Laurie Halse Anderson
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Laurie Halse Anderson | |
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| Born | October 23, 1961 Potsdam, New York, United States |
| Occupation | Novelist |
| Nationality | American |
| Writing period | 1992-present |
| Genres | Contemporary YA fiction, historical fiction, picture books for young readers, American Children's Writers, Writers of Young Adult Literature |
| Notable work(s) | Speak (1999), Fever 1793 (2002) |
| Spouse(s) | Scot Larrabee |
| Children | 4 |
 Literature portal |
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Laurie Halse (rhymes with "waltz")[1] Anderson (born October 23, 1961) is a U.S. author who writes for children and young adults.
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[edit] Biography
[edit] Younger Years
Laurie Halse Anderson was born on October 23, 1961 in Potsdam, a very cold, cold place in Northern New York State. It was (and still is) close to the border of Canada. She was the daughter of Rev. Frank Halse and Joyce Halse, and the big sister of a curly-hair blonde named Lisa.
After being born, Laurie went on to be a child, and she did a pretty good job. Her second grade teacher showed her how cool writing was during a haiku lesson. She read all the time. She was awful at math, but then she has gotten over it. Historical fiction was her favorite when she was little, and as a teenager she loved science fiction and fantasy. Despite the haiku, Laurie didn’t think she would be a writer, but a doctor. While her biology teacher may have found this to be plausible, her chemistry teacher laughed. Throughout all of this, she remained absolutely fascinated by foreign cultures and languages.
Laurie was mostly well-behaved. For her senior year of high school, she did what every kid dreams of and got out of her parents’ house. She came home and worked for minimum wage at a clothing store, which quickly convinced her to go to college. She attended Onondaga Community College for two years. She worked on a dairy farm, milking cows, while at OCC.
She transferred to Georgetown University in 1981. She graduated from there in 1984 with a B.S.L.L. in Languages and Linguistics, which was useless when it came to getting a real job. She was also a passionate fan of college basketball, but employers did not consider this a job skill, either.
[edit] Author Years
For years, Laurie had loved writing, but had considered it little more than a hobby. It eventually dawned on her that people would pay her to write so she became a freelance reporter. She also began to write all types of books and accumulated several inches of rejections letters: hundreds of form rejections that were both intimidating and discouraging. She joined the Society of Children’s Book Writers & Illustrators (SCBWI) and found a supportive critique group. That made all the difference.
In 1996, her first book, Ndito Runs, was published. Later that year, Turkey Pox came out. Ndito was inspired by an NPR story about Kenyan Olympic marathon runners who grew up running miles to and from school every day. Turkey Pox was inspired by Meredith, who actually came down with chicken pox on Thanksgiving, though no snow plow drivers came to the family’s rescue. In 1998, No Time For Mother’s Day was published, featuring the same characters as Turkey Pox.
Laurie also wrote non-fiction for extra cash. The first project was a book about Saudi Arabia for children. She loved working with the people at the Saudi Arabian embassy in Washington, and learning about another faith and culture. She also co-authored a book with Dr. Ward Swallow about parenting shy children. She had plenty of experience with her older daughter, Stephanie.
Since 1993, Laurie had been researching and constantly rewriting Fever 1793. She took a break and wrote [[Speak (novel)|Speak) (pub. 1999), which won a National Book Award Finalist, a Printz Honor book, a Booklist “Top 10 First Novels of 1999”, a New York Times bestseller, and lots more.Speak was made into a movie in 2004.
Laurie finished Fever 1793 and saw it published in 2000. She also started the Wild at Heart series, originally published by American Girl. In 2001, she published The Big Cheese on Third Street, a salute to her adopted hometown of Philadelphia.
Once Speak took off, agents were finally interested in returning Laurie’s phone calls. (She published her first seven books without one.) Writer’s House superagent Amy Berkower now represents Laurie’s work.
In 2002, the YA novel Catalyst was published. It is set in the same high school as Speak, and features a few cameo appearances from the earlier book’s characters. Her first foray into creative, historical non-fiction, Thank You, Sarah! The Woman Who Saved Thanksgiving was published in 2002 as well. It is the story of Sarah Josepha Hale, a distant relation of Laurie’s who lived by the guiding principal that a person can change the world with her pen.
