Author of award-winning, adventurous realistic and historical fiction

audrey and alice

Happy Spring!

Apr 26, 2015 | , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

How is it almost May? Somehow this winter seemed both endless (thanks, snowstorms) and super short. Anyway, I’m enjoying the tulips popping up on NYC sidewalks and planning trips to WI this summer. What else is new?

REBECCA 3x4 bookplate WEB

Bookplates! The lovely Kristin Rae (whose YA debut, Wish You Were Italian, is incredibly charming, and is the perfect read for spring and summer wanderlust) designed some bookplates for me. If you have a copy of When Audrey Met Alice and you’d like a signed bookplate for it, let me know! I’m happy to send one your way.

Speaking of signing books, I’ll be in Arlington, VA, at One More Page bookstore on May 27, with MG author friends Tara Dairman and Jen Malone. So if you live in the DC area, stop by and I can sign your book in person!

I’ll also be at Kids Author Carnival in NYC on Saturday, May 30, at the very cool Jefferson Market Branch of the NYPL.

And I’m excited to share that When Audrey Met Alice was selected for the 2015-2016 Southwest Iowa Battle of the Books. I’m honored to be included among the fantastic titles on the list!

Finally, there’s still time to enter my educator giveaway before the paperback of When Audrey Met Alice releases on May 1: Class Set Giveaway

What’s new with you?

Class Set Giveaway

Apr 1, 2015 | , , , , , , , , ,

I wouldn’t be the reader–or the writer–I am today without the influence of many wonderful educators. As Alice Roosevelt would put it, I was “let loose in libraries” from an early age. My childhood teachers and librarians in Madison, WI–at Thoreau Elementary, the Sequoya Library, Cherokee Middle School, and West High–were always putting books in my hands and providing me with a welcoming space to read, learn, and dream.

So to celebrate the paperback release of When Audrey Met Alice, I’m doing a special giveaway for educators (including teachers, librarians, support staff, and administrators). Enter below to win:

  • a class set (25 copies) of When Audrey Met Alice paperbacks
  • copies of the CCSS-aligned educator guide, Women’s History Month lesson plan, and annotated diary (found here)
  • assorted WAMA bookmarks, stickers, and WWAD? rubber bracelets (great for reading incentives!)

The giveaway starts today, April 6, and ends at 11:59 p.m. EST on April 30. I’ll announce the winner on Friday, May 1.

Good luck!

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Note: If you have trouble entering through the form below (via the email or Facebook options), feel free to leave a comment and I will manually put in your entry. Thanks!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

ETA: Thanks to all who entered and spread the word! Rafflecopter selected Connie LeFever as the winner. Congrats, Connie!

Women’s History Wednesday #4: Jackie Mitchell

Mar 25, 2015 | , , , , , , , , ,

It’s the last Wednesday of March, so it’s time for one more Women’s History post!

[One of my favorite things about writing historical fiction is getting to explore the lives of real, and sometimes famous, women—like Alice Roosevelt. When Audrey Met Alice allowed me to spend a lot of time researching the women who have made 1600 Pennsylvania a home in addition to a historic site. (Check out the Resources page of my website for more information on my research, along with a Women’s History Month lesson plan!) But this month, I wanted to devote some words to other female historical figures I find inspiring. Each Wednesday this March, I’m sharing a short post about a fascinating woman in honor of Women’s History Month. I’d love to hear which women interest and inspire you–please tell me in the comments! I’ll (randomly) choose one commenter on each post to win a preorder of the new When Audrey Met Alice paperback. Tweet about the women who inspire you with the hashtag #WomensHistWednesday for an extra entry.]

Last week, I wrote about Nellie Bly. Giora won a WAMA preorder with a comment about Eleanore Marx.

Inspiring me today is: Jackie Mitchell

Jackie with Lou Gehrig and Babe Ruth (Source: LOC)

Jackie with Lou Gehrig and Babe Ruth (Source: LOC)

Do you know who struck out both Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig during one exhibition game in 1931? A seventeen-year-old girl named Jackie Mitchell. She was playing for the Chattanooga Lookouts, a minor-league team that offered her a contract after seeing her pitch for a local women’s team. There is plenty of controversy about her striking out two of the greatest players in history—some think it may have been a publicity stunt. Regardless, it’s amazing to think of a teen girl pitcher leading to Babe Ruth being pulled off the field in a hissy fit. The baseball commissioner canceled her contract shortly after, saying that the sport was “too strenuous” for women, but Jackie continued playing ball until 1937. Women were officially banned from signing baseball contracts in 1952.

