Why are certain picture books read over and over again? Why do some become beloved bedtime or story time tales? According to Tam Smith, children’s author, the answer is found in The Vibrant Triangle. This is no Da Vinci Code, folks. According to Smith, “The Vibrant Triangle is the dynamic between the picture book, the… Read more »
Great Reads
Pay it Forward Friday: Mary Bartek
Mary Bartek, one of my oldest (meaning going back a long time with no reference to age because we don’t talk about age in our crit group) writing buddies published her award-winning FUNERALS AND FLY FISHING in 2004. And now 5 years later, this fun book has been released again in paperback. And it has… Read more »
An Ode to the Slush Pile
To all my Chicago relatives, “the slush pile” is not a dirty March remnant of a long snowy winter, but instead is the ever-growing stack of unsolicited book manuscripts an editor or an agent accumulates from a host of hopeful authors. My first book which comes out next February, TOO PURPLEY!, was pulled from just… Read more »
Camera-shy Creech Proving Any Author Can Make a Video Trailer
I love that one of my favorite authors is so very humble … and funny.
Random Acts of Publicity Week – Judith Snyder
Darcy Pattison’s Random Acts of Publicity Week began last Tuesday and I’ve decided to focus my not-so-random acts on one of my crit buddies, Judith Snyder. Judith is a teacher, school librarian and storyteller – she knows children’s literature. And even though she’s so very talented, Judith is soft-spoken and VERY humble. Tooting her own… Read more »
Join in the Chicken Dance!
I love Tammi Sauer’s new trailer:
Pondering the Predictable Plot Point Part II – MY SISTER’S KEEPER
WARNING 1: Don’t read my post title out loud. You’ll spit all over your screen. WARNING 2: SORT OF A SPOILER ALERT A few years ago, I read Jodi Picoult’s MY SISTER’S KEEPER and enjoyed it. I was especially fascinated by the service dog subplot and drawn into fireman dad’s sensitivity. I can also completely… Read more »
If I Stay – Not So Dark
I just now finished IF I STAY by Gayle Forman. In case you don’t know, it’s gotten rave reviews and is one of the books featured in the WSJ article “Young Adult Fiction Takes a Dark Turn.” IF I STAY doesn’t have the shock value of WINTERGIRLS or perhaps the unraveling mystery of THIRTEEN REASONS… Read more »
Spreadsheet Novel Analysis and Free Download
Spreadsheet analysis of novels allows me to pattern author storytelling and plot devices. But the value in the methodology lies in the columns I create – in other words what I choose to track throughout the book. After reading HOOKED: WRITE FICTION THAT GRABS READERS AT PAGE ONE AND NEVER LETS THEM GO by Les… Read more »
No surprise – WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE is #1
WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE is often touted as the perfect picture book and the one to study if you’re an aspiring PB writer. I remember, when I first read it (my oldest received it as a newborn gift) finding Max’s naughtiness distinctly refreshing. His smirky, little face could be found on any one of… Read more »
My Books
