As much as we would like to commit our entire lives to writing, most of us live in the real world. We can’t afford to spend our time at Walden Pond or in a permanent, never-ending, writer’s retreat.
We fit in writing amongst our day jobs, our kids,
Tag: Texas author
Guest Post: E. Kristin Anderson on Teens Need Verse
Young people love poetry.
At least they love writing it. When I ask teens whether they read much poetry, though, the answer is usually no.
I think I know why. Outside of my bona fide freaky obsession with Emily Dickinson from the age of six,
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Giveaway: Four Middle Grade Novels by Greg Leitich Smith & Pterodactyl Puppet
Enter to win a set of four signed copies of middle grade novels by Greg Leitich Smith and a pterodactyl puppet!
Today he makes his home in Austin, but Greg grew up on the north side of Chicago.
He is of German and Japanese heritage,
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Giveaway: ARC of Wish Girl by Nikki Loftin
Enter to win a signed advanced reader copy of Wish Girl by Nikki Loftin (Razorbill, 2015). Author sponsored. Eligibility: North America. From the promotional copy:
…this lyrical novel that will break your heart and lift your spirit.
Peter Stone’s parents and siblings are extroverts,
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Guest Interview: Lindsey Lane on A Heap of Talking with Edward Carey
Edward in Edward Gorey‘s coat; photo by Allison Devers
By Lindsey Lane
I am sitting at Sweetish Hill Bakery & Cafe, waiting to interview Edward Carey, author of the forthcoming middle grade/YA novel Heap House, Iremonger Book One.
If I’d read his bio before the interview,
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Guest Post: Deanna Roy on Getting By As A Writer With A Little Help From Your Friends
Kindergarten author talk
By Deanna Roy
There are a lot of lonely jobs out there. Night security. Toll booths.
I once worked at a huge event arena, where my sole job was watching a panel of red lights in case one light up.
When I first became a full-time writer,
Guest Post: Lindsey Lane on How a Picture Book Author-Playwright-Journalist Became a YA Author
By Lindsey Lane
It’s opening night. I am sitting in the audience at the debut of a play I had written.
I remember thinking as I watched, “This is as much as I know right now.” It wasn’t a negative thought. I simply knew that this play was the culmination of everything I knew up to that moment.
Guest Post: Chris Barton on Writing & Cross-Generational Interests
By Chris Barton
There’s never an answer I that I find quick, simple, and faithful to the full truth when someone asks what inspired one of my books.
Take Shark Vs. Train (Little Brown, 2010), for instance.
Yes, I’m sure the seed was planted by my now 15-year-old son’s love of sharks and trains.
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New Voice: Christine Kohler on No Surrender Soldier
Christine Kohler is the first-time author of No Surrender Soldier (Merit Press, 2014). From the promotional copy:
A young man, an old soldier, and a terrible injustice. Should the punishment be death?
Growing up on Guam in 1972,
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Author Interview: Brian Yansky on Wonders of the World
Brian Yansky on Brian Yansky: “It’s an old story. I was born and I was very small and then I got larger and then one day I stopped growing and, with minor adjustments, I’ve stayed about the same size ever since. All of this growing happened in Iowa where, I once read, there are eight pigs for every person.
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