tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post7812401520971016921..comments2024-03-28T07:27:17.868-04:00Comments on Jungle Red Writers: Tale from the OUT file: An encounter with SynanonJungle Red Writershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16646429819267618412noreply@blogger.comBlogger29125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-57668046341266854192015-03-02T23:24:36.225-05:002015-03-02T23:24:36.225-05:00Karen, my wheelchair races didn't last long. ...Karen, my wheelchair races didn't last long. I think we got caught after a couple of times. I was allowed to remain a candy striper after a stern warning. Now, it was much later, when I was in college, at that same hospital that I spent some time in the medical students room with a guy doing a bit of kissing and lost one of my sister's earrings in the process.Kathy Reelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17004247271452356577noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-19037705860373217302015-03-02T17:21:18.563-05:002015-03-02T17:21:18.563-05:00Linda, I was very lucky that I had supportive pare...Linda, I was very lucky that I had supportive parents who always believed the best of me. I shudder to think of the outcome if I hadn't.<br /><br />And I was always a bit of an observer, which I imagine helped protect me from the worst excesses:-) <br /><br />Hallie, I agree with Julia. A short story, at the least!Deborah Crombiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16988750789088153601noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-82179072588284116892015-03-02T16:58:18.895-05:002015-03-02T16:58:18.895-05:00Hurray for the starred review, Hallie! And what a ...Hurray for the starred review, Hallie! And what a powerful scene! I think you've got another book here.<br /><br />For a while, I was afraid to comment on this post because everyone was so good. Then, thank heavens, dear Debs kicks in. I was the kid from the dysfunctional home everyone keeps mentioning. I hitchhiked to California and was staying in crash pads in Haight Ashbury before I was seventeen. Like Debs, a lot of my friends from that time never made it. I was lucky.Linda Rodriguezhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11913741596693442469noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-41782676488103707772015-03-02T16:03:26.259-05:002015-03-02T16:03:26.259-05:00Kait, it's amazing that teenagers survive... s...Kait, it's amazing that teenagers survive... scary knowing that when you have a kid that age and recognize what they can get up to.<br /><br />Thanks, Julia! Really, I'm grinning.<br /><br />Did you get to play the part?? Did you bring up your math grade?? Curious minds...Hallie Ephronhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04759439029582054503noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-78452037997372829262015-03-02T15:34:31.622-05:002015-03-02T15:34:31.622-05:00Hallie,
This scene screams to be, at the very lea...Hallie,<br /><br />This scene screams to be, at the very least, a short story. Your writing is so visceral, it made me anxious while reading it!<br /><br />As for me, I was remarkably un-sketchy as a teen, at least while I was in high school. I think about the worst thing I ever did was sneak into an audition for the upcoming school play when my parents had grounded me from drama (I was failing math and had to bring my grades up before I could do activities.)<br /><br />Then I got a part and had to confess all. Still gives me cold sweats when I think about it.Juliahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09553268569509053159noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-39978889052242873202015-03-02T14:23:22.646-05:002015-03-02T14:23:22.646-05:00That is chilling, I always wondered what went on i...That is chilling, I always wondered what went on in those games. Now I'm glad I never went! I was a risk taker, you don't even want to know some of the things I got up to in my terrible teens (and remarkably never got caught). I too was a candy-striper. Do they still have those? Worked at a tiny hospital where they taught us to deliver babies and suture. Said in an emergency, everyone would need to pitch in. Yep, it was before suing became a cross between hobby and blood sport.<br /><br />Mega congrats on the stared review!Kaithttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07758348842858993203noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-71594225847598930522015-03-02T13:51:37.935-05:002015-03-02T13:51:37.935-05:00Oh, my, you were all so squeaky clean that I am no...Oh, my, you were all so squeaky clean that I am not even going to begin to confess the things I got up to, starting from my early teens. I think it's only due to a strong sense of self-preservation that I didn't end up in terrible trouble. Many friends didn't make it out of their teens and early twenties... I can say that a misspent youth sure makes you worry about your own kids when they are that age!<br /><br />Hallie, what a chilling scene! And what an awful thing, to manipulate vulnerable kids that way. I wonder if there is another book in that somewhere...<br /><br />And congrats on the fabulous starred review!! Very well deserved!!Deborah Crombiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16988750789088153601noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-13394034069196498182015-03-02T12:05:37.071-05:002015-03-02T12:05:37.071-05:00Hallie, I'm so afraid that both Joelen and Mar...Hallie, I'm so afraid that both Joelen and Mary Rose came to bad ends. But I hope not. <br /><br />Kathy Reel, I was a candy-striper, too, but did not dare do anything like race wheelchairs. However, some more adventurous classmates who also volunteered at the hospital did some major flirting in Spanish to the Cuban guys painting the halls. They were very nearly way over their heads, too! Karen in Ohionoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-37293997406804871792015-03-02T11:48:40.414-05:002015-03-02T11:48:40.414-05:00Oh my, we are an innocent bunch.
