HOUSE OF DANCE

Since this is the season of Dancing with the Stars (I'm rooting for Helio Castroneves), I wanted to post briefly about my second HarperTeen young adult novel that is titled HOUSE OF DANCE. HOUSE is the story of a girl named Rosie who, during the summer of her 15th year, is asked to take care of her dying grandfather. During her daily trips across town Rosie discovers a second-floor dance studio, and with the help of its dancers, discovers a way to give her grandfather one final gift. HOUSE will appear in June 2008.

Writing HOUSE gave me the chance to explore some important themes—the place of memory in our lives, the power of forgiveness, the mysteries of kindness. It also gave me a chance to write about the rumba, the cha-cha, the waltz, the fox trot—these dances that I've been learning at a fabulous nearby studio since April 2006 (then practicing at home, when no one is looking). It is so incredibly hard to get every aspect of a dance just right. To master (except that I'll never master) the tension, the snap, the precision. Learning to dance has forced me to pay attention to new kinds of details. It is giving me perspective on the rise and fall of words.

Oh, and I have new friends, too. And I love them.