As I limp toward the end of 2021, I’ve been reflecting on the year that tried to outdo 2020. Inspired by my friends Chana Steifel and Tara Trudel, I’m closing out the year with my very own superlative writing awards and my predictions for the 2022 awards. 2021 Year in Superlatives Best Preschool Math Books …
It’s no secret I’m a big fan of bullet journaling. My writing bullet journal is my number one tool for achieving my writing goals. Also, I love the smell of a fresh notebook and an excuse to play with markers. View this post on Instagram Mmm. New bullet journal smell. . #bulletjournaladdict #bulletjournaling #writinglife #authorlife …
I was slow to jump on the word-of-the-year bandwagon. A lot of my friends love the idea but setting concrete goals and plans has always worked well for me – I didn’t see the point. Last year I gave it a whirl just to see what the fuss is about. That’s when I realized …
The old blog has been a bit quieter than usual. That’s because I was gone almost the whole month of September on a road trip. 6000 miles. With a dog, two kids, two adults, and one not-so-large camper. We passed through numerous national parks, stopped in mega metroplises to visit friends and eat pastries, and …
Road trip! Or: How I Wrote Nothing for a Month and It Improved My Writing Read More »
I’ve been wanting to write this blog post for a long time to share how I use bullet journaling to help me write my middle grade novels. I’m in the middle of writing a new novel right now, so it’s the perfect time for me share. It’s also nearly NaNoWriMo time! If you’re not …
Bullet Journaling for Writers: Part 4 Writing a Novel Read More »
A few days ago, my daughter leaned over my shoulder and asked what I was reading on my phone. It was a blog post about writing villains, so I told her it was about how to write a better story. Which led her to say: “But you already know how to write.” Yes and no. …
Welcome to my blog series on how children’s books are actually made. Last time, I explained illustration from the author’s perspective. This time, we’ll look at how the illustrator does their job. I’m not an illustrator, so I’m going to let them speak for themselves. I’ve gathered together videos and blog posts of different illustrators explaining …
How a Children’s Book is Made: Part 2. The Illustrator’s Speak Read More »
Being an author is a funny thing: everyone has heard of your job. (Unlike my husband – a systems architect.) But people don’t know what it is I actually do. (My husband and I have that one in common.) Whether you’re a writer hoping to publish a book or a kidlit lover who is curious …
How a Children’s Book is Made: Part 1. The Truth About Illustrations Read More »
There are a lot of reasons to go to writers conferences. The obvious one is that you learn a ton and it always reinvigorates me. After the day is over I’m itching to get back to writing. As someone who struggles with building out character motivations, I loved this “Dungeons and Dragons” themed talk on …
Earlier this month, I Pray Today, my second book for babies and toddler was published. Today is the last day of the blog tour to celebrate. I’ve been working on book reviews all year, though. Each month I gather up a few books I love and share them with my readers. I call it Kidlit …
12 Books for Babies and Toddlers and Why They Work Read More »
