This post contains affiliate links (you know, to support my book buying habit!). I’m a huge fan of middle grade books. They have so much heart and imagination and humor. Middle grade takes up a giant section on my bookshelf and I wouldn’t have it any other way. Here are my top 10 middle grade book recommendations (in no particular order): 1. Wonder by RJ Palacio Why I Love It: This book really made me think. And it has multiple amazing messages for kids, but rather than beating them into readers’ minds, they were understated. Which made them have a big impact…. Read More
10 Things Every Writer Needs
This post contains affiliate links (you know, to support my book buying habit!). So you want to write or you already write or you think you might want to write someday. That’s great! What’s next? Well, there are some things that, in my opinion, a writer has to have. And no, it’s not talent or knowledge or a degree in writing. These are things that anyone, with a little work, can obtain. Without further ado, here are 10 things every writer needs: 1. A place to write If you need structure, set up a desk. If you prefer to sit on… Read More
A Bit About Me: Writer’s Edition
Early Writing At age two, I carried a stack of books to bed with me at night. I then proceeded to “read” them until I fell asleep. I couldn’t go to bed without them. From then on, my love of books never went away. I wrote my first picture book around age six. Then another one. And another one. And then I began my first middle grade novel. I got about halfway through before it was lost. In eighth grade, I started writing poetry. I wrote poems everywhere I went—in line for Pirates of the Caribbean at Disneyland, lying in bed at night, breaks… Read More
Lessons Learned: I’m Happier When I Write
I’ve always loved to write. Always. I mean, I started my first novel when I was about 7. And that’s not even including the mass of picture books I wrote before that (complete with illustrations). But the weird thing is, I’ve never been great at the whole “consistently writing” thing. Aside from the times I was in a creative writing course in college where I was forced to write weekly for assignments and a 6-week stint where I finally got the hang of it, it’s always been a here-and-there kind of thing. Inconsistent. I’ve been thinking a lot about that… Read More