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My favorite group of paranormal investigators, Ghost Stories Ink, was celebrating a very cool achievement, and their favorite New York Times best selling author (me!) was part of it.


The printouts above were tickets to keep track of your appetizers and drinks, which included beverages that smoked all by themselves.


We were gathered in this perfectly eerie location for the release of the anthology, Ghost Stories Ink presents Night Visions.


Other authors/illustrators (either members of G.S.I. or friends) who have pieces in the anthology are Joshua Sterling Bragg, Scott Spinks, and Sammy Sarzoza.

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The first of the two schools I visited was Jacksonville High School, where I spoke to the entire school over two presentations. First up were the freshmen and sophomores.



Then came the juniors and seniors.



Before leaving J.H.S., I spoke to two smaller groups who had all read Thirteen Reasons Why and were firing great questions at me throughout our entire time together. That was so much fun!

There were also banners and posters up at the school, including a Top 13 list of questions they wanted to ask me during my visit.


Then it was on to Northside High School, where I spoke to freshmen, sophomores, and juniors. While waiting backstage to go on, I hung out with the props for their upcoming production of...any guesses?




The organizer of my visit was Ross Friebel.


After the great school day was done, I hopped in Mr. Friebel's truck, along with his wife and daughter, and they gave me a tour of the area. The city of Jacksonville is the home of Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, so most of the town is made up of barber shops, tattoo parlors, and pawn shops, so it was nice to see some of the natural beauty in the area.





Yeah!

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When you get to the school (in this case, Marvin Ridge High School in Waxhaw, NC) and the cafeteria is covered with posters saying YOU MATTER and PAUSE; PLAY, and those posters are covered in affirming statements, you know it's going to be a very good visit.


During a dinner with faculty, I was given insight into the many things they've done with Thirteen Reasons Why leading up to my visit, from classroom readings and analysis to community discussions on the issues in my book. That night, I spoke to mostly adults in the school's auditorium.

Back at school the next day, I gave a writing workshop to two groups of students who were selected to participate based on essays they'd written.


Then it was off to the auditorium with my coffee to set up for the first of two presentations.


I spoke to the entire school over those two presentations. Both groups had great questions. Some questions were actually more personal comments, often greeted with applause by the other students for their openness.



I heard about that type of openness happening in classrooms as students shared reactions to the characters and issues in my book. Some of those discussions included tears, often by the students listening to other students speak. One of the best statements I've heard in my eight years of doing this was when one teacher apologized to another for not being more encouraging about the school-wide activities inspired by my book. Understandably, he was nervous about how the subject matter would be handled and taken. But after seeing the reactions of the students, and how they participated in my visit, after decades of teaching, this was his favorite day.

Openness and empathy are so powerful.



Then I spoke to the second group of essay winners.

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And here is the magical couple!


Early the next morning, after partying late into the evening, I flew out to Ohio for a One Book, One Community event. Why? Because I wrote the book! New Philadelphia chose Thirteen Reasons Why for their community read, hosting several events leading up to my presentation that made for a wonderful visit. They had school and public discussions surrounding the book and its topics. They held a book trailer contest, where the students of the winning trailer earned a visit from me to their school. So my first stop in town was Buckeye Career Center!


One thing I've really enjoyed during my author visits is getting to see the many creative ways communities educate their students. BCC has over thirty vocational tracts students may choose from. Here are some of the students who came to hear me speak...



...including a Hannah Baker. Her name badge even proves it!

In the evening, I spoke at the Kent State Tuscarawas campus.


But before I spoke, the winners of the top three book trailers received a signed book and prizes.


This was a very fun group to speak with, laughing easily, oohing and aahing on cue, and asking great questions.



The autographing part of the evening was one of those inspiring and slightly overwhelming times of being an author that send me back to my hotel with so many profound emotions that I need to decompress by reaching out to author friends and then taking time to let it all soak in. These are the times I feel both unworthy and completely grateful to be in this position.

One of the notes I was handed included a line I can repeat right back to so many of the people I meet at these events.



Of course, it was also very cool to sign so many books handed to me in this condition!

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The title of this post is the final line of Fareweel to a' Our Scottish Fame, a poem by poet Robert Burns. It seemed an appropriate note to begin this photojournal of my recent week in Scotland with my wife, mother-in-law, sister-in-law, and her boyfriend.

Here we are, arriving at the gate to our house in Inverness.

