Janet Fox

Ready for Halloween? I grew up in a haunted house. Yup, really. Free-lance writer Sally Diamond has written a spooky-fun guest post on… Surviving the Night at a Haunted House Did you know that 45% of Americans believe in ghosts and haunted houses. Have you ever spent the night somewhere that felt creepy? Maybe something just didn’t… Read more »

What’s in a name? I’ve been thinking about names lately – character names, place names, book titles. Connotations are important. The right name can generate emotional responses, can elicit visceral reactions. When I was writing THE CHARMED CHILDREN OF ROOKSKILL CASTLE, I wanted to come up with a name for my castle, something that created… Read more »

Let’s talk stats Hopefully from the previous post you have a general idea of why most authors aren’t rich and what happens once a book is written. Here are a few more things I’d like to add. I’m going to be personally open and honest here, because I think it might be helpful for both… Read more »

Many times when I’m talking with folks who are not authors and have no connection to the world of publishing (other than reading – but, yay you readers!) I realize that the arcane publishing model is not understood. This isn’t surprising (note the word “arcane”). For one thing, most lay people think authors are rich,… Read more »

My Spooky Middle Grade friend Sarah Cannon has a new book coming on February 11, 2020, and we’re here to show you its full awesomeness!! Here’s the flap copy: Oklahoma, 1983: Eli has a dream. He’s going to be the next Stephen King, and he’s just created his best monster yet! Neha has a secret…. Read more »

Newbery-honor-winning and National Book Award finalist Kathi Appelt is not only an author whose work I admire, she’s also a wonderful person. I consider her a true friend and mentor (and I know I’m not alone) who is responsible for guiding my writing career from the very beginning. Kathi has two new books out, the compelling… Read more »

To celebrate the coming of summer and teachers and librarians everywhere, Curious City has put together a great new activity kit – and a giveaway – for my VOLCANO DREAMS: A STORY OF YELLOWSTONE. Here are the details: The giveaway for a copy of VOLCANO DREAMS (we have 35 to give!) runs until 5/28/19. To… Read more »

Hi everyone! Sally Diamond has written this piece – to inspire your ghostly writing – on tracking down those ghosts that haunt Yellowstone (yes, there are many spooky stories in the Park.) About Sally: “I spent over a decade working in web design before taking a step back to focus on home and family. These… Read more »

I’m truly delighted to be able to announce that VOLCANO DREAMS has been shortlisted for the Reading The West Award of the Mountains and Plains Independent Booksellers Association. The books on this list in all categories are stellar, so it’s particularly gratifying to find my debut picture book in such company. Voting is open to… Read more »

All that paper!! We are drowning in paper. Unwanted mail flyers (admittedly a lot better than it was right before the November election, but just wait a year), multiple catalogues, cards we can’t throw out, etc. etc. Here’s the good news. Paper is the most recyclable of all products. But the kicker is, we have… Read more »