Will you strangle me if I write one of those giddy, long-winded blog posts authors sometimes write saying I have a new book cover to show you and then it takes, oh, 17 paragraphs to get to the actual cover and you just end up scrolling down to see it anyway? Don't strangle me. I … Continue reading 17 & GONE Cover and Plot Summary Revealed!
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In Which I’m Perpetually 12 Going on 13
I get excited when writers I know decide to try their hand at writing middle-grade fiction. I know a few who are just beginning their first middle-grade novels (tween? the label escapes me, so I tend to use it interchangeably depending on my mood), and I'm thrilled to have more writer friends to talk to … Continue reading In Which I’m Perpetually 12 Going on 13
Where Authors Live on Clouds and Sip Pomegranate Cocktails
There was something I found comforting when I was feeling intimidated at Yaddo and, for that matter, the Writers Room where I go to write now that I'm home again: Every day, no matter who you are and how many brilliant books you've given the world, you and I, we both begin at the same … Continue reading Where Authors Live on Clouds and Sip Pomegranate Cocktails
The Writing Part of Being a Writer
Something happens when you publish a book: You need to promote it. I'm not going to go into what your publisher does and doesn't do for you, what they used to do as opposed to what they do now. Other smart publishing bloggers talk all about that. Let's just say it's a given: You write … Continue reading The Writing Part of Being a Writer
All About Writers Colonies
As many of you know, I'm weeks away from heading off to be a resident at a writers colony. This isn't a conference or a workshop. I won't be taking classes, as many people have asked me. I won't be turning in a project at the end; no one will be looking over my shoulder … Continue reading All About Writers Colonies
Where I Write
I write in a place I can't really call mine. I can't leave my things out all over the desk. I can't decorate the walls. I have to put my writing slippers and writing sweater away in my locker every single night. There's a good chance that I'll arrive in the morning to find someone … Continue reading Where I Write
The Day You’re Older
I'm older today. That's right, the dreaded birthday has arrived. I was recently at a tax appointment with my first grown-up accountant (not that I used children to do my taxes before, only that this is the first time I am being a grown-up and using a pro accountant to do my taxes) and as … Continue reading The Day You’re Older
Why I Don’t Talk
The lovely Laura Lutz recently asked a question on Facebook that I couldn't help piping in to answer: Do authors like it or not when you ask them, "What are you working on now?" Me? I'm one of those who do *not* like it. Nothing against the asker, but it's just not something I want … Continue reading Why I Don’t Talk
Why I Write YA
In two weeks I'll be turning my (first-ever!) YA novel in to the publisher... I can't even tell you how nervous I am. Also excited! So excited! I can't stand how much I love this book, and much of that is because I loved writing it. It's also about sisters and I absolutely adore my … Continue reading Why I Write YA
The True Story of My Imaginary Manuscript
I was too tired—flattened, exhausted, completely drained—to tell you the details before, but, yes, I did complete the first draft of IMAGINARY GIRLS, my first YA novel. I did it on Thursday night. There were points when I thought I'd never get it into shape, and there were points when I felt so close to … Continue reading The True Story of My Imaginary Manuscript