And check out this amazing used bookstore, Leakey's Bookshop!


Growing up (meaning, from birth until now), I've been fascinated by monster legends. When I learned a trip to Loch Ness was on the itinerary, I nerded out! Any good book on the Loch Ness Monster will include a photo taken near Urquhart Castle. And now I was there!


And on the Loch Ness by Jacobite boat tour, I saw him!


From the front window at our house, I did some editing of an upcoming book while looking out at a castle. It was an inspirational and magical view. In fact, another writer wrote a fairly popular seven-part children's book series in Scotland. And, for at least a few of those books, she wrote them while looking out at another castle. But more on that later! Here was my view.



We then hopped a train to Pitlochry and hiked to the smallest distillery in Scotland. I'm not a big fan of alcoholic drinks, especially alcoholic drinks that taste like alcohol...(shudder)...but I love the history behind things that other people are connoisseurs of. The Edradour Distillery had a great tour, and the free sample they gave while describing the distillery's background made my face and body go like this: shudder!


And here's a cool group shot on a rare sunny day.


We had something called "high tea" at Culloden House, which is a beautiful place with a beautiful walled garden. I drank my tea with...wait... I just realized I ordered coffee and drank coffee at a high tea. That's awesome! (I'm such an American.) Anyway, I drank my coffee with my pinkie raised, which felt utterly appropriate.


The Culloden House had a cool, detailed chess board that displayed the long battle between the Scottish and British, which is talked about everywhere. I'm not a big fan of battles and wars, but sometimes they provide the inspiration for really cool, detailed gameboards.




Another incredible walking tour was the Literary Pub Tour. They have two cast members, Clart and McBrain. Clart is fascinated by the debauchery of Edinburgh's literary superstars, and McBrain is a "tourist" who would like to clean up the story a bit. We roamed the city, stopping in several pubs for a break, which for most people meant a drink or two.



For the final castle on this trip, we went to Edinburgh Castle. Inside a small chapel, St. Margaret's, the oldest surving building in the city, JoanMarie took a picture of me taking a picture of Adam taking a picture of a stained glass picture of William Wallace (a.k.a. Braveheart).




The tour ended above Victoria Street, which may look to you a lot like Diagon Alley.






Outside, we finally saw and heard a kilt-wearing bagpiper!


Before heading home, I noticed the bookshelves at the bed-and-breakfast where we stayed had been altered a bit from the day we arrived. A book was conveniently placed face-out near the table where we ate breakfast.

Fareweel to a' our Scottish fame,

Fareweel our ancient glory;

Fareweel ev'n to the Scottish name,

Sae fam'd in martial story.

Now Sark rins over Solway sands,

An' Tweed rins to the ocean,

To mark where England's province stands-

Such a parcel of rogues in a nation!

What force or guile could not subdue,

Thro' many warlike ages,

Is wrought now by a coward few,

For hireling traitor's wages.

The English steel we could disdain,

Secure in valour's station;

But English gold has been our bane -

Such a parcel of rogues in a nation!

O would, ere I had seen the day

That Treason thus could sell us,

My auld grey head had lien in clay,

Wi' Bruce and loyal Wallace!

But pith and power, till my last hour,

I'll mak this declaration;

We're bought and sold for English gold-

Such a parcel of rogues in a nation!

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That night in Indiana, I spoke to a roomful of librarians, but only after all of our bellies were fully satisfied. At each table, they had a different question posted to help get conversations started. I specifically chose this table because I love R.L. Stine and can't wait for the upcoming Goosebumps movie!


Either I was really on, there was something funky in the green beans, or that group laughs very easily, because I had such a great time giving my presentation. While I do discuss serious things in my talks, I also like to have fun. But when I make jokes, I pride myself on being able to keep a straight face. This time, however, their laughter got to me and I laughed with them several times. (Next time, I'm totally not breaking!)



But as you can see, this was an exceptionally fun group.

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A drowsy, dreamy influence seems to hang over the land, and to pervade the very atmosphere.

I'm sure he named his estate after its angle toward the sun, but whenever the tour guide said "Sunnyside," it made me think of eggs. But it was a fantastic tour, and learning more about the man inspired me to read more of his work, which I began to devour that very night.

I then went to Philipsburg Manor, referenced without a name in the story, but confirmed to be the location by Irving in a later essay, and watched a restored waterwheel grind corn into cornmeal just as it would have back then. This place is basically a living history museum and worth an afternoon.