Karen in O we a...Oh my, we are an innocent bunch. <br /><br />Karen in O we are once again attached at the hip. My "Joelen" is based on a wild friend I had, also from a dysfunctional family. Introduced me to cigarettes, hitchhiking, boys... Her dad owned furniture stores and their living room had NO furniture in it. She was lovely but very needy, and I've often wondered how she fared because she moved away after 8th grade.Hallie Ephronhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04759439029582054503noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-64600811783905557672015-03-02T11:40:38.120-05:002015-03-02T11:40:38.120-05:00Taking a vulnerable teen and tearing her apart see...Taking a vulnerable teen and tearing her apart seems like the worst possible type of therapy, especially when the repairing of that destruction was not within reach. I really got into your story, Hallie, and I wanted to reach out and grab Raoul and shake him. I'd say you have the makings of a great book in this story and your experiences with these "games."<br /><br />Congratulations on your starred review! Having read Night, Night and loved it, I know how well-deserved the review is. Everyone is in store for an amazing treat with this book.<br /><br />Sketchiest activity for me in high school was probably having wheelchair races as a candy striper or sneaking friends into the drive-in movie via the car's trunk. Kathy Reelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17004247271452356577noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-29112916922335877632015-03-02T11:18:26.329-05:002015-03-02T11:18:26.329-05:00Correction: And I never managed to get caught agai...Correction: And I never managed to get caught again!!<br /><br />(Need more coffee...)Deb Romanonoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-37381371687660995092015-03-02T11:17:19.846-05:002015-03-02T11:17:19.846-05:00My big "rebellion" in high school was to... My big "rebellion" in high school was to not bother putting covers on my textbooks in my senior year. I got called to the principal's office because of it, and was told that I was setting a bad example for the younger students. I said I'd put covers on my books, but never bothered to, and found ways to hide them under notebooks so none of the teachers could see the coverless books. For squeaky clean ME, that was HUGE! (And I never managed to never get caught again.)<br /><br />I can't wait to read that book, Hallie!Deb Romanonoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-90404208992576887422015-03-02T11:14:00.695-05:002015-03-02T11:14:00.695-05:00Congratulations on your starred review - I cannot ...Congratulations on your starred review - I cannot wait!!!<br /><br />And this - wow. just. wow. Chilling, yes. and oh so powerful.<br /><br />Sketchy activities in my teens? I was a good kid in high school and really through college. It wasn't until I got to Atlanta in 1968 that I finally ran amuck. And oh laws, it was so fun!<br /><br />Kaye Wilkinson Barley - Meanderings and Museshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07486129009717476920noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-45461470221012269792015-03-02T10:55:31.001-05:002015-03-02T10:55:31.001-05:00Congrats on the review, Hallie.
I've seen the...Congrats on the review, Hallie.<br /><br />I've seen the real-life version of that excerpt. Yeah, not pretty.<br /><br />I was also squeaky clean in my youth. I once filched a beer at a picnic. Tasted horrible. Dumped it after one sip. Turns out my father saw me and let me learn on my own. =)Liz Millironhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04919409969263609919noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-49226517547300490272015-03-02T10:30:43.588-05:002015-03-02T10:30:43.588-05:00Such a powerful scene, Hallie. So much tension!
