As much as I love celebrating my friends’ work for Friend Friday, it is an especial delight to celebrate a debut book. And it is a delight to be reminded that authors (and other artists) have a superpower that goes beyond a way with words, as Colleen Paeff does in her essay below. Her debut… Read more »
I will confess, upon reading Amy Butler Greenfield‘s essay below, my stomach lurched. Give up a project that was “one small revision” away from a sale? Whoa. Yes, Amy’s story has a happy ending in that she did indeed sell the project. But my takeaway from the turn of events surrounding The Woman All Spies… Read more »
As someone who also does a daunting amount of research for my books, I completely relate to Rob Sanders’ experiences, shared below. Not only do we writers need to answer the question of why a certain story matters, we have to figure out how it matters to our young readers. I love the way Rob… Read more »
What a way to kick off a new month: a joint Friend Friday post from two gifted creatives, Liz Garton Scanlon and Kevan Atteberry. Liz reminds us that the creative work we do depends on play and Kevan reminds us that our play can have its ups and downs. If you want to hear even… Read more »
One of my passions is to tell little-known stories of the past; clearly Shari Becker and Louisa Jaggar share that passion. They went to incredible lengths to tell the story of determined flyer James Banning and now we are the beneficiaries of their hard work. It’s a pleasure and honor to host them today in… Read more »
What a pleasure to celebrate author/illustrator Don Tate today! The experiences he shares below remind me a bit of the cruel experiments that inspired Gennifer Choldenko’s Orphan Eleven, where kids were berated for the way they spoke until some gave up speaking altogether. Today’s readers are so grateful Don did not give up and that… Read more »
I so appreciate Suzanne Kaufman for many reasons, two of which are her perseverance with getting this post to me despite the cyber-imps working overtime to keep it from happening, and her honesty. Because picture books are so beloved and so slim, there is often the stereotype that writing them is all rainbows and unicorns…. Read more »
Laurie Wallmark poses an intriguing question in today’s essay. I wonder how other book creators might answer it? While I wouldn’t describe my passion for historical fiction a rut, I’ve had a fabulous time trying my hand at a contemporary middle grade novel this last year or so. As I read Laurie’s essay, I discovered… Read more »
It was such a joy and so inspiring to chat with Janet Fox last Thursday (August 19) on my Write Space with Kirby Larson and Friends program, still viewable over on IGTV. One of the things I admire about Janet’s newest novel, Carry Me Home, is that it tackles an important societal topic (homelessness) without… Read more »
I first “met” Sarah Miller through her fabulous Miss Spitfire; Voya says “Miller brings history to life,” and that is no exaggeration. Her work always adds something fresh, especially to familiar subjects like the relationship between Helen Keller and Anne Sullivan. Now that I’m fortunate enough to call Sarah a friend IRL, it is a… Read more »