After writing a number of books in which the main characters dealt with death or depression, Laurie wanted to write humorous stories. The result was Prom in 2005, a book about a loving family and a girl trying to figure out how to dream big.Prom spent the spring of 2005 swishing its skirts on the New York Times bestseller list.
When American Girl changed publishing directions and took the Wild at Heart books out of print, people at Penguin Books for Young Readers swooped in and snapped them up. They reissued the series with a new name, Vet Volunteers, and terrific new covers.
[edit] Family Life
At college she met the first love of her life. She married Greg Anderson, a computer nerd who, at the time, was full of the wonders of the first Apple II computers. In 1985 they (well, she) gave birth to Stephanie Holcomb. In 1987, Meredith Lauren joined the motley crew.
Laurie was diagnosed with melanoma in 2002 and was pretty much terrified. Fortunately, it was caught early and the docs were able to remove it all. She now travels with a gallon of emergency back-up sunscreen and is forever scolding people who fry themselves. She is Purposely Pale.
Greg and Laurie divorced, but figured out how to become good friends because they love their kids lots and it’s nicer to be buddies than to be hating on each other. And he still makes great pizza and wonderful pie. Greg had the good sense to marry Dr. Susan Kressly, the best pediatrician in America and an awesome stepmom. He still checks Laurie’s manuscripts for grammar mistakes.
After her girls graduated from high school, Laurie moved home to Central New York to marry her childhood sweetheart, Scot Larrabee. Laurie met Scot when she was three years old. He was six. He taught her how to tie her shoes and whistle. She taught him how to be patient with a girl who always has her nose in a book. Theirs is one of those love stories that make you go “Awwwwww…..”
(And yes, Scot’s a good cook, too. His specialties include roast venison and wasabi eggplant. Laurie likes eating better than cooking and chose her significant others accordingly.)
Their extended, blended family, including Scot’s kids, Jessica and Christian, and Sue’s son, Alex, is the greatest thing that has ever happened to Laurie. She is really proud that her family stands as an example about how to turn a hard thing — divorce and remarriage and all the step-issues — into a fruitful thing. She loves being the mother of four and Alex’s “axter”.
Oh, and Laurie and Scot have a dog. Can’t forget the dog; a slightly neurotic German Shepherd, Kezziah, who claims to be working on a memoir, but is secretly waiting for a movie deal and lunch invitation from Dave Eggers. Kezzie is affectionally referred to as the Creature with Fangs (CwF).
[edit] What's ahead for Laurie
[edit] 2008: Laurie’s Year of Revolution
American history has been a life-long passion for Laurie. If she were to become a teacher, it is what she’d teach.
She is very excited (stand back while we shout this: VERY EXCITED) that, after years of research and writing, 2008 will see the publication of two books that are very close to the heart.
Independent Dames: What You Never Knew About the Women and Girls of the American Revolution is another collaboration with illustrator Matt Faulkner. Independent Dames tells the stories of more than eighty women and girls who helped the Patriot cause during the Revolution. With a detailed timeline and extensive back matter, the book promises to light fireworks for readers trying to understand the events surrounding America’s independence.
Her new historical novel, Chains, will be released in the fall. Chainslooks at the American Revolution through the eyes of a slave girl trapped in New York City in 1776. The story covers the dramatic British invasion of the city, the shifting allegiances of people caught between two armies, the horror of slavery and the painful struggle to grant the promise of “Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness” to all Americans.
[edit] On the Horizon
Laurie will be alternating between contemporary YA novels and historical fiction for the next decade. Her next YA is called Wintergirls and should be published in May, 2009 by Viking. In addition, she has a few picture books up her sleeve and there is a book about the writing process simmering on the back burner.
When not writing or hanging out with her family, you can find her training for marathons, hiking in the mountains, or trying to coax tomatoes out of the rocky soil in her backyard.
She is quite sure that she leads a charmed life and is deeply grateful for it.
