A year and a half ago, people who wrote blogs about books seemed mysterious, organized, technologically savvy, funny, creative, opinionated, and distant to me.  I was surprised and grateful when any of them reviewed my novel positively, and I learned quickly to stop reading when a review was meh because it stung.  As a few bloggers began to contact me about interviews and as I emailed a handful to thank them for their kind words, I discovered some incredibly nice, generous people who love books as much as… Continue reading →

Dreams shift, fortunately.  When I was teaching a segment on The Great Gatsby, I asked my students to write about their dreams and goals, and at the end of it, one of my students asked me what my dreams were.  I’d written sincerely about how I hoped to become a better teacher, one who could inspire students and still be left with a sane life outside of school.  It seemed like a worthy goal, a grounded one, but it had none of the soaring hopefulness I’d… Continue reading →