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When Louise visited Ole Miss in Oxford, Mississippi, everyone thought she was there to serve as a John Grisham Visiting Writer. That was just a cover -- what really brought her to town was the chance for an intimate rendezvous with her literary idol, William Faulkner. The two authors spent a leisurely day together, while he showed her around Oxford and she soaked up as many southern writing secrets as she could. She's a Yankee, so she took lots of notes!
That was then. . .
After college, Louise discovered that a limited number of corporate employers were actively recruiting English Lit grads. Okay, she discovered that none of them were. So she got a summer job working as a waitress in Atlantic City (home of the diving horse!). One night, she spilled coffee on an elegantly dressed woman. Understandably, the customer was upset, literally hot under the collar. “You’ll pay for this!” she yelled, standing and walking out of the restaurant without finishing her meal. And without leaving a tip.
Louise decided two things that summer: First, she was a lousy waitress. And second, she wanted to write. She might not get rich, but at least, she wouldn’t have to pay other people’s dry cleaning bills.
This is now. . .
Louise has written over fifteen books for children, teenagers, and adults. She has received two New Jersey Writing Fellowships and the New Jersey Author's Award. Her books have earned Children's Book Council/ IRA Choices and YA Book of the Year nominations. She has lectured at schools, colleges and universities across the US, and is currently on the MFA faculty of the innovative Vermont College of Fine Arts.
Novels
Louise's most recent novel, The Vanishing Point (Houghton Mifflin), historical fiction about the Italian Renaissance painter, Lavinia Fontana, was a New York Public Library Best Books for the Teen Age and a Bank Street College pick. Waiting for Christopher (Candlewick Press) was listed in the Top Ten Books by Girl's Life magazine and selected as a New York Public Library Best Book for the Teen Age. Rosey in the Present Tense (Walker and Company Books) was nominated for the South Carolina YA Book of the Year. It also appeared on the Children's Book Council's post-September 11 Booklist on Trauma, Tragedy, and Loss and was named a Young Adult Library Services Association Popular Paperback.
Short Fiction
Short fiction by Louise is included in Prentice Hall's fiction text, The Reader Writes the Story, Canadian and World Fiction and in Simon & Schuster's best-selling anthology, Love and Sex, Ten Stories of Truth (Michael Cart, Editor). Other shorts are featured in the anthologies, Such a Pretty Face, published by Abrams, and Be Careful What You Wish For, a Scholastic Book Club selection.
SPECIAL NOTE: Speaking of short fiction, Louise's first picture book, Muti's Necklace, the Oldest Story in the World (Houghton Mifflin) has been "tested and approved" by kindergarten classes and young readers across the country! (Click the AUTHOR VISITS link and look under Study Guides for a handy list of projects and discussion starters for elementary school students.)
More
Last year saw the publication of Louise's adult short fiction in the collection, Anteaters Don't Dream (University Press of Mississippi). And just out is a collection of dark fairy tales, Black Pearls, a Faerie Strand (Houghton Mifflin, 2008). (See the NEWS link for upcoming readings and appearances.)
Louise, the mother of two grown children, lives in the Chapel Hill area of North Carolina. And, to answer the number one question she's asked when she visits schools, she does not know J. K. Rowling! (She's happy with just plain Bill J )
Interviews
For more information, we're proud to point you to the following interviews:
1. www.cynthialeitichsmith.com is author Cynthia Leitich Smith’s rich, informative site on all things writing. This site did a wonderful, in-depth interview with Louise, which you can read at http://cynthialeitichsmith.blogspot.com/2005/08/author-interview-louise-hawes-on.html
2. www.ecu.edu/nclr/ is the website of Eastern Carolina University's award-winning North Carolina Literary Review. This summer's issue features a review of Louise's adult short story collection, Anteaters Don't Dream University Press of Mississippi). There's a photo and some kind words. What more could an author ask?
3. http://wordswimmer.blogspot is where you'll find all manner of insightful essays and helpful interviews on the writing process. The inspiration behind this treasure trove is writer and teacher Bruce Black. His interview with Louise is available at http://wordswimmer.blogspot.com/2007/02/one-writers-process-louise-hawes.html
4. http://www.bylinemag.com is the home page of ByLine, "the best little writers' magazine in America." In April and June, 2007, Byline Columnist Liz Koehler Pentacoff interviewed Louise about her writing process and her historical novel, The Vanishing Point. While these articles are not available online, you can click the link above for subscription information or call (585) 355-8172 to purchase back issues.
5. http://community.livejournal.com/thru_the_booth/2008/04/23/ features a unique double interview with Louise and Kathi Appelt on picture books. Kathi, prolific author of dozens of picture books, talks about her biography of Lady Bird Johnson, and Louise discusses her first picture book, Muti's Necklace. This blog, created by a group of gifted grads of Vermont College, is full of invaluable information and inspiration for anyone writing for children.