Friday Fifteen

February 13, 2015Leave a comment

This was a short week thanks to a couple of snow days, and I am still so relieved to see Friday. Let’s go into the weekend with a look at what I’ve been reading and writing, in fifteen words or under.

Reading: The Boy in the Black Suit by Jason Reynolds
Touching and gentle and real. First time I teared up at a list of recipes.

Writing: “It made me want to punch Thomas Jefferson for agreeing to the Louisiana Purchase.”
Really enjoying the voice of one of my WIP protagonists.

Happy almost Valentine’s Day, everyone!

Links Galore

February 9, 2015Leave a comment

Lots of good links to start the week:

So excited to see The Chance You Won’t Return on this list of excellent contemporary YAs from small/independent publishers! Love the work smaller pubs are putting out.
And thanks to Jill for including The Chance You Won’t Return in her list of favorite reads from 2014!
Mackenzi Lee on recognizing when your problems are ‘champagne problems.’
Love this interview with Jason Reynolds, in which he talks about Walter Dean Myers, grief, and writing books about teens.
JK Rowling answers a few Harry Potter questions on Twitter, shares her favorite tea brand.
Corinne Duyvis on why we shouldn’t focus so much on ‘strong’ characters.
On awards, diversity, and how dedicated people can make a difference.
Emma Watson and Belle love reading.
Shakespeare’s got rhythm.
The stress of combining bookshelves with your partner.
Library patrons share what books made them readers.
Sometimes Hollywood recognizes that novelists know how to tell stories.
Can relate to pretty much all of these.
Man leaves secret millions to his local library and my heart swells.
Reading pet peeves from real teens.
Gertrude Stein gets an iPhone.
Making money by selling poems; like a lemonade stand, but way cooler.

Friday Fifteen

February 6, 20151 Comment

Happy Friday, everyone! It’s like -20 outside with the windchill, and more snow is on the way for the Boston area, so I think this is going to be a great weekend to stay inside with a stack of books. Here’s a look at what I’ve been reading and writing, in fifteen words or fewer:

Reading: Gabi, a Girl in Pieces by Isabel Quintero
Funny and honest and heartfelt and real, and now a Morris winner!

Writing: “With each chapter and every word, I’m increasing my capacity for sympathy and survival.”
This month at Ploughshares, I’m talking about surviving, reading, and making dioramas. Check it out here!

Happy weekending!

Upcoming Event: YA Panel at the Blue Bunny on March 14th!

February 5, 2015Leave a comment

Two cool things about living in Massachusetts: lots of awesome bookstores and a great community of YA and children’s writers and readers. These two things come together next month, when I join some favorite local YA authors for a panel at the Blue Bunny Bookstore in Dedham, MA. The details:

Young Adult Author Panel Discussion and Book Signing
Saturday March 14th, 3 p.m.
The Blue Bunny Books & Toys
577 High St, Dedham, Massachusetts 02026
Join YA authors Cara Bertrand, Kim Harrington, Annie Cardi, AC Gaughen, and Gina Damico for a panel discussion, Q&A, and some tasty treats.

I’m so excited to be part of such a great group. Plus, it’s March 14th, aka 3/14, aka Pi Day, so there may even be celebratory pie. What more could you want?

And since it’s an event at the Blue Bunny, that’s an excuse to share a bunny gif, right?

Hope to see you all next month!

Friday Fifteen

January 30, 2015Leave a comment

Happy Friday, everybody! Even though it was technically a short week thanks to a snowstorm in the Boston area, I’m really glad to see the weekend. Here’s a little look at what I’ve been reading and writing, in fifteen words or less:

Reading: Bright Before Sunrise by Tiffany Schmidt
May we all wear sparkly green nail polish more often.

Writing: “Maybe Masha and I couldn’t belong to ourselves. But we could belong to each other.”
From my latest short story at the Hanging Garden–go check it out!

