Birthmarked
Happy Solstice
Kaaterskill Falls
It’s the longest day of the year, and we’re having a full moon, too. Take a moment to find east and feel the way our earth is rolling in that direction, looping through space. The sun, at noon, is as high overhead as it can be, sending us light from 8 minutes ago, and tugging us constantly with its gravity. As planets go, Earth is a nice one to be on.
B-Fest: A Nationwide Book Fest for Teens
Barnes & Noble is hosting a huge teen book festival this weekend, June 10-12, with games, trivia parties, giveaways, author panels, writing workshops, cosplay, spelling contests, and bookish prizes. Tons of YA authors are showing up to be part of the B-Fest fun, and the events are free for everyone. Check out B-Fest Events at a B&N store near you and drop in to be part of the story.
I’m doubly involved with B-Fest. First, Friday evening, I’ll be joining fellow Connecticut writer Emily Bain Murphy (whose debut… Continue reading
5 Tips for Book Research
Men with uteruses, midwifery, quantum computing, Huntington’s Disease, suppressor genes, under population, and dolphin sleep patterns are all fascinating topics that have lured me in while I’ve been writing novels. Who wouldn’t be intrigued? It’s tempting to spend hours and hours learning cool new things in the name of research for a novel. But it’s hard to know which information will actually be useful, and more importantly, it’s hard to know when to stop. If a writer spends months or years doing research for a novel she hasn’t started, that… Continue reading
The North Texas Teen Book Festival Was Fabulous!
Nearly 8,000 readers came by the busload to Irving, TX for the NTTBF16. Photo credit: Jennifer Mathieu
Every time I think about my trip to the North Texas Teen Book Festival, I grin. You would not believe how amazing it was. Middle Grade and Young Adult readers came by the busload for a day of panels with their favorite writers on Saturday, April 23rd, and I tell you, the energy was off the charts. I had the best time!
Here are a few photos from the day.
The day… Continue reading
Writing a Novel at 13
Imagination doesn’t depend on age.
One of my young writer friends recently emailed me to say, among other things, that she believes it’s ridiculous to write a novel at her age, which is 13. This writer writes stories all the time, and yet she’s discouraged by the flaws in them, and she asks, “How am I going to ever write a novel in the future if I can’t accept my own ideas now?”
This is a wise person. She is well on her way. I’m posting my reply because… Continue reading
How Long Does It Take To Publish a Book?
My editor Nancy Mercado delivered an orange with her offer for Birthmarked. The fruit is an important symbol in the novel, and one of my reader friends later gave me an orange bracelet.
I recently received these questions from a thirteen-year-old reader, and others have asked them, too, so here’s my reply.
By the way, how long does it take to have a book published? What’s the process? As an ambitious writer I would like to know.
How long? I can tell you about publishing a YA novel… Continue reading