1 | Cathy C. Hall Writes

Remember the old Irish Spring ads where the very handsome Gaelic lad and lass are discussing the merits of this fine soap? That it’s strong and keeps perspiration odors at bay? And then the lass says, “Strong, yes, but I like it, too!”

That’s the way I feel about this contest. Imagine me as a fetching Southern lass, talking to a group of teens about all the books they can read if they check out the monthly contest at teenreads.com. And then one of the teens (we’ll say a girl because girls always think they know everything. I know because I’m a girl) says to me:

“These books have teen protagonists and youthful angst-driven plots. They’re for teens!”

At which point I fetchingly reply, “Teens, yes. But I like them, too!”

If you’re writing for teens, it’s a good idea to read what teens are reading. The monthly Grab Bag of Books Contest at teenreads.com is a cool way to win the books. And after you finish reading them, you can give them to a teen!

Which is more than I can say for a used bar of soap.

I’m already smiling, just writing the title of this post!

I had such a lovely time when I visited a group of home-schooled students who meet regularly to share their writing. One of the coordinators, Debra Mayhew, is a fellow writer friend of mine, and asked if I’d come and share my puppet play with the kids. And I said, “Wheeee!” (That’s Yes! in Cathy C. Hall language.)

Deb made wonderful puppets for the play, and I had help from several students who did a wonderful job playing their parts in “Oh, Dear! Oh, Deer!” Since the play is all about homonyms, we chatted a bit about words that sound alike but are spelled differently (and I told my all-time favorite knock-knock joke. Always a plus when I can find a way to fit that in!). And they shared their pictures of homonyms (there may be a few budding artists in the bunch, too).

I rambled a bit about my road to publication and brought some of the books where my writing shows up (but honestly, they just wanted to read Uncle John’s Facts to Annoy Your Teachers Bathroom Reader. I don’t blame ’em. That book rocks!), and then students shared their writing. It was such a pleasure to spend time with these kids. Because here’s the thing. Here was a group of kids who were eager to share their words and ideas! They clearly enjoy writing and write all the time.

And all I can say about that is Wheeeee! Wheeeee! Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!