Happy April! Spring is in full swing here in Missouri now–and it even feels like it! I took some visiting family downtown to the Gateway Arch yesterday, and it was lovely walking around, soaking in the sun. My April newsletter is out today, with a fun extra for My Second Impression of You readers. It includes a…
writing
Why I Love Writing Out of Order
Who’s ready for spring? I know I am. It may not officially be here yet, but as of the end of the school day, spring break is! I’m so ready. As a result, my March newsletter is out a few days early. In addition to the writing topic here, it also includes a sneak peek…
Don’t Get in a Rut with Your Writing Process
Happy New Year! Remember how I said last month that I always have to know where the story is going to get to the end? I mean, that’s probably still true. But this past month has also reminded me that I should never say I’m always going to do something a certain way, because then…
All About Brainstorming
What’s the first thing you do when you start working on a new project? Do you dive right into writing, do you let the idea simmer, or do you start somewhere else? For me, the starting point is brainstorming, then outlining, with research sort of wrapped into both of those steps. For the writers following…
Revision Tip: Why You Should Read Your Manuscript Aloud
Before I get into today’s topic, I want to mention that my November newsletter is out today, and in particular, I have several events coming up over the next month. I have two signings at St. Louis Barnes & Noble stores, a virtual panel you can tune in to from anywhere, and will be participating…
4 Months to MSIOY: Broadway Wisdom
Today marks 4 months until the release of My Second Impression of You. I swear the last countdown was just yesterday. I mean, April is one of those short months, or maybe it’s that May has just been so full of activities the 20th has arrived very quickly. Anyway, we’re now on the third backstage pass…
On Revising and Killing Those Darlings
Last week when I posted my review roundup I noted that it had been a while since I’d shared a writing post. So here we go! What am I even writing these days? Well, I didn’t really talk about it here on the blog, but I wrote a whole book last year–or maybe it was…
Publishing Behind the Scenes: Developmental Edits
If you’ve been following my blog for a while, you may have seen my After the Book Deal posts back in 2019. As I have some new followers both here and for my newsletter (which is out today), I’m revisiting the topic of what happens behind the scenes when you’re working with a traditional publisher….
How NaNoWriMo Shaped My Writing Process
One of the most common questions I receive from readers and at events is about my writing process. I don’t remember exactly when I started writing my first middle grade book, only that I started querying it in 2011. It could have been 2009 or even 2008. The reason I don’t know is that it…
What’s Inside Your Life Has Been Delayed
Today marks one month since Your Life Has Been Delayed hit shelves. After the very long wait for the book to come out, I can’t believe how fast the time is passing! To celebrate the book’s one-month birthday, I’ve jumped on the “what’s inside the book” trend and created a graphic highlighting what to expect when you…
Guest Post on Teen Librarian Toolbox: Bringing A Historical Worldview to the Present
I can’t believe YOUR LIFE HAS BEEN DELAYED has already been out in the world for two weeks! If you’ve been watching my other social media, you may have seen me share a few other interviews, and I’ll drop links to those at the end of this post. But today I wanted to share my guest…
Jenny, It’s Not 1995 (A Parody)
Today marks 100 days until the release of YOUR LIFE HAS BEEN DELAYED! This auspicious occasion happens to fall on an even more important day–my daughter’s 11th birthday. We are celebrating later by going zip lining (hopefully I survive that!). But as for the book side of things, my whole family stepped up to help…
Welcome!
Welcome to my blog, where I review* books I love, offer writing tips, and share thoughts about reading, my writing journey, and other random stuff. If you subscribe, you’ll also receive news about my books and upcoming events. Check out the categories in the sidebar to narrow down some of my older blog posts, or if you’re a writer pursuing traditional publication, visit my Resources page for more targeted links. If there’s something I haven’t tackled on the blog that you’d like me to address—including questions about my books!—please contact me and I’ll do my best.
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