His greatest treasure of historic lore, however, was discovered in an old goblin-looking mill, situated among rocks and water-falls, with clanking wheels, and rushing streams, and all kinds of uncouth noises. A horse-shoe, nailed to the door to keep off witches and evil spirits, showed that this mill was subject to awful visitations.

No trip to Sleepy Hollow would be complete (unless you're too cool for this stuff...and you're not!) without spending time at the Old Dutch Church and Sleepy Hollow Cemetery.

The sequestered situation of this church seems always to have made it a favourite haunt of troubled spirits. It stands on a knoll, surrounded by locust trees and lofty elms... Over a deep black part of the stream, not far from the church, was formerly thrown a wooden bridge; the road that led to it, and the bridge itself, were thickly shaded by overhanging trees, which cast a gloom about it, even in the day time; but occasioned a fearful darkness at night. Such was one of the favourite haunts of the headless horseman, and the place where he was most frequently encountered.

I located the unassuming burial place of Washington Irving and paid my respects (see, I'm trying not to smile in the photo).


I also sought out the graves of people thought to have inspired characters in The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. (Oops! I just told you the title of the story.) For example, Katrina Van Tassel may have been inspired by...Catriena Van Tessel.



And finally...

To pass this bridge, was the severest trial. It was at this identical spot that the unfortunate Andre was captured... This has ever since been considered a haunted stream, and fearful are the feelings of the schoolboy who has to pass it alone after dark... Just at this moment a plashy tramp by the side of the bridge caught the sensitive ear of Ichabod. In the dark shadow of the grove, on the margin of the brook, he beheld something huge, misshapen, black and towering.

Time to run, Ichabod!

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...taking a submarine tour...


At the festival, I met Lisa Freeman and got a signed copy of her novel, Honey Girl. Ms. Freeman had acting roles in some of my all-time favorite movies, so the autograph was extra cool!


For my speech, I was introduced by Stephanie Wang, Miss Chinatown Hawaii. She founded Bully Free Hawaii USA, making her another one of the very inspiring people I've been so fortunate to meet as an author.

But the school that brought this literal cross-country opportunity to a close was Campbell High School in Ewa Beach. Their campus has a Power to Choose Courtyard, surrounded by inspiring quotes.


All of the quotes were beautiful, but I was drawn to the one by Walt Disney, one of my lifelong creative heroes.



At lunch, I ate and chatted with several students, including members of the Lit Con Club. If this awesome club was around when I was in high school, maybe I would've actually been involved in something!


Then it was back to the gym to talk to mostly freshmen, plus a few sophomore classes.



The following pic was taken by a student during the Question-and-Answer part of my visit. After a few questions, another student shared with the rest of the room how my book helped her through a rough time. And then the other students applauded her bravery! That will remain one of the moments from this tour that will stay with me forever.



Leading up to the Hawaii visit, as the tour began to wind down, I'd been reflecting on what I'd seen and heard since October 1st. I'm still processing it all, and probably will for a while, and this made me reflect on aspects of my own life and what had to line up to bring me here. Being only a few minutes from Pearl Harbor, which I would soon visit with my wife and son, I left Campbell High and drove to Asher Court, a street named after my grandfather. You can read about his role on December 7, 1941 by clicking here.


Along with the wristband, I took another item with me on every stop of the 50 States Against Bullying campaign, but this one no one knew about. The day before that first tour stop was my 39th birthday. When I blew out my candle, I made a special wish concerning this tour. I can't share that wish with you (you know the rules!), but I will say it came true. And the evening after my tour finished, I lit that candle again. JoanMarie and Isaiah helped me blow it out.

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In between our talks, The Bayonettes played beautiful music.


Early the next morning, I flew up to Alaska, the fiftieth stop on my 50 States Against Bullying campaign.

Hold up! The tour is not over yet. Along with the states, I visited a school in Washington, D.C., but 50 States and 1 District Against Bullying was too much of a mouthful. So there's still one to go!

Before officially adding Alaska to the tour, I gave a workshop to the local SCBWI chapter about adding suspense to their novels. If you've seen me give this talk, you know it requires the help of another author who happens to be terrified of specific types of candy. What does that have to do with suspense? A lot! But I can't tell you unless you attend one of my workshops.

Are you in suspense now? That's because I've got this thing mastered!

In Alaska, I used Jolene Perry's irrational fear of M&M's as my example.


