Excellent article. Thanks for posting that. And man! I should of gone to ALA!

I would so not expect that from the WSJ! Awesome, though.

Hi Laurie,

You probably don’t remember me, but I popped up here about a year ago, proclaiming myself to be the “crazy robin lady from the NESCBWI conference” or something close to that. I was particularly inspired by your speech at the conference in which you mentioned two robins displaying, shall we say, amorous behavior. It struck a chord in me, and inched me farther down the writer’s path. Thank you.

I’m home from work today, and trying to catch up on “me” things: bills, personal emails and writing (why does that come last?). Anyway, inspired by my recent re-dedication to writing, I decided to check out your blog, to see how things were going for you. (I’m sorry, I confess I’ve been gone for many months . . . I did re-read Fever 1793 and started Speak in the meantime, does that win me any points?) I scrolled through your recent postings and was touched by your words about your mother, her life, and her passing. I’m so sorry to hear of your loss, she looks to have been a wonderful woman the world will miss.

I must also tell you, I continued to scroll until I reached your May 27th posting and your writing prompt. Up for the challenge, I toggled out to a new Word doc and started to pontificate about “the blue egg.” Three sentences in, I toggled back to my muse and the realization hit me between the eyes. Blue like a robin’s egg? Okay, so maybe it’s from a duck or some other blue-egg-laying, winged creature (heck, maybe it’s a clay egg!), but the significance isn’t lost on me. The universe is much wiser than I. Why can’t I just remember that? Thank you, again, for being the unwitting provider of robin signs. Oh, and a few good books, too!

Sorry for the long post - had to get it out . . .

Cindi

Nice, crisp article there, and glad to see your name. The article reminded me of something Nick Hornby recently said:

“I’ve discovered a previously ignored room at the back of the bookstore that’s filled with masterpieces."

By the way, in the comments on that article, they bring up the condescension many have for YA books, and it reminded me of an essay that Maria Padian wrote, "YA... Why Not?", which you can read here (http://www.mariapadian.com/otherwriting.html).

Also, check out her Book Talk page for a couple familiar titles.