School Visit Season...

...has officially begun. I spent three days at schools in Clarkston, WA, then two days in Yakima for the WLMA Conference (my boss Chris Crutcher and I did a censorship panel together, great fun -- thus the photo with this post) then three days in Louisville, Kentucky.

I'm headed for Northern Kentucky the first two full weeks in November, then on to Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and Texas, to name just a few of the destinations. And I'm doing a bunch of days in Washington cities including Spokane, Wenatchee and Yakima, along with the more distant destinations.

The work is demanding, I confess. I come home exhausted. But as I struggle to recharge, I am reminded of how remarkable all the kids I get to meet with actually are. Regions and races differ, but the kids -- they remain so much the same. Each of them simply want to learn and laugh and dream, and I feel as if I have the chance to move those things forward when I visit their schools.

School visits tire me out -- actually, airport travel tires me out a whole lot more than the school days do -- but the kids make every minute worthwhile. They love my books, and that enthusiasm means everything to me. As long as they want what I write, I'll keep writing -- and doing school presentations. I'll keep at it for myself and for those wonderful kids!

Publishers Weekly - SAVING THE BAGHDAD ZOO

Needless to say, I'm thrilled that SAVING THE BAGHDAD ZOO was included in this feature in Publishers Weekly -- The War, at Home: Military Conflict in Books for Children and Teens. Thank you, thank you PW. Thank you, thank you John A. Sellers.

"Both Nubs: The True Story of a Mutt, a Marine & a Miracle and Saving the Baghdad Zoo pair soldiers with picture book authors to tell hopeful, true stories set in Iraq," said Sellers. "Saving the Baghdad Zoo: A True Story of Hope and Heroes by Kelly Milner Halls and William Sumner (Greenwillow, Nov.) is a photographic account of Army major Sumner's work helping rescue abandoned animals in this zoo."

Happy me. : )

DONE...well, almost! SASQUATCH ROCKS!

Well, I'm putting the last finishing touches on my manuscript for Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, IN SEARCH OF SASQUATCH and MAN, what a great adventure this has been. When I first started this journey, I was excited but unaware of HOW thrilling the path would be. How was I to know I'd discover a linguistics expert with 30 years of U.S. Navy and academic experience convinced the audio tapes of Sasquatch vocalizations represented language, not just random sounds? How could I have imagined the compelling anatomical proof that Sasquatch footprints are neither fakes nor human, but rather ape-like? The book will reveal the credibility of the concept of a North American Great Ape and the people who believe in it.

Revisions will come next, and that's one of my favorite parts of this job. Editorial teams turn a good manuscript into a magical book, and it's a transformation that always excites me. But I'm a little sad everytime a manuscript is "finished." Not for long. The next project is usually calling me. Looks like ALIEN ENCOUNTERS may be next. Hooray. So I see a trip to Area 51 in my immediate future. But I'm still determined to get to Australia to write that book on the baby fruit bat rescue hospital. They've already agreed to let me stay for a week and help with the rescue effort.

Any editors out there dying for a great baby bat photo essay project? This one is a BEAUTY!

Back to work, then lunch with Crutcher and Trueman. Hope EVERYONE has a great day. I'm gonna do my best to do the same! : )

Kelly

White DUNNY -- FREE, but out of reach

DANG. I want this great DUNNY from Kidrobot...and they're giving 500 away free. But you have to be at the store in NYC and I'm in Spokane. How unfair is that? Sigh. He should have been in my ALBINO ANIMALS book, huh? He's so cute and angry-like. Anyone in NYC willing to snag one for me? I know, REALLY unlikely, but I thought I'd ask. Sigh...again.

Isn't he great though? Check him out HERE.

ALA in Chicago

Let me say from the start, this was the best conference experience I have every had -- barr none.

I landed in Chicago at 6:30 pm, Saturday, July 11 so I had to miss the Lerner Publishing dinner I'd so wanted to attend earlier that afternoon. But I did manage to catch the end of the nonfiction author panel dinner. My old friend Hester Bass and her husband were also able to attend, and that was a special delight. Stephanie Reynolds and her associates from the University of Kentucky were also eating there, so that was a treat. And several of my friends from the Highlights Foundation's Writers Workshop in Chautauqua, NY were also at the table. So late or not, I got to reconnect with a great cross-section of amazing writing friends.