I loved Jackie’s story so much that I wrote about it for two Scholastic classroom magazines: “Thatagirl!” in the November 2014 issue of Storyworks and “Girls Can’t Play” in the January 2015 issue of Scope.

Learn more about Jackie:

The Woman Who (Maybe) Struck Out  Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig: a Smithsonian video

Exploratorium’s Science of Baseball: Jackie Mitchell

Historical Women Who Rocked: Jackie Mitchell

The Jackie Mitchell Story: a documentary video

Which women inspire you?

And thanks for helping me celebrate women making history!

Women’s History Wednesday #3: Nellie Bly

Mar 18, 2015 | , , , , , ,

It’s Wednesday, so it’s time for more Women’s History!

[One of my favorite things about writing historical fiction is getting to explore the lives of real, and sometimes famous, women—like Alice Roosevelt. When Audrey Met Alice allowed me to spend a lot of time researching the women who have made 1600 Pennsylvania a home in addition to a historic site. (Check out the Resources page of my website for more information on my research, along with a Women’s History Month lesson plan!) But this month, I wanted to devote some words to other female historical figures I find inspiring. Each Wednesday this March, I’m sharing a short post about a fascinating woman in honor of Women’s History Month. I’d love to hear which women interest and inspire you–please tell me in the comments! I’ll (randomly) choose one commenter on each post to win a preorder of the new When Audrey Met Alice paperback. Tweet about the women who inspire you with the hashtag #WomensHistWednesday for an extra entry.]

Last week, I wrote about Jane Goodall. Jennifer Pickrell won a WAMA preorder with a comment about Miep Gies. Thanks to everyone who shared about the women who inspire them!

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Nellie Bly in a promotional photo before her round-the-world trip (Source: Wikimedia Commons)

Inspiring me today is: Nellie Bly

Nellie was the 19th-century journalist who famously traveled around the entire world in 72 days—at a time when most women wouldn’t do solo travel anywhere. She’s less famous for some of her investigative journalism, but it’s just as impressive. In 1887 she took on an undercover assignment, for Joseph Pulitzer’s New York World, in which she faked a mental breakdown to get admitted to the Women’s Lunatic Asylum on Blackwell’s Island in New York. She spent ten days in the hospital, successfully convincing all the clinicians that she was mad—and once she got out, she wrote a scathing expose of the abusive and negligent care women were receiving there. Her reporting was turned into the sensational book Ten Days in a Mad-House. Nellie not only wanted to see the world, but make it a better place. Her writing both helped readers vicariously travel the world and gain an awareness of problems at home.

Learn more about Nellie:

Nellie Bly, Daredevil Reporter

Young and Brave: Girls Changing History: Nellie Bly

Around the World in 72 Days, a PBS film

Nellie Bly: A National History Day Documentary (2009)

Which women inspire you?

Women’s History Wednesday #2: Jane Goodall

Mar 11, 2015 | , , , , , , , , , ,

It’s Wednesday, so it’s time for more Women’s History!

[One of my favorite things about writing historical fiction is getting to explore the lives of real, and sometimes famous, women—like Alice Roosevelt. When Audrey Met Alice allowed me to spend a lot of time researching the women who have made 1600 Pennsylvania a home in addition to a historic site. (Check out the Resources page of my website for more information on my research, along with a Women’s History Month lesson plan!) But this month, I wanted to devote some words to other female historical figures I find inspiring. Each Wednesday this March, I’m sharing a short post about a fascinating woman in honor of Women’s History Month. I’d love to hear which women interest and inspire you–please tell me in the comments! I’ll (randomly) choose one commenter on each post to win a preorder of the new When Audrey Met Alice paperback. Tweet about the women who inspire you with the hashtag #WomensHistWednesday for an extra entry.]

Last week, I wrote about Bessie Coleman. Rachel Sullivan won a WAMA preorder with her comment about nurses like Clara Barton and Florence Nightingale, and strong single working mothers everywhere. Thanks to everyone who shared about the women who inspire them!

Inspiring me today is: Jane Goodall

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Jane and Jubilee (Source: Jane Goodall Institute)

As a child, Jane’s father gave her a toy chimpanzee, Jubilee. It sparked her interest in and love of animals. Jane went on to become an expert primatologist, and now knows more than probably anyone else on earth about chimpanzees. She completed a famous 45-year study on chimpanzee social and family life at Gombe Stream National Park in Tanzania, sharing with the world that other primates can show the personality, emotions, and rational thought that humans do. Today she advocates for animal rights and the environment through the Jane Gooddall Institute. And she still keeps her toy chimpanzee, Jubilee, on her dresser.

