>>>
>>> YOUR
>>> YOUR BOOKS ARE THE FIRST OPPORTUNITY WHERE THE CHILDREN
FIND FIRST IN READING.
I WONDER HOW THAT FEELS.
>> I LOVE MY FANS AND MY
READERS.
READERS.
READERS. >> OVER THE WEEKEND WHERE PEOPLE
CAN MEET BOTH OF YOU.
BUT SPECIF+@ICAL+@LY ONE OF YOUR
BOOKS ONE OF THE MOST POPULAR IS
BEING ADAP+@TED TO A FULL ON STE
PRODUCTION.
PRODUCTION. AND WILL YOU'RE INVOLVED WIT+@H
THE MUSIC, THE LYRICS AND ALL OF
THAT.
THAT.
THAT. >>
THAT. >> THE BOOK AND LYRICS.
+@WE HAVE A WONDERFUL COMPOSER
RANDY COURTS WHO WE WORK ON WITH
QUITE A NUMBER OF SHOWS +@AND HS
WIFE WAS A FABULOUS PLAY WRITE.
>> SO THIS IS A GHOST TALE FOR
MANY DICKENS AND YOU'VE SEEN IT
IN SMALLER FORMS AND IN
DIFFERENT WAYS.
DIFFERENT WAYS. BUT YOU BOTH WILL BE SITTING IN
THIS AUDIENCE TONIGHT WATCHING
THIS CAST AND CREW FOR THE +@VEY
FIRST TIME DO A FULL PRODUCTION.
YOU'VE PUT A LOT OF FAITH IN
THEM.
THEM.
THEM. >>
THEM. >> WE'RE GETTING WORDS THAT
WE'RE WONDERFUL.
WE'RE WONDERFUL. >> AND WE'RE SEEING SOME OF+@ IT
RIGHT HERE HOW WONDERFUL THIS
IS.
IS.
IS. I
IS. I WANT TO GET JUST A LITTLE
PERSONAL IF YOU DON'T MIND.
I WANTED TO KNOW IF YOUR
RELATIONSHIP WAS IT BORN OUT OF
AN INTEREST IN CHILDREN'S
WRITING AND STORY TELLING OR HAS
IT EVOLVED THAT WAY OVER THE
YEARS.
YEARS.
YEARS. HAVE YOU ADAPTED+@ EACH OTHER.
>> I FIRST SAW WILL WHEN HE WAS
ON THE STAGE AT PORTS THEATER IN
DC IN A MUSICAL AND I FELL IN
LOVE ON THE BALCONY AND THAT WAS
42 YEARS AGO AND AS I WAS+@
WRITING CHILDREN'S BOOKS HE WAS
PERFORMING IN NEW YORK AND
EVENTUALLY WHEN WE WERE MARRIED
WE B+@EGAN WORKING TOGETHER AND
IT'S BEEN A FABULOUS
PARTNERSHIP.
PARTNERSHIP. >> DID YOU IMMEDIATELY, WILL,
SEE THE MAGIC IN HER WRITING IN
HER BOOKS AND THE IMPACT IT WAS
HAVING ON CHILDREN?
>> OH, YE+@AH.
IT WAS PROBABLY AFTER THE FIRST
NINE OR TEN BOOKS AND PARENTS
WOULD COME UP WITH THEIR EYES
AGLOW BECAUSE HER BOOKS TAUGHT
ONE OF THEIR CHILDREN TO READ OR
ALL OF THE CHILDREN TO READ ASK
SO WE REALIZED THE BOOKS WERE
HAVING AN IMPACT OUT INTO THE
WORLD.
WORLD.
WORLD. AS
WORLD. AS OPPOSED TO PROBABLY SOME OF
THE PROJECTS YOU WERE INVOLVED
IN.
IN.
IN. >>+@
IN. >>+@ I SORT OF BACKED INTO WRITG
AND I'D WRITTEN PLAYS AND RANDY
OF COURSE THE COMPOSER CREATED A
BIG MUSICAL BASED ON ANOTHER
BOOK THAT TOURED THE WHOLE
COUNTRY AND WE DECIDED IT WOULD
BE A GOOD IDEA THAT OTHER
MUSICA+@LS THAT CHILDREN COUL+@D
PERFORM THEMSELVES AND A NUMBER
OF THOSE EX+@PANDED SO THAT A FL
PROFESSIONAL CAST CAN DO THEM.
