Survival of the Fittest
Charles Darwin
As I understand Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution, in nature, whatever can survive best in its environment will endure, allowing its offspring to evolve over generations. The theory covers lizards in the Galapagos, the prehensile nature of elephant trunks, and my own lack of a tail. I find the idea elegant and rather beautiful.
I’d like to propose the theory of Writing Darwinism, where the environment is the novel, and the characters and plot points that can survive generations of revisions must be able to evolve… Continue reading
Fan Mail and Hope
Q. Do You Get Much Fan Mail?
A. I do. It seems like a lot to me, at least. Even though the first book in the Birthmarked trilogy has been out since 2010 and the fuss around the release of the third book has died down, readers are still finding Gaia’s story for the first time, and some of them send me the nicest notes. This week, one reader told me her teenage son had recommended Birthmarked to her, and reading the series with him had… Continue reading
A Sweet Summer Bucket List
Sweet Emotions
1. Swim in a lake. The best one in the Quiet Corner of Connecticut is Mashapaug Lake at Bigelow Hollow, where the water is clean, silky, and deep. Hint: if you swim out to the sandbar and around the point, Bacon Rock is a half-submerged, striped rock to jump from.
2. Grab a handful of candy at Sweet Emotions Candy in Storrs, CT. Hint: If you answer the trivia question correctly, you earn a free candy prize.
3. Step into the year 1790 at… Continue reading
What Happens to Writers After They Debut? A Survey: 3 Years Out
I asked my fellow YA and MG writers whose debut novels appeared in 2010 to answer a few questions about their publishing and writing lives today, three years after our books came out. Of the original 72 writers who were eligible to reply (they were in The Tenners), 23 responded anonymously between May 20 and June 14, 2013, and all of the respondents reported themselves as actively writing still. In case you’d like a hint to remember some of the new names from 2010, our year included… Continue reading
Heights, Woods, and Bravery
Cables connect an ariel obstacle course at The Adventure Park at Storrs
I attended the opening ceremony of The Adventure Park at Storrs last week, and as people traversed cable pathways in the trees overhead, I peered up through the rain to watch them and contemplate my own bravery. I’m not scared of heights, but I appreciate them.
Only one safety clip at a time can release. Ingenious.
Beyond just the concept of aerial pathways and ziplines through the forest, which is already pretty spectacular, three things about the… Continue reading
Q: Do Your Characters Ever Surprise You?
Shadows in the Attic
A: Yes. Regularly. It isn’t simply that they make choices I didn’t see coming or say surprising things. There’s this play between what I consciously expect them to do when faced with a problem and what spontaneously happens once they’re in a scene. Sometimes they do what I expect, but their reasoning for it is more complicated than I thought. Sometimes they say what I expect, but it turns out to be a lie.
What I especially like is the… Continue reading
Ari & Milo, my serial novel, is now up on Wattpad! I drew illustrations to go with each chapter, and best of all, it’s free! Because of problematic themes, this novel is for mature readers age 17+.
Book Trailer for Promised