On Friday I got the chance to meet one of my favorite authors and one of the biggest inspirations on my own writing – Laurie Halse Anderson. She came to Books & Co in Dayton as part of her tour for Ashes, the final book in the Seeds of America trilogy.
I only started reading Anderson’s books a year ago, but I find each one that I read incredible. You can read my posts about them here and here. Her books feel so true to life and have a way of putting a real face and heart-wrenching story on the sometimes undefinable problems that teenagers face today.
I have read seven of her books: Wintergirls; Speak; Catalyst; The Impossible Knife of Memory; Fever, 1793; Twisted; and Prom. Sadly I started reading her books after I became a poor college graduate and newlywed, so I only own two of her books and was only able to get those two signed. But I look forward to owning them all one day and also reading the Seeds of America trilogy. It was awesome hearing her discuss history and how she went about writing these books.
Anderson also shared her writing process and gave one of the best writing tips I’ve heard. When she’s almost done working on a book, she records herself reading it. Then she takes a printed copy to a coffee shop or just someplace different to get a new perspective and she listens to her recording while following along in her printed copy. As I find my ear to work better than my eyes when proofreading and often end up reading aloud anyway, I can’t wait to try this method with my next book.
I was sad that my bookmarks for Somewhere Only We Know haven’t arrived yet because I really wanted to give one to Anderson and thank her for inspiring me. I still thanked her and told her that I used a quote from Speak as the epigraph for my novel. She was so encouraging to both me and my husband (telling him how her husband supports her work) and I am so glad I got to meet her.
Lastly, I just want to announce that my book is now available for pre-order! You can now pre-order the e-book version from Amazon. Check it out!
Bri Marino Creates 
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