Well, this happened!
I have no idea how it happened, though I’m inclined to think it was all Aganetha’s doing. Aganetha, you may be the lead character in a book called Girl Runner, but your youth is only a piece of your story. You are a woman who endures through all seasons, and who is still running even if only in your mind as your days near their end. You are a character who must have come from me, somewhere inside, or through me, as if channeled; however it happened, I learned from your experiences, your innocence, your fierce fight, your pride. And I learned from your existence in a book that changed my life.
A few days ago, I was contacted with a confidential and completely unexpected heads-up about this news, and I kept it close, almost like I used to keep my Easter candy, tucked away in the back of a drawer, to look with pleasure, but not to eat. I enjoyed, then as now, sensing the presence of a treat, knowing that it was there, and wanting to savour the experience.
Today, I spent my day in the library reading Owl Moon by Janet Yolen to classrooms of children, who seemed as enchanted by the poetic language and the night-time adventure as I was. And then I came home and shared this news. I felt, I feel, such delight. I’m thinking about Aganetha, and remembering the process of writing Girl Runner, and thinking about our great good fortune, me and Aganetha, together. A book that is ostensibly about a young woman, a girl, seems more and more to be about her older, aging self; about endurance, longevity, a spirit that moves and pushes continually onward, restlessly, and through pain, and awe, toward a sense of peace and purpose and belonging.
xo, Carrie
Congratulations!!!
(did it smack the writer’s block? It doesn’t have to have; it can be healthy to have fallow seasons; but just curious, because sometimes Big News shifts things in us, for better or for worse)
I felt a shift, KC. I was in spin class last night, thinking about Aggie, and I felt a spark of excitement, again, and comfort. I was remembering what it felt like to be wandering inside a character’s reality, their emotions and sensations, their other world, and the expansiveness of that experience, writing and imagining. And I could imagine the spark in my hands, glowing and drawing my interest and attention again. Will if move the block? I do not know, but I feel hope.
Thank you for checking in with such kindness!
-Carrie
That’s fantastic! I’m so happy for you! I loved this book.
that’s so wonderful to hear! thank you, Leslie!