I got the cover for my new young adult novel! This is the book I had called Jason Farms. It’s now called Replication: The Jason Experiment, and it releases from Zonderkidz in December 2011. What do you guys think of the cover? I hope it doesn’t scare girl readers away. I’ve had many teen girls… Continue Reading
Tricks of the Trade: Section Breaks vs. Scene Breaks
Have you noticed that when you read a novel, sometimes a break in a scene is depicted by an asterisks or some other fancy symbol, and sometimes there is only a wide space before a new scene begins? What’s the difference between the two, and how do you know which to use? A scene break… Continue Reading
Writing for the YA Market
I’ve been asked why I’d choose teenagers to write about, so I’m going to attempt to answer. I’ve spent several years working with teens and I find them to be an amazing group of people. Young enough to not be completely jaded yet old enough to know the world isn’t all ice cream and cake.… Continue Reading
Punctuation: Did You Know…
Did you know that said tags flow better using the pronoun first then the said-tag word? Ex: “Goodbye,” Bobby said. (Pronoun) (said-tag word) When you reverse them, it may make sense with proper names, “Goodbye,” said Bobby. But it sounds awkward with other pronouns. “Goodbye,” said he. Always try to put the said-tag… Continue Reading
Q&A: Naming Characters
Hi, I’m currently working on a story, but I’m a bit stuck. I need a period-appropriate name for my character. I’ve gone through dozens of sites and stuff, but I can’t find any!! –Rachel Naming characters depends on the genre of book you are writing. For fantasy, it’s fun to use different languages. I used… Continue Reading
FREE AUDIOBOOK! COMING SOON!
I’m recording a serial audio podcast of By Darkness Hid that anyone can listen to free online or subscribe to via email, podcasts, or iTunes. I will post one chapter a week until I read the whole novel. At that time I’ll post podcast chapters of To Darkness Fled–also for free. I think this will be… Continue Reading
A Day in the Life of a Writer…
Sometimes I think people have an idea that the life of an author is easy, glamorous, and exciting. On the RARE occasion, it is all of these things. But most of the time it’s like today. I’m sitting in a nightshirt and sweats. My back is starting to hurt a little and my booty is numb.… Continue Reading
Tricky Words that are Often Misused: lay/lie
LAY means to put something down. Something is being done to the subject. The most common verb forms of LAY are: lay (present), laid (past), and laid (past participle). Ex: Present tense: I lay down my pencil and pick up the eraser. Past tense: I laid down my pencil and picked up the eraser. Past participle:… Continue Reading
Behind the Scenes: To Darkness Fled Book Trailer
Hey there, Novel Teeners! This post is about my experience playing Achan in Jill Williamson’s To Darkness Fled book trailer. I had a real blast doing that, and hopefully you enjoy this post recounting all the cool stuff I got to do during, before, and after filming! It all started when Jill contacted me after… Continue Reading
Too Many Ideas?
As a writer, it’s possible to have too many ideas. I do. I have way more ideas that I can keep up with. And as a published writer, I have deadlines and contracts that I have to adhere to. Because of those deadlines and contracts, I often can’t work on new ideas when they come… Continue Reading
Family Fiction Magazine 2011 Reader’s Choice Awards
Family Fiction Magazine announced the results of their 2011 Reader’s Choice Awards in their May-June 2011 issue. There are some wonderful authors, books, and movies in this years results. Congrats to everyone who made the list. And a HUGE congratulations goes out to the young adult authors who made the list, especially our own Melanie Dickerson and Jill… Continue Reading
Family Fiction Magazine 2011 Reader’s Choice Awards
Family Fiction Magazine announced the results of their 2011 Reader’s Choice Awards in their May-June 2011 issue. There are some wonderful authors, books, and movies in this years results. Congrats to everyone who made the list. To my delight, the To Darkness Fled book trailer took fifth place as a favorite book trailer, and I was voted… Continue Reading