American Libraries

You know, I've had an opportunity to talk a lot of about what I wanted to do and why I used the word "scrotum" in the book. So that entails being able to reach kids and respecting their intelligence, writing to their heart, trying to say something that will make them maybe figure out how things work a little bit better and understanding our world somehow. The Fire Storm removed the book from its readers and it was all adults talking about appropriateness and intellectual freedom and access. I retired at the end of March, went on a tour, and got to speak to hundreds and hundreds of kids, many of them had already read the book—the book had been read to them. And to be able to interact with them about my story was extraordinary because many children take it very deeply to heart. Many children I talked to in rural areas thought I was writing about their town. I'm focused on the next book, which is a continuation of the story, a companion book. We're still in our little town of Hard Pan, which is a kind of metaphor for all of us, as strange as it is as a little town. People are just doing what we all do to get by, trying to be as good as we can and figure out things.