Links Galore

January 28, 2015Leave a comment

Lots of link-y goodness:

Books featuring diverse and loving families.
Maggie Stiefvater answering questions about genre and marketing and what all that means for readers and stories.
Some actual YA suggestions to replace not-YA books on the Time list.
These new childhood classics look so fun and beautiful!
Famous author handwriting always reminds me of how awful mine is.
Margaret Willison, awesome person and awesome librarian, on Broad City and books teens read.
Let’s travel to the world’s coolest bookstores.
Sick days require cozy reading.
Introducing young readers to meta-texts.
I love when sci-fi authors use real science in their books.
Books and tea are a perfect combination.

Links Galore

January 21, 2015Leave a comment

Lots of cool links for today:

I got to see my friend Jill talk about how fashion touches our lives and how she was part of a really cool anthology.
The history of organizing books at the Harvard libraries.
Another reason to buy chocolate frogs.
You’re never too old or too young to publish a great book.
Tuck Everlasting at forty continues to touch generations of young readers.
That library smell is definitely awesome.
” If you tell readers a book is autobiographical, they will try to find ways it isn’t. If you tell them it’s not autobiographical, they will try to find ways it is,” and other things no one tells you about publishing.
Hilarious effects of rereading picture books.
Children’s and YA novels continue to dominate book sales.
Loved seeing what sparked some great novels.
Coffee and libraries–the perfect combination.
YA authors on their favorite books for adults.

Links Galore

January 13, 2015Leave a comment

Lots of fun links for today:

Psyched to see The Chance You Won’t Return on this list along with so many other great YA novels from 2014.
Great suggestions for dealing with the middle.
In case your new year’s resolution was to give more…
Road trip, anyone?
This means I need to go back to Diagon Alley very soon. (Twist my arm, right?)
This hilarious take on Ayn Rand reviewing children’s movies is the only reason I can see for Rand in general.
New content from the His Dark Materials universe!
Great breakdown of a kickass query letter.
Shouldn’t this be Doctor Hoo?
“If you want to label me retrofuturistic so I can fit into your compartmentalized worldview, that’s fine.”
Raise a glass to Lovecraft.
I am so one of the people giving a boost to ebook borrowing.
A fully illustrated Harry Potter? Yes, please!
The wonderful Molly Wetta looks at Time magazine’s 100 best YA books, and what it means to be ‘best’ and ‘YA.’

The Friday Fifteen Returns!

January 9, 2015Leave a comment

Hi everyone! Regular readers may remember my blog feature, the Friday Fifteen, in which I’d post five to fifteen book reviews in fifteen words or fewer. It was a lot of fun to put together these microreviews of books I’d been reading and books I’d read years ago, but eventually it got kind of draining. I took off some time to reassess and now I’m back with a new Friday Fifteen format.

The new Friday Fifteen format:

A book review in fifteen words or fewer (just like the good one days), likely something I’ve been reading.
Fifteen words or fewer from whatever I’ve been working on.

So now, onto the first incarnation of the Friday Fifteen v. 2.0. (Or version 3.0?):

Reading: Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail by Cheryl Strayed
First book written for adults in while that’s touched me. Lived up to the recommendations.

Writing: When I blinked again, she said, “Seriously, how do we ever have a conversation?”
Digging these characters’ banter in my current WIP.

Feel free to share your own microreviews or WIP snippets in the comments. Happy Friday!

Links Galore

January 5, 20152 Comments

Links to start the week:

At Ploughshares, I’m talking about Twelfth Night as my favorite Christmas show.
Thanks to Molly for including The Chance You Won’t Return on this list of favorite 2014 YA novels!
A new story from the His Dark Materials universe.
Character death and children’s media.
Writing prompts to jump-start your creativity.
“In Rose Under Fire, the need to communicate is as strong as the need for sustenance.” Elizabeth Wein’s 2014 BGHB Fiction Honor Speech is a must-read, as is Rose Under Fire.
The side effects of being an English major.
What does it mean to be a strong female character?
Travel posters for fictional places.
Loving living near Boston, one of the top 10 cities for book lovers.
I think we could all do with a little more mudita.
Reason #12 why school librarians are necessary.
A powerful post about ‘quiet homelessness’ and an economic reality for so many around us.