November Update
It’s November . . . how? It feels like yesterday that I was heading off to Vegas for ALA, or kicking back with a good book in Central Park. (And I’ve been blogging sparsely enough that if you scroll down, it appears that it was recently that I was doing those things.)
But now the leaves have turned, and my hometown is covered in snow, and my kitchen adventures have shifted from ice cream and grilling to granola and pie-baking.
Two weeks ago I was in Wisconsin for the WLA annual conference. Gayle Rosengren and I presented “Making It Real,” a program on using historical fiction in engaging ways to help prepare students for the Common Core. You can find some of our handouts on the WLA conference site here. Sadly, I forgot to take any pictures at the conference! But it was great.
I spent a whole week back, and that included a lot of reading time and family time. My nephew just turned one! We had a lot of fun at the zoo on a chilly day.
Now I’m back, and ready for some school visits! I’ll be at St. Francis Academy in Union City, NJ, this week and at the Dwight School for their book fair in December. I can’t wait to meet the readers at both!
And, I’m excited to share that I got to blurb a book for the first time! MarcyKate Connolly’s Monstrous is a truly stunning MG (I still think about its fabulous first lines), and it was such a pleasure to get the chance to read it early. Here’s what I had to say:
“From its first line, Monstrous had me in its grip. MarcyKate Connolly has created a fresh and wildly inventive dark fairy tale about Kym, a protagonist as sweet as she is strong. Kym’s bravery shines, as she fights against the menacing forces in Bryre and also struggles to figure out where she, a self-described monster of a girl, belongs. This remarkable, absorbing debut will enchant readers.”
And you can read all of MarcyKate’s good news here.
What have you been up to this month?
Fascinating People & Famous Places Workshop
Last Friday, I did a young writers’ workshop at the New York Society Library, a beautiful and historic library that also happens to be my revising home-away-from-home.
(Here’s a presidential-history tidbit about the NYSL: Our Founding Father George Washington was a patron, but he didn’t return one of the books he checked out. When his Mount Vernon estate replaced the copy 221 years later, the library waived his overdue fines.)
Back to my workshop: Twenty creative and talented young writers came to hear me talk about writing fascinating people (like Alice Roosevelt) and famous places (like the White House). I showed them some research pictures, we played some writing games like Historical Figure Hotseat to get in the zone, and then we wrote scenes set in historic places, events, or periods, using lots of sensory details and cool facts.
I am always really excited when I get to talk about Alice.
Looking at pictures of the Roosevelt kids and their White House pets
Busy writing about Jane Goodall and Achilles
Working on an Amelia Earhart story and another set in 1800s Sweden
Even more writing! We had Napoleon at this table.
Signing books and sharing “WWAD?” bracelets at the end
One of my favorite parts of being an author is getting to talk with kids about books and storytelling. I always go home inspired by the curiosity and creativity of young writers. And I learn new things, too–about what kids love to read, and even about history. (Thanks to the great story one attendee wrote, I’ve been inspired to learn more about Deborah Sampson.)
Thanks to Carrie Silberman, Randi Levy, Susan Vincent, and everyone at the NYSL for having me–and most of all to the kids who came to write with me!
Tricks & Treats at the Voracious Reader
Monday night, I was part of a fantastic MG panel at the Voracious Reader in Larchmont, NY, with author friends (and fellow 2014 debuts) Tara Dairman, Lauren Magaziner, Laura Marx Fitzgerald, and Michelle Schusterman. The Voracious Reader is a dream bookstore–cheerful and charming, and chock-full of excellent children’s literature.
We had a nice crowd of enthusiastic young readers and writers, who asked so many fun and insightful questions! (We came prepared with lots of candy–the treat for any attendee brave enough to trick us with a question.) Here are some photos, courtesy of Tara, of our great night:
Thanks to Francine and the Voracious Reader for hosting us, and for all the readers who came out to talk middle grade!
Student-Author Interview!
Over the summer, Laurie Morrison, a writer and teacher, emailed me to see if I’d like to participate in her wonderful student-author interview series. Of course I did! Last month she sent me the questions from her seventh-grade girls at Friends Select School in Philadelphia. I’ve enjoyed all the interviews I’ve done for When Audrey Met Alice, but I have to say that their thoughtful, unique, and enthusiastic questions were my favorites. (And I really loved the chance to hear from them what they liked best about the book–readers’ favorite parts always surprise, and delight, me.)
