useful COMPLETE IDIOT"S GUIDE TO PUBLISHING CHILDREN'S BOOKS) has posted an extremely good page about getting an agent or artist's representative. If you are thinking that it's time, go to this part of his website before you do anything else.

5. Susane Colasanti windowlight has great photos from Viking's 75th birthday party. ETA - Publisher's Weekly noted the party, too! Note to Uncle Viking: I have my calendar out: what's the date for the 100th?

This weekend I'm researching and running and working in the garden. What are you going to do?

The New York trip = fun, productive, tiring.

My daffodils = blooming.

My desk = buried in work.

2008 = much too short.

While I try to catch up on stuff, explore the following:


One of the best English professors I know is celebrated.

Central New York is holding a conference for teen cancer survivors. Very cool.

The best sushi ever. You should take a trip to New York just to eat here.

So after dwelling in the Cave of Revision (long hours, but a lot of fun, I must admit) I got up early on Monday morning and headed for the train station. Time to head to the Big City to meet with various editorial types.

Monday was a Simon and Schuster Day. (They publish my historical books.) Yesterday was a Viking Day, ending with a crowded and lively party to celebrate Viking's 75th anniversary. It was one of those parties where you want to stop the clock because there are so many people to talk to and just not enough time.

Here is a small sampling. From the left, author Lizabeth Zindel, moi, Doug Whiteman, president of Penguin Books for Young Readers, Sarah Dessen aka writergrl whose new book Lock and Key hit stores yesterday, and author Susane Colisanto aka windowlight.

I also got a chance to meet the new author Madeline George, say hello to my agent, Amy, and bask in the glow cast by your ambassador and mine, Jon Scieszka.

I'm off to more S&S meetings right now, then I will attempt the ever-popular dash down the island of Manhattan to catch the late train out of Penn Station.

It's better than taking a plane these days.

I dashed outside the Cave of Revision this morning and it's true: it is almost Spring up here on the tundra. In fact, I think it will happen today, while I am deeply buried in my story.

I won't be able to haunt the Forest with my camera to pounce on the Absolute Moment, so here is the closest I can come to proving this to you.

Here the Creature With Fangs poses next to one of the last piles of snow we have.

Next: daffodils on the brink of blooming. (Yes, those daffodils, mentioned in '06!) I tried to get the CWF to pose here, too, but she was more interested in crushing the plants with her paws. I threw a stick in the other direction and snapped this shot.

Thank you to everyone who donated to my husband's Race for Cancer. There is still time to help our cause and get some of the free LHA goodies mentioned earlier this week (scroll to bottom of post).

Attention New England SCBWI Conference attenders! Today is Day 5 of my 21-Day Writing Challenge. How's it going for you? I'd love to hear what you're doing - leave a note in the Comments section and pass the word along to the other folks who were there.

OK, back into the Cave I go.

I'm emerging briefly from the Cave of Revision (where I had a very nice epiphany yesterday, thank you, and now I'm pretty sure I know how to fix the part that wasn't working in this story) to check the calendar.

Note: there is a chance to win free books ahead, including a collectible first edition. Keep reading!

Gasp. We only have 61 days until the half-marathon in Lake Placid.

::reaches for running shoes::
::slaps self and points to massive manuscript and mountain of notes::

Truth be told I ran yesterday, so today is a cross-training day (w00t). So far this year, I've done pretty good sticking to my goal of running 20 miles a week. As of yesterday, when I staggered up the driveway, I have run 303 miles since January 1st. The snow is finally gone up here on the tundra, so I've abandoned the treadmill in favor of hilly country roads well-stocked with rotting roadkill.

New readers of the blog might be wondering why on earth I'm doing all this running. My husband and I have vowed to raise $5,000 for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's Team in Training fund. The money goes for research into the causes of and treatments for blood cancers, which kills an American every ten minutes. My cousin is fighting this disease right now so it is a cause that means a great deal to our family.

Note: You're almost to the part where you get to win the free stuff! Keep reading!

Because I know a million, bazillion people, I was able to meet my fundraising goal last month. My studly, adorable, patient, quick-witted husband (yeah, that's him in the photo) is not far behind, but he could use a little help. He is 60% of the way to his goal. All he needs is another $1,000. But he needs it soon. (Photo by Sonya Sones, BTW.)

Here's where the bribery begins... I mean, here's the free stuff!!!!


If you donate $50 toward Scot's goal, I will send you a free audiobook of TWISTED (seen here hanging out with the revisions of my WIP).

If you donate $100, I'll send the audiobook and a special surprise.

