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There is No Schedule
If you’ve been around here for any length of time, you know my friend J. Anderson Coats says a lot of things that resonate with me. She’s the one who gave me my favorite piece of writing advice and...
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It’s Been a Long Time Coming…
Oh my goodness, this book. I wrote it in 2008 (which, looking back, was a very good year for me. I finished my first draft of May B., wrote Wetlands, and had my first inkling of an idea for Blue...
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A Wetlands Story Time in Pictures
Instead of a launch party for Over in the Wetlands, I lead story time at the Albuquerque/Bernalillo County Library‘s Cherry Hills branch. Think stories, games, coloring pages, and gator cookies....
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Enchanted Air: Two Cultures, Two Wings by Margarita Engle
Please tell us about your latest book, Enchanted Air. Thank you for your interest! Enchanted Air, Two Cultures, Two Wings, is a verse memoir. In one sense it’s a travel book about the unusual...
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BEEN THERE, DONE THAT Release Day!
There’s this book I wrote a while back, something I started in 2001 and officially set aside three years ago. It’s called CAN’T BREAK US and is loosely based on my mother’s girlhood club. The...
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Writing Links
What It Really Means to Build Your Wings on the Way Down :: Ingrid Sundberg A Pep Talk for Writers Struggling to Find Writing Time :: Jody Hedlund The Authors Answer: What Made Your Best School Visits...
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A New Cover for Blue Birds
As I write, sometimes an image for a book’s cover starts to form in my mind. Back in 2014, when my editor told me cover discussions for Blue Birds were underway, I took a moment to get on paper the...
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Plowing, Planting, Hoping, Dreaming
I ran an earlier version of this post right after selling my first book. Because it’s one of my favorites, and because I so often need to hear these words myself, I’m sharing them again today. It was...
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#MGGetsReal—A Joint Marketing Effort
a guest post by Shannon Hitchcock A group marketing blitz during the month of August? My initial reaction was UGH! I’m a writer, not a marketer, but since I have a new book out, (RUBY LEE & ME,...
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A cover for Jasper and let’s play catch up!
Hello, readers! I’m coming off my blog vacation at the same time I turned in my third-round edits and copyedits for Jasper and the Riddle of Riley’s Mine. School starts for my boys next week. It truly...
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SCBWI New Mexico’s Handsprings Conference: November 11-12
In 2004 I joined the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators after six years of trying this writing thing on my own. The impact this organization has had on my life has been tremendous. I...
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5 Podcasts for Writers
I listen to podcasts while I walk the dog, make dinner, and clean the house. Here are five about writing that you might enjoy*: Narrative Breakdown – “The craft of creative writing, screenwriting,...
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Wanna Join Jasper’s Launch Team?
Any day now a box full of advance reader copies* of my new novel, Jasper and the Riddle of Riley’s Mine, will show up on my doorstep. I can hardly wait! Guess what that means? It’s time to pull...
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Hold it loosely. Take the long view.
When there’s enthusiasm for your book before it meets the world, hold it loosely. When there’s only silence, take the long view. When your book gets great reviews, hold it loosely. When it feels like...
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A Gorgeous Jacket for Jasper
A spine that focuses on my spirited hero, snowy trees that wrap around the back cover, lovely words about Blue Birds, and the perfect shade of navy to make it all pop (a near match for the shirt in my...
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Meeting an Old Friend for the First Time
** Pre-order giveaway for Jasper and the Riddle of Riley’s Mine! Now through February 6. Click through to learn more. ** The post Meeting an Old Friend for the First Time originally appeared on...
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A Book is Launched!
Two school visits (with one more coming). Three author events (with another next weekend). I think it’s safe to say Jasper and the Riddle of Riley’s Mine has officially made its way into the world. I...
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Plowing, Planting, Hoping, Dreaming
I ran an earlier version of this post right after selling my first book. Because it’s one of my favorites, and because I so often need to hear these words myself, and because May B. marked its fifth...
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How to Define Success as a Writer
I’ve been thinking a lot lately about how I personally measure success. When I first was published, I figured if I could reupholster the couch and pay for my boys’ glasses and eventual braces, that...
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Authors Weigh In on Personal Success
Last week I mentioned asking my writing friends if I could share their definitions of success (anonymously, so they felt they could be candid). Sixteen people responded, from the newly published to...
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