Recently I heard someone say they wrote a book in seven days, thanks to AI. I wouldn't say they wrote a book. I'd say they wrote a draft. As we navigate the brave new worlds before us, one question I'm asking me and my process is, What's the right amount of time for my book … [Read more...] about How to Bake a Book: a 10-year Recipe
13 Going on 14
I feel like I'm 13 anytime a book of mine is coming out. @nervesofsteel is no different. (More about the book and its release April 2023, here.) What I want to talk about now is why this book came to be. When you're 13 going on 14, a whole lot of things are going … [Read more...] about 13 Going on 14
Is YA Literary? The Search for an Abundant Canon
So a thing happened, as folks today like to say, deliberately understating the bigness of said thing. And as part of my work these last two years at Vermont College Fine Arts' program in Writing for Children and Young Adults—besides writing one and a half young adult novels, … [Read more...] about Is YA Literary? The Search for an Abundant Canon
5 Questions to Ask Your Author Friend on Sub
"I'm about to go on sub," I used to say to friends. "What's that?" said my friends. "It means my agent is submitting my manuscript to editors." "Oh!" "Or you could say, my manuscript is on submission to editors." "Ah!" Pause. "So good luck! How long does … [Read more...] about 5 Questions to Ask Your Author Friend on Sub
Grammar PSA: The Hawks Nest
Poor apostrophes; they get abused all the time. I get so mad about it, I actually dreamed up a teen girl/grammar nerd who runs around town defacing poorly-punctuated campaign signs. (My deepest, darkest desire is to do what she does.) RJ Haynes will have none of misplaced … [Read more...] about Grammar PSA: The Hawks Nest
Creativity in the Time of Corona
There comes a time in your life where you need to overthrow What Is and live in the What If full time, and not just because a virus is raging. Right before Covid-19 struck, I requested personal leave at my job of 15 years. One reason was graduate school: in January, I'd just … [Read more...] about Creativity in the Time of Corona