December and Christmas go hand in hand. Fa la la la la. While I love the Christmas spirit, it’s important to remember that there are other holidays in December that deserve our respect and attention: Hanukkah and Kwanzaa. When I was a kid, my family celebrated both Christmas and Hanukkah. We had a beautiful menorah,…
Today I’m bringing you a list of middle-grade novels (for ages 7-12) to gift the children in your life. A book is always a good idea, don’t you think? This list is based on the New York Times Bestseller List for middle-grade books. But before I get to those, I have to recommend a book…
Don’t look now, but the holidays are right behind you. I hope you had a gratitude-and-family-filled Thanksgiving. If you enjoy online shopping, today’s your day. It’s Cyber Monday. In addition to Amazon, check out uncommongoods.com, live-inspired.com and basbleu.com Here are some gifts for kids and another for the writers in your life (you?). KIDS AGES…
Some books are so charming, you can’t help but fall in love. Always, Clementine by Carlie Sorosiak is one of those books. Written for 8-12-year-olds and published in September 2022, it is the story of two lab mice, Clementine and The Other Mouse, who are freed by kindhearted scientist Felix and deposited into a mailbox…
Here’s the bottom line to today’s post. I want to give it to you upfront because I think this is so, so, so important. Here it is: Spend time with people at a big gathering who are pursuing the same hobbies you are. Or who have the same passions. Or who have the same issues….
November is Native American Heritage Month. It began as a single day, American Indian Day, and continued until 1990 when George W. Bush extended it to encompass the entire month. These special heritage months are important because they remind us that our country is full of people who may or may not look like us,…
I’m veering off course today. This post—dedicated to my sister and to all the women out there just living life—is intended for mature readers. Boo, and Happy Halloween! Halloween was my sister’s favorite holiday for as long as I can remember. She loved the costumes. It was always about the costumes for her. (Never the…
Since it’s still October, I’m going to stick with the “Scary” theme. What if I told you that you could be a writer? If that bores you, then you’re in the wrong room. But if that scares you or intrigues you, you’re in the right place. Follow along, too, if you just have fears on…
What You Can Expect and Even How to Write Your Own Middle Grade Horror Fiction Is anything inherently frightening? (Besides clowns? Or running out of coffee?) I think some things can’t help but be frightening: old houses, graveyards, deserted towns. But the best frights are things that seem innocent at first—like a faint scratching on…
Here we are, knee-deep into October, the spooky, scary, gateway-to-all-the-other-holidays month. I just learned a new word today. Taphophile: a cemetery enthusiast. I had no idea there was a word for people like me. I just thought we were “quirky.” Now I know we’re taphophiles! (This is not to be confused with coimetromaniacs, who are people…
