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website http://www.lisiharrison.net/home.html

I love the label. It was invented by librarians (I think) and it differentiates me from other YA writers.

No...readers tell me they like the endings because they reflect "real life." Some readers are disappointed when the boy/girl don't get together in an ending, however.

Fan mail still arrives, but the Web is where today's teen resides. That's why I have four Web contact points. I don't depend on snail mail anymore. Many letters have touched me. I have a "keeper" file of my best letters and sometimes read from it when I do public speaking.

That book was sold and in movie form before I was informed it had been filmed. Certainly I was paid, but I had no input about content. I was a little disappointed in the (not mine) ending (so were fans!), but I was glad it made it onto the screen at all because so many books get "optioned", but never produced. I'd still like one to go to the big screen, though.

Once again, longevity has been a major blessing. SIX MONTHS TO LIVE was first published in 1985, but it's still selling. Publishing today is harder than ever because the industry is in flux. Sales across the industry have fallen and no one quite knows how to fix it. Also the YA shelves are glutted with material and writers are fighting for shelf space. The YA rage now is fantasy, vampires, the supernatural. When I started with Bantam/Random House, the shelves were loaded with romance and horror. Styles change, but I will always write what I feel comfortable writing---teens handling life-altering events with a positive message about the wonder of living.

Write for the sheer pleasure of writing. Keep journals. Get an education. Submit. Focus on story, voice, style, structure, not on "being published."

I'm working on HEART 2 HEART, a story about a heart transplant and human connections. My newest, BREATHLESS, will come out in May 2009. It takes 4-6 months for me to write a book---if I don't procrastinate too much.

YA writing rocks!!! My agent and many readers have asked me to write for the adult market, but adults bore me. I love writing for teens and pre-teens.

When did you first discover that you had writing talent? SD: I’m not sure. I was always a good writer in school. I have always gotten good grades in writing classes; I have always gotten an A in English.

could b

Do you find that you have to put yourself on a writing schedule?

I like to write when inspiration hits me, but sometimes I’m in an airp

to have blocks of time.

But in order to write, I have

all the time, and I’m always thinking about new stories.

I keep a little notebook with me, and I jot down things

ort or not

at home when that happens.

Can you talk a little bit about how teaching has affected your writing, or if it has enhanced it?

I’ve retired, but I’m in schools quite often, so I may as well be teaching. I think I understand kids’ mindset.

: Why did you choose to write about slavery in the 18th century instead of the 19th?

There’s more written about the 19th century and the pre-Civil War because by then slavery was an established institution.

Were Amari and Polly based on real-life people, or were they composites of people you found in your research?

Amari and Polly are composites of people, but I believe that Amari or someone very much like her lived at one time.

when they were taken out, there was a door called the Door of No Return.

You can’t stand up like a real human being; you have to crawl.

With Polly, I wanted to bring out a little bit about the plight of an indentured servant.

: You talked about the females not having any power, but there are lots of strong female characters in the book. Even the females with small roles are very well-drawn. Can you talk a bit about creating those characters?

: As Polly is listening to Mr. Derby discuss buying and selling slaves at the dinner table, we catch a glimpse of the banality of evil, while so much of your story offers a vision of an active evil. Would you talk about your decision to include the different types?

The theme of hope is clear throughout your book. Can you talk about your understanding of hope and its role in surviving traumatic events?

Well, I’m always conscious of having a strong girl for my girls to read about and connect with. Boys have lots of books with strong boys, and I think it’s important that girls have strong female characters.

When you’re writing a story, you don’t pre-plan that a certain section is going to deal with the philosophical ethics of slavery; it just evolves and emerges.

I think if a human being doesn’t have hope, that person cannot survive. It doesn’t matter whether you’re going through traumatic experiences or just day-to-day life.

I: About young people: How do you think they’re doing? You offer advice to teachers on your website, but what about librarians—especially in the digital age? I think that might fit in with how you think young people are doing today.

I’m working on three books at once, and one is an educational book. A main section/thrust of that book is librarians, because they’re my main supporters.