Anna Staniszewski

I interview a middle school librarian about her students’ interest in fantasy at the Enchanted Inkpot.

This weekend, Boston is being taken over by ALA, and I’m excited to join in the fun. I’ll be meeting some fellow Enchanted Inkpot members, checking out the exhibits, and attending a Kid/YA Lit “Tweetup.” It’s promising to be a whirlwind of activity, so I’ll be sure to report back next week! In other news, [...]

Since I managed to crash two computers yesterday, I’m going to take a hint and stay away from technology as much as I can today. But before I go, I want to send you over to the Enchanted Inkpot, where I interviewed a middle school librarian on the fantasy reading trends in her school. As [...]

We all have times when our motivation is somewhat lacking. On days when it’s cold and dark, it’s tempting to curl up into a little ball and drink hot cocoa instead of writing (or doing something else productive). Luckily, there are tricks to staying motivated, even on the laziest of days. 1. Track Progress Visually [...]

by Alisa Libby Writing historical fiction is, in many ways, similar to writing high fantasy. The writer of historical fiction has to create a believable world for her characters to inhabit; a world far removed from the reader’s reality. Luckily, there are a lot of great books out there (not to mention art and music [...]

Thanks to everyone who took part in and commented on the poll last Friday! It was fascinating to hear all the different views about posting your WIPs online. As I expected, there wasn’t one clear consensus, but there were definitely some interesting trends. Here are the results: Though putting together the poll was fun, my [...]

A friend and I were having a discussion about writers who share parts of their works-in-progress online, not on critique websites and the like, but on their personal blogs and websites. While we both were amazed by the bravery of said writers who can put teasers and excerpts online for all to see, neither one [...]

It’s looking like the start of a good year for books. Not only are there lots of great reads in store for 2010, there are also plenty of chances to get them for free! In addition to my book giveaway (shameless plug) here are some other contests going on in the blogosphere: Shooting Stars is [...]

A while back I mentioned I was working on revising a funny MG novel. It’s a project I’ve been working on for a long time, and my agent gave me some great advice on how to make it stronger. I finally put the finishing touches on the manuscript and sent it back to her yesterday. [...]

I’ve received a few requests to share the story of how I got my agent. As most of these types of tales go, it’s a bit meandering but has a happy ending. So sit back, relax, and enjoy… Part I: The Journey A few years ago, I’d just finished grad. school and was convinced that [...]