In Which I Get Deep and Serious About Why I Write Funny Books for Kids
My post is up over on the Nerdy Book Club. Click over to read why I write and what I watched over Thanksgiving Break.
Heart of a Child Interview
Are you familiar with the Children’s Literature Network? If you’re a writer, illustrator, book seller, or kids’ librarian, you should definitely check it out. Friend, author, children’s lit scholar and enthusiast Rob Reid writes a great blog (among many other things) called Heart of a Child for them. Rob asked me a few questions about my book a little while more »
ARC Giveaway, Sleepaway Camp, and Wallpaper from Heck: Highlights of my Week
1) Colonel Mustard headed off to camp all by himself (well, we drove him, of course, but he’s there without his brother) this week. How’d he get so big? And why didn’t he want to give me a second hug as we left? 2) That means Mr. E was home with Don and me. We’ve long planned that while C’s more »
Spring Break in . . . Columbus, Wisconsin? Yes!
Last week I traveled to Columbus, WI to visit their elementary and middle schools.We talked about writing nonfiction and writing fiction. It was a great time! Thanks to literacy coaches Mary Jo Werner and Kay Lange for lining it up. I hope the students got as much out of it as I did.
The Icing on the Cake, or, the Conclusion to My Big Ol’ Revision Post
In two weeks, I’m heading out to do a school visit over my spring break (hi, Columbus, Wisconsin elementary and middle schools!). I’m really excited, in part because the two literacy coaches that invited me are doing such a good job planning for my visit. One asked if it was okay if she shared my post comparing writing a book more »
“Mahna-mahna,” or Why Historical Fiction for Kids Is Hard
We went to see The Muppets this past weekend. I loved it. So many fond memories of childhood. Fozzy*. The chickens. Seeing the babies. Beeker. But my kids…well, they enjoyed it, but I don’t think they “got” it. Sad to say, but they’ve never seen a Muppet movie or show (I know, we’re going to remedy that). So while they more »
Revising
It was going well. Now it looks like this:
Yes, MALCOLM is really going to be a book!
The revision letter and marked-up manuscript is here for MALCOLM AT MIDNIGHT! And it’s not too bad. In fact, I think I can do this! I’ve been waiting for a package from my editor all week, so when I took E to baseball practice at 5 last night and saw it leaning on the doorstep, I squealed a little. E more »
How to Bake a Story, or, the Big Ol’ Revision Post
It seems that at some point in every writer/blogger’s life, there come a time when they need to share their process. Maybe it’s to justify all that time sitting at a computer. (See? I really WAS doing something!) But anyway, having turned in one manuscript and in starting another, it appears to be my turn… Be warned, however. I’ve been through 8 more »
Between the Vegan Chocolate and the Persistence Quotations
I’m starting a new book this week. It’s my fourth novel, so you’d think I’d have some things figured out. But no. I’m finding myself kind of overwhelmed and not really sure where to start. How do you do this again? So when I was looking for book trailers to post to my library blog, I had to laugh at more »