Learn more about Jane:

Jane Goodall: A Retrospective (a short National Geographic video)

The Jane Goodall Institute

Jane Goodall’s Journey (an interview with a Scholastic News kid reporter)

Jane’s Favorites

Which women inspire you?

Women’s History Wednesday #1: Bessie Coleman

Mar 4, 2015 | , , , , , , , , , , ,

I love March for a few reasons: daylight savings time begins, theoretically it stops being so cold, the Chicago River gets dyed green, and the official start of SPRING! But I especially love that March is Women’s History Month and we get to spend 31 days celebrating daring, genius, funny, complicated, important, strong, wise ladies. One of my favorite things about writing historical fiction is getting to explore the lives of real, and sometimes famous, women—like Alice Roosevelt. When Audrey Met Alice allowed me to spend a lot of time researching the women who have made 1600 Pennsylvania a home in addition to a historic site. (Check out the Resources page of my website for more information on my research, along with a Women’s History Month lesson plan.) But this month, I wanted to devote some words to other female historical figures I find inspiring.

Each Wednesday this March, I’ll share a short post about a fascinating woman in honor of Women’s History Month. I’d love to hear which women interest and inspire you–please tell me in the comments! I’ll (randomly) choose one commenter on each post to win a preorder of the new When Audrey Met Alice paperback. Tweet about the women who inspire you with the hashtag #WomensHistWednesday for an extra entry.

Inspiring me today is: Bessie Coleman 

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Bessie Coleman and her plane in 1922 (Source)

Maybe you’ve noticed, while heading in or out of O’Hare airport, that you get to the terminals via Bessie Coleman Drive? It’s a fitting tribute to the former Chicagoan, who was the first African American woman to get a pilot’s license. While Bessie worked as a manicurist in Chicago during World War I, she listened to airmen tell stories about their flights, and it piqued her interest so much that she began to study aviation. At the time, no flying schools in the United States would admit an African American woman—so Bessie first attended the Berlitz school in the Loop to learn French, then moved to France. There she learned to fly in just seven months and earned an international pilot’s license in 1921. Upon returning to the United States, Bessie earned a living doing aerial tricks and stunts across the country. She hoped to make enough money to start a school for African American pilots. Tragically, she died at age thirty-four in an airplane accident–but her legacy lives on.

Learn more about Bessie:

PBS: American Experience: Fly Girls | Bessie Coleman

The Ninety-Nines, Inc.: Women in Aviation History | Bessie Coleman

Smithsonian video: Bessie Coleman

Fly High!: The Story of Bessie Coleman by Louise Borden and Mary Kay Kroeger

Which women inspire you?

When Audrey Met Alice–in paperback!

Feb 25, 2015 | , , , , , , , ,

I’m excited to share that When Audrey Met Alice will soon be in paperback! Personally, I love paperback books–they’re so much easier to read on the go (which makes up a lot of my reading time lately) and they are priced right for class sets, book clubs, and babysitting money. Also, it’s fun to see a different interpretation of the story on a paperback’s cover. Speaking of which, here’s the new look for this edition of Audrey and Alice:

 

 

 

I love it! It’s fresh and bold, and Audrey would love the yellow type. The shoes on the back cover mean that every cover for the book–from the ARC to the hardcover to this paperback–has played with footwear past/present, which is a cool unifying detail.

The paperback will be in stores 5/1/2015 for $7.99. Starting next week, I’ll be giving away a paperback preorder every Wednesday in March to celebrate Women’s History Month–check back on 3/4 to enter!

Happy Bookiversary to Audrey and Alice

Feb 4, 2015 | , , , , , , , , , ,

My mom sent me this photo over the weekend of When Audrey Met Alice still on a B&N shelf,

20150128_092334and I realized that it was a year ago that I first saw my book in a store. Today’s the actual anniversary of my pub date, 2/4/2014. It’s been a whole year! And if I had to sum it up in a word, it would be grateful.

There is a learning curve to being a published author. Some parts I prepared for: ordering stickery swag; creating what I hope are fun, educational, and inspiring presentations for kids; figuring out my elevator pitch to tell people about my book. Other things I learned along the way: Like, always bring your own cords to a school visit, and have your presentation backed up on a flash drive just in case your own cords still don’t work with the AV equipment. (Because where there is technology, there are snafus.)  Also, there is a real art to talking while signing books, without misspelling your own name.