...Such a powerful scene, Hallie. So much tension! <br /><br />The sketchiest thing I ever did in high school was to cut school once, with an older girl. Her family was dysfunctional in a very different way than mine, and I was fascinated by her. She and her brother were real siblings, but adopted by their parents, who were both massively obese, the largest human beings in our town of Hamilton, Ohio. Her father had to sit feet from the table to accommodate his enormous girth. <br /><br />Mary Rose was a rebel, completely ignored by her parents, and she always picked boys who were even wilder than she was. We spent the day riding around in a car with some older guys, everyone smoking except me. Our friendship cooled soon after that day, probably because I was too square to be much fun. <br /><br />I wonder what ever happened to her? Karen in Ohionoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-16812188201321104612015-03-02T10:22:33.903-05:002015-03-02T10:22:33.903-05:00I agree with Susan - this was chilling. Even as a...I agree with Susan - this was chilling. Even as an adult, I wouldn't have been able to withstand something like that. I was way, way too insecure as a teen. And never got up to any highjinks of any kind. Was the oldest child and a good little girl in all respects. Guess that still pretty much describes me. Whew! And on another note...<br /><br />I'm using NIGHT NIGHT, SLEEP TIGHT as my anticipated book for a Wednesday meme this week. Can't wait!Kayhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13495669354860191042noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-45095460252037576752015-03-02T09:50:45.876-05:002015-03-02T09:50:45.876-05:00Wow, Hallie. How awful that you went through this ...Wow, Hallie. How awful that you went through this in your teens. I was so insecure that something like that would have crushed me.<br /><br />The most questionable activity I got up to was raiding the drinks cabinet at a friends house and trying every combination of spirits and mixes. (never liked gin ever since I threw up afterward)Rhysnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-20519222655526598362015-03-02T09:27:31.506-05:002015-03-02T09:27:31.506-05:00I'm so delighted. Hallie, to hear about your s...I'm so delighted. Hallie, to hear about your starred review. I'm looking forward to Night Night, Sleep Tight!<br /><br />This outfile excerpt is chilling. <br /><br />Teenagers are so wonderfully open to new experiences, which is precisely what makes them so vulnerable to creeps looking to take advantage of the adolescent instinct to hide involvement in exploits that are on the edge of danger. <br /><br />Lots to mine there, all right.<br /><br />Brenda Buchananhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14161539130987122737noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-8920803273956949362015-03-02T09:25:01.680-05:002015-03-02T09:25:01.680-05:00Thanks, Lucy. Yeah, it could be a terrific scene i...Thanks, Lucy. Yeah, it could be a terrific scene in a book. But what's the book about?<br /><br />Edith's "murder at Synanon" ... I'd set it at their amazing beach house in Santa Monica which is now the hotel Casa Del Mar. I hung out on their beach and went to a number of talks there with movie stars in the audience (Natalie Wood). The founder Chuck Dederich was charismatic, a la L. Ron Hubbard. Hallie Ephronhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04759439029582054503noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-22595001965977261552015-03-02T09:19:55.823-05:002015-03-02T09:19:55.823-05:00Yeah, Hallie! And the book is so good!
Ellen --I ...Yeah, Hallie! And the book is so good! <br />Ellen --I love that idea about the subway stops! Oh, what a great thing.…I am captivated. Hank Phillippi Ryanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17420701704169428286noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-54793972330356103612015-03-02T09:14:03.039-05:002015-03-02T09:14:03.039-05:00I so agree, FChurch... power is a heady thing. I so agree, FChurch... power is a heady thing. Hallie Ephronhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04759439029582054503noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-59411146547154852452015-03-02T09:11:34.469-05:002015-03-02T09:11:34.469-05:00Edith, I imagine you as a real free sprit of the d...Edith, I imagine you as a real free sprit of the decade, once you got unleashed!Hallie Ephronhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04759439029582054503noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-75203293995685032852015-03-02T09:03:16.791-05:002015-03-02T09:03:16.791-05:00That's an interesting quote Ellen, but maybe i...That's an interesting quote Ellen, but maybe it could also be where you'd fall if you did step over?<br /><br />Don't throw that excerpt away Hallie! and big congrats on the starred review.Lucy Burdette aka Roberta Isleibhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04660402177299546055noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-77255227754275024562015-03-02T08:51:20.423-05:002015-03-02T08:51:20.423-05:00What an interesting out-take. And the beginning o...What an interesting out-take. And the beginning of a pretty powerful story, I'd guess. <br /><br />Until I went away to college at 17, the diciest thing I ever did was to sit in a diner booth with a friend, drinking coffee and smoking her cigarettes, while we mooned about our crushes (who may or may not have known we existed). <br /><br />Once at college, I still had no idea how to be "bad," and the scariest thing I did (without knowing it was scary) was to get on the subway every Saturday and get off at a different stop just to see what was there (and a lot of it was closed on the weekends). <br /><br />I did go out to the West End (local bar/hang-out) the night before election day my sophomore year (I was 18 and legally allowed to drink, and we had no classes the next day). I set out to get drunk, accomplished my goal, was violently ill, and have never done it since. <br /><br />Some of us rarely, if ever, step over the edge, because we have no idea where the edge is. Ellen Knoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-22386277864675088572015-03-02T08:42:48.058-05:002015-03-02T08:42:48.058-05:00Hallie — that was chilling. Hallie — that was chilling. Susan Elia MacNealhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00349842866995778987noreply@blogger.com