I’m writing you from the depths of a hideous stomach virus, and I recommend each and every one of you to stay FAR, FAR away from me. What better way to keep your distance than by making a few stops … Read more

I’m no publicity pro, but I recently set up my own blog tour to launch The Knife and the Butterfly, and I learned a few things along the way. So while there are services that will set up a … Read more

I’m wrapping up a semester of teaching here in Paris, which always gets me reflecting on my practice–and on the relationships I’ve formed with students and other teachers. Recently someone asked me how I could put up with a certain … Read more

I don’t teach high school anymore, but I can’t break the habit of looking for companion texts for books (my own and other). A while back, this description of The Pregnancy Project came across my screen via the School Library Journal… Read more

Like most writers I’ve worked with in workshops and writing groups, I tend to think too much about when I’m going to tell my readers something. Instead, we should be asking ourselves, how long can we go without telling our … Read more

First confession: I used to write poems, but I don’t anymore.

For now, poetry feels too risky, the payoff too uncertain, each poem like stepping from a ledge never knowing how far one will drop. Poetry takes more courage than I’ve … Read more

So… you know what I write, right? YA novels that you can’t wait to get your hands on (and give to people you love). What Can’t Wait. The Knife and the Butterfly.

Well. There’s another Ashley.

Most of the … Read more

Dear New Author,

You used to like writing reviews, didn’t you? Goodreads, your blog, even facebook: your opinions were loud and proud. But what now, now that you are joining the ranks of the published?

First off, let me say … Read more

I know, I know, self-publishing e-books is all the rage. Who wouldn’t like a bigger cut of their profits? Who wouldn’t like to see their book “out there” as quickly as possible? Who wouldn’t like to be the next success … Read more

You don’t have to be old and bearded to be sage. In fact, my editor, Andrew Karre, is living proof that you don’t have to be either to see things that others miss. In a recent piece for Hunger Mountain… Read more