Then I went to the Anchorage Museum, which tells the fascinating and changing story of the people who call this home, and how heavily the environment plays a part in their lives. Miniature scenes depicted how Native Alaskans lived in various regions.


Newspapers proclaiming Alaska's entry into the U.S. were displayed, as well as the compelling history of the Alaska pipeline.


In the children's area, always the most fun area of any museum, I took my first infrared selfie.


Finally, it was school time. I spoke at West Anchorage High School, and was welcomed by a large banner and the school librarian, Stacie Cox.


The students, as usual, were wonderful to speak with. But, the entire time, part of me was freaking out on that stage because there aren't many places to perform in Anchorage, so I was giving my anti-bullying talk in the same place Led Zeppelin played!




All around the school, students had filled out and posted cards describing why they matter. Reading their reasons is one of my favorite parts of visiting schools on this tour.


Their words get me right where it counts.



Then I had lunch with several students who won a "Reasons why I want to have lunch with Jay Asher" contest. One of the students, Ariella, did a project on teen suicide that inspired her to create a club on campus called You Are Not Alone. (When I was in high school, I joined the ski club but didn't know how to ski and didn't learn for another ten years.) The room where we ate, the classroom of Temperance Tinker(!), was so cool. She even had a record player next to the classroom toaster(?), and she let me choose the music.



One student, unbeknownst to me, was sketching me as I answered their questions. She then filled the page with things I said during our conversation. For example, "I wanna form a punk band called The Wet Koalas."


After that came a beautiful drive to Girdwood. I mean, it was so beautiful. Everywhere I looked!


Unfortunately, I never got to see any beluga whales. My 4-year-old would have been so impressed by that.

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Isaiah was most looking forward to meeting some of his heroes: the Disney princesses! The first, and most important, was Anna from Frozen. When we walked around the corner and saw her, he was starstruck. And JoanMarie and I got choked up.


Slowly, she lured him closer.


And then the embrace that almost never ended.


There was a very fun Frozen sing-along, and Isaiah helped conjure the frozen fractals all around.


Over in Disneyland, there were more princesses to meet-n-greet-n-hug, like Cinderella.

Rapunzel brought a silly grin to Isaiah's face, and it was like watching two old friends hang out.


An unexpected bond formed with Merida, from Brave. Isaiah hasn't seen that movie, but he was completely head-over-heels in love. Everyone around us could read the look on his face, and she finally asked, "Do you have a crush on me?" and he looked her in the eyes, smiled, and said, "Yes."




The ride he asked to go on twice was Ariel's Undersea Adventure, but he seemed most in awe on the Jungle Cruise.


Disneyland is called the Happiest Place on Earth. This was definitely one of my happiest days on Earth.

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The next morning, I spoke to 3rd through 8th graders at St. Bernard Elementary/Middle School. That's right, the students went all the way down to 3rd grade. I tweaked my presentation slightly, but those 3rd graders asked some of the absolute coolest questions. They were so into it! And they thought I was hilarious, so that's another plus.


I then spoke at Fretz Middle School, where most of the students had read at least one of my books (not so at the elementary school...which is probably an okay thing). One of the older students created the following piece of art on a canvas, which I then signed for her.


Before my evening presentation, I had time to visit the Zippo/Case Musem. Zippo is known for its lighters, and Case for its knives, and while I'm not an aficionado of either, I am a great appreciator of people who are aficionados of things I'm not, and I believe that is the most I've ever used aficionado in a sentence. It was a great museum, tracing the impressive history of both companies. Plus, they had a Zippo car!


The people who invited me into their community organized a V.I.P. tour of the museum, which was an unexpected honor. I listened intently and oohed and ahhed respectfully over both brands, but the thing I really loved was this contraption.


A group of middle school book club members presented me with a poster describing "Thirteen Reasons Why We Love Jay Asher." As I mentioned at the beginning of my presentation, things like this always amuse me. When I was in middle school, girls couldn't come up with even one reason!


Other students presented me with a very pretty collage of quotes from my book and beautiful quotes about kindness.


I am one very lucky author with some very inspiring readers.

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Every so often, a reader will tell me their impression of something I wrote in a way that deepens my own understanding of my own words. Someone in Florida once told me how a decision one of my characters made helped her to illustrate a sentiment she'd been trying to get across to her friends.

Here's what she told me:

In the past, I've had to help friends realize that life goes on even after you've made a poor decision. Not because you move on or get over it, but because you grow as a result of it. You build something new, something with a higher purpose, using what you've learned as one of your bricks.

