In love at ALA

There are still spots available for Writing for Charity on July 19.

I love people. Old and young and fat and thin and male and female and animal and simple and complicated and extremely complicated. I love 'em all. Some I would prefer not to be locked in a room with, but still... I wonder if this is a prerequisite for being a writer.

Things You Must Love In Order to Be a Writer:

• People
• Words
• Ideas
• Sounds
• Smells
• Stories
• Complications
• Connections
• Serendipity
• Silence
• History
• Flaws
• Details

This is all to say that I've returned from the ALA annual conference in Anaheim and fell in love with so many people, it doesn't seem fair that I don't get to take them all home with me and keep them in my sock drawer to pull out at will. At the top of my list, my fantastic team from our readers' theater experience: Linda Sue Park, Eric Rohmann, M.T. Anderson, and our organizer Elizabeth Poe. We had two days of rehearsals that we spent mostly just laughing. It is so invigorating to be around people who are so smart, clever, witty, interesting, gracious, and fun, people who create for a living, people who care about kids and words and books and people. Amazing.

Reader's Theater is a great tool to get kids involved in the books. We basically modeled the concept for a group of librarians. We each took selections from one of our books (I did Rapunzel's Revenge) and wrote them into a script that can be read by four performers. It was a fascinating exercise, so luscious to get inside the words and experience them in a new way.

We did A Kitten Tale by Eric, Keeping Score, by Linda Sue, and Octavian Nothing by Tobin (I got to be Octavian's mother! That was a highlight). I highly recommend this exercise to teachers and librarians.

I wish I could repeat some of the things said that had us in hysterics during our rehearsals. This is one of the problems about writing humor--conversations that are funny in real life are often not funny when repeated. So much of the humor is contained in the moment, inflection, drawing on recent happenings and past experience. But I'll try to illustrate a couple:

I was talking about the Reader's Theater experience with Linda Sue and some of her zillions of librarian friends.
I said, "I tried to play it cool, but I felt like such a fraud, acting as if I was a peer to all those fabulous writers. So I just tried to stay quiet so they wouldn't notice that I didn't belong."
Linda Sue looked confused and said, "I don't recall you being quiet."

After the performance during the Q&A, a lovely librarian I'd never met said, "Shannon Hale, I just want to say, you rock."
I was so unbelievably honored and said, "Will you be my best friend?"
Eric Rohmann said, "The sad thing is, she probably is."

Also, it's not fair that Tobin Anderson is a genius. But he's so nice, that I'll let it slide. And Linda Sue Park is as gracious as she is talented. And I'd like to personally nominate Eric Rohmann for the list of the Hot Men of Children's Literature.

I also got to walk the exhibit floor and kept running into awesome people, and cursed myself again and again for forgetting my camera. I was in a booth where a few women were trying to take a photo of themselves and I offered to do it for them, then realized I was talking to Laurie Halse Andersen.
I saw an ARC of Kelly Link's new collection for young adults, Pretty Monsters, and began to drool.
"I wonder if I can have one," I said.
Sharyn November the editor was there, and she said, "Uh, you know Kelly's right there signing."
Yes, the fabulous Kelly Link was two feet away from me at the time.

Later I ran into Kelly again while I was chatting with the Utah contingent (Mette Ivie Harrison, Rick Walton, Will Terry, Nate Hale, Kristyn Crow) and Kelly was with a friend whom she introduced as Karen Fowler. I said hello and shook her hand, and we were all conversing while I was revolving that name in my head...where did I know that from?
It took me a few minutes, then I suddenly turned to her and said, "Wait, are you Karen Joy Fowler?"
"Yes," she said.
And I about fell over and stifled a screech and turned red and did my very best not to gush. I am such a fan girl, it's really hard for me to carry off the aloof professional. Karen probably thinks I'm an idiot, but what can I do? The Jane Austen Book Club was fantastic. (Did you notice how I just casually referred to her as "Karen"?)

Tonight is the Newbery/Caldecott banquet, two years since mine, and I've been remembering how sick I was that weekend. Ugh. First trimester nausea. I ran into the lovely Natalie from my committee. Hi Natalie!

Nate and I had a great signing for Rapunzel. I know I probably say this all the time, but it is so surreal to be somewhere where people line up to have me sign something. I can't get my head around it. Or that people will recognize my name from my name tag or have read my books. It's weird. I feel like a mom and a scribbler who gets mistaken for someone famous. But I don't correct them. I try to be gracious and just accept the compliment on behalf of this Shannon Hale person, whoever she is. When she finds out what I've been doing, she's gonna be PO'd.

