I can hardly believe it’s been nearly a year since KISSING SHAKESPEARE was released! And on Aug. 6, I’m celebrating the release of the paperback. In honor of that occasion, I offer here, drum roll please, a deleted scene from the book. Last year, after KISSING SHAKESPEARE made its debut, YA librarian Joy Davis published […]
The Next Big Thing
Today I’m participating in THE NEXT BIG THING. It’s a blog hop that began in Australia and went international. The purpose is to get the word out on middle grade and YA writers and their current or upcoming books. Each of us answers the same set of questions, and we “tag” two other authors who […]
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 […]
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 […]
Chat with FLVS about Kissing Shakespeare
A few days ago I had my very first “appearance” related to KISSING SHAKESPEARE. I use quotes because it was a virtual gig. Back in early February, Jenni Newton of the Florida Virtual School asked me to be a guest speaker at their Shakespeare Festival. I hesitated, because my book isn’t out until August. But […]
KISSING SHAKESPEARE WILL LAUNCH IN AUGUST
After a long hiatus, while working on my revision and copy edits for KISSING SHAKESPEARE, I’m back! More about my revising and copy editing experience in another post. For now I just want to say that Francoise Bui, my editor at Delacorte, and her behind-the-scenes team made it a pleasure rather than a chore. KISSING […]
Kissing Shakespeare
My debut novel… KISSING SHAKESPEARE is scheduled for publication by Delacorte Press in 2012. This story of romance, intrigue, secret alliances—and a little bit of magic—is aimed at teen readers. I’d like to thank my amazing agent, Steven Chudney, for the suggestions he made for strengthening the manuscript, and for believing in the story. I’m […]
Timeline of a Novel
Getting the timeline of a novel right can be a real challenge, and I doubt I’m the only one who struggles with it. At the beginning of a book, I resolve to keep track of the timeline as I’m writing. That works out pretty well for the first three or four chapters, before much time […]