Lately, I feel like I’m doing so many things and none of them very well. When I get overwhelmed, I’ll admit, my first impulse is to give up. Do you ever feel like that? But today I remembered two things: 1) It’s Presidents’ Day, and neither Washington nor Lincoln ever gave up and I know…
Valentine’s Day is coming this week. So happy hearts and flowers and anything that makes your heart go pitter-patter! Did someone say, “Books”? The quickest way to my heart is a stack of unread books. Here’s my stack of books to fall in love with (for kids) this month: The Last Bear by Hannah Gold….
I keep a journal, but it’s full of boring weekly to-do lists and notes from writing courses. I guess that makes it not-a-journal. Do you have one? If not, sticky-notes can be just as good for capturing your thoughts. Sticky-notes are also super for writing teeny-tiny stories. I love the idea of small stories. I…
And why is it all over children’s literature…and oozing into some adult lit, too? I’d agree with you if you said that the word “magic” is overused almost to the point of meaninglessness. But don’t become jaded to magic. It’s anything but meaningless. In children’s literature, magic spins a golden thread. You’ll find it in…
“Your mind is like a dirty tap.” That’s what Ed Sheeran, singer/song writer/musician/record producer, has said. That tap has to run for a while before the water gets clear. To be clear (ha!), Ed wasn’t talking about water, and neither am I. I’m talking about ideas. Do you expect your story or painting or garden…
How are you? I read (can’t remember where!) that by this point in January, people can tell what kind of person they are by how they’re tackling their new year goals. If you still have a foot in the game, bravo! If efforts are meh, quickly look for the smallest, most infinitesimal thing you can…
Writing is usually an enjoyable activity. Sometimes it can be like trying to pull quail eggs from a chicken, but mostly it’s a pleasant and gratifying experience. Plus, there are some advantages. We can listen to conversations that are not ours all in the name of research, not nosiness. We can tell people we have…
I was reading a book called Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert (author of Eat, Pray, Love). It’s a book about being creative. It made me think about the role of curiosity in being creative. Lack of curiosity is the death of creativity. And creativity makes the world go ‘round. Have you ever had a conversation…
Today. Labor Day. The unofficial end to summer. Why do we do that? Why do we hurry summer—or any season—to a close “unofficially”? We don’t bring anything but seasons to unofficial ends, or beginnings for that matter. When I’m 80, will that be my unofficial end? Did I have an unofficial beginning? Books sometimes have…
Hello and welcome to another author interview, and another chance to peek behind the curtain to see how authors work their magic. Today, I have an interview with New York Times bestselling author Lauren Kate, author of middle-grade novel One True Wish, which I reviewed here: https://gaillfontana.com/one-true-wish-by-lauren-kate/. One True Wish is the story of three…