You can read the interview here on Laurie’s blog: http://lauriemorrison.wordpress.com/2014/10/16/student-author-interview-8-rebecca-behrens/
A big thank you to Laurie for this opportunity to connect with her students, and to Sophia, Alex, Nyeema, Poli, Sydney, and Olivia for reading and asking me such great questions!
Panels and Pitchers
I’m taking a break from writing next week for a fun panel at The Voracious Reader in Larchmont, NY with author friends Michelle Schusterman, Laura Marx Fitzgerald, Lauren Magaziner, and Tara Dairman!
There will be candy. And author dares!
I’m also excited that my historical short story “Thatagirl!” is in this month’s Scholastic Storyworks! If you are a subscriber, you can check it out here: http://storyworks.scholastic.com/issues/11_01_14 Here’s a peek at the art and layout:
It tells about the amazing baseball game in which Jackie Mitchell, a seventeen-year-old girl pitcher, struck out Lou Gehrig and Babe Ruth. Yes, that really happened!
Okay, back to work. Last weekend I worked my way through a plot riddle–hooray!–and now I am happily back to muddling through this draft.
October Update
It’s October! How did that happen? And, more importantly, what am I going to be for Halloween?!
September was a busy month, but I still managed to sneak in a late-season beach day (and I have the Fire Island mosquito bites to prove it).
I also read seven(!) books and wrote 15,000 words of my new project. Oh, and changed day jobs.
Now I’m still writing, anticipating edits for Summer of Lost & Found, and getting ready for some upcoming When Audrey Met Alice events. On October 20, I’m doing a panel with four fantastic MG authors—Tara Dairman, Lauren Magaziner, Laura Marx Fitzgerald, and Michelle Schusterman—at the Voracious Reader in Larchmont, NY. Later that week, I’m teaching a writing workshop for young readers at the New York Society Library. And I’m working on my school-visit presentations for some upcoming visits, too! (Check out my Events page for the details, if you’d like to know more!)
I’m also following a lot of FiDo-related news, good and not as good: the scary security breaches at the White House (although kudos to the off-duty officer on the First Daughters’ detail for stopping an intruder) and the happy arrival of former First Daughter Chelsea Clinton’ new baby, Charlotte. And, of course, I’m slowly making my way through The Roosevelts, the excellent 14-hour Roosevelt documentary on PBS. (Watching an hour is my reward for getting new words on paper.)
What have you been up to?
Fall Refresh
Summer passed in the blink of an eye, right? I’m sad to see the season of outdoor movies, beach days, and ice cream go. But I’m also excited about fall. Even though spring is the season of growth, I feel like fall is when I make a lot of my progress. Maybe it’s the nudge from all those “back to school” ads. But here are some of the things making me feel reinvigorated right now:
–Back to Kid Lit: In August, I didn’t read any kid lit. It was a month for beach reads and grown-up books, and I loved diving into some literary fiction. After reading so many fabulous ARCs and new releases so far in 2014—along with filling some of the gaps in my backlist reading—I needed a chance to read out of the MG/YA categories. Since September started, though, I’ve already read great MG books by two panelmates, K. A. Holt (Brains for Lunch) and Jennifer Ziegler (Revenge of the Flower Girls). I’m loving The Scar Boys by fellow Egmont author Len Vlahos right now. And next on my list: an ARC of Kristin Levine’s historical MG The Paper Cowboy.
–Back to work: Summer hours are over, and while I loved them, it’s a lot easier to fit writing in my weekday schedule now. And get to bed on time-ish!
–Back in the kitchen: Can I use the heat as an excuse for why I barely touched a pot or pan this summer? (Even if it was a pretty mild summer?) There was a lot of pizza . . . and nachos. Anyway, I have a stack of new recipes and a resolution to make my own dinner at least 3 nights a week. Even if it’s a sandwich. Baby steps.
—Back to pumpkin: In truth, I am far less obsessed with pumpkin spice lattes than I used to be–but I remain a huge fan of baking with pumpkins. Or putting them into soup. (Or fermented beverages.) I like that this time of year, you can eat pumpkin-everything.