[edit] Bibliography
[edit] Young Adult Novels
- Chains - Released October 21, 2008
- Twisted (2007)
- ALA Best Book for Young Adults 2008
- ALA Quick Pick for Young Adults 2008
- New York Times Bestseller List
- IRA Top Ten of 2007
- Prom (2005)
- IRA Young Adults' Choice
- BookSense Top Ten Bestseller List, Spring 2005
- New York Times Bestseller List
- Catalyst (2002)
- ALA Top 10 Best Books for Young Adults
- Barnes & Noble Best Teen Book 2002
- BookSense Top Ten Bestseller List, Winer 2002-2003
- YALSA Odyssey Audiobook Award
- Fever 1793 (2000)
- Taught in curriculum across America and in some foreign countries with over three-quarters of a million copies sold.
- Recognized by 19 states for Historical Fiction
- IRA Teacher's Choice Award
- ALA Best Book for Young Adults
- Jefferson Cup Honor Book(for historical fiction)
- Taught in curriculum across America and in some foreign countries with over three-quarters of a million copies sold.
- Speak (1999)
- Taught in curriculum around the world with over one million copies sold.
- Recognized by 17 states for Young Adult Fiction
- Turned into a Showtime Movie
- National Book Award Finalist
- Michael L. Printz Honor Book
- ALA Top-10 Best Book for Young Adults
- New York Times Bestseller List
- SCBWI Golden Kite Award
- Taught in curriculum around the world with over one million copies sold.
[edit] Children's Books
- Independent Dames - What You Never Knew About the Women and Girls of the American Revolution - Released June 3, 2008
- Thank You, Sarah! The Woman Who Saved Thanksgiving (2005)
- The Big Cheese of Third Street (2005)
- No Time for Mother's Day (2001)
- Turkey Pox (1996)
- Ndito Runs (1996)
[edit] Series
- Vet Volunteers (2008)
This was previously published by Pleasant Company and was called Wild at Heart.
[edit] Vet Volunteers
- Fight for Life: Maggie
- Homeless: Sunita
- Trickster: David
- Manatee Blues: Brenna
- Say Good-Bye: Zoe
- Storm Rescue: Sunita
- Teacher's Pet: Maggie
- Trapped: Brenna
- Fear of Falling: David
- Time to Fly
- Masks
- End of the Race
[edit] Frequently Asked Questions
Information in this section has been taken from Laurie's website and more questions can be found there. Laurie does not answer homework questions. She hated high school and does not want to do it again. Please do thorough research for all of your projects. She is very proud of all of the information she has put on her website and her blog and has answered most questions there. The most popular questions and responses are listed below.
What is your inspiration for writing your books?
- "Generally, it's a person trapped in an interesting situation, or facing a conflict that forces him/her to change and grow. These ideas pop into my head out of nowhere. Sometimes I stumble across them because of something I'm reading, some fragment of dialog I overhear, a scene I witness at an airport or the grocery store."
Is Speak a memoir?
- "There is a lot of my emotional truth in Speak, but only about 10% of the story actually happened to me. It is fiction; not a memoir, not an autobiography."
What made you decide to write Twisted?
- "Many of the teenage guys I met in the last ten years had fascinating things to tell me. While the book is not based on anyone's story, the themes of a guy's alienation from his dad, a broken family pretending to be happy, and the despair that leads kids to kill themselves came from what they told me. And I like a challenge. I'd written a bunch of books from a girls point-of-view, and I wanted to see if I could get in the head of a boy."
Are they really making Twisted into a movie?
- "Some Hollywood people are looking at it, but don't hold your breath"
[edit] Laurie's Favorites
- Favorite Food: Popcorn with butter, bran muffins (not too sweet) and strong coffee, bacon and eggs cooked over an open fire while camping, pickled herring.
- Favorite Season: Winter
- Favorite Book That She Wrote: Don't have a favorite yet... The elusive "best novel"
- Favorite TV Show: NCAA Basketball March Madness
- Favorite Holiday: Thanksgiving
- Favorite Thing to Wear While Writing? Pajama pants, slippers and a hoodie sweatshirt.
- Favorite Mode of Transportation? Under 15 miles: running, over 15 miles: train
