Edits—they can be a drag. Sometimes, you work for hours only to improve a few pages. Other times, you do line-edits until you’re blue in the face—and you’re not even sure if they made the story better or not. So, what do you do if you end up in what I like to call the […]
So yeah–I know Neil Gaiman is a hero for a lot of people. But attending his book signing in Phoenix crystallized (at least for me) some reasons why. For starters, he’s been on a non-stop book tour of epic proportions the last few weeks. He doesn’t finish in until mid-July (and he’s going to Canada […]
Last year, I featured DITCHED: A LOVE STORY, by Robin Mellom, an awesome YA debut. Now, Robin has a middle grade series, The Classroom, and the second book in the series, THE CLASSROOM: STUDENT COUNCIL SMACKDOWN! will debut June 25. In 2012, a documentary crew descended upon Westside Middle School to detail the life of an […]
I hear from so many writers about how their blogs are collecting mothballs. “I’m too busy writing,” they say, apologies pouring out of their eyes and mouths. We all know they have nothing to apologize for. I’ve said it before–an online platform for writing is empty without the actual writing. But even my writing, as […]
I had a wonderful time at the Backspace Conference, and learned tons, which I’ll be sharing bit by bit as time unfolds. I also met a bunch of excellent writers who I was fortunate to spend time with. And there were so many important take-aways–especially having to do with craft. I realized what I thought […]
I’m happy to announce the winners of last week’s contest….Kimberly and Anne (Anne replied off list). Congratulations, ladies! Next week at this time, I will be in midtown Manhattan at the Backspace Writers’ Conference. So I’m going to keep the blog dark until at least the beginning of June so I can work on writerly […]
If you’re into realistic YA, Sara Zarr’s new book, THE LUCY VARIATIONS, is a must. Sara is a National Book Award Finalist, and her other books include STORY OF A GIRL, HOW TO SAVE A LIFE, and SWEETHEARTS. When I was fortunate enough to attend a workshop with her last year, I not only learned ways to […]
THE END GAMES by T. Michael Martin debuts next week on May 7! Hooray! I’ve pre-ordered it, and can’t wait for a copy. I’m also in the final revisions of a paranormal that has shaped itself into a horror, and I want to study good examples in that genre. It happened on Halloween. The world ended. And a […]
Last year, I featured UNRAVELING–an awesome YA science fiction thriller by Elizabeth Norris. I’m excited to announce that the sequel, UNBREAKABLE, just came out! I was lucky enough to get an ARC, and from what I’ve read so far, Liz does a great job of giving just enough detail about the first book to entice readers […]
I found Terri Clark on Twitter, and her books were so compelling that I immediately contacted her for an interview. You can keep up with Terri by following her on Facebook (facebook.com/terriclarkbooks), Twitter (twitter.com/terriclarkbooks) and her website, terriclarkbooks.com. Her latest release is HOLLYWEIRD. My best friend, Des, and I totally freaked when we won the contest […]