It’s Christmastime, and that means giving. So, in the spirit of the true meaning of Christmas, here are some easy ways to give: At the Teaching Authors blog, the six writers/teachers who contribute are offering to donate up to $225 to First Book with your help. For every comment submitted to the blog through Dec.…
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Have you heard about the Library Phantom? If not, read this article on NPR. In a nutshell, an anonymous woman has been creating amazing sculptures out of old books and leaving them in libraries in the U.K. “In support of … books, words and ideas,” wrote the artist. While it seems a shame to tear…
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For my last post in Random Acts of Publicity Week, I’m sending out some love to my author friends: Jaqueline Kelly‘s debut novel, The Evolution of Capurnia Tate, won the 2010 Newbury Award. The book tells the story of an 11-year-old girl who takes an interest in nature as she learns what’s it means to…
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I interviewed author Joy Preble back when her first novel, Dreaming Anastasia, was released, but I didn’t read the book until recently — and I’m glad I did. Today, it’s my entry for Random Acts of Publicity Week. The young adult book blends history with the paranormal, telling the story of Anne Michaelson. Her dreams…
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For today’s entry in Random Acts of Publicity Week, I’m recommending another book I picked up at the Texas Library Association conference, the young adult novel The Death Catchers by Jennifer Anne Kogler. Initially, I must admit, I wasn’t too interested in the book. The cover looked to me like the novel was a Hunger…
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As I continue to participate in Random Acts of Publicity Week, I’m recommending Hourglass, the debut novel of Myra McEntire. I picked up an ARC (advanced review copy, in case you’re wondering) of Hourglass from Egmont’s booth at the Texas Library Association convention this year. It was described by the lady who handed it to…
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So, it’s Random Acts of Publicity Week — an idea I love — so this week, I’ll be posting book recommendations. First up is the Zack Proton series by Brian Anderson, a writer in my local Austin area. When I moved to Austin and started attending the SCBWI meetings here, I kept hearing from people,…
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Although this book is an oldie, I figure it’s never bad to get re-introduced to good works. If you haven’t heard of it, Techniques of the Selling Writer by Dwight V. Swain, was originally published in 1965, but, except for some writing demonstrations that are a bit outdated, the book itself remains a goldmine for…
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The newest book in the For Dummies line is dedicated to writing young adult fiction, and true to the series’ tag line, it does make “everything easier.” Writing Young Adult Fiction for Dummies is written by Deborah Halverson, who knows a lot about the subject. She worked as an editor for Harcourt for 10 years…
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Staying on the topic of revising, I talked to someone who knows a lot about making children’s literary the best. Deborah Halverson has been on both sides of the desk, working as an editor for Harcourt for 10 years and later as an author of two teen novels, Honk If You Hate Me and Big…
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