Janet Fox

This is the first post in a planned series on aspects of my debut YA novel FAITHFUL. If you haven’t read it, here’s the skinny: In 1904 Margaret Bennet has it all – money, position, and an elegant family home in Newport, Rhode Island. But just as she is to enter society, her mother ruins everything, first… Read more »

Yes, I know. It’s summer. You are lounging on a beach, or hiking in the mountains, or fishing a great creek, or…or…anything except writing. Goals are not on your mind. I’m not here to jerk you away from a much-needed rest! I’m just here to inspire you so that when September rolls around (and it… Read more »

If you’ve browsed my website in the past you’ll know that in my Fox’s Den I’m creating a series of links to helpful tips for writers, readers, teachers, and librarians. Over the next few months, I’ll be adding to those files. Many are downloadable pdfs. Here’s what I have there so far: For writers –… Read more »

In this moment when diversity is finally getting the attention it deserves, and publishers and readers are discovering books that represent diverse cultures, I’d like to make mention of young adult novels that feature cross-cultural and/or interracial relationships. My interest in the subject stems from my own work. In my backstory construct of FORGIVEN, I… Read more »

Drum roll…………I am over the moon about the cover for my debut middle grade novel, THE CHARMED CHILDREN OF ROOKSKILL CASTLE, out March 15, 2016, from Viking. Here it is:   And here’s the blurb: Something is not right at Rookskill Castle, a rundown Scottish manor shrouded in mystery. The castle is a temporary boarding… Read more »

In conjunction with my posts about San Francisco in 1906, the setting of my novel FORGIVEN – and particularly for those wonderful librarians heading to ALA San Francisco – I’m running a giveaway for hard copies…and a freebie on ebook copies! Now you’ll know what to read on the plane – FORGIVEN, after all, is… Read more »

In April 1906, following the great earthquake (for more on the earthquake, see my previous post), numerous fires broke out all over the city of San Francisco. The city had recently installed gas and water mains, and these ruptured during the quake, so the combination of explosive gas and no water made for a volatile… Read more »

As you saw in my previous post, Enrico Caruso experienced a devastating earthquake. At 5:12 on the morning of April 18, 1906, San Francisco was rocked by an earthquake estimated now to have been of magnitude 7.8 (the Richter scale was yet to be instituted; this magnitude is the same as the recent initial Tibetan… Read more »

In the climactic chapters of FORGIVEN, Kula, along with other wealthy patrons, spends an evening at the opera and hears Enrico Caruso perform. It was to be his last performance in San Francisco, and her last night of stability. Enrico Caruso (1873-1921) was an Italian tenor who captivated the world with his voice. He lived… Read more »

In FORGIVEN, after Kula’s rude introduction to San Francisco’s meaner streets (as described in my last post), she finds her way to the home of her future benefactor. Here’s how she describes it: “Turrets and towers, porches and balconies…these only began to describe what looked like a confection of furbelows and curlicues and fancies.” Before… Read more »