Fun Stuff

Edited to add: check out the links in the comments. We’re updating regularly! And if you are an author or illustrator looking to add to this list, please do comment or contact me. Thanks! Wow. What a world. I don’t know about you, but things are changing in my domain at a rapid clip. With… Read more »

Several years ago, the marketing guru Kirsten Cappy of Curious City had a wonderful idea – why not build a Halloween-themed website that will allow kids access to stories, and create printable downloads for folks to put into Trick or Treat bags? That site – Trick-or-Reaters – has taken off, and now, in a new… Read more »

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 »

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 »

Ok, yes, it’s February, and you’re probably already feeling guilty about those New Year’s resolutions. But in my view February is an even better month to change something up. The weather’s lousy, the kids are in school, the decorations are put away…and now nobody’s judging you. As creatives – or librarians or teachers or parents… Read more »

As our new group of middle grade authors who write spooky stories is about to launch our website – and come visit us at https://spookymiddlegrade.com/ – I’m finishing up our shared experiences with graveyards this week. I’ll only add that I’m still surprised to find myself writing such spooky/scary stuff, since I can’t watch spooky movies…. Read more »

I’d like to announce a giveaway as part of the launch of VOLCANO DREAMS. You MUST be a teacher or librarian to enter. The prizes include: 2 hardcover copies of VOLCANO DREAMS for your classroom/library A “Volcano-Making Kit” A hard copy of my teacher’s guide to VOLCANO DREAMS Bookmarks for all your students A Yellowstone… Read more »

Wolves. Humans have a complicated relationship with wolves. They may be ancestrally related to man’s best friend, the dog, but… Wolves are variously described as scary, beautiful, intelligent, cagey, dangerous, and fascinating. The gray wolf is the top predator in the Yellowstone ecosystem, and has been the bane of ranchers and farmers since Europeans first… Read more »

Every year the Writing and the Writing For Children and Young Adults programs of Vermont College of Fine Arts puts on an auction benefit. It’s an awesome collection of biddable items that benefit the school “supporting scholarships, residency events, alumni programs and initiatives. This year 100% of the auction proceeds will fund scholarships for students… Read more »