But I don’t know that anything prepared me for how truly meaningful it is share your stories with young readers. I visited The Young Women’s Leadership School in East Harlem last week, and we had a great discussion about writing. I came home to three notes from readers, in the form of a Facebook message, an email, and snail mail (thanks, Onata, Olivia, and Grace!). The road to publication got a little bumpier for me in the past few weeks, but that day was a reminder that I’ve already been given such a wonderful gift in this opportunity to connect with other readers and storytellers. So, to everyone who has supported me and my book over the past year–especially the educators and booksellers who have welcomed me into their classrooms, libraries, and stores–thank you!

OPLbery and other news!

Jan 26, 2015 | , , , , , , , ,

I’m so excited to share that the Ossining Public Library’s OPLbery Club awarded When Audrey Met Alice the 2015 OPLbery Medal! What an honor to be considered among the other finalists, and to hear that the OPL readers enjoyed Audrey and Alice’s story so much.

From the OPL Kids website (oplkids.wordpress.com)

From the OPL Kids website (oplkids.wordpress.com)

In other news, I am keeping busy with school and Skype visits from East Harlem to Dallas to Pittsburgh. More information about my school and library visits is on the Visits page of my site.

 And here is a teaser for some news I’ll have in a month or so:

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New Year, Random News

Jan 9, 2015 | , , , , , , , ,

I’m taking a break right now from revising–although one could argue that a break would be better spent not writing in another form, right? After this post, I’ll find something good to watch on my Netflix queue. But first, a two bits of news:

Scholastic Scope published my Jackie Mitchell short story in its January 2015 issue–retitled as”Girls Can’t Play!” If your school or library has a subscription, check it out.

When Audrey Met Alice got a Recommended review in the November/December issue of Library Media Connection! Here’s an excerpt: “Becoming empowered and independent with the help of Alice’s journal, Audrey creates a bit of mischief and mayhem of her own. Featuring Alice Roosevelt’s fictional journal entries throughout the story supplies an interesting comparison of Alice’s historical time period versus Audrey’s. Readers will enjoy Alice’s antics and cheer for Audrey’s transformation.”–Nick Petrosino, District Library Coordinator, Ravenna (Ohio) School District

Next week I’ll be trading revising under blankets for revising on a beach towel: I’m visiting family in Florida for the week. I do think it might help my work on this summer-set book to be in a place above freezing–descriptions of muggy days and trips to the beach are hard to visualize when it’s 9 degrees outside! It’s a working vacation, but I’m factoring in plenty of time for fun.

Hope you are staying warm with hot tea and a good book somewhere!

A Happy Debut Year

Dec 29, 2014 | , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

It’s hard to believe that the year is coming to a close. It really does feel like yesterday that I was welcoming 2014–and eagerly anticipating my February 4 book birthday.

It has really been a delightful experience sharing Audrey’s and Alice’s stories.

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Author copies arrive!

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Author copies on a shelf [they’re all gone now–in libraries, where they belong :)]

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Signing at my launch party

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A great panel at Books of Wonder, my indie home

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Class of 2K14 celebrating after ALA in Vegas

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Barnes & Noble panel with Tara Dairman, Polly Holyoke, and KA Holt in Fort Worth, TX

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Awesome panel at The Book Spot in Round Rock, TX

Working on an Amelia Earhart story

Working on an Amelia Earhart story with young writers at the NYSL

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WAMA projects by the great students at St. Francis Academy

I’m so grateful to all the people who have supported me along the way,  to all those who work tirelessly to get books produced and shelved and sold and checked out and taught, and most of all to readers. Because of all the wonderful moments along the way, the best have always been about them.

First up in 2015 is finishing revisions for my second book, Summer of Lost and Found (which might be undergoing a slight title change–more on that in the new year). Then I’ll be back to work on a brand new story.

Have a safe and happy new year!

Swag for the Holidays

Dec 2, 2014 | , , , ,

No, not the kind made from pine branches that you put on your front door–the book kind! If you’re looking for something to stuff in a stocking or to help you wrap a present for a reader, I’d love to send you some When Audrey Met Alice swag!

I have:

  • bookmarks
  • stickers
  • signed postcards
  • WWAD? rubber bracelets
Sticker #2

Sticker #1

Sticker

Sticker #2

Just email me before December 10th at:

write.rebeccabehrens @ gmail.com (without spaces)

and let me know what you’d like, and where I should send it.* I’m happy to personalize a message on the postcards, too. I can only mail items within the U.S. for this giveaway, I’m afraid.

Happy holiday season!

*I have limited amounts, so I will only be able to send a few items to each person for this giveaway. If you are a teacher or librarian interested in a class set, though, feel free to email me about that.

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