I’m currently reading Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins and just loving it. Part of it is the great voice, but what hooked me right away were the conflicts that were introduced from the start. From the first page, we’re left asking questions and wondering what will happen next. Conflict 1: The main [...]
I have a special treat for you guys today. My friend and critique partner Alisa Libby was nice enough to write a letter to herself a while back, and now she’s agreed to come back and answer some questions about herself and her writing. Alisa has two published YA novels, The Blood Confession and The [...]
A friend and I were talking about science fiction the other day, namely the kind that takes place on spaceships and space stations. There’s something about being out in space, alone, that just fascinates me. My friend, however, finds the whole idea claustrophobic. When I thought about it, I realized that I’m generally intrigued by [...]
A while back I posted about a middle/high school library in desperate need of new books. I put out the call for book donations and you guys didn’t disappoint! Jenna got tons of books for her library, and her students can’t wait to read them. Thank you all who donated and spread the word about [...]
I’ve been reading a really great book (whose identity I will conceal for now), one with a fascinating premise and interesting characters. It’s one of those books that I can’t wait to get back to. However, it’s a very thick book, and as I’m reading, I can’t help thinking that it doesn’t need to be [...]
Thank you to everyone who entered my January Debut Giveaway! It was fun to see which books you’re all looking forward to in 2011, including a few I hadn’t heard of before. But don’t worry, the fun isn’t quite over yet — I’m planning on having more debut contests throughout the year. Okay, and now [...]
The other day, I came across a 4-star rating of my book on Goodreads. Which I would have been thrilled about…if my book was actually out. In reality, I haven’t even sent my final manuscript to my editor yet, so I’m assuming the person rated it by accident. Besides making me laugh, the experience got [...]
Everything was going great with my new WIP, until…I came across this eye-opening post on YA cliches. Number 10 on the list (protagonist argues with only friend and winds up alone) is definitely in my WIP. Doh! I started to panic. Had I really written something so cliched and not even realized it? For years [...]
The snow is coming down hard and we’ve lost power. Ah the joys of living in New England. Luckily I have my handy phone to blog on and lots of books to read. Happy snow day!
Since 2010 was the year of revision for me, I’m hoping 2011 will be the year of creation. So far, I’m off to a good start. I just finished a draft of a tween novel and sent it off to my writing group. I’m hoping to get that nice and polished soon so I can [...]