Comments

[Danielle]

I'm dying here from the last part of this post :) So funny!

[Rachel]

When I see the little (1) next to Squeetus in my Google Reader, it makes my day brighter! Thanks for being awesome and bringing me smiles!

[Chelsea]

I'm SO jealous! If being a writer means you get to meet so many cool people I'm totally in.
I'm so excited for the Charity Event! I get to go!!!!!!!! Yay!!!

[Beca]

You were in Anaheim!! Wow!! Just an hour away from where i live!! I promise someday i will definetly find a way to meet you!! :)

[Q]

You make me giggle.

Way to name drop! I am so jealous.

[Shayla Smoot]

Hey shannon, I have a question for you but I accidentally put it on the comments for your writing for charity post! Please answer it. It is about the writing for charity. My name is Shayla Smoot and I think my comment was the last one there!

please and thank you!

Shayla Smoot

[Calliope1of9]

That made me smile. The Karen story was funny. You needed the middle name to recognize her.

[Marcus Aurelius]

I, uh... I met Shannon Hale once. It was at a party, and it was pretty crowded, so I don't know if she'd remember me, but I *totally* stole her plastic fork. I'm thinkin' of putting it up on ebay.

I'll keep you posted.

In the realm of P.S.s, the latest copy of Previews (THE comic buyer's catalog) Rapunzel's Revenge made an awesome appearance. It was awesome. The appearance.

Awesome.

[hwalk]

That was so funny. And great. And why do I have to go to school? I'd rather go follow around authors madly . . .

[Katie-wa]

Oh, crap. So, I've been stalking this Shannon Hale, but which one is the real one? Or does she just have a dual personality? Hmm... *puts on paper sack disguise again*

[Christen]

I just have to tell you how much I enjoy reading your posts; you are so funny! I laugh like an idiot--and then, you know, get insanely jealous of you (your awesome skills) and anyone who's ever met you. Hurrah for writers everywhere! :D

[sdn]

did you get a signed galley?

it was great to see you! i wish we had actually talked!

[Janine]

I love your sense of humor!! You're one of myfavorite authors and I enjoy your books SO much!!! I'm like about to go sue my small town library for only having 2 of your books!!!!

[Charlotte Burrows]

Shannon-
I am one of the lucky librarians who got to see you at ALA. You all did a fabulous presentation. I was just enthralled the whole time. Eric R. has such a sexy Chicago voice. And who knew M.T. Anderson was so cute. And I was so thrilled to get the ARC of Rapunzel's Revenge. It is fabulous just like you.
Thanks!!!

[Miss Erin]

I loved reading that post so much. :) I SO wish I could've seen y'all act out scenes from your books!!

[Shayla Smoot]

Hey Shannon, I am really want to go to the writing for charity event on the 19th. My parents have to say yes though. But I have a question. I have been writing a book for a long time. I am on page 90 I think! But it is not a novel. It is a fantasy! Can i still bring my book even though it is a fairy tale/ fantasy? And I probably will get to go if I can!!!!! I am so excited. Thanks a bunch!

Shayla SMoot

[Allison]

Shannon, I attended the Reader's Theater program and it was definitely one of the highlights of the conference! You and the other authors did a fantastic job. I was so excited to get a signed ARC of Rapunzel's Revenge, too. Thank you!!

[Gretchen]

Shannon, I like your list. I never thought about loving flaws, but it's entirely true.
Marcus, I am not in the slightest bit surprised that you read THE comic buyer's catalog. Not at all.

[Dr. Sallie N. Cheinsteen]

Some things to say:
I am extremely excited because on that list of what you need for a writer, I love all of it.. except I don't know what serendipity means.

Second, I am utterly depressed because unbeknownst to me, I am going on a river trip over the charity event, and yes... I would rather go to the library and meet Shannon. Who wouldn't?

Third, I am very jealous because Shannon gets to meet a lot of amazing people (even though I haven't heard of some of them).

Fourth, I am happy, a lot because of this blog. Thanks Shannon!

[Olivia T.]

Miss Shannon, you make me feel so good when I read about all of your writerly adventures!
And your Writer Requirements gave me such hope because every single one fit me perfectly! :) You are so wonderful!

[Chelsea]

Marcus, I totally laughed at loud when i read your comment.
And i love your list, shannon (although I'm not to crazy about some smells).