Fun Stuff

Yes, I know – Halloween is over. But it does feel like this Halloween was even more of a needed treat than usual, doesn’t it? As a member of the Spooky Middle Grade authors group, I believe that kids love spooky books for good reason: learning how to be scared of things when you can… Read more »

I really love YouTube self-help videos. I’ve fixed the door latch on a microwave, figured out what was wrong with my dishwasher so I could tell the appliance guy what part to order, and decided which computer would be my next purchase. I also love Canva. I love design, and color – for me, playing… Read more »

I have some spiffy new bookplates! They’re small enough to fit on the book’s endpapers but large enough for really generous personalization. If you’ve bought any of my books and would like one of these, let me know with personalization details and I’ll get one out to you. And for Carry Me Home – I… Read more »

Simon and Schuster, publishers of Carry Me Home (coming August 24) invited me to make a short video with a writing prompt inspired by the novel. I chose to focus on the wish that my main character, Lulu, makes and how she uses the ancient Japanese art of origami to help with that wish. Here’s… Read more »

Today in the news: I heard an interesting report about a gene editing technique that has allowed scientists to alter retinal cells in nearly blind volunteers, with the hope that those altered cells will reverse the genetically induced blindness. Like you are probably thinking now, I thought, wow. Cool. A little freaky, but cool. A… Read more »

In my upcoming novel Carry Me Home (August 24, Simon & Schuster) my main character, Lulu, and her sister Serena and their dad live in a car. When dad disappears Lulu feels the pressure of taking care of herself and Serena, while keeping their predicament hidden. Lulu wants her dad to return, and she wants… Read more »

When my son (pen name K. MacCabe) was very young, Star Trek, Next Generation was in syndication and playing every night right at dinner prep time. That one-hour show became his thing, and I had the peace and quiet to get ready for the evening. Little did I know that by doing so I was… Read more »

Thanks for sticking with me, and all good wishes for the upcoming year!  

If you are lucky enough to live in a town with an independent bookseller (and they deliver or provide other pandemic-related services), I hope you support them. But if you don’t, I hope you’ll consider Bookshop as your online retailer for your book purchases. Bookshop supports indie booksellers by giving back a percentage of sales,… Read more »

Hi all – yes, The Artifact Hunters is an audiobook! Read by the remarkable Ralph Lister, I’m thrilled to be able to share with you a Soundcloud excerpt. Check it out, and then, if you have an Audible account, you can listen to the entire book. Happy listening!   audiolibrary-a · The Artifact Hunters By… Read more »