Archive for December, 2010

Top Posts of 2010

Wednesday, December 29th, 2010

Last year, I listed my five most popular blog posts of 2009 (i.e. the ones that had gotten the most traffic). Since the end of the year has snuck up on us again, I guess it’s time to do the same. And this year I’m going to go bigger – top six! Just like last [...]

Tops Reads of 2010

Monday, December 27th, 2010

We’re all snowed in here in New England, so it seems like the perfect time to reflect on the past year. Overall, 2010 wasn’t a great reading year for me; I started a lot of books but didn’t have the time or patience to finish most of them. But among the ones I did finish, [...]

December Giveaway Winners!

Wednesday, December 22nd, 2010

Thank you to everyone who entered my December Book Giveaway! It always makes me smile to see people so excited about books. I have another giveaway planned for January, and this one will be open internationally, so stay tuned! Okay and now for the winners. The winner of The Scorch Trials is: Minas The winner [...]

How I Read Craft Books

Monday, December 20th, 2010

A couple reminders: -It’s the last day to enter my December giveaway! Don’t miss your chance to win one of three YA books. -My side project, First Page Panda, is giving away a signed copy of Elliot and the Goblin War, and tomorrow we’ll be featuring the first page and giving away a signed copy [...]

Is My Idea a Short Story?

Friday, December 17th, 2010

Last week, I woke up from a nightmare with an idea for a story. When I sat down to brainstorm, I realized that what I had was a short story instead of a novel. How did I know? Because when I thought more about it, what came across was a strong feeling and a few [...]

World-Building Through Character

Wednesday, December 15th, 2010

When we talk about world-building, many people think it only applies to fantasy.  But my newest project is actually realistic fiction and there’s still a fair amount of world-building involved. Since this is a topic that’s very much on my mind right now, I thought I’d share a guest post on world-building that I did [...]

Letter to Myself: Kate Messner

Monday, December 13th, 2010

Yes, it’s time for another installment of the “Letter to Myself” series in which authors write letters to their younger selves giving advice, encouragement, and words of warning. Today’s letter comes from Kate Messner, author and teacher extraordinaire, whose newest novel, Sugar and Ice, was just released last week. Dear Kate-of-senior-year-in-high-school, I’m writing this letter [...]

Donate Your Unwanted Books to a Library In Need!

Friday, December 10th, 2010

I started this week off with a book giveaway, and I’m ending it with a call for your unwanted books. You see, my friend Jenna spent months looking for a job, and she was finally lucky enough to find a position as a middle/high school librarian in a public school. The only catch? The average [...]

Author Photos!

Wednesday, December 8th, 2010

Whether or not my publisher decides to use an author photo, I’ve been wanting to get some professional photos done to use for promotional purposes. I was lucky enough to find a photographer with a home studio literally down the road from me, and one who was very understanding when I told him how much [...]

December Book Giveaway!

Monday, December 6th, 2010

I realized the other day that it’s been a while since I did a book giveaway, and since this time of year is all about giving, I’ve decided to offer up a few recent reads. After all, everyone likes free books, don’t they? Okay, here’s what’s up for grabs: A hardcover copy of The Scorch [...]