Why I Write
Books are the only art form that let us experience what it's like to be someone else. With our world so divided, understanding others has never been more important.
When I was young (about 100 years ago or so), I laughed at Ramona's kindergarten (mis)adventures, admired Pipi's boldness, searched for clues with Trixie, and fretted about getting my period with Margaret. I cried with Wilbur. I cried with Jo. I cried with Ponyboy.
These stories, and so many others, made me a home that I've never left.
I write because I love words, language, and stories. I write for young people because their experiences burn brightest for me.
I write because putting one word after another to say what I mean is a joyous challenge. I write for young people because I love and respect them.
I write because there are stories inside me, and sharing them is a way to connect. I write for young people because I believe in them, and I want them to believe in themselves.
I write because writing is healing and sharing our stories helps heal the world. I write for young people because books entertained, comforted, and inspired me when I was young, and I want to pay it forward.
I write because I always have, and I always will. I write for young people because they will change the world.
The hauted house
This yellowed page is the first from my previously unpublished short story, "The hauted house." I'm not sure when I wrote this. It was long, long ago.
"Hauted" (and "hanted") instead of "haunted" are just two of the endless spelling errors here. I still struggle with spelling. Yay for spellcheck and dictionaries!
*** SPOILERS AHEAD ***
Ten-year-old Tammy is the oldest of four "very poor children" who live with their mother in an "old cotteg."
A lot happens in this four-chapter volume: House cleaning; sibling bribery; an argument between Tammy and 8-year-old Mike about whether the old house "know won" lives in is haunted and who will "whach" the younger kids, Jimmy and Donna, if they dare visit.
After a daylong trek up a steep hill, the journey lightened by singing, the children arrive at the spooky house. Jimmy and Donna soon go missing. Soon, they are found, crying.
It's time to go home, the children agree. But the "creepy" stairs collapse, plunging them into a hidden "dongen."
Desperate to escape, they feel the walls for a secret passageway. They do this for a week. They don't find one.
But what is this? A tunnel! It takes them a "hole day" to walk through it. When they emerge, they find "100,000$ in cash!"
Naturally, they run all the way home. Their mother is so happy to see them (and that money), "she cryed."