When I read that, my heart leapt! Since there was no way I could say it any better, I immediately knew I'd be using her words in future speeches (and blog posts).

So what does this have to do with Easter?

One of the most beautiful ideas surrounding this holiday is that we're all given an opportunity to make corrections if we find ourselves traveling down a road we don't want to (or shouldn't) be on. In fact, we're given that opportunity to change every day. Every second! But sometimes we need a calendar to remind us.

Refresh. Repair. Rebirth. Whatever you want to call it...

Renewal is a wonderful blessing!

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After a long drive and a couple cups of coffee, the first thing I had to do was find the nearest school restroom. I always love seeing notices posted around schools. Every school has their own issues to deal with. At Sussex Academy, apparently too many people eat in the bathrooms.


Whatever!

I spoke to classes from grades six through ten. It's always interesting to speak to a wide range of students because there's always one group that's the most fidgety. Everyone paid attention and there weren't any problems, but one group is always the fidgetiest (which spellcheck says isn't a word, but it also says spellcheck isn't a word, so...) no matter what state I'm in. But I'm not going to call out the middle schoolers because I don't want to embarrass them. And they were all awesome!



(Oops.)

This school does a lot to establish a healthy culture within their walls. Even just recognizing that a school can have a unique and important culture goes a long way toward thinking about how to keep it encouraging. At the beginning of the year, students write positive messages and group them together to create the feathers of a seahawk.





Many students created Found Poems using words and phrases found within Thirteen Reasons Why. It was both inspiring and humbling to read so many of them over lunch. I am such a lucky author!


By the way, I have now committed to memory the state that first signed the Constitution. And you probably have, too!

*fist bump*

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When I pulled up to Watertown High School, I looked out at the football field to the remnants of what kept me from speaking here last time. It's almost gone now, but they're expecting more snow tonight. Fortunately, I've already given my presentation. So take that, Mutha Nature!


Near the entrance of the library was a poster highlighting several quotes from Thirteen Reasons Why. It's always fun when people quote the book. Usually I can remember writing and obsessing over that particular phrasing. Other times, I don't remember writing it at all and end up feeling impressed with myself ("I sound like a real author!").


Another board displayed student-chosen phrases about the value of writing and why kindness matters. These are students after my own heart! Our job, adults, is to encourage them to never get jaded.


With a five-plus week delay, it was wonderful to finally speak to these students. They had created a video to introduce me, with thirteen students describing what the book meant to them. As I told you, these people were after my heart!




My visit concluded with a nice pasta lunch with several of the students. And by "nice" pasta lunch, I mean there was an actual chef! Nice, right? When our bellies were full, we got into several great conversations, including one about movies. Whiplash and Perks of Being a Wallflower were specific favorites. And here's the night I told them about that made many of them jealous. Truthfully, it would've made me jealous if I wasn't there. But I was!

(Tee-hee.)


I also love hearing about specific scenes in my books and why they meant so much to a reader. They're often scenes that, had I needed to trim the book, would have been the first to go because I didn't fully understand them myself. Yet I could feel that those scenes were important (for some reason) so I wrote them down. Another thing I love is when a female reader admits they picked up my first book reluctantly, not believing a man could understand things from a teenage girl's perspective. That's something I hear a lot! In fact, many people who don't like the book attribute it to the fact that I'm a dude and couldn't possibly understand. But I guess we all have different philosophies based on our experiences. In the case of the student at Watertown High who reluctantly read my book, I changed her mind. Woo-hoo!

What a beautiful world.

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I know you're here to see the students and not me, but I had to share that speaking pic because it's one of the only ones where I'm not making a funny face. So I'm proud of myself for that! (Be proud of yourself however you can, apparently.)

The Capital High students were joined by students from Horace Mann Middle School and Sissonville High School.



After my presentation, I joined some students from all the schools in a meeting organized by the Gay Straight Alliance. They discussed many issues, including the upcoming Day of Silence, an event I first learned of today, but which sounds symbolically powerful. The back of the GSA shirts read:


As the GSA adviser said during her talk, "People that do nothing love to tell other people that what they're doing is stupid." The ensuing conversation confirms my belief that many adults would be served well by going to schools and listening to students discuss the importance of not just speaking up, but how to speak up. I know I learned a lot! While there may not be a perfect way to get a message across, if the message isn't being heard then we should consider why and push that message in a new way. The girl I met today who led the first Day of Silence here did it alone. What she wanted to accomplish, she felt, got lost. People may have listened to the silence, but they didn't hear the message. The next year, she tried a new way to organize the conversation, and hundreds joined her.

