I’ve been MIA trying to finish another round of edits and it was well worth it, as my MS is finally in the hands of my teen betas. I picked three teens that I’m not super close to, hoping they’d feel more comfortable looking at my work with a critical...
I just realized last week flew by and I failed to write a post for the blog. Time just flies when it’s Spring Break and the weather is absolutely gorgeous. I’ll be honest, the last place I wanted to be was inside on my computer. Over break, the kids lived...
I was pondering what to write for this blog post. Some advice I’d heard when you are unsure what to write -- just put your butt in the chair and write. There’s a cute acronym that goes along with that mantra – BIC. But the BIC method is not for...
fortune cookie n. A cookie made from a thin layer of dough folded and baked around a slip of paper bearing a prediction of fortune or a maxim. Definition courtesy of The Free Dictionary and The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition copyright ©2000 by Houghton Mifflin...
I loved creating collages as a kid. Going through magazines or catalogs to find pictures and words. Picking out the right color of construction paper, so my treasured finds would be visible. Glueing the little pieces of paper. Then hoping my masterpiece didn't curl up too much on the ends when it was dry. ...
Every month, I take at least one writing workshop so I can add more tools to my Writer’s Toolbox. After all, one can’t just sit down, write a book and then voila, it’s a publishable piece of work. In actuality – it’s almost certainly a piece of crap. And then...
I had the wonderful opportunity to meet Simone Elkeles, and NY Times bestselling author of Perfect Chemistry and Rules of Attraction and… well I could list all her titles, but why don’t you just go check out her awesome website. Isn’t the animation cool? Anywhooo, late last year,...
Friday is one of my favorite days of the week. There’s a circular reference with the name… Fri-day – as in French Fries, my favorite food. French - the language spoken in my favorite city – Paris. Paris – also called The City of Lights. Lights – as in Christmas....
Sometime in November, my kids charged into my office while I was plucking away on my keyboard. “You’re always working on your computer,” said my seven year old. “Or your book,” the nine year old chimed in. “You never play with us.” What I didn’t hear, but could see in...
How about an update on the WIP? I’ve re-visioned during the editing phase, which is taking a lot of work. My brain is overloaded with my characters and plotting and trying to spoil their perfectly happy lives. Feedback from some CPs have indicated that I need more conflict, which has...
First a word of caution. There is a long preface to the point of my post, so please stick with me. I promise; my rambling is worth it. So…my seven year old son is playing 6-7 year old football in the local youth league. The kids are assigned to teams...
Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles will make you fall in love with contemporary YA. The story, told in alternating POV of Alex, a Latino member of a gang in the suburbs of Chicago and Brittany, the All-American girl who appears to have it all. For the first few chapters, I...