My amazing roomates, Christine Taylor-Butler and Gwendolyn Hooks and I walked from dinner to our hotel, the Hard Rock Hotel and checked in. Our floor, the 16th floor, was dedicated to Prince and featured one of his beautiful silk shirts and a guitar. I loved Prince when I managed an LA record store in the late 70's and early 80's, so that was cool. But not half as cool as the two women I roomed with.

On the morning of the 12th, I went to the HarperCollins Author Breakfast at the Intercontinental six or seven blocks away, but what a beautiful walk. Chicago is such a vibrant, lively city, even on a Sunday morning. From the breakfast, I went to the panel at the McCormick and MAN, were there a lot of people there. More than 300 folks filed in to hear us share information on nonfiction books, and it was just astonishing. You can see in the photo above, me sitting waiting for my chance on the stage, flanked by all those talented librarians. WOW.

I signed at Lerner after the panel had concluded, had lunch with a bunch of wonderful people, then signed at Sterling after lunch. My signing at Sterling went long -- a good thing -- so I closed the conference down that day. By the time I got on the bus for the VOYA reception at the Marriott, I'd missed it entirely. Disappointing, because my friend Andy Smith -- Andrew Smith on his books -- was going to be there.

Anastasia Suen and April Pulley Sayre were kind enough to invite me to join their party at dinner, so I shared a booth with them at Beppo's on North Rush with some online friends including an old pal of mine, Chicago local Esther Hershenhorn and the very charming editor of Cricket Magazine and her dauther, her daughter's boyfriend and an illustrator I THINK was part of their art department team (forgive me for not knowing -- I crashed the party).

After dinner, I walked back to the Hard Rock and met my roomies. They were headed to dinner, so I had a glass of ice water with them and enjoyed the grand company at a table outside -- a beautiful little Irish restaurant and pub.

My wake up call on Monday was at 4:00 am for the 6:00 am flight -- a little too close, but I made it. I slept most of the way home, but I was so incredibly happy. This was the best possible way to enjoy a wonderful conference. And I'm grateful to everyone who helped ot make it such a success -- including my "boss" who helped me cover the cabs.

Thanks, everyone, for the really exceptional time.

Legend of Boggy Creek

I've just about finished the first of six chapters in my new children's book, IN SEARCH OF SASQUATCH for Houghton Mifflin. It's due this summer, so I'm making good progress. As I weave through my notes and interviews, I find many of the Bigfoot experts were inspired by Charles B. Pierce's camp classic, THE LEGEND OF BOGGY CREEK.

I've written many dinosaur books and articles and paleontologists were often spurred to the study by GODZILLA. So I'm not surprised Mr. Pierce's film sparked Bigfoot hunters. I do hope I can reach Mr. Pierce to get permission to use his poster in the book, and I HOPE if he has time, he might agree to a short interview. But no matter how that unfolds, I think it's fascinating that the story of the Fouke Monster from Arkansas had such a far-reaching effect on adventurers all over the country.

Are wasps evil, or do they just bite that way?

Okay, I don't know yet if they bite or sting, but I do know it HURTS. I got out of my Rav4, headed for the steps up to my house, when they swarmed me -- only three of them. But one stung while the others scared me back. I had to walk to the far side of my car to get my grocery bag, then I had to RUN up the far side of the stairs as they CHASED me. It's been 15 minutes, and now the site of the bite or sting is bigger than a quarter, as you can see in the BAD picture here.

I love animals, even insects. I think they almost all have their place in the universe. I used to think only headlice might be a legitimate exception. Now I'm thinking these AGGRESSIVE wasps -- not the timid ones, but the mean ones -- might deserve extinction too. Man, they sting -- or bite -- as if they are wielding tiny, shards of broken glass.

Should have skipped the groceries. Now, how do I get RID of them?