Teens inspire me so much!

We are all in this together.


Or, we can be.

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There, I gave an NPR interview in the morning, then met up with local YA authors Kate Hart and Karen Akins for coffee, followed by a trip to the Clinton House Museum. I love getting few extra hours in a town to check out its history and culture. Every place has something! This museum is the house where Bill and Hillary Clinton first lived. In fact, they got married in the living room.


As a previous resident of this house, Mr. Swanson invented the chicken pot pie as we know and love it in this very kitchen! That American achievement is commemorated on the refrigerator, and that's why I think we should change the saying to "...as American as chicken pot pie."


From there, I drove to Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art. I'm always amazed when I get to see an art piece I've seen in books or studied in school in real life. It almost feels unreal, like it must be a forgery. This museum's current exhibit is filled with such treasures, such as this one by Mark Rothko, which is called Orange and Yellow. (Someone should tell the gallery they hung it upside down.)


This sculpture by Emma Marie Cadwalader-Guild, Free, became even more powerful the more I walked around it.


A family favorite has always been Mary Cassatt.


Since my son loves When Pigasso Met Mootisse by Nina Laden, I had to take pics of works by its two artistic inspirations, though they didn't have any of Picasso's cubist works on display.



That evening, I spoke at the Fayetteville Barnes and Noble.




There were faculty members from Fayettevelle High School, where I would visit the next day, in attendance. But introducing me was Mayor Lioneld Jordan. I had never been introduced my a mayor before! I was quite excited (especially since, from what I read online, he seems like a cool dude), but when he presented me with a Key to the City? That. Was. AMAZING!!!


The next morning, I arrived at the high school for a meet-n-greet with faculty, as well as a chance to dip into some Dunkin' Donuts. Why were these donuts green? Because it's St. Patrick's Day, of course! (But on any other day, do not eat the green donuts. Let's just say, lesson learned.)


I spoke to the entire sophomore class, and these students provided me with some of the most touching moments of my entire career. The abundance of hugs after my presentation was beautiful, but some of the things they opened up about can do nothing but humble a guy and make him feel honored to have earned that trust simply by writing honestly. It's an honor I never take for granted and I will feel grateful for forever.

One of the most beautiful yet simple expressions of caring that I've seen involved two students who stuck around to share their experiences with me. While I was speaking with one, the other stood a few feet back but could hear what was being said. The second student finally spoke up. "I know we haven't been friends in a while, but you can always talk to me."

And that's what this has all been about.

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...really foggy! But I eventually found my way to West High School in Iowa City. (In case you didn't know, that's in Iowa.)


The first thing I noticed upon entering the school many were posters and displays for something called Behind the Mask. This is a student created group helping to erase the stigma around mental health issues. As their Facebook page says, "Whether you're battling, supporting those who struggle, or just curious, join us!" There can be no understanding or help without first acknowledging an issue exists. Stigmas keep too many people from discussing the very things we need to talk about. So once again, I'm tremendously inspired by the students I'm meeting on this tour.


I was also tremendously happy to see this Post-It in the school librarian's office!


When I arrived at the auditorium where I would be speaking, the school orchestra was practicing for that evening's performance. They were so good! Even though they left the stage before any other students arrived, I pretended they were my opening act, which made me feel like a total rock star.


And it was a huge honor to be introduced by Ryan Hansen, the student who created the school's Behind the Mask group.

At the end of each presentation, but before I answer questions, I like to take a picture of the audience to help me remember each visit (as well as share their beautiful faces with you!). This time, after I took the photo, someone said they weren't ready. Apparently I was supposed to count to three. And sometimes I do! But I didn't know it was a necessity. So I took a second photo. Unfortunately, that one turned out too blurry, so I'm using the first one. And yes, I can totally see the person who asked for a retake. She was right, she's not looking at the camera.



In the audience, all the way in Iowa, was a person I met years ago at a birthday party for a mutual friend in California. Shayla Shader's dad actually went to high school with my wife!


After the presentation, I had lunch with several students, teachers, and librarians. We had a great conversation, finished it off with delicious cupcakes, and I get so excited every time I see a copy of my book with lots of colorful Post-Its marking passages.


