Author of award-winning, adventurous realistic and historical fiction

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SUMMER, Fun

Jul 31, 2015 | , , , , , , , , , , ,

In my mind, summer is full of lazy days and long nights, salt breeze and shooting stars, fireflies and fireworks. It’s a time for reading in the sunshine, ideally with an ice-cream cone or a Popsicle dripping down one’s hand but not onto the book. Basically, the season of fun and relaxation in a perfect balance.

In reality, it’s also full of busyness. Family visits! Weekend getaways! All while diving back into a story for a deep revision. Which makes it no less enjoyable–perhaps the rewards of summer are even sweeter if you’re working hard, too.

Last week I turned in Summer of Lost and Found, after an intense month of revision. I’m so excited for this story! Here’s how I’ve been rewarding myself for finishing my work:

Reservoir runs

Reservoir runs

Movies on the Hudson

Movies on the Hudson

Sunsets on the sound

Sunsets on the sound

Frozen in the park

Frozen in the park

2 quarts of cherries, pitted (yes, I consider this a reward!)

2 quarts of cherries, pitted (yes, I consider this a reward!)

How have you been celebrating this season?

Time Flies

Jun 28, 2015 | , , , , , , ,

It’s summer! And if the saying is true, this week the corn will be knee high–it’s almost the Fourth of July. It feels like yesterday I was lamenting Arctic cold and unmelting snowpiles. Now I’m itching mosquito bites as I write.

Last week I traveled back to Wisconsin for a relaxing visit with family, including my favorite picture-book reader:

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I came back to some editorial notes, and now I’m busy revising Summer of Lost and Found. (The heat and humidity is really helping me with the summertime atmosphere.) This is the fifth or sixth draft–I kind of lost track–and right now the document looks like this:

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Writing is editing, right?

Soon I’ll have exciting news like a pub date and jacket copy and maybe even a cover to share. In the meantime, I’m sequestered with my revision.

What’s new with you?

D.C. for a Day

May 29, 2015 | , , , , , , , , , , ,

On Wednesday morning I hopped on a bus and headed south so Audrey and Alice could meet some D.C. readers. Once I got into town, I decided to stretch my legs by taking a walk to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.

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What Would Alice Do with three free hours in the capital city? Admittedly, she probably would not take a bunch of book selfies. But sneaking onto the roof of the White House wasn’t really an option for me.

Then I took the Metro out to Arlington for a panel event with author friends and fellow 2014 debuts Jen Malone (You’re Invited and At Your Service) and Tara Dairman (All Four Stars and The Stars of Summer) at One More Page, which is the bookstore of my dreams. They have eight book clubs, an awesomely curated selection of books, and incredibly good local and artisanal chocolate. We had a full house for our panel, and the audience asked great questions!

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I also had the chance to meet up with some old friends (thanks for coming, Jocelyn and Lilia!) and to meet writer friend Jennifer Pickrell (who writes wonderful YA) in person, which was great.

Afterward I raced back to Union Station–worrying the whole way because D.C. friends had warned me I wasn’t giving myself quite enough time–and made it with twenty minutes to spare before my train. Unfortunately, my train didn’t make it (it was cancelled) so I had to cool my heels for an hour and a half. I didn’t get back to NYC until after 2:00 a.m., but I had a lot of books to entertain me on Amtrak.

Definitely a day that was worth traveling through five states and D.C., and back–although next time I hope to stick around a little longer!

Happy Spring!

Apr 26, 2015 | , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

How is it almost May? Somehow this winter seemed both endless (thanks, snowstorms) and super short. Anyway, I’m enjoying the tulips popping up on NYC sidewalks and planning trips to WI this summer. What else is new?

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Bookplates! The lovely Kristin Rae (whose YA debut, Wish You Were Italian, is incredibly charming, and is the perfect read for spring and summer wanderlust) designed some bookplates for me. If you have a copy of When Audrey Met Alice and you’d like a signed bookplate for it, let me know! I’m happy to send one your way.

Speaking of signing books, I’ll be in Arlington, VA, at One More Page bookstore on May 27, with MG author friends Tara Dairman and Jen Malone. So if you live in the DC area, stop by and I can sign your book in person!

I’ll also be at Kids Author Carnival in NYC on Saturday, May 30, at the very cool Jefferson Market Branch of the NYPL.

And I’m excited to share that When Audrey Met Alice was selected for the 2015-2016 Southwest Iowa Battle of the Books. I’m honored to be included among the fantastic titles on the list!

Finally, there’s still time to enter my educator giveaway before the paperback of When Audrey Met Alice releases on May 1: Class Set Giveaway

What’s new with you?

Superlatives for 2014

Dec 18, 2014 | , , , , ,

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Katy Upperman, Jessica Love, Tracey Neithercott, and Alison Miller, hosted this interactive blogfest in 2011, 2012, and 2013 with the hope of highlighting favorite YA novels, covers, characters, and story elements. They’re hosting it again, and dedicating this week to promoting awesome young-adult books!

