Butterflies keep turning up in my work, as you can see even from the cover art (and titles!) of What Can’t Wait and The Knife and the Butterfly. Recently I saw a beautiful photograph on Flickr* that got … Read more

Not long ago I heard from a Houston high school teacher that my novels The Knife and the Butterfly and What Can’t Wait had gone “viral” among students. It wasn’t that a teacher was requiring kids to read the books; … Read more

It’s a new year, and you are looking to start things off right. Set some goals, sure, but most of all, go write. Here’s a tried-and-true idea you can use.

Take a break from structure and write blind (literally, … Read more

Forget the Grinch! The holidays are the perfect time for indulging in re-reads of favorite books from the year and from years past. If you’re looking for a book to cozy up to for a few hours, here are a … Read more

“That could be our town,” I heard people saying on Friday as the tragic events at Sandy Hook Elementary began to come to light. “That looks so much like my son’s school,” one mother said in the doctor’s waiting room where … Read more

A while back, a blog reader asked this question in response to a writing inspiration post:

I hear authors talk all the time about how awfull they used to be, and how they’re glad that first book they wrote won’t … Read more

I’ll admit it: my imagination sometimes gets me in trouble.

On my way to the gym this morning, I got to hear Nancy Pearl talk about Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein on NPR. I reviewed (and LOVED) this book, … Read more

I dragged myself out of the dissertation cave long enough to vote… and to make an appearance at STACKED for the Contemporary YA week to talk diversity. Here’s a bit:

Often I hear from readers of What Can’t Wait and The … Read more

It appears I have a new authorly addiction: Skyping with students. In the last month or so, I’ve been lucky enough to have a Skype author visit with students almost every Friday. Forget chicken soup for the writer’s soul–these chats … Read more

Q: How do you push yourself to improve as a writer? Do you have any tips for us writers who are just starting out?*

A: Read. Everything. Seriously, reading a ton of fiction is a fiction writer’s number one job, … Read more