audrey and alice

School Visit!

Nov 24, 2014 | audience, audrey and alice, AWESOMENESS, eventful, gratitude, IRL, lets take this show on the road, school visits, talking about writing, teachers are the best

Last week, I had a great time visiting St. Francis Academy in Union City, NJ. I talked with the fifth- and sixth-grade students about historical fiction, life in the White House, the writing process, and more. I was blown away by their insightful and interesting questions–I love it when students give me new ideas and show me different ways of looking at my characters! One of the best moments was walking in to see their When Audrey Met Alice projects lining the wall:

Aren’t they great? What a welcome!

It is a really special thing to get to talk with a roomful of readers who care about your characters, and to have the chance to spend a day at a school that is such a nurturing environment for young readers and writers. Thanks for the wonderful day, St. Francis Academy!

Fascinating People & Famous Places Workshop

Oct 28, 2014 | audrey and alice, characters, debutanting, eventful, historical fiction, IRL, libraries, reader in chief, sensory overload, setting, White House

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 pets

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!

Student-Author Interview!

Oct 17, 2014 | Adventures in Bloggysitting, audrey and alice, AWESOMENESS, interviews, teachers are the best

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!

girls with when audrey met alice

October Update

Oct 1, 2014 | audrey and alice, busting up rocks, eventful, i heart the beach, IRL, this is how we read it, treat this post as evidence of procrastination, Uncategorized, White House, WIP

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?

Texas Tour!

Aug 20, 2014 | audrey and alice, authors, AWESOMENESS, book people, Class of 2K14, eventful, gratitude, heaven aka bookstores, I talk about food too much, IRL, libraries, middle grade, PIE, please excuse the jet lag, wrap ups

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!

Aug 10, 2014 | audrey and alice, authors, eventful, heaven aka bookstores, I talk about food too much, IRL, lets take this show on the road, libraries, middle grade

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!

ALA Annual in Pictures

Jul 8, 2014 | ALA, ARCs, audrey and alice, authors, AWESOMENESS, book publishing, Class of 2K14, conferences, debutanting, gratitude, gushing, IRL, lets take this show on the road, libraries, please excuse the jet lag, Sourcebooks, Uncategorized, wrap ups

ALA Annual was amazing! It was fun, surreal, and humbling to be around so many wonderful readers, librarians, authors, and publishing professionals.

Here are some of the highlights (at least the ones for which I have photo documentation):

So I learned what “but it’s a dry heat” means.

AKA, still hot, but pleasantly so. Unless you get kind of lost on the way back to your hotel and have to circle a massive casino a few times to find the entrance . . .

Anyway, shortly after I got to the conference on Saturday, after a very early but thankfully uneventful flight, I got to meet fellow debut author Jessica Love!

Who is just as lovely in person as I knew she’d be. And I now have a signed copy of Push Girl. 🙂

I also got to meet fellow Sourcebooks author Nancy Cavanaugh! Very serendipitously, as I was getting to the conference just as she was leaving.

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I headed over to the Sourcebooks booth to finally meet (and thank!) the wonderful marketing and S&L team. And I saw my poster in person!

I stopped by the Egmont booth to say hi and also meet author Len Vlahos, who was about to do the coolest author event, in which he played songs from his book on the PopTop Stage. Then I went back to the hotel with my ALA roommate, Lauren Magaziner, and crashed until it was time for the Class of 2K14 dinner. (Sadly, I didn’t think to take any pictures at that!)

The next morning, we were up bright and early for the MG vs. YA Trivia Showdown, hosted by the charming and talented duo of Jay Asher and Josephine Angelini.

We had so much fun playing trivia and sharing our first lines. The librarians, no surprise, impressed us all with their knowledge!

Later on Sunday, I signed When Audrey Met Alice in the Sourcebooks booth.

I had so much fun meeting librarians and talking about my book. And we actually ran out of copies by the end of the line! I was so touched by the enthusiasm of everyone who came by–it was a dream experience. And author Marissa Moss stopped by–I am a huge fan of her work, and I was so excited to meet her!

I had another fangirl moment when I got to meet Ann M. Martin.