Today’s the last day of the blogfest: Best in Show. Here are my picks from the books I read in 2014*:

Favorite Cover: Open Road Summer by Emery Lord. It’s beautiful, and it captures the summer season and dreamy mood of a road trip. Plus, the couple on the cover are married in real life!
Cutest Couple: Wish You Were Italian by Kristin Rae. I’m not going to spoil anything by naming names, but I loved the sweet, thoughtful romance in this gem.
Most Likely to Succeed (Pick a Printz Winner): A Death-Struck Year by Makiia Lucier. This book is amazing. The historical detail, the timeliness of the topic–and the very strong and brave female protagonist. I loved it. 
Most Likely to Make You Miss Your Bedtime: Pointe by Brandy Colbert. I am generally not someone who reads an entire book in a 24-hour period, but this one I did. I really, honestly, could not put it down. It’s heartbreaking and powerful.
Romance Most Worthy of an Ice Bath: One, Two, Three, by Elodie Nowodazkij. Swoonworthy!
Best Breakout Novel (Favorite Book by a Debut Author): Push Girl, by Jessica Love. But Push Girl has the distinction of being a really great contemporary YA that also has an important message. It’s so well done, and I can’t wait for Jessica’s next book.
Best Old-Timer (Favorite Book Published BEFORE 2014): Tiger Lily by Jodi Lynn Anderson. A beautiful story that takes the characters and world from Peter Pan and makes them entirely new. I think about this one a lot, and it’s been months since I read it.
Most Likely to Make a Grown Man Cry: The Impossible Knife of Memory by Laurie Halse Anderson. An impactful story about family, addiction, PTSD, and love.
Sleeper Hit (Novel So Awesome I Wish It’d Been Hyped More): Hostage Three by Nick Lake. Technically, this published in late 2013, but I read it in 2014. An intense thriller/survival story that delves into socio-political issues, with well-developed characters and a compelling voice.
Favorite Outlier (Best 2014 Picture Book, MG, NA, or Adult Novel): I loved Yes Please. It was the self-help book I didn’t know I wanted to read. Amy Poehler is my hero.
Create Your Own Superlative!: Since I was lucky enough to read some 2015 ARCs this year, my superlative is: 2015 Book You Want Everyone to Read. And I’m picking The Forgetting by Nicole Maggi, which pubs in February.

*As a 2014 debut author myself, I know a few authors on my list. I admit to being a little biased–but that doesn’t change the fact that these are all great books!

What were some of your best 2014 books?

October Update

Oct 1, 2014 | , , , , , , , , ,

It’s October! How did that happen? And, more importantly, what am I going to be for Halloween?!

September was a busy month, but I still managed to sneak in a late-season beach day (and I have the Fire Island mosquito bites to prove it).

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I also read seven(!) books and wrote 15,000 words of my new project. Oh, and changed day jobs.

Now I’m still writing, anticipating edits for Summer of Lost & Found, and getting ready for some upcoming When Audrey Met Alice events. On October 20, I’m doing a panel with four fantastic MG authors—Tara Dairman, Lauren Magaziner, Laura Marx Fitzgerald, and Michelle Schusterman—at the Voracious Reader in Larchmont, NY. Later that week, I’m teaching a writing workshop for young readers at the New York Society Library. And I’m working on my school-visit presentations for some upcoming visits, too! (Check out my Events page for the details, if you’d like to know more!)

I’m also following a lot of FiDo-related news, good and not as good: the scary security breaches at the White House (although kudos to the off-duty officer on the First Daughters’ detail for stopping an intruder) and the happy arrival of former First Daughter Chelsea Clinton’ new baby, Charlotte. And, of course, I’m slowly making my way through The Roosevelts, the excellent 14-hour Roosevelt documentary on PBS. (Watching an hour is my reward for getting new words on paper.)

What have you been up to?

Fall Refresh

Sep 9, 2014 | , , , , , , , , , ,

Summer passed in the blink of an eye, right? I’m sad to see the season of outdoor movies, beach days, and ice cream go. But I’m also excited about fall. Even though spring is the season of growth, I feel like fall is when I make a lot of my progress. Maybe it’s the nudge from all those “back to school” ads. But here are some of the things making me feel reinvigorated right now:

–Back to Kid Lit: In August, I didn’t read any kid lit. It was a month for beach reads and grown-up books, and I loved diving into some literary fiction. After reading so many fabulous ARCs and new releases so far in 2014—along with filling some of the gaps in my backlist reading—I needed a chance to read out of the MG/YA categories. Since September started, though, I’ve already read great MG books by two panelmates, K. A. Holt (Brains for Lunch) and Jennifer Ziegler (Revenge of the Flower Girls). I’m loving The Scar Boys by fellow Egmont author Len Vlahos right now. And next on my list: an ARC of Kristin Levine’s historical MG The Paper Cowboy.