If you donate $500, I will send you a very rare, first edition, first printing copy of SPEAK. No one had high hopes for the book when it was published, so the first print run was limited. Here is your chance to snag a collectible.

Or you can donate what you can afford and receive our everlasting gratitude and a really good feeling in your heart. Come on. You're about to get a check from the government. Here's a way to put it to good use.

Please help us. It's for a good cause.

Wow! Those New Englanders know how to do it!

BH and I spent a high-energy weekend at the New England chapter of the Society of Children's Book Writer's and Illustrator's" conference. It was HUUUUUUUGGGGGEE!. I think someone said there were 550 people there. Amazing. And incredibly well-organized. They even had vegan lunches for people who didn't want beef or turkey or tuna. I was impressed.

I gave the keynote Saturday morning. It was a poignant moment for me. When I started writing for kids, all I had was a handful of dreams and a lot of ambition. Along the way I made every mistake possible, and a few that no one had heard of before. And somehow, I've moved from the newly-hatched dreamer in the audience to the person standing (well, pacing) behind the podium. Very, very strange and wonderful.

During the speech, I held up my rejection file, and read a few of those dastardly polite letters that hurt so much. I will never forget what it feels like to get those in the mail. I remember the tears and doubts and the fears. What am I talking about - I still have them!

That is the cool thing about writers' conferences. It doesn't matter where you are on your creative journey - published or pre-published - we all sit on the same raft in an ocean of doubt. Thank you to everyone for such a warm welcome and much-needed boost of camaraderie.

( I was thrilled to meet Mitali Perkins, and.... and..... and.... )

:: trumpet fanfare plays and cymbals crash::

Web God Theo Black has finished the major website overhaul at my website, Writerlady.com!

All Hail The Theo!
All Hail The Theo!
All Hail The Theo!

Yes, there are nit-picky things to clean up, and yes, there are still a few things to be added, including a page to tell you how to get signed copies of my books, but we're getting there. If you get stuck in the branches of the tree (still a glitch there) use the words at the bottom of the page to navigate.

Be sure to check out the shiny new, veeeeeeeeeery long Frequently Asked Questions section, which is found in the Junk Drawer. (Many of the questions were posed by people on my blog: thanks for the help.)

What do you think of this new version of the site?
What do you like?
Anything not working for you?
What's missing?

Readers questions are pouring in!

Many folks are asking about one of my responses to Katrina's questions earlier in the week about majoring in Creative Writing in college.

I wrote: Don't major in Creative Writing, but take some of the classes if the professor has a good reputation with the other students.

This made some people - those majoring in Creative Writing - nervous. So I expanded on my opinion:

My concern is that too many colleges give students the impression that a degree in Creative Writing will nearly guarantee them a lifetime of publishing contracts and a life of ease.

It does not work that way.

If you are fortunate enough to have great professors, your chances of developing your writing skills to the point where you could be published are increased, there's no doubt about that. But there are a lot of terrible creative writing professors out there. Lately, I've talked to several 20-somethings who are bitter and disillusioned because the degree has not translated into anything but rejection letters.

So if it makes you happy, go for it. But do so with your eyes open.

I'd like to add something else to all the high school students out there who want to become authors. I think the single most important thing you can do for your writing career is to spend time living in a different country. Take a gap year and volunteer your services abroad. Or just travel and talk to people. And then come home. You need to get away from the world in which you were raised in order to gain some perspective on your experiences there. Your writing will be stronger and more interesting once you gain that perspective. IMHO.

Were any of you Creative Writing majors? What's your opinion about this?

On MySpace, a reader asks: "Are you sure you didn't write symbolism and themes into your books? Because My english teacher seemed pretty hung up on the fact that I could read Speak three times in two weeks without finding some deep, hidden meaning. In fact, I had to write Not one, but two essays about it.
Well, I know I really Love your books.
I don't search for deeper meanings, becase frankly, I like the Message at the very top.
Can I print Out your myspace and Give it to my English I teacher?"

By teaching you about the uses of symbolism in literature, your teacher is giving you a couple of extra tools that can make reading more fun. I think the symbolism that is important is the symbolism a reader finds in the story. It doesn't matter what the author tried to stick in there. I'm sorry that the essay writing was painful, but I'm glad you liked the book.

K saw the SPEAK movie on Lifetime this weekend and wrote: "All I really have to say is... you're my freakin hero! Well, not really... but that's my way of saying I enjoy the small taste of your work that I have sampled. I've honestly never heard of you or your books before, but Speak came on the TV just now and is probably about halfway through and I love it.

It's everything I think but can never say... Because... people just don't get it. It's good to know I'm not the only one with a bitter, sarcastic, cynical look at society's stupid unwritten rules of communication.

