Moving through the world with curiosity
Here are 6 things worth sharing this month: 1. Reading (YA): I just finished Joy McCullough’s latest YA book, Enter the Body, which was a retelling-ish story that featured the females of Shakespeare’s most iconic tragedies. Written in verse and also at points scripted...
Fight for what matters
Battles are not my favorite. My first teenager fought his father and me about every little tiny thing; he had an endless energy to fight, it seemed, and it wore my husband and me down. Fortunately, the next teenager who came along was a laid-back, delightful kid. We...
Want to know the truth? Writers rarely know what they’re doing
The first book I wrote I didn’t brainstorm. I flew by the seat of my pants. The second book was the same. Both took months of revision to get them in submission shape. After those first two books I created a brainstorm document for myself. I thought I could use it for...
‘I will not be a caged bird’
Here are five things worth sharing this month: 1. Reading (MG): I’ve been a fan of Sally J. Pla’s for a while, so when I saw she had a new book, I couldn’t wait to pick it up. The Fire, the Water, and Maudie McGinn is a sweet story about a girl on the autism...
How to write a book: build a writing practice
I have always been a person of action. It’s good to sit around and dream and talk about what we want to do. My husband and I have regular dream sessions, in which we dream about where we want to be in the future. We write things down and make seemingly...
Neurodivergence in stories
Here are 5 (or 6) things worth sharing this week: 1. Reading (YA): “Couples that stim together stay together.” I loved loved loved Tilly in Technicolor, by Mazey Eddings. It’s about a young woman, Tilly, who has ADHD, and a young man, Oliver, who has autism....
How to slow down the speed of life
One of my goals for this year is to take off all the school holidays with my kids. It’s been my goal for several years, actually. But I always seem to find one reason or another not to do it. My sons recently had a winter break, which gave them a five-day...
Should you write for love or for money?
When I visit schools to talk to elementary and middle school students, one of the most frequently asked questions I get from them is “How much money do you make?” I get some interesting variations—“Are you rich?” “Do you live in a big house?” And at the most recent...
Creepy stories, brotherly love, and running
Here are 5 (or 6) things worth sharing this week: 1. Reading (MG): I just finished Gravebooks, the sequel to Nightbooks, by J.A. White. It’s a scary story that also examines writing and all the frustrations that come along with the act of writing. The main...
What it means to live with integrity—and how to do it
When my kids were young, we identified some family values and spent a few years examining them. It was a way for us to frame our family lives, a way of living with integrity. We chose values like listening well, embracing creativity, honoring all people, believing in...