–Back to writing: I spent a lot of time this summer traveling to talk about When Audrey Met Alice, which was super fun. I wrote two historical short stories that will appear in Scholastic’s classroom magazines Storyworks and Scope, and also Cricket. I also revised Summer of Lost & Found and sent that off to my editor last month. Now, I’m finally writing a new book. I’ve only put 5,000 words on the page so far, and first drafts can be a little scary. But it feels so good to be finding a new story to tell.
Texas Tour!
Last weekend, fellow debut author Tara Dairman (whose book ALL FOUR STARS is delightful and delicious, and one of my favorites of the year) and I traveled around Texas to visit a library, a B&N store, and an indie bookstore. It was incredibly fun, and here are some of the highlights.
We started out with the Fort Worth Library’s Author Roundup:
The beautiful Sundance Square in downtown Fort Worth
Gorgeous, light-filled library
How cool is the “reading rainbow” that welcomes you to the children’s section of the Central Library?
Alice’s “Red Devil” inspired my dress
Happy to see fellow Class of 2K14 author Christine Kohler at the library!
Tara, 2015 debut author Jenny Martin, and I are modeling Tara’s ALL FOUR STARS temporary tattoos.
Afterward, we headed to Roanoke–not the island, but the town in Texas with great BBQ and the best pie shop I’ve ever visited. (Seriously. And you know how I feel about pie.)
The sign doesn’t lie–Roanoke, TX had really unique–and delicious–food!
I am going to dream about the cherry pie I had here. Fantastic.
The next morning, we checked out the Fort Worth Stockyards and the Dallas Museum of Art.
I loved this historic part of Fort Worth.
Chihuly glass at the Dallas Museum of Art
Then we headed to Barnes & Noble for a panel with Polly Holyoke and K.A. Holt.
Excitedly posing with our sign!
Me, Tara, Polly Holyoke, and K. A. Holt getting ready for our panel
The next day, we explored Austin.
More barbeque! Is it possible to eat to much? No.
Presidential limousine on display at the LBJ Presidential Library and Museum.
On our last night, we had a great MG panel at The Book Spot in Round Rock, with K. A. Holt, Nikki Loftin, and Jennifer Ziegler.
Tara, me, Nikki Loftin, K. A. Holt, and Jennifer Ziegler
That is a literal “cake with a unicorn”!
We quizzed the audience with trivia related to our books–and had lots of prizes.
A celebratory dinner afterward, with 2015 debut author Donna Bowman Bratton.
(If that’s not enough photos, there are even more on my Facebook page.)
It was a wonderful weekend. Thank you to the librarians and booksellers who invited us; the readers and fellow writers who came out to support us; our hilarious, insightful, and charming co-panelists; and especially to Tara’s husband, who drove us around the state and took lots of great photos to document our authorly adventure.
Texas Bound!
I’m heading to Texas this weekend for some great book events! (And some great BBQ, of course.)
On Saturday, August 16th, I’ll be at the Fort Worth library for the Worth Reading Author Roundup from 1:00-5:00 p.m.
On Sunday, August 17th, I’ll be at the Fort Worth Barnes & Noble with Tara Dairman, Kari Anne Holt, and Polly Holyoke for a MG panel at 4:00 p.m.
And on Monday, August 18th, at 6:30 p.m., I’ll be in the Austin area at The Book Spot for a fun-filled panel with Tara Dairman, Nikki Loftin, and Jennifer Ziegler!
Hope to see you there!
Not-So-Lazy Days of Summer
How exactly is it July 22nd already? I swear, I was staring out the window at slushy snow just days ago. And now back-to-school ads are popping up . . .
But even though this has been a busy summer so far, it’s been busy in delightful ways:
Pre-fireworks in my beautiful hometown, Madison, WI
Quality time with my adorable nephew
Sunny days at the beach
Exploring the Catskills (not pictured: black bear encounter)
NY’s gorgeous waterfalls
I’ve also read some amazing books lately, like Ann M. Martin’s Rain Reign and the short-story collection This Is Paradise.
From now until I head off to Texas, I’m working very hard on edits for The Summer of Lost and Found. I’m a little nervous about making this the best book it can be, but revising is also my favorite part of the writing process. I’ve had a few lightbulb moments in the past week, and I’m excited.
How’s your summer?
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