Dam Jumpers
Jumpers at the Farmington River, CT, July 31, 2015
Three kids jumped off a dam this weekend. I arrived by bike just in time to see them balancing out along the edge of water, the up-river side smooth, the other side dropping in a curtain of white, and one by one, they leapt into the Farmington River. After the third one resurfaced, he waved to me, and I was thankful for the proof he was unharmed. I don’t know if he was ever scared. He seemed joyful.
I was vicariously,… Continue reading
Summer Reading
We’re half way through July and deep into the summer. I had my first summer visit to an ice cream truck this week, and when I’m not writing, I’m reading. Now’s the perfect time to curl up with your toes pointed towards a window screen and get lost in another world. Want some ideas? I read with a YA heart, so naturally, it wanders.
Sweet by Emmy Laybourne is a dark comedy about a teen who joins her friend on a weight-loss cruise, but the artificial sweetener hyped to… Continue reading
Works in Progress
My first batch of line edits for The Rule of Mirrors (Vault 2) came a couple days ago, so I back-burnered my new draft of Book 3 to work on them. On my breaks, I’m writing the Q&A for the back matter of the paperback of Book 1, which takes me to thinking about where the series started. So, essentially, I’m mentally in all three books right now, and I like that.
At the same time, I’m hyper-aware that it’s summer, and the season has become inextricably intertwined with… Continue reading
The Rule of Mirrors Update
The description of the novel has been released, so I’m sharing it here. The novel is due out next February 16, 2016. Just a heads up: the description of Book 2 is a spoiler for the ending of The Vault of Dreamers, but I think that’s okay. Here goes!
The Rule of Mirrors (Vault of Dreamers #2)
The fast-paced, psychologically thrilling sequel to The Vault of Dreamers follows Rosie after her consciousness has been split in two.
The entire country was watching when Rosie Sinclair… 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
Mirror Worlds
“Mirror Labyrinth” by Jeppe Hein in Brooklyn Bridge Park, May 31, 2015
I’ve been intrigued by the land in the mirror ever since I was a kid and met my friend in the glass. She was always waiting, the silent, trapped version of me on the other side. She only appeared when I came looking and never moved without me. She would look me in the eye no matter how closely I approached and never showed me the back of her head.
So when I began writing The Rule of… Continue reading