Are You an Author?

Yesterday in school, a student asked me this question, "Are you an author?"We were talking about reading and authors and writing and all sorts of things. 

With a few extra minutes at the end of class, students began asking me questions about myself. "What's your favorite color?" "What food do you like?""What's your favorite dessert?""What's your favorite kind of meat?" (Yes, I got that question. Haha, loved it!)

I love these questions because the answers connect us. When a student responds with, "Oh, I like chocolate chip cookies too!" it reminds me that we yearn for connection. 

Anyway...I got lots of these favorite questions when I heard one of my boys ask me this, "Are you an author? Have you written a book?" 

For a moment, I froze...scrunched my forehead to decide how to answer it and said, "I write. I'm working on a book. It's a book for middle schoolers, so maybe you guys could read parts and help me." 

I could tell he wasn't satisfied. I hadn't answered his question so I continued, "I guess it depends on what your idea of an author is. I write. I write a lot. I haven't published anything though. Do you have to be published to call yourself an author?" I asked these sweet faces. They adamantly shook their heads and said, "No, of course not!" 

Let's try it again..."Are you an author, Ms. Haseltine?" "Why yes I am."(Honest confession, it still feels like I shouldn't claim that title...but I'm working on it!)