Welcome to My Blog/Newsletter
Why subscribe?
To read about another writer’s journey through writing, revising, querying, and learning
To see photos of my dogs 😉
To read about specific craft issues from the point of view of a book coach/experienced writer who wants to help other writers improve their craft
Writing a Novel Series for Kids, Part 3
I’ve been thinking about novels in series quite a lot lately because I’m writing one and several of my clients are too. It occurred to me as I was watching Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (a prequel to the original Star Trek) that some novel series are more like episodic television.
Writing a Novel Series for Kids, Part 2
I don’t think I can write about series fiction for kids without first talking about Harry Potter. (If you’ve never ready any Harry Potter, you’re missing out on a huge influence on the kid lit world.)
The Harry Potter series by J. K. Rowling is, at least according to Mental Floss, the best-selling book series of all time.
Writing a Novel Series for Kids, Part 1
When you were a kid, what series of novels did you read and enjoy? Two of the series that stick out in my memory are Nancy Drew mysteries and Laura Ingalls Wilder’s Little House books.
When Do You Quit? When Do You Persevere?
One of my reasons for persevering in this difficult business is that I want to give kid readers a wonderful reading experience. It’s a way of paying it forward.
Attention-Grabbing Book Titles
What book titles attract your attention by their words alone? Don’t consider the cover design or who the author is—just the content of the words.
School Visits as a Marketing Strategy for MG Novels
School visits and library visits are a way to interact with our intended readers and get them excited about reading our books. An author’s visit should be entertaining but also offer something more.
Two Fairy Tale-Based Novels, Compared
When I happened to read two fairy tale-based fantasies back-to-back, I noticed that I was drawn more to T. Kingfisher’s Nettle & Bone (Tor, 2022) than to Elana K. Arnold’s Damsel (Balzer & Bray, 2018). Both novels are very well written.
Revision Complete … For Now
Woo hoo! I have finished revising my MG dog novel and sent it to my agent. My goal was to finish by the end of August. I missed it by a day. I wrapped up on Sept. 1. It felt so good!
What Works to Sell Kid Novels?
I’ve had my head buried in my dog novel revision for the last few months. But as the work draws to a close, I need to start thinking about what comes next. Or rather, what comes after the book is acquired by a publishing company. Yes, there will be more edits and revisions, but the next steps I’m thinking about are how to get the book into readers’ hands.
A New Offer: Developmental Editing
I’m going to start offering developmental editing, which is more of a “one and done” approach. (This will be in addition to book coaching, which I love!) I’m thinking of offering two different levels of developmental editing.