So I haven't read your book, so I don't know if these quotes are in there, but they are in the movie and are awesome.

"All that crap you hear on TV about communication and expressing feelings... is a lie. No one really cares what you have to say."

"Why couldn't he just say what he meant? Would they pin a scarlet letter to his chest? 'S' for Straightforward?"

"Once you get through this "life sucks" phase, I'm sure lots of people will wanna be your friend. But for right now, I don't think we should have lunch together."

That's enough, I guess. You wrote the book, you know what you said, you get the point.

You don't have to answer me back. You're busy. That's cool. But I pretty much had to tell you I love Speak."

I've had some great letters about TWISTED recently - I think I'll share them tomorrow.

In closing, many congratulations and all the respect in the world to the Lady Vols of Tennessee and Coach Pat Summitt (whom I adore) for winning the NCAA Women's Basketball Championship last night.

::lifts head from manuscript to see blog friends standing around::

Oh. Right.
Yay Jayhawks!!

I really do have a ton of great ideas for today's post, but I have too much work to do.

Check back with me tomorrow, OK?

::sticks self back into story::

Many condolences to all my Tarheel friends... That was hard to watch, wasn't it?

Following my decision to support the team that beat the team that beat my team, I only have one thing to say:

CHALK BOARD!

No, that's not right.

ERASER HEAD!

No.

FRUITY PEBBLES!

Where are my notes? ...... Ah.

ROCK CHALK! ROCK CHALK! ROCK CHALK, JAYHAWK, KU!

Yes, Theo is in the process of posting my new website, and yes, we know that not all features are working yet. Thank you very much to everyone who has written to let us know pages that seem to be empty and the broken links. Consider the current version very much Beta. It will be polished and shiny soon.

Katarina, an 8th grader from NJ, mailed the following questions. I'm on deadline again, so the answers will be pithy.

When did you realize that you wanted to become a writer specifically for young adults?
I haven't decided that yet. I just try to write good stories.

How do you deal with frustration/writer's block?
I run.

Are there any specific classes that I should take in high school/college?
Keyboarding. I suggest you don't major in creative writing, either, but take some of the classes if the professor has a good reputation with the other students.

Is this a job that includes more failure or success?
Ha! Buckets of failure, tasty tablespoons of success.

How long does it usually take to get “started,” i.e. find a reputable publisher and editor
Ten years.

How long, on average, does it take for you to write a book including the editing/publishing process?
Two to three years from the beginning of a project until it lands in a bookstore.

What precautions can I take so I don't fall for publishing scams?
Never pay cash to anyone who claims to be an agent. Learn the difference between vanity presses and trade presses. Your librarian will help you find books that explain the difference.

Should I have a good knowledge of other styles/genres of writing?
Write what is in your heart.

How can I learn to deal with bad reviews and critics?
Smashing your hand in a car door once a week helps. If you don't have a car, use a hammer. Bad reviews hurt.

When I am just starting out, is the compensation good enough, or is it hard to make a living?
Learn how to waitress so you'll always be able to eat. Be nice to your parents in case you need to live in their basement until your big break comes.


And a very nice note from Danica, who writes:

Ms. Halse-Anderson,
I've got to let you know how much I truly loved "Speak." I first read
the novel as part of an Adolescent Literature class, and I enjoyed it
so much that I thought I needed to find a way to work with the novel
on a deeper level. I've decided to use it as part of my senior thesis
on reader-response and adolescent literature.

You've managed to take a subject like rape and address it in a way
that's approachable for adolescent readers-- the treatment of the
subject is not too intense or explicit, but still clearly demonstrates
the emotional pain of rape. It seems that rape is too often treated
lightly (somehow-- something I will never quite understand), and your
book is a wonderful approach to the benefits of speaking out about
sexual trauma.

Thank you, I look forward to reading more from you!

Thank you very much, Danica. That is exactly the inspiration I needed to go back to my revision!

Yes! I ran outside yesterday! The wind chill was about 20 degrees, but there was no ice on the side of the road and I saw robins. ROBINS! Granted, they had wrapped their wings around themselves and were hopping up and down to keep warm. And, granted, they were accusing each other of making a big mistake flying north so soon. But they were ROBINS.

My daffodils are still sleeping under the snow, but I bet they are starting to think about doing something green.

Here is your quote for the day, from photographer Dorothea Lange: "“The secret places of the heart are the real mainsprings of one's actions.”

She was quoted by my friend, Elizabeth Partridge, in a wonderful Horn Book article about the spirit that fuels all us artists, and what makes life worth living.

What do you think about this article?