–Back to work: Summer hours are over, and while I loved them, it’s a lot easier to fit writing in my weekday schedule now. And get to bed on time-ish!

–Back in the kitchen: Can I use the heat as an excuse for why I barely touched a pot or pan this summer? (Even if it was a pretty mild summer?) There was a lot of pizza . . . and nachos. Anyway, I have a stack of new recipes and a resolution to make my own dinner at least 3 nights a week. Even if it’s a sandwich. Baby steps.

—Back to pumpkin: In truth, I am far less obsessed with pumpkin spice lattes than I used to be–but I remain a huge fan of baking with pumpkins. Or putting them into soup. (Or fermented beverages.) I like that this time of year, you can eat pumpkin-everything.


–Back to writing: I spent a lot of time this summer traveling to talk about When Audrey Met Alice, which was super fun. I wrote two historical short stories that will appear in Scholastic’s classroom magazines Storyworks and Scope, and also Cricket. I also revised Summer of Lost & Found and sent that off to my editor last month. Now, I’m finally writing a new book. I’ve only put 5,000 words on the page so far, and first drafts can be a little scary. But it feels so good to be finding a new story to tell.

 

Not-So-Lazy Days of Summer

Jul 22, 2014 | , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

How exactly is it July 22nd already? I swear, I was staring out the window at slushy snow just days ago. And now back-to-school ads are popping up . . .

But even though this has been a busy summer so far, it’s been busy in delightful ways:

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Pre-fireworks in my beautiful hometown, Madison, WI

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Quality time with my adorable nephew

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Sunny days at the beach

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Exploring the Catskills (not pictured: black bear encounter)

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NY’s gorgeous waterfalls

I’ve also read some amazing books lately, like Ann M. Martin’s Rain Reign and the short-story collection This Is Paradise.

From now until I head off to Texas, I’m working very hard on edits for The Summer of Lost and Found. I’m a little nervous about making this the best book it can be, but revising is also my favorite part of the writing process. I’ve had a few lightbulb moments in the past week, and I’m excited.

How’s your summer?

 

What’s Up Wednesday, 6/18

Jun 18, 2014 | , , , , , , , , , ,

What I’m ReadingWUW7

Last week, I finished The Interestings, which was an absorbing, funny, thoughtful character study. And even at 500+ pages, I didn’t want it to end. Next, I read Kate Scott’s YA debut, Counting to D. It was heartfelt, and it taught me a lot about dyslexia–a learning disability that I only thought I understood until I read this book. Also, there was a scene involving VooDoo Doughnuts. Yes.

Now I’m reading TransAtlantic–I loved Let the Great World Spin, so I have high hopes for this one!

What I’m Writing

I’m not drafting or revising at the moment, but I’m in the middle of a lot of research. Instead of writing page-count goals, I’m giving myself deadlines for working through various resources. I’d love to start writing this WIP next month, but I have a lot of books to get through first.

What Inspires Me Right Now

I’m getting really excited for ALA Annual! I’ve never been a library conference before, and I’ve also never been to Vegas. The Class of 2K14 has a fun trivia event planned, with Jay Asher and Josephine Angelini as our moderators.  And then I’ll be signing in the Sourcebooks booth.

After ALA, I’m heading back to the Midwest to visit some family, and I can’t wait to see my nephew. When I last saw him, he was a newborn–and now he’s almost eight months old!

What Else I’ve Been Up To

Getting back into running, making homemade ice cream (spicy chocolate was my last concoction), and enjoying the warm weather and sun.

So what have you been up to lately?

What’s Up Wednesday is a weekly meme that helps readers and writers touch base with blog friends. You can find the link widget (and cute buttons!) on Jaime’s and Erin’s blog posts.

What’s Up Wednesday, 4/30

Apr 30, 2014 | , , , , , , , ,

KITERUFFLED2What I’m Reading

I just finished up Louise Galveston’s By the Grace of Todd, a hilariously gross and inventive MG. Thanks to it, I will be deep-cleaning my apartment this weekend. Now I’m reading Jennifer Mathieu’s The Truth About Alice, which is an amazing contemporary YA told from four perspectives. All of the characters feel so very real–the voices in this book are so, so good. I’m having a hard time putting it down.

What I’m Writing

I am finally done (for now) revising that old manuscript. YES! So I’m back to researching/outlining, and I’m having lots of fun with that, asking myself lots of “what if?” questions and imagining what this story could be.

What Inspires Me Right Now

It’s tulip time again!

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What Else I’ve Been Up To

I’m busy getting ready for a see-your-setting-in-person research trip next week. More on that–with pictures–when I’m back.

I also did an interview with Keith Muchowski, who volunteers at the Theodore Roosevelt Birthplace National Historic Site. (If you’re ever in NYC, you must stop by the site for his tour!) The first part of my interview is here.

 

So what have you been up to lately?

 

What’s Up Wednesday is a weekly meme that helps readers and writers touch base with blog friends. You can find the link widget (and cute buttons!) on Jaime’s and Erin’s blog posts.

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