I have been dying to read Rain Reign, and now I will always treasure this signed ARC. I kind of wish I could travel back in time to tell little Rebecca that someday, she’d be at ALA meeting the authors she loved.

After the conference wrapped up on Sunday, some of the Class of 2K14 members who were still around went out on the town to celebrate.

We did find the most amazing doughnut soap while wandering around.

Truth: I went into the store after seeing that in the window and thinking I could eat it.

And then bright and early the next morning, I was on my way back, jet-lagged and happy and grateful. I didn’t win any money, but I did carry home a suitcase bursting with books.

Vegas Bound!

Jun 27, 2014 | audrey and alice, book publishing, Class of 2K14, conferences, eventful, IRL, libraries, news, please excuse the jet lag, Sourcebooks

I’m off for a week of travel: First to Las Vegas for the ALA Annual Conference, then to Wisconsin to relax and spend time with family–and also visit a favorite indie bookstore, Mystery to Me.

If you’re at ALA, please come say hi when I’m signing in the Sourcebooks booth on Sunday, from 3:30-4:30 p.m. Here’s more info on that.

Or check out the Class of 2K14’s super fun trivia event, with Jay Asher and Josephine Angelini. My suitcase is full of prizes! Our Trivia Showdown is on Sunday from 11:00-12:30, and here’s more info on that.

And, finally, a link to the Events page for Mystery to Me. I’ll be there on Wednesday, July 2, from 6:00-7:00 p.m.

I’ll have lots of pictures (and words) about ALA once I’m back. Until then, have a great Fourth of July!

Writers on Writing

Apr 28, 2014 | Adventures in Bloggysitting, audrey and alice, blog touring, busting up rocks, mixing metaphors like I'm making muffins, revising, talking about writing, Uncategorized

My fellow Sourcebooks author Nancy J. Cavanaugh tagged me in this fun blog-hop tour about the writing process. You can check our her post on writing here! And I’m tagging Jessica Love, whose debut PUSH GIRL releases in June, and the very talented Katy Upperman. Their posts will go up next Monday, May 5.

On with the tour!

What are you currently writing?

I have a few things in the works–all MG projects. One I’m revising (eternally, it sometimes seems) and another for which I’m working on an outline. I’m trying to write a fairly detailed outline, which is not something I have done in the past. Usually, I start drafting with an outline of about 1,500 words–enough to see the overall story, but not individual scenes. This time, I’m trying to figure out the plot a little more before I start. I’m sure the story will change as I write, though–it always does!

What makes your work different?

I am a genre-mixer: I can’t stop combining historical and contemporary fiction. I love exploring the relationship of past and present, and I’m drawn to characters who are the same. In When Audrey Met Alice, contemporary First Daughter Audrey discovers Alice Roosevelt’s wild life through reading a diary, and much like Audrey, I love discovering the complex stories of real historical figures through books. I’m fascinated by famous and historical settings, too–like the White House and the Lost Colony of Roanoke.

I don’t want to generalize too much about historical fiction, but I do think that a lot of books in that genre have a more serious tone. I tend to write slightly humorous voices, which I think is another thing that makes my work unique.

Why do you write what you do?

They’re all an answer to the same question, “What book would you have wanted to read ?” Most of my stories start from me thinking about what I was interested in as a middle-grade reader, like First Kids and mysterious disappearances and science and strong, inspiring women. Especially because I tend to do a lot of research for my books–I better have a healthy interest in what I’m writing about!

What is your writing process?

First, I come up with the concept, which sometimes takes days, weeks, or months of brainstorming and lots of long walks/runs to work out the heart of the story. Then, I write an outline. After I have an outline, I do baseline research–enough that I can work out the plot and characters, but not so much that I get bogged down in details. (Otherwise, I’d never get to drafting–there are too many rabbit holes to fall down!) I write a first draft, slowly. I stop to do more research as needed along the way. Once I have a first draft, I put it away for a while–at least a few weeks. While drafting, I probably realized that I needed to explore certain topics much more in depth–so yes, there is even more research at this point. And then the revising starts–many, many rounds. Whoever said that “writing is editing” was right! The first draft is just a sketch; the shading and color and detail all comes later on, building slowly with each round.

