Friday Fifteen

June 24, 2016Leave a comment

Happy Friday, all! I was feeling the good writing vibes this week, and I’m looking forward to a beautiful weekend here in the Boston area. Let’s get things started with a look at what I’ve been reading and writing in fifteen words or fewer.

Reading: Rise of the Rocket Girls: The Women Who Propelled Us, from Missiles to the Moon to Mars by Nathalia Holt
This made me wish I’d been naturally better at science. High five, NASA ladies!

Writing: It always seemed like friendship at first but they always wanted something.
Girl, you gotta stop being so suspicious.

Summer Solstice Reading List

June 20, 2016Leave a comment

Photo: Sunset by Martin

“Do you ever wait for the longest day of the year and then miss it? I always wait for the longest day of the year and then miss it!”–F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby

Happy Summer Solstice, everyone! In case you’re not up on your astronomy, this is when the northern hemisphere of the earth is most tilted toward the sun, giving us the most daylight of the year. (Summer hemisphere friends, this happens for you in December.) This year the solstice coincides with the Strawberry Moon, aka June’s full moon. Lots of cool stuff going on in the sky today!

It also marks the beginning of summer, which feels like a great day to share some of my suggestions for summery reading. In ascending order of target age of reader:

The Penderwicks: A Summer Tale of Four Sisters, Two Rabbits, and a Very Interesting Boy by Jeanne Birdsall
Cozy and clever story of sisters on summer vacation.
Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt
Life and death and eternity, all on the hottest day of the year.
A Ring of Endless Light by Madeleine L’Engle
The most famous of the Austin family novels, about grief and hope and dolphins.
Lumberjanes, Vol. 1: Beware the Kitten Holy by Noelle Stevenson, Grace Ellis, Shannon Watters, and Brooke A. Allen
I never went to summer camp, but I want to sign up for Miss Qiunzilla Thiskwin Penniquiqul Thistle Crumpet’s camp for hard-core lady-types.
The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants by Ann Brashares
Fun and surprisingly moving story of family, love, and why you need your friends.
Breakfast Served Anytime by Sarah Combs
Set at a summer program for gifted and talented students, Gloria is in my heart forever.
This One Summer by Mariko Tamaki and Jillian Tamaki
Touching story about family and coming of age, paired with beautiful art.
99 Days by Katie Cotugno
When a summer at home means having to face your old loves and mistakes.
We Were Liars by E. Lockhart
Old money and secrets and tragedy on a private island.
The Girl Who Chased the Moon by Sarah Addison Allen
Magical lights and cakes and wallpaper feature in this summer story of coming home.
Midsummer Night’s Dream by William Shakespeare
The original summer love story.
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
Wild parties and the most self-destructive summer romance ever.
Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf
Set on a day in June, a lyrical story of connection.

What are your favorite summery stories? Share them in the comments!

Friday Fifteen

June 17, 2016Leave a comment

Happy Friday, guys! This week blew by and I didn’t do as much writing work as I’d have liked, but it is beautiful out in the Boston area and I’m psyched for all this sunshine. Let’s get the weekend started with a look at what I’ve been reading and writing in fifteen words or fewer.

Reading: Other Broken Things by Christa Desir
Continuing my Christa kick; powerful story about recovery.

Writing: “Look at your laundry and look at mine. Any differences?” “Yours doesn’t have blood stains?”
I love a good laundry room scene.

Friday Fifteen

June 10, 2016Leave a comment

Happy Friday, guys! Tomorrow I’ll be taking part in B-Fest, Barnes & Noble’s national teen book festival, in Charlottesville, VA, aka one of my favorite places ever. If you’re in the Central Virginia area, swing by and say hi. In the meantime, let’s get the weekend started with a look at what I’ve been reading and writing in fifteen words or fewer:

Reading: Bleed Like Me by Christa Desir
Christa has such a way of writing about teens in pain struggling to find peace.

Writing: “Well I didn’t throw a plate in anyone’s face so [my day is going] fabulously.”
It’s the little victories.

Best of Best Friends in YA Lit

June 8, 2016Leave a comment

The internet tells me that today is National Best Friends Day, and while it doesn’t seem like there’s info about how this day became a thing, it is a great opportunity to talk about some of my favorite friendships in YA literature.

Way too often the conversation about relationships in YA veers toward the romantic, but for so many teens, their friends are the strongest and most solid relationships in their lives. And YA novels that feature engaging friendships and friends who are just as complex as the main character are my jam. For example:

Exit, Pursued by a Bear by E.K. Johnston
An adaptation of A Winter’s Tale, Hermione and Polly are smart, fierce, and strong in so many ways.

Just Visiting by Dahlia Adler
A touching portrait of what happens when two best friends are pulled in different directions when contemplating their futures.

Dairy Queen series by Catherine Gilbert Murdock
DJ is one of my favorite characters in YA, and I love that her best friend, Amber, is going on her own complex journey throughout the series.

Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein
Julie and Maddie’s friendship is one of the most powerful I’ve seen in literature as a whole.

Feeling Sorry for Celia by Jaclyn Moriarty
Another one of my all time favs, and a great look at how friendships change over time.

Gabi, a Girl in Pieces by Isabel Quintero
I love Gabi’s circle of friends and how they offer each other a support network while they all face some pretty significant struggles.

Dramarama by E. Lockhart
Summer theatre camp? Big yes to that. And I love how Sayde makes some major mistakes, and how Demi gets his own chance to thrive.

Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson
Not all friendships are positive, and this story about two friends with eating disorders show how destructive relationships can be.

Wildlife by Fiona Wood
A great look at how subtly a so-called best friend can have a very negative influence.

Favorite best friends from YA lit that didn’t make my list? Share them in the comments!

Join Me at Teen B-Fest at Barnes & Noble in Charlottesville!

June 1, 2016Leave a comment

Good news: going to Charlottesville, VA, (aka my favorite place) for a visit in a couple weeks.

Even better news: my visit also coincides with Barnes & Noble’s national teen book festival, B-Fest.

Best news: I get to join B-fest for a reading and signing at Barnes & Noble Charlottesville!

The details:

Saturday, June 11, 2pm
Barnes & Noble – Charlottesville, VA
1035 Emmet St Suite A, Charlottesville, Virginia 22903

Come hear me talk about writing, the awesomeness of YA lit, and why I dream of Bodo’s. Check out the Facebook event page for more info, and come say hi on Saturday, June 11!

Links Galore

May 26, 2016Leave a comment

Lots of good links:

What I think of when I hear “diversifying your portfolio.”
Crafting historical fiction for contemporary readers.
And speaking of historical fiction, writing lessons from Hamilton.
Maggie Stiefvater on Howl’s Moving Castle, Ace of Base, and other things that make me love her even more.
Fanfic is where it begins.
Librarians work with people, not with books, and other things you need to know about a career in librarianship.
Diversity in blogging and at BEA.
Awesome post about fostering young reader activism (bonus points for Cambridge!).
Utilizing your inciting incident.
Stacey Lee on finding and making mirrors.
Silent reading parties should be most parties.
Great collections of mental health resources for teens.
And speaking of mental health and teens, Francisco X. Stork on writing about depression and hope.
Reading about scientists’ challenges and failures can help teens be more motivated to do science.

Friday Fifteen

May 13, 2016Leave a comment

Happy Friday, guys! We got some much-needed sun this week, and I got some good writing time in. Here’s a look at what I’ve been reading and writing, in fifteen words or fewer:

Reading: The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing by Marie Kondō
I’m both side-eying this advice and compelled to clean my closets.

Writing: “…I felt her warmth beside me, and it felt like we were happy.”
I think I’m settling on my new project. Fingers crossed!

Links Galore

May 11, 2016Leave a comment

All the links I’ve been saving:

Sometimes you need the hard truths.
Like what it means to actually be a writer.
Allison has a great post on motherhood and writing.
Need a trombone? Want to join a coding club? Check your local library.
Even Judy Blume hates the first draft.
And Isabel Allende’s first draft can be a struggle, too.
A few simple tips for writing the biggest bestseller ever.
It helps it it’s something the same but different.
On the importance of prison library programs.
How to be a teen in a novel for adults.
Crit partner and awesome writer Tara Sullivan on the best advice she’s ever received.
Some awesome Shakespeare trivia for my fellow English Majors.
And which Shakespearean play should you see?
And maybe introduce your kids to Shakespeare.
On the singular ‘their.’
Wise words by feminists of color.
How the Pulitzer affects your sales.
Love some bookish haiku.
“There’s no rap battle like a rap battle for 1,300 11th-graders.”
Being an advocate for your writing career.
Publishing myths and legends.
I can totally get behind this casting.
Anna-Marie McLemore on magical realism and where our magic lives.
“Next, remember that writing is what you do, not who you are.”
How to cope with rejections.
It’s okay if all your reviews are four or five stars.
Fictional dragons are my jam.
Batman Returns…his books to the library!
Diversity and geek culture.

Friday Fifteen

May 6, 2016Leave a comment

Happy Friday, everyone! It’s been the grayest, rainiest week in the Boston area, but between NESCBWI last weekend and jumpstarting the YA Buccaneers‘ Spring Writing Bootcamp, I’ve been feeling the good writing vibes. Here’s a look at what I’ve been reading and writing in fifteen words or fewer:

Reading: The Girl Who Chased the Moon by Sarah Addison Allen
Parts didn’t quite hang together for me, but love her characters and settings.

Writing: “We were born for bad luck.”
We’ll see where this goes.

Annie Cardi

Tag: books

Friday Fifteen

Summer Solstice Reading List

Friday Fifteen

Friday Fifteen

Best of Best Friends in YA Lit

Join Me at Teen B-Fest at Barnes & Noble in Charlottesville!

Links Galore

Friday Fifteen

Links Galore

Friday Fifteen