tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3388578325782539013.post1261671454959808592..comments2024-03-26T17:32:38.865-04:00Comments on YA Outside the Lines: An Inspiration for Over 30 Years (yeah, I'm that old)Brian Katcherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15159532800819759917noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3388578325782539013.post-68620177296542985592011-02-11T15:28:29.553-05:002011-02-11T15:28:29.553-05:00This is such a great story!This is such a great story!Jennifer Echolshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15757825467796917325noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3388578325782539013.post-1373667927369239642011-02-09T14:59:03.556-05:002011-02-09T14:59:03.556-05:00Even funnier, when I recalled how I saw the events...Even funnier, when I recalled how I saw the events unfold - the drama of the hat and sunglasses - Judy insisted there was no dramatic reveal, just her taking off her hat because she was hot, and her glasses so she could see me. <br /><br />But in my mind, it will always be a dramatic reveal.Jenny O'Connellhttp://www.jennyoconnell.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3388578325782539013.post-67832847511043779302011-02-09T14:56:32.885-05:002011-02-09T14:56:32.885-05:00Actually, it's a funny story. I was speaking a...Actually, it's a funny story. I was speaking at the Martha's Vineyard Book Festival about the EVERYTHING book and was answering questions from the audience (we were outside under a large white tent). A woman toward the back, in a baseball hat and sunglasses, raises her hand and stands up. She takes off her hat, removes her sunglasses, and I'm like, "Everyone, that's Judy Blume." I knew she had a house on the island but didn't know she was going to show up. So, sort of weird to think I'd been talking about her and the book for 30 minutes while she listened and didn't even know it. And thank god I knew what she looked like. <br /><br />We chatted for a bit and her husband ended up calling me and asking me and my family over to their home for an afternoon. It was very wonderful, and that woman is freaking whip smart. Very interesting. My kids still talk about kayaking at Judy's house.Jenny O'Connellhttp://www.jennyoconnell.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3388578325782539013.post-37363429793190421052011-02-08T22:38:55.216-05:002011-02-08T22:38:55.216-05:00Norma Klein and her awesome body of work are alway...Norma Klein and her awesome body of work are always in the forefront of my mind as I strive toward becoming a better writer. I still have all of her books and I've lost count of how many times I've read them. I saw myself and my friends reflected in her characters. I would read her books and think, "I want to write like this."<br /><br />All these years later, I still identify with them. I'm so glad that someone else feels that way. And how long did you have to pinch yourself before you believed you were actually meeting Judy Blume? :)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3388578325782539013.post-6799449811737980172011-02-08T09:12:01.445-05:002011-02-08T09:12:01.445-05:00I love this post--you're so right about what m...I love this post--you're so right about what makes a reader connect with a book...It's seeing yourself in the pages. (...And the 14-year-old that still lives inside me felt the hair on her arms stand up when you said, "I was visiting with Judy Blume...")Holly Schindlerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16742207239654178917noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3388578325782539013.post-168454525334425432011-02-07T22:23:41.479-05:002011-02-07T22:23:41.479-05:00Everyone is entitled to parent as they see fit, bu...Everyone is entitled to parent as they see fit, but I am SUCH a REALIST about what is happening. I am completely about talking about things and not pretending they don't exist or happen. Underage boys drink. Period. They swear. They even have sex. I'm not saying I condone it. I wish it didn't have to happen so young but it does. I don't pretend to my child that he won't be faced with drugs or hard choices, and I write from a realistic place in my heart. <br /><br />I never read Norma Klein as a teen (yeah, I'm that old too) but I wish I had. I am definitely going to check out her books now!!Janet Gurtlerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09378521577302320423noreply@blogger.com