Tell me, what’s your writing process like?

Monday Misc

Apr 14, 2014 | Adventures in Bloggysitting, audrey and alice, AWESOMENESS, books, gratitude, middle grade, watch out I'm getting all verklempt, White House

It’s spring!

New York was gorgeous this weekend, and I got to spend all of it wandering around town with one of my best friends, Jessica, who was visiting from Seattle. We walked, we talked, we ate some very tasty vegan chocolate-chai ice cream. We also watched The Butler, which is a great movie. Of course I was interested in the White House setting, and it was a powerful story of life during the Civil Rights movement.

Last week, my mom’s book club met for a proper tea party and discussion of When Audrey Met Alice. This was especially meaningful for me because many of the members of her club are my former teachers and librarian–my mom taught for many years at the middle school I attended. These wonderful educators helped make me into the reader and writer I am–and I’m so grateful for the nurturing learning environment they created for me and so many other students. Here’s a picture of them at the WAMA discussion:

Thanks, Mom, Sharon, Laura, Linda, Linda, and Mary! (And Jessica and Jane, who aren’t pictured)

And in other WAMA news, I was thrilled to find out last month that it’s already going back to press! As Alice would say, that’s bully good.

Last night, I scooped Natalie Lloyd’s A Snicker of Magic up off my nightstand. This book, guys. It’s spindiddly.

How was your weekend?

Friday Five

Mar 21, 2014 | Adventures in Bloggysitting, audrey and alice, authors, AWESOMENESS, back to the grind, eventful, Friday Fives, i heart the beach, in defense of lazy, IRL, pairs well with a hammock, Uncategorized

1. This has been a long winter. (That seems like an understatement.) I got some relief from the snow, cold, and gray last week when I went on a nice warm trip. I read a lot of books; I even hung out in a hammock. It was excellent.

2. But now it’s back to work! I’ve started research for a brand new book (lips zipped on what it’s about, for now) and I’m doing some revising on a less-brand-new one.

3. This Saturday, I’ll be back at Books of Wonder in NYC for a panel with Laura Marx Fitzgerald (UNDER THE EGG) and Aaron Starmer (THE RIVERMAN). More info here: Great Middle Grade Reads!

4. This past week, I’ve gotten my first pieces of mail from readers. There is nothing quite like the joy of opening a card from a young reader. Thank you to Annabelle and Erin for making my day with their notes!

5. When Audrey Met Alice was featured in the March/April issue of Middle Shelf magazine! Check out the whole issue for great interviews, articles, and reviews.

6. Okay, I lied. It’s not Friday Five. It’s Friday Six.* But because I like alliteration, I’m not changing the title of this post. Anyway–huge congrats to my friend Jessica Love, who sold another book this week! Read all about In Real Life here.

*See my inability to cut content? This is why I have my lovely and talented editor. 🙂

Part II of the WAMA blog tour

Mar 20, 2014 | Adventures in Bloggysitting, audrey and alice, blog touring, contests and giveaways, debutanting, guest posts, interviews, middle grade, Uncategorized

The When Audrey Met Alice blog tour is wrapping up. It’s been so great to hop around the Internet with guest posts and interviews! Here’s the second batch of posts, including an ongoing giveaway!

Middle Grade March: Guest Post about one of my middle-grade memories

March MG Madness: Interview, review, and a giveaway (running through 4/6!)

Spirit of Children’s Literature: Interview and Review

Teen Reads: Guest post about my favorite scene to write

Leisure Reads: Character profile for Audrey

The Adventures of Cecelia Bedelia: Guest post on historical women I find fascinating, and a giveaway (running through 3/31!)

Diamond & Coal Book Review: Guest post on my interest in First Daughters

Tressa’s Wishful Endings: Guest post on ten things Audrey found out about Alice

Zee Monodee – Author’s Corner: Guest post on First Daughters as celebrities

The Chicago Moms blog: Guest post on more historical women I find fascinating

Literature & Laura: Interview

Caroline Starr Rose’s Classroom Connections