Today on the blog I’m happy to welcome author Jen Malone!! Her debut middle grade novel, AT YOUR SERVICE, was released on Tuesday and it sounds absolutely adorable. (Big congrats, Jen!) My copy just arrived and I can’t wait to read it. Jen writes both middle grade and YA and is also a college professor. A former Hollywood film publicist, Jen once walked the red carpet… Read More

Dear Aspiring Author Me, If all has gone as planned, you will find this letter just as I’m stealing away from Bigler Hall unseen and dashing across the street to a silver DeLorean, which awaits my arrival to take me back to the future. You’ll find these words of wisdom from an older, blonder you on the eve of an appointment… Read More

Want to know a secret? (This is me speaking softly.) Plot doesn’t have to be hard. Not when Martha Alderson, a/k/a The Plot Whisperer, makes it so simple. I first heard about Martha and her book, Blockbuster Plots Pure & Simple (Illusion Press 2004) shortly after selling my first young adult novel, Famous Last Words. My editor wanted me to… Read More

Two weeks ago, I was part of panel discussion at Children’s Book World in Haverford, PA with three other authors of young adult fiction—Jeri Smith-Ready, Kelly Fiore and Justina Ireland. We were there because Jeri was gracious enough to let us “ride her coattails” (as Justina put it) at a signing to celebrate the release of her latest young adult novel,… Read More

Sharon Biggs Waller, my good friend and an amazing author who writes breathtaking historical fiction, tagged me on this four-question blog tour in which we talk about process—a subject I love to interview other authors about and have many times on my blog. Sharon is the author of A MAD, WICKED FOLLY, and if you haven’t already read her book,… Read More

10 Things I Wish I Knew About Being an Author I Didn’t Know Before The following first appeared as a guest post on Bookend2bookend.blogspot.com. Writing is hard. Well, that part I knew. But I thought it would get easier after I wrote and sold my first two young adult novels (HOW MY SUMMER WENT UP IN FLAMES and FAMOUS LAST WORDS). It… Read More