DITCHED: A LOVE STORY, by Robin Mellom

I'm really excited to feature DITCHED: A LOVE STORY, by Robin Mellom that debuted this week! Synopsis, from Goodreads: High school senior Justina Griffith was never the girl who dreamed of going to prom. Designer dresses and strappy heels?…

The Dangers of Overstructuring

I had an interesting discussion with a coworker this morning about classically trained musicians versus musicians who improvise. As an improvisational musician, he told me how astonished he was at how uncomfortable his classically trained friends…

What Teens Are Reading

The article I wrote a few months back, the one I mentioned in this November 2011 post is now published in this month's issue of School Library Journal! (It's entitled "What Teens are Reading: a librarian's informal survey uncovers the hottest…

SOMEONE ELSE’S FAIRYTALE, by E.M. Tippetts

I'm very happy to feature SOMEONE ELSE'S FAIRYTALE, by E.M. Tippetts (she also writes science fiction under the name Emily Mah). She's the first writer I know of who, in addition to writing and jewelry making, maintains two blogs-- one under…

2012: Dispelling Old Ideas and Trying New Things

Congtatulations to Bibliotropic, last week's commenter and winner of  THE BOOK OF LOST SOULS!And now, on with the blog...The longer I've been writing, the more I've had to change my perceptions about the process. The nice thing about the New…

THE BOOK OF LOST SOULS, by Michelle Muto

THE BOOK OF LOST SOULS, the first in the Ivy MacTavish series, provides a unique twist on YA paranormal fiction. While the book looks very dark, it is actually quite humorous and fun. I hope to see more books that aren't afraid to tickle…

Why Plotting Works

Some lingo I've picked up recently is "plotting" vs. "pantsing". A plotter outlines plot points and character sketches from start to finish before the novel is written, while a pantser, for lack of a better phrase, "flies by the seat of their…

Larkstorm, by Dawn Rae Miller

Today's YA book feature is Larkstorm, by Dawn Rae Miller.From Goodreads: "In the years following the destructive Long Winter, when half the world’s population perished, the State remains locked in battle against the Sensitives: humans born…

Promotional Avenues For Your Writing

One of the biggest challenges in writing, other than the writing itself, is how to make your content marketable and sellable to others (how else will your book get an audience, after all?). This is something I've run into while preparing to…

The Fallen Queen, by Jane Kindred

The Fallen Queen, by Jane Kindred, has such a fantastic premise that I had to share. Its great-looking cover also allowed me an opportunity to finally test posting pictures to my blog:Here's the premise, from Goodreads:  "Heaven can go…