I’m in need of some untainted* inspiration… maybe you are, too? (*Untainted by industry noise and book worries and life stresses. Just something simple, and sweet, and able to get the blood pumping and the fingers moving on the keys.) One thing that does this for me is reading a good short story. I love … Continue reading A Story a Day for Short Story Month
AWP: The Writer (Not Author) Conference
I remember my first AWP conference. It was in the winter of 2008, before I had my first book out, and around the time I had racked up dozens upon dozens of rejections from literary agents for my second adult novel and was feeling pretty low about my publishing prospects. I still wanted to write … Continue reading AWP: The Writer (Not Author) Conference
What THE WALLS AROUND US Means to Me
My new book, The Walls Around Us, was published today! I would be so thrilled and honored if you considered buying it this week from your favorite independent bookstore or ordering it through your local library—first-week sales do help authors so much, that’s the truth. But most of all, however you may get your hands … Continue reading What THE WALLS AROUND US Means to Me
What’s Happening with THE WALLS AROUND US
I wanted to share some things. My new novel, The Walls Around Us, comes out in March, which is getting closer and closer, and if you want to get a taste of the book—and this is a good, long taste—my publisher has just released a seven-chapter extended preview of the book... and you can download it … Continue reading What’s Happening with THE WALLS AROUND US
The Obligatory Old Year / New Year Post
I came home from my writing retreat right before the New Year. I can’t spend that night apart from E. Yaddo is a secretive place. I cannot post photos or give many details, but I can say I shared some inspiring conversations, laughed and learned many things, and slept with the light on because I saw … Continue reading The Obligatory Old Year / New Year Post
Five Years After the Leap
About five years ago, I was under deadline to complete the first draft of a contracted novel and stressing the hell out over how I would finish on time while working my full-time job as a senior production editor at HarperCollins Children’s Books. I had somehow sold my novel on proposal and agreed to a deadline … Continue reading Five Years After the Leap
The Calm Before the Who-Knows-What: 110 Days to Publication
I write this to you from a quiet moment in my publishing life. It is December 5, the year 2014, and I am in the room at the rear of the café at a table beside the outlet where I can safely sit with my back against a wall. I am all alone in a … Continue reading The Calm Before the Who-Knows-What: 110 Days to Publication
