Carrie Finison, Sara Levine, and I had the best time talking about math, picture books, and joy! Check out the whole event below and order our books from the Silver Unicorn Bookstore! … [Read more...]
Children’s Book Week MG Panel with Joy McCullough and Jessica Lawson!
I had a fabulous time talking middle grade with Joy McCullough, Jessica Lawson, and the wonderful booksellers at Books Inc. … [Read more...]
A Kirkus STAR for MUCH ADO ABOUT BASEBALL!
I'm delighted that my next middle grade novel, MUCH ADO ABOUT BASEBALL, has gotten its first trade review, and it's a STAR from Kirkus Reviews! The reviewer called it "a moving tale of baseball, magic, and former rivals who come together to solve a problem." MUCH ADO ABOUT BASEBALL is a companion … [Read more...]
The Cover Reveal for Much Ado About Baseball!
I am so excited that awesome librarian Betsy Bird hosted the cover reveal of MUCH ADO ABOUT BASEBALL on her School Library Journal Blog! Read about my inspiration for the book, and try out a fun recipe for "Baked Sports Crisps!" You can read more about MUCH ADO ABOUT BASEBALL and find … [Read more...]
The Pitch Wars 2020 Team PITA Mentor Wish List!
Welcome! Welcome to Pitch Wars 2020!! This year, Remy Lai and I are mentoring Middle Grade. What exactly is Pitch Wars? It's a mentoring program for unagented writers. You can read more about it here. We’ll get to our wish list in a moment, but first, a little about us, your potential … [Read more...]
The Soaring 20s on KidLitTV!
KidlitTV hosted members of my debut picture book group, The Soaring 20s, on their segment On the LOOKOUT for Kids' Books, Fall 2020! To find out more about my fellow creators' debut books, a few secrets, and some advice for kids, see the whole post here, or check out the individual videos … [Read more...]
The Soaring20s Take Over The Children’s Book Podcast!
From April 27-May 1, 2020, creators from my debut picture book group, The Soaring20s PB, "took over" The Children's Book Podcast with Matthew Winner! Click the links below to hear my fellow members and me talking about various aspects of our debut picture books, including experiences that inspired … [Read more...]
A Big Birthday Giveaway!!
Today is my birthday. It’s a BIG birthday. Today, I turn 50! Unfortunately, I’m not celebrating it the way I thought I would. The world is dealing with a pandemic. We’re being socially distant. Schools are closed, people are working from home, the streets are empty, and we’re not sure how … [Read more...]
My Interview on The Children’s Book Podcast!
This week I had the incredible opportunity to speak with marvelous Matthew Winner on The Children's Book Podcast! I'm a huge fan of Matthew, a fantastic children's librarian who does superlative work spreading book love. We chatted about MIDSUMMER’S MAYHEM and what it means to me, my favorite line … [Read more...]
2019 Writer’s Loft Holiday Book Bazaar at An Unlikely Story!
On a beautiful Saturday afternoon right after Thanksgiving, a bunch of book lovers got to kick off the holiday shopping season in epic fashion at An Unlikely Story in Plainville, MA! I joined a fantastic group of authors and illustrators who have all done events at The Writers' Loft, a wonderful … [Read more...]
Picture Book Boot Camp with Jane Yolen and Heidi Stemple at The Highlights Foundation!
I was absolutely overjoyed to attend the 7th (!) annual Picture Book Boot Camp with Jane Yolen and Heidi Stemple! It took place at the always-welcoming, always-inspiring Highlights Foundation, where twenty-four lucky picture book authors got to learn from Jane and Heidi and from each other. We also … [Read more...]
Tweens Read!!
I was so incredibly lucky to be a part of Tweens Read, an astounding book festival put on by Blue Willow Bookshop in Houston, TX!! On Friday evening, I got to meet fellow authors in the lovely bookstore, enjoy some snacks, and add my signature to the wall of authors!! The next day, we gathered at … [Read more...]
McIntyre’s Books!
I met up with my awesome friend Gillian McDunn and another incredible author, Frances O'Roark Dowell, for a wonderful middle grade event on a rainy Sunday at McIntyre's Books in Pittsboro, NC! Before the panel, we were interviewed by a lovely tween blogger! The panel was full of great questions and … [Read more...]
Panel at Books of Wonder!!
I was honored and utterly thrilled to be on a Great Middle Grade Reads panel at Books of Wonder in downtown NYC with my dear friends and tremendous fellow authors Chris Baron, Jessica Kramer, Josh Levy, and Cory Leonardo! At the packed event, we chatted about our novels, our writing processes, and … [Read more...]
The Second Annual JPST Writing Retreat!
The best part of being a debut middle grade author is the wonderful friends I've made along the way. And once again, I was lucky to reconnect with some of my best author friends — Chris Baron, Jessica Kramer, Cory Leonardo, Josh Levy, Gillian McDunn, Naomi Milliner, and Nicole Panteleakos — at the … [Read more...]
LoonSong 2019
This September I returned for the second time to beautiful Elbow Lake Lodge in Cook, MN to gather with other writers for an incredible retreat called LoonSong. Created by Debby Dahl Edwardson, this retreat was nourishing for both the mind and spirit. The faculty this year included Elizabeth … [Read more...]
Teachers and Classmates
Even though I've been out of school for quite some time, the start of a new school year still inspires anticipation and excitement. My own kids are eager to start new classes, connect with teachers, and see their classmates again. We're a little sad that summer is over, but we're also kind of glad … [Read more...]
Fun in the Windy City!!
I visited Chicago for two fantastic MIDSUMMER'S MAYHEM events! First, a panel at beautiful Anderson's Bookshop Downers Grove with awesome fellow MG authors, Karla Manternach, Malayna Evans, and Niki Lenz and moderated by Kim Long! I got to catch up with high school and college friends as well as … [Read more...]
Mayhem on Cape Cod!
I went to Cape Cod for TWO fantastic MIDSUMMER'S MAYHEM events in the same evening! First, I visited the picture-perfect Eight Cousins Books with fellow MG authors Susan Tan and Jennifer Blecher, where we had a lively discussion and played my new favorite game, "That's My Book!" where the lovely … [Read more...]
SECRETS AND MAYHEM at An Unlikely Story!!
I was thrilled to visit the absolutely spectacular An Unlikely Story bookstore with my friend and incredible author, Erin Dionne!! We ate yummy food (including some double-chocolate malted milk cookies I brought), talked about our books and the writing life, and answered questions from the fantastic … [Read more...]