Before leaving, I was given a t-shirt for the school's now defunct Quidditch team. Based on the interest in my new shirt, I get the feeling there may be a new gathering of the Broom Shakalakas. (They also gave me a shirt for my son!)


Thanks for a great visit, Iowa. And if you're keeping track, yes, you're the first school to make me use the name Post-It two times in one blog post. (Or, does that now count as three times?)

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My next stop, the forty-fourth visit of my 50 States Against Bullying campaign, took me to Tennessee. There I got to spend more time in one of my favorite cities, Nashville. One of the greatest opportunities Nashville provides is live music (you knew that, right?), and I was lucky enough to have a real, live country artist show me where the locals go for that sound experience. Brittany Bexton has been a family friend since my wife was her counselor at a music performance camp. Yes, even back then it was obvious she'd end up here.


We were at Soulshine Pizza Factory on the evening of their blues jam, which was unbelievably awesome. Especially this bass player. Amazing!


My hotel was weirdly cool. Between the shower and the bed was a large translucent plate. This way, I guess, you can watch a person's silhouette as they take a shower. I'm sure that's supposed to be sexy, but all I could imagine were the many ways a horror movie could use this feature.


Where do the locals get breakfast? The Pancake Pantry. That's where I stopped on my way to speak at the high school. Maybe it's not a good idea to fill your tummy with pancakes before speaking, but it's a local place! I had to try it!


Unfortunately, I arrived at the school early and right next door was a donut shop. But it's local! So I partook.


The Donut Den has a cowbell that rings as you enter and exit. Isn't that rude? Isn't that also funny? Either way, it didn't stop me from enjoying their fried dough.

Finally, tummy bursting, I made my way to Hillsboro High School. If you've followed my travels, you know that I've had several schools close for snow days on the very dates my visits were scheduled. I will be making those schools up in the next couple weeks, but Nashville has also been hit hard this year. Even though their schools are open now, the schedule before the end of the year has tightened quite a bit. There were supposed to be five other schools sending students, but only Antioch High was able to send their book club to join Hillsboro students.



These students asked the most consistently thoughtful and thought provoking questions of this tour so far, and they were beautifully open about their own experiences. Afterward, the librarian told me she was a little nervous about how I would answer some of their very specific questions. Thankfully, she was pleased with how I dealt with these sensitive issues. So how did I deal with them? Honestly. Just as I wrote the book. (Writing tip #874: Teens have enough adults sugarcoating reality. Don't do that. Don't. Cool? Cool.)

As a sucker for a good gimmick, I found this library display brilliant!


I'll be back eventually, Nashville. Hopefully many times!

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But again...snow day!

This time, I was able to move my flight back a day in the hope that there wouldn't be two snow days in a row. So what to do with my free day in Bangor? Well, the most important thing any author can do in Bangor is pay his or her respects to the home where many, many, many brilliant and dark stories originated.


I'm talking, of course, about the home of Mr. Stephen King.

The gate around his house has evil looking metal sculptures guarding the inhabitants on the other side, so I didn't dare walk up to the door. But I wanted to!




By the way, if your're not from here, you're probably saying Bangor wrong.
The next day...no snow day! So I was able to visit Mount Desert Island High School.


I know what you're thinking: It sure doesn't look like a desert! And I knew you were thinking that because I thought the same thing. But this whole area obviously likes to play with how words are pronounced. It's pronounced dessert, like what you eat soon after dinner and usually again before bed. The story goes, some French guy came here and saw the mountains where nothing grew on top of them and thought they looked like deserted mountains. Did you hear that? Deserted. So that's why...

Nope! Still doesn't make any sense to me, but whatever.

Inside, they displayed their #ReasonsWhyYouMatter notecards.


The students were amazing to speak with and had many great questions, plus some silly ones. For example, apparently I look like I drive an Audi. I wasn't sure if that was a compliment or not, but the Audi website calls them luxury performance cars, and that sounds pretty good.



By the way, the students at MDIHS are All About Those Books.


The school librarian took me and local author (and friend) Christina Baker Kline out to lunch. And yes, Ms. CBK is an awesome author, but guess what. She used to babysit Stephen King's kids! If you're thinking, "I think I recall a story in Stephen King's On Writing about a babysitter," you're right. But that was his babysitter, not theirs. Please don't get the two confused.