>> I'M FASCINATED WITH YOUR
FIRST BOOK.
FIRST BOOK. HURRICANE HEROES IN TE+@XAS.
IT'S SET IN GALVESTON IN 1900
WHICH IS A STORM OF GREAT PRO
PORTION.
PORTION.
PORTION. HISTORIC PRO PORTION.
>> AND YOU +@WERE WRITING THIS D
ALMOST DONE WRITING IT WHEN
HURRI+@CANE+@ HARVEY HIT.
SECOND ONLY PROBAB+@LY WE COULD
+@
+@ SAY
+@ SAY TO
+@ SAY TO THAT STORM.
>> FOR SURE IN MANY WAYS IT WAS.
I WAS HORRIFIED AT FIRST.
I THOUGHT HOW CAN I PUT A BOOK
OUT ON THIS SUBJECT.
BUT THEN I REALIZED THERE+@ WAS
OUT ON THIS SUBJECT. BUT THEN I REALIZED THERE+@ WASA
WAY TO HELP CHILDREN THROUGH
THESE THINGS BY SHIFTING MY
FOCUS A LITTLE TO THE HEROISM.
I WAS SEEING THAT ON TV.
>> SO YOU WERE THINKING I CAN'T
PUT A BOOK OUT ABOUT A HURRICANE
WHEN A REAL DISASTER IS
HAPPENING BUT THEN THE REAL
DISASTER WAS A TEACHABLE MOMENT.
YOU WENT BACK AND ADAPTED TO
THEMES THAT+@ CHILDREN WERE
EXPERIENCING AND SAYING.
>> AND THEY WERE TRUE OF TEXAS.
WHAT MY EXPERIENCE WAS IN
GALVESTON.
GALVESTON. 12,000 PROBABL+@Y LOST BUT THE
HEROISM +@OF THE PEOPLE IN
GALVESTON WAS JUST LIKE THE
PEOPLE IN HOUSTON.
>> AND IT ALSO BECOMES AN
INTERESTING WAY AND AN IMPORTANT
MECHANISM TO BE ABLE TO TALK TO
CHILDREN ABOUT THE REAL +@IMAGES
THEY'RE SEEING ON THE NEWS
WHETHER THEY LIVE IN HOUSTON OR
NOT.
NOT.
NOT. >>
NOT. >> THAT AND I ALSO BELIEVE
CHILDREN IN ALL SITUATIONS CAN
BE HEROIC THEMSELVES.
THEY'RE NOT JUST VICTIMS.
THEY CAN HELP THEIR PARENTS AND
SCHOOLS.
SCHOOLS.
SCHOOLS. >> AND SADLY IN AN ERA WHERE
WE'RE SEEING MASS SHOOTINGS AND
NATURAL DISASTERS.
NATURAL DISASTERS. SO PEOPLE CAN MEET YOU, ASK
QUESTIONS.
QUESTIONS. WE WANT TO LET YOU +@KNOW HOW YU
CAN GET TICKETS FOR TODAY'S
EVENT.
EVENT.
EVENT. THOSE TICKETS ARE ABOUT $21 A
PERSON.
PERSON.
PERSON. EVERYONE GETS WITH THIS.
TWO BOOKS, HURRICANE HEROES IN
DEFENDANT'S EXHIBIT.
DEFENDANT'S EXHIBIT. AND THE COMPANION -- TEXAS AND
THE COMPANION.
THE COMPANION. TWO SHOWS OF GH+@OST TALE FOR
MR. DICKENS AND DALLAS
CHILDREN'S THEATER TOMORROW AT
1:30 AND 4:30+@.
EVERYONE WITH A TICKET CAN COME
BEFORE THE SHOW.
THOSE ARE FIRST COME, FIRST
SERVED.
SERVED.
+@
+@ WE
+@ WE DIDN'T SAY OZZY OSBOURNES.
CO+@NGRATULATIONS WITH ALL OF