(Originally published at The Lucky 13s.) Today I’m revealing a not-so-secret truth about myself: I love books in series. I also love books that stand alone, of course, but isn’t it great when you reach the last page of a wonderful book, only to discover that there’s another wonderful book where that came from? Another book set… Read more »
Here’s how I know it’s really spring: The sun is out. In Pittsburgh, that’s a big deal. Yesterday, I bought a 3-month supply of allergy medicine. My yard is basically paved with robins. They must be having some sort of convention. (That would explain the nametags around their necks and the little drink vouchers tucked under… Read more »
(Originally published at The Lucky 13s.) This week on the Lucky 13s blog, we’re talking about revision—a topic I’ve become awfully familiar with over the past few months. I’m just finishing up a round of revisions to my middle grade pirate fantasy novel, Magic Marks the Spot, and I thought this would be a good… Read more »
I am still revising the pirate book. I think it gets longer every day: No matter how much I write, I never seem to get much closer to the end. Leave it to me to have a magically expanding novel. That’s the sort of thing that’s lots of fun to read about, but less fun… Read more »
About a month ago, I got one of the nicest (and simultaneously most terrifying) gifts a writer can receive: my editorial letter. An editorial letter is usually the first thorough response a writer gets from her editor about her book-in-progress. In my case, my editor at HarperCollins and I had chatted a few months ago… Read more »
