I kicked off the MIDSUMMER'S MAYHEM tour in my hometown of Louisville, KY with a visit to awesome St. Francis School! The students were full of energy and asked some great questions! … [Read more...]
nErDCamp NNE 2019!!
I loved attending nErDCamp NNE this year at Freeport High School! I got to connect and discuss important topics in literacy with fellow authors (including Lynda Mullaly Hunt, Kate Narita, and Jarrett Lerner) and educators from across New England (and even Alaska...and Canada!). I'm grateful as … [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...]
My TWEENS READ Interview with Blue Willow Bookshop!
I am over the moon to be heading to TWEENS READ in Houston, TX this October!! In preparation for this incredible book festival, Blue Willow Bookshop interviewed me about writing, baking, and MIDSUMMER'S MAYHEM! Read the interview here. … [Read more...]
Great Baking Book Event at Red Balloon Books!
On a rainy Monday night in September, I had an amazing visit to Red Balloon Bookshop in St. Paul, MN, where I participated in a "Great Baking Book Event," inspired by my middle grade novel, MIDSUMMER'S MAYHEM, and (of course) the Great British Baking Show! I talked about my story, read a little from … [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...]
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...]
nErDCamp NC 2019!!
I had an absolutely fantastic time in Charlotte, NC at nErDCamp NC!! I loved connecting with educators and other authors alike, and learning from and participating in some fantastic discussions! … [Read more...]
Park Road Books Panel!
I had a marvelous time at Park Road Books with fellow authors Amalie Jahn, Jodie Zdrock, Nicole Panteleakos, Gillian McDunn, Malayna Evans, Mariama Lockington, and Gail Shepherd!! … [Read more...]
Heck YA Book Fest at Main Street Books!
I was so fortunate to attend the Heck YA Book Fest at Main Street Books in Davidson, NC! In this celebration of book joy, authors participated in fascinating discussions on panels. The event culminated with a massive book signing!! I had such an amazing time with fellow authors Gillian McDunn, … [Read more...]
nErDCamp SoCal!!
In the final leg of my summer west coast tour, I met up with incredible kids, educators and authors in Torrance, CA at the inaugural nErDCamp SoCal! On the first day, July 18, many authors did workshops with kids at Camp Nerdling! The second day was the nErDCamp, where authors and educators shared … [Read more...]
ALL THE MAYHEM Tour Part 4: Once Upon a Time!
Our ALL THE MAYHEM tour continued at Once Upon a Time, a wonderful bookstore in gorgeous Montrose, CA! Chris Baron and I joined fellow MG author Henry Lien for a super-fun "Midsummer's Mania" event with young book lovers and writers!! We had tons of fun doing creative writing exercises, followed by … [Read more...]
ALL THE MAYHEM Tour Part 3: Public Square Coffee House!
I met up with Chris Baron again in his lovely hometown of La Mesa, CA, where we had an epic ALL THE MAYHEM event at Public Square Coffee House! The cafe was packed to the gills! We were graciously introduced by fellow debut author Laura Taylor Namey, talked about our books, and ate scrumptious food! … [Read more...]
MIDSUMMER’S MAYHEM Event at Books Inc!
On the third stop of the MIDSUMMER'S MAYHEM west coast tour, I traveled to the Bay Area to visit Books Inc in Campbell, CA! This was a truly special experience: one of the booksellers, Colleen, is a trained pastry chef, and she made lemon-lavender cupcakes, chocolate-chunk citrus thyme cookies, and … [Read more...]
ALL THE MAYHEM Tour Part 2: The Neverending Bookshop!
ALL THE MAYHEM continued when Chris Baron and I visited The Neverending Bookshop in beautiful Edmonds, WA! This lovely store has a special tiny room dedicated to kids' books! We had a great time with the crowd there, which included fellow debut MG authors Jody Little and Kristin Thorsness! I also … [Read more...]
ALL THE MAYHEM Tour Part 1: Third Place Books in Seattle!
This July I had the great pleasure doing a MIDSUMMER'S MAYHEM west coast tour with my wonderful friend and fellow debut novelist, Chris Baron, and his gorgeous novel in verse, ALL OF ME! Our first stop was Third Place Books in Seattle, WA. We met up and baked with my Pitch Wars mentor, Joy … [Read more...]
Book Expo 2019!
Book Expo 2019 in NYC was a blast! I got to hang out with my editor and the rest of the publishing team at the Little Bee Books booth. I visited other publisher's booths, including the publishers of some of my friends' books, and my forthcoming picture books! . . … [Read more...]
Kweli 2019!
On April 5-6, 2019 I attended my second Kweli: The Color of Children's Literature Conference. From incredible workshops to superb keynotes, fascinating panel discussions, and plenty of time to connect with fellow creators, the conference was nourishing and inspiring in the best possible way. … [Read more...]