Cooking With Gail

A couple of weeks ago I did my first author talk of the school year. During the first hour I spoke with some fifth graders at a school in Massachusetts. This was probably the most perfect moment in presentations that I've ever had. I was cooking and the kids were connecting. I told them about how when I was a teenager I hated hearing adults tell me "Write what you know" and that I was determined to show everyone that I was right and they were wrong. The kids broke into spontaneous applause!!!

Then while we were brainstorming this boy had this great idea for a story that involved aliens trying to take over the Earth and being destroyed by something simple like...farting!

And then I ate lunch in the cafeteria with the fifth graders. This was a big deal for me because usually the people running these things won't let me into the cafeterias. They're afraid I won't survive the experience. Hey! I know taekwondo! I have the heart of a warrior!

I'm still all excited.