Here’s my list of favorite young adult novels from 2012. VACLAV AND LENA and THE LIGHT BETWEEN OCEANS were officially marketed to adults, but in my opinion, not especially humble, they would be great for teens. The links are to my own GoodReads reviews, except for TRAITOR’S SON AND SON, which are linked to professional […]
Looking Back at 2012
For many years I made it a habit to list my writing accomplishments as each year drew to a close. I first got the idea from Cynthia Morris. She suggested it as a way of focusing on achievements rather than on setbacks. I haven’t done it lately, because my critique group has been doing […]
Engage the Senses in your Writing
Over and over again, writers are told that in order to enrich their writing, they should strive to engage as many of the senses as possible in a descriptive passage. The easiest, of course, is visual. We tend to stick with that one, because it’s the most obvious and most overwhelmingly present. Readers always want […]
Kissing Shakespeare Discussion Questions
Here’s my first go at questions for Kissing Shakespeare. I wrote these with book clubs in mind, since several groups who are reading KS gently prodded me! They’re meant for a casual, if thoughtful, discussion, for teens or adults, NOT for classroom use. Sometime soon, I’ll do a set for teachers. Obviously, the emphasis would […]
How To Have A Great Book Launch Party
I wanted my launch party for KISSING SHAKESPEARE to be perfect. So, I put someone else in charge! My husband insisted he wanted to make the arrangements, and after joint planning, he did. Lucky for me, a dear friend of many years, Mary Ellen Kelly, stepped in to offer her help with set-up and clean-up. […]
Quarreling Couples
Quarreling lovers. Or soon-to-be-lovers. Or once-upon-a-time were lovers. In any scenario, they’re definitely locking horns with each other in some way. My husband and I got into an argument on this subject. Well…not exactly an argument; more of a disagreement. We were watching the new HBO drama Newsroom, I think episode four. I’ve really […]
Publication Day for Kissing Shakespeare
It’s finally arrived. My big day! The release of Kissing Shakespeare, published by Delacorte Press. I’ve said it before, but it bears repeating, thanks to all who helped shepherd this book to publication: my agent, Steven Chudney, my editor, Francoise Bui, as well as all the behind-the-scenes folks at Delacorte. Thanks also to my critique […]
Writing in the Digital Age
Recently I attended a symposium on digital publishing organized by the Rocky Mountain Chapter of SCBWI. I learned about the proliferation of e-books, POD, and apps, as well as interactive books and transmedia (multiple media). Lisa Rutherford from Coliloquy taught us about active fiction, and a new concept (at least to me) of “living books, […]
Fleshing out Secondary Characters
I hate to admit this…but I accidentally found a good way to deepen and add complexity to secondary characters. When I first began writing KISSING SHAKESPEARE, I wanted to try a using a dual point of view. Ahem. It didn’t work out for me. However, I wrote a few chapters from the POV of Jennet […]
The Most Useful Thing You’ve Learned About Writing
The Writer magazine has been running a feature called “Writers on Writing” in which they ask a well-known author this question: What is the single most useful thing you’ve learned about writing, and how has it helped you as a writer? So I’ve been thinking a lot about that and wondering if I could distill […]