Writing is hard. It’s hard even when life is going smoothly, when your kids are in school and happy, when your finances are secure, when you have a support system/beta readers/great computer. When you’re not being chased by a pandemic or a fraught political and social climate. But now…WRITING IS HARD. So, if you are… Read more »
The Writing Life
Stay the Course
Writerly Craft Advice: September
As promised, I will continue to write about the craft of writing, and share those essays with you. They appear over on Medium, and when I can I’ll post the free-to-read link. If you like what you read there, will you please give it a “clap”? Thanks! World-building This article is the first by my… Read more »
A Change-Up
Dear Dedicated Readers… I’m changing a bit of what I share on this blog. As you may know, I love to write about the craft of writing. I have lots of thoughts – hopefully helpful! I also love to host other authors here, share favorite book lists, and other fun stuff. Recently I became a… Read more »
New Author Visits For New Times
Teachers, librarians, and parents of homeschooled kids – I’ve revised my “Speaking” page to reflect the fact that I won’t be traveling for a while. I hope you’ll check out my offerings to breathe a little “authorly” depth into your school program. It seems that life has changed for us all, and isn’t going to… Read more »
Books Have Never Been More Essential
Books are essential. I’ve always felt this way. I was an avid reader as a kid – it was a family joke. If I couldn’t be found it was because I was hiding with my “nose in a book”. I’ve wanted to be a writer since third grade, when my teacher sent a poem I’d… Read more »
We Can Change the World*
Last week I wrote about how artists struggle to work in the face of something terrible like this global pandemic. This week I want to write about a broader artistic issue. And don’t worry, I’ll get back to the minutiae of craft soon! But the world feels too…big right now. So please forgive my “big”… Read more »
Out of Balance
When things are so out of balance, what happens to creativity? And what is the role of the artist? On the Edge of Nowhere Nothing like this pandemic has happened in our lifetime. In our country, 9-11 is the closest we can come to such social upheaval, or New Orleans after Katrina in the way… Read more »
Post The Apocalypse
These are tough times. Not happy times. We worry for ourselves, our loved ones, the world. It feels like yesterday, the anticipation of baseball. The blossoms on the cherry trees, the joy of being together outside, at parties. It feels like a million years ago. We are all trying to do our part, and I’ve… Read more »
Writing Dreams Do Come True
I’m very excited to be able to reveal the cover of my next book, THE ARTIFACT HUNTERS, which will launch August 25 from Viking. This middle-grade novel is a companion to THE CHARMED CHILDREN OF ROOKSKILL CASTLE, with a different protagonist (though some of the same characters). I’m excited for this story to reach the… Read more »
Thanks – Giving
Serious studies of late (here’s one) suggest that expressing gratitude can make you feel happier and improve physical and emotional health. So many people I know are feeling sad, or mad, and the world at large feels fractured and splintered and polarized. It’s hard to counteract negativity in the abstract (even harder when it’s a… Read more »