Author of award-winning, adventurous realistic and historical fiction

Panels and Pitchers

Oct 15, 2014 | , , , , , , ,

I’m taking a break from writing next week for a fun panel at The Voracious Reader in Larchmont, NY with author friends Michelle Schusterman, Laura Marx Fitzgerald, Lauren Magaziner, and Tara Dairman!

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There will be candy. And author dares!

I’m also excited that my historical short story “Thatagirl!” is in this month’s Scholastic Storyworks! If you are a subscriber, you can check it out here: http://storyworks.scholastic.com/issues/11_01_14 Here’s a peek at the art and layout:

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It tells about the amazing baseball game in which Jackie Mitchell, a seventeen-year-old girl pitcher, struck out Lou Gehrig and Babe Ruth. Yes, that really happened!

Okay, back to work. Last weekend I worked my way through a plot riddle–hooray!–and now I am happily back to muddling through this draft.

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.

 

Texas Tour!

Aug 20, 2014 | , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Last weekend, fellow debut author Tara Dairman (whose book ALL FOUR STARS is delightful and delicious, and one of my favorites of the year) and I traveled around Texas to visit a library, a B&N store, and an indie bookstore. It was incredibly fun, and here are some of the highlights.

We started out with the Fort Worth Library’s Author Roundup:

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The beautiful Sundance Square in downtown Fort Worth

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Gorgeous, light-filled library

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How cool is the “reading rainbow” that welcomes you to the children’s section of the Central Library?

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Alice’s “Red Devil” inspired my dress

Happy to see fellow Class of 2K14 author Christine Kohler at the library!

Tara, 2015 debut author Jenny Martin, and I are modeling Tara’s ALL FOUR STARS temporary tattoos.

Afterward, we headed to Roanoke–not the island, but the town in Texas with great BBQ and the best pie shop I’ve ever visited. (Seriously. And you know how I feel about pie.)

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The sign doesn’t lie–Roanoke, TX had really unique–and delicious–food!

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I am going to dream about the cherry pie I had here. Fantastic.

The next morning, we checked out the Fort Worth Stockyards and the Dallas Museum of Art.

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I loved this historic part of Fort Worth.

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Chihuly glass at the Dallas Museum of Art

Then we headed to Barnes & Noble for a panel with Polly Holyoke and K.A. Holt.

Excitedly posing with our sign!

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Me, Tara, Polly Holyoke, and K. A. Holt getting ready for our panel

The next day, we explored Austin.

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More barbeque! Is it possible to eat to much? No.

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Presidential limousine on display at the LBJ Presidential Library and Museum.

On our last night, we had a great MG panel at The Book Spot in Round Rock, with K. A. Holt, Nikki Loftin, and Jennifer Ziegler.

Tara, me, Nikki Loftin, K. A. Holt, and Jennifer Ziegler

That is a literal “cake with a unicorn”!

We quizzed the audience with trivia related to our books–and had lots of prizes.

A celebratory dinner afterward, with 2015 debut author Donna Bowman Bratton.

(If that’s not enough photos, there are even more on my Facebook page.)

It was a wonderful weekend. Thank you to the librarians and booksellers who invited us; the readers and fellow writers who came out to support us; our hilarious, insightful, and charming co-panelists; and especially to Tara’s husband, who drove us around the state and took lots of great photos to document our authorly adventure.

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