nna Lind Thomas— writer, mom, Bellevue West graduate, and creator of the HaHas for HooHas website— earned her first bit of internet fame 10 years ago by sharing a particularly embarrassing story most people would have buried deep down and developed some kind of coping mechanism to deal with. As a humor writer, Thomas has no problem sharing such anecdotes with anyone online.
Thomas was working at California State University at Chico as a residential director when she met Rob. She was getting her master’s degree in interpersonal communication, and he was stationed at Beale Air Force Base. They met through match. com. Thomas said online dating was exactly what she’d expected at first—a disaster. She said every man who “winked” at her was in their 60s. “They were all in a camper trailer—I don’t know why,” she said. “And they were like, ‘I know I’m not in your age range, darlin’, but you’re gorgeous. Let me take you out for a beer.’” She stopped logging on. On the last day of the free trial, she got a reminder that the trial was ending. She logged on again, saw Rob, and sent him a message with her email address. He emailed right away to ask her out to dinner, and literary history was made. Well, viral internet history at the very least. “The fart story makes people like, laugh until they cry,” Thomas said. “I don’t know why.”
very good, and when she went home that day, Thomas told her mom she was going to be a published author. With the help of her agent, Erin Niumata, and her editor, Julie Baumgartner, she is. “Anna loves writing,” Baumgartner said. “She wants to hone her craft, she embraces even the smallest writing suggestion or editing tip, and I’m watching her skills take off.” Besides getting to watch primetime soap operas, being the baby had other perks. Thomas said she was bullied a lot as a child, but because she was so loved at home, the hurt feelings didn’t last. She already knew she was important. “I mean, you might hurt my feelings, but at the end of the day…I’m the baby and I’m adored and there’s nothing you can really say to change that,” she said.
22
20
MARCH
Thomas farted on a first date. Not a dainty, easily glossedover fart, either. It was a silent A story she finds funnier took place years later killer. “It was…so bad,” she while she was pregnant with Poppy. Thomas added that her parents’ hersaid. “And I started screamitage and temperament also helped ing, ‘Roll down the window!’ They were moving, and her parents were shape her humor and writing style. I pulled on the windows. I helping, because, as she put it, “I’m, like, Her dad is Swedish, and her mom tried to roll down the window, really pregnant, totally sprawled out… is Sicilian. “It’s really funny because but it’s locked…I’m flying cankles roaring.” Swedes are fairly unemotional—weird at the window as if I’m when it comes to emotion,” she said. being kidnapped.” “Sicilians are like, filled with passion.” Yet she attributes her sense of humor “I’M LIKE REALLY This gassy story has a happy to her dad—“He is outrageous”—and ending, though. The man her interest in writing to her mom. PREGNANT, TOTALLY Thomas screamed at is now “She was very, very good.” her husband, Rob, who took SPRAWLED OUT… that date in stride. These Thomas thinks the struggles people days, the couple and their go through make the best stories. CANKLES ROARING.” two daughters, Lucy, 7, and “It’s what we tell our grandchildren, Poppy, 5, go through all it’s what things we overcome,” she -ANNA LIND THOMAS hardships and embarrasssaid. “I don’t think it should be ments as a family. And avoided, I think it should be leaned Thomas writes it all down, A mover dropped a box labeled “marital into…And if you were to keep and many of them appear items” at the feet of her parents. Suddenly your sense of humor, even better. in her books We’ ll Laugh there’s a rattling noise. “My husband and You’re going to have a great story to About This (Someday), I lock eyes. Because we realize what it is, tell, and in a way that encourages which came out in fall and I grit my teeth and I’m like, ‘get it, other people.” 2021, and I’m Not Ready get it.’” Long story short, her husband for This, set to publish did not get it. Her mom opened the box, That’s what she tries to do with her this spring. her dad could not understand what was writing, and so far it’s working. going on, and Thomas is still hoping “That’s the thing about that story makes it into a book. According to Baumgartner, “The writers,” she said, “We sophistication and depth of meaning really do have an advanHer flair for storytelling started early. in her second book really makes this tage. We almost like She recalls writing a “hilariously editor proud.” bad things that happen dramatic” story for a class. “I think, to us because we get to because I was the baby of the family, Visit annalindthomas.com for write about it.” my parents let me like, hang around more information. when they were watching Dallas or something,” she said with a laugh. Her teacher told her the story was 0
/ A PRIL 2