This was followed by coffee with YA author Carrie Jones, whose debut novel came out the same year as mine. And we were in the Class of 2k7 together, so there is much history shared!

On my way back to the hotel in Bangor, I had to stop and get a pic of this miniature golf course covered in snow. The place is called Pirate's Cove, which made me laugh because the Pirate's Cove where I live is a nudist beach. But I didn't see any nudies running around here.


And that's probably a good thing right now.

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If you follow me on Twitter, you already know that I get very excited to watch the Academy Awards each year. Not just because I get to eat my traditional pint of Ben and Jerry's Chubby Hubby, but because I'm also a movie freak! This year, as enter the final fifth of my 50 States Against Bullying campaign, my publisher was kind enough to make sure I was traveling on Oscar night (and they know me well enough that I didn't even need to ask).

One of my not-so-secret fantasies is to one day write an Oscar-nominated screenplay. If that happens, and I get the chance to walk the red carpet, the question then becomes What will I wear? Or What shall I do with my hair?

So, with the help of InStyle's Hollywood Makeover, I decided to try on some hairdos of the nominated actresses of 2015...

Felicity Jones for The Theory of Everything:

Keira Knightley for The Imitation Game:

Julianne Moore for Still Alice:

Rosamund Pike for Gone Girl:

 Emma Stone for Birdman or (The Unexepected Virtue of Ignorance):

Reese Witherspoon for Wild:

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The next day, I attended school.


At the entrance to the library were projects inspired by Thirteen Reasons Why, including an essay, cassette tapes labeled with judgemental labels often given to teens, a swing in a box, and a poster.


Isaiah was excited to hear me give the presentation that's had me traveling around the country through so much of the past year. But while students were asking to get selfies with me, my family was taking selfies of themselves.


And here are the students! Many of them take classes that use Thirteen Reasons Why in the curriculum. One of the teachers has been using it since its release in 2007.


The school day was followed by a wonderful hike to the top of Mount Tabor, an "extinct or dormant volcano," according to Wikipedia. Personally, I think extinct and dormant are quite different, and I'd kind of like to know which it is! Either way, it's beautiful. But I do find it odd that the playground is situated in the same direction as the volcano. Makes me wonder if someone at Portland Parks & Rec doesn't like kids very much.


So now I'm off to the next state, and JoanMarie and Isaiah are back home in California. But we'll be back in Oregon very soon, I'm sure!

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Walking through the airport, I couldn't help comparing what I saw to my stereotype before ever setting foot here. For example, the chairs available to watch planes land and take off made me think, "That's so Vermont!"


Where did my stereotype of the Green Mountain State come from? From watching and loving this show in the 80s.


Even though the show about the inn run by Dick and Joanna was filmed in a studio, it was supposed to be set in Vermont, and the outside establishing shots of the inn were from a real Vermont inn. Even though it required driving an hour through snow to get there, I had to go there!


Yep, this was the place.


I drove an hour back to Burlington, and my tummy was growling, so I grabbed some yummy spaghetti and walked around (briskly!) in the negative-degree weather. It was so beautiful, even late at night, I couldn't just sit in a hotel and stare at generic hotel walls.


This is an ice sculpture, of which there were many around downtown. This one, if you lick it, actually has a hint of chocolate. I don't know if people are supposed to lick it, but how often do you have the chance to lick a Lake Champlain Chocolates ice sculpture?


No, I didn't really lick it. That would be too weird even for me. But seriously, that would be cool if they mixed a little chocolate into the ice.

This is the second time the people who stayed in a hotel room before me were so frickin' hilarious that they set the alarm for some random middle of the night time.

Ha.

Frickin'.

Ha.

That tweaked my sleep just enough that I woke up five minutes before I was supposed to leave for Burlington High School. Luckily, my hair takes about as long to sculpt as it took you to read that first "Ha" above.

Upon entering the auditorium were filled out #ReasonsWhyYouMatter notecards, wristbands, and books. Three of my favorite things!


...and it was my turn to speak to these beautiful people!


I loved all of the positive and thought provoking messages throughout this school.


And the flags hanging in the cafeteria depicted all of the nationalities represented by the students. It's a wonderful thing to see a school recognizing and celebrating its diversity.


What didn't I see in Vermont this time? Colored leaves on trees. The Ben and Jerry's factory. The Vermont Teddy Bear factory. The Rokeby Museum of the Underground Railroad. The Christmas Loft. And so many maple-making and cheese-making tours...with samples!

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