THANK YOU Texas Library Association!
On April 18 and 19 of 2012, I attended TLA in Houston Texas, thanks to the Lone Star Panel Committee, the TT4L Committee, Chronicle Books and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. I had so much fun, it should be illegal. And I am so grateful, I have to shout it from my website. Thank you so much for having me at TLA. I hope it's the first of many! This photo is a picture of the teens from the Friendswood Public Library who shared the afternoon with me. They were THE BEST.
Thanks, Literary Duck!
You recommended GIRL MEETS BOY as a great gift, and that means you're SWELL in my book! Or maybe that means my book is swell? Either way, THANKS! All the writers in GMB salute you!
"Halls—who writes wonderfully enjoyable nonfiction books and works with Chris Crutcher—invited pairs of YA authors to submit stories from differing points of view in a story. That is, one writes from a boy’s POV, one from a girl’s, but it’s the same story. Or is it? The list of great YA authors in this anthology includes Ellen Wittlinger, James Howe, Rita Williams-Garcia, Terry Trueman, Cynthia Leitich Smith, Joseph Bruchac and more—and my favorite story, one that’s on the slightly more adult side of young adult, comes from Portland’s Sara Ryan and Randy Powell. That is a power group—and most of the authors really come through. A lighter book than this list’s dystopian heavy-hitters (and the psychological thriller that is Chime), Girl Meets Boy provides both pleasure and thoughtful contemplation for those who crack it open and dive in."
"Halls—who writes wonderfully enjoyable nonfiction books and works with Chris Crutcher—invited pairs of YA authors to submit stories from differing points of view in a story. That is, one writes from a boy’s POV, one from a girl’s, but it’s the same story. Or is it? The list of great YA authors in this anthology includes Ellen Wittlinger, James Howe, Rita Williams-Garcia, Terry Trueman, Cynthia Leitich Smith, Joseph Bruchac and more—and my favorite story, one that’s on the slightly more adult side of young adult, comes from Portland’s Sara Ryan and Randy Powell. That is a power group—and most of the authors really come through. A lighter book than this list’s dystopian heavy-hitters (and the psychological thriller that is Chime), Girl Meets Boy provides both pleasure and thoughtful contemplation for those who crack it open and dive in."
I love YA literature!
There, I said it,. I've loved YA lit since I took a job as the executive editor of KidsReads.com, ages ago -- before they had a TeenReads to showcase the YA books. I had to review ten books a week (yikes!), including two YAs. It didn't take long for me to realize -- a LOT of YA books great!
Now I'm writing YA.
Most people know me for my weird nonfiction. And I'll never stop writing those books. Who could give up chasing Bigfoot or UFOs, digging dinosaurs, meeting baby bats or polar bears? But when I got the chance to write a story for GIRL MEETS BOY, and edit the whole anthology, I had to say yes!
What is GIRL MEETS BOY? It's a collection of 6 story pairs -- he said/she said stories. In other words, one writer tells the girl's story. The other tells the same story from a guy's point of view.
For the past ten years, I've been YA author Chris Crutcher's assistant. So we wrote our story pair together. But I matched other writers with other partners. Check out the duos here:
Chris Crutcher/Kelly Milner Halls
Joseph Bruchac/Cynthia Leitich Smith
James Howe/Ellen Wittlinger
Terry Trueman/Rita Williams-Garcia
Terry Davis/Rebecca Fjelland Davis
Randy Powell/Sara Ryan
This is my first YA book project, but it won't be my last. I'm working on a new anthology on a blood curdling theme (so cool). I'm also working on my first full-length YA novel too. My main character is an under-aged tattoo artist with a weird connection to the dead.
Anyway, I hope you like GIRL MEETS BOY,. Feel free to check out links to some of my nonfiction articles and author interviews, read about my writing friends, short reviews of new YA books I've read, or wander over to my other website to see my nonfiction books -- you may have seen one or two of them, too.
Kelly
Now I'm writing YA.
Most people know me for my weird nonfiction. And I'll never stop writing those books. Who could give up chasing Bigfoot or UFOs, digging dinosaurs, meeting baby bats or polar bears? But when I got the chance to write a story for GIRL MEETS BOY, and edit the whole anthology, I had to say yes!
What is GIRL MEETS BOY? It's a collection of 6 story pairs -- he said/she said stories. In other words, one writer tells the girl's story. The other tells the same story from a guy's point of view.
For the past ten years, I've been YA author Chris Crutcher's assistant. So we wrote our story pair together. But I matched other writers with other partners. Check out the duos here:
Chris Crutcher/Kelly Milner Halls
Joseph Bruchac/Cynthia Leitich Smith
James Howe/Ellen Wittlinger
Terry Trueman/Rita Williams-Garcia
Terry Davis/Rebecca Fjelland Davis
Randy Powell/Sara Ryan
This is my first YA book project, but it won't be my last. I'm working on a new anthology on a blood curdling theme (so cool). I'm also working on my first full-length YA novel too. My main character is an under-aged tattoo artist with a weird connection to the dead.
Anyway, I hope you like GIRL MEETS BOY,. Feel free to check out links to some of my nonfiction articles and author interviews, read about my writing friends, short reviews of new YA books I've read, or wander over to my other website to see my nonfiction books -- you may have seen one or two of them, too.
Kelly
