Author
I had the chance to finish The Personnel of Fairyland and the story of Childe Roland and also found answers to my three questions from last week about furze, howdies, and Tom Tit Tot. Who is Tom Tit Tot? Tom … Continued
“I told my students all the time: writing fiction is an exercise in giving a shit—an exercise in finding out what you really care about.”
The book review star rating system is meaningless. The sole purpose of a book review is to inform the potential buyer about the contents of books. A good review allows that buyer to know if the book being reviewed is … Continued
Meg Medina’s Burn, Baby, Burn is an example of A perfectly constructed YA novel. It’s great storytelling. This didn’t surprise me as I’d loved Medina’s Yaqui Delgado Wants to Kick Your Ass. I’d recommend Burn to any teen looking for … Continued
I’m guessing everyone is hunkering down to avoid getting or giving the new coronavirus to others. I’m wondering what people are doing to move beyond the usual writing routine. Whenever I read what writers say about their creative routine, it … Continued
I have three things on my mind concerning reading and writing, and they all begin with trying something new: change genres, buy indie, and read local. Change Genres In the past few months, I’ve written a few pieces of flash … Continued
Since I am on a YA fiction jag, I want to have a quick look at why National Book Award winning Far from the Tree by Robin Benway is so good. Happily, one important secret that makes this novel work … Continued
This is round two of looking at Bridge of Clay by Markus Zusak. In the last post, I looked at why it isn’t really a YA novel although it was marketed as one in the US. This time, I want … Continued
Bridge of Clay and YA Novels What are the parameters of the YA novel? Is Markus Zusak’s Bridge of Clay still YA? I asked myself this as I read this gorgeous novel. If you’re writing a novel that focuses on … Continued
Wendelin Van Draanen, author of Hope in the Mail: Reflections on Writing and Life, wrote one of my favorite YA novels, The Running Dream. (I wrote a review of The Running Dream here. Check it out–and check out the book!) … Continued