Ok, so I have been woefully neglectful of this blog, so I thank Renata for A) Not throwing sticks at me B) taking up my slack. C) Going to ALA so I could live vicariously through her I have excuses: Personal problems, life getting in the way, blah blah and more blah. I have to… Continue reading La Vie Harry Potter!
Author: sandy
A success story
This weekend I was lucky enough to attend my fourth New England Society for Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators AKA NESCBWI (worst acronym ever) Conference and it was a doozy. The keynotes speakers were Jane Yolen and Tomie DePaola, both known mostly for their work in picture books, but Jane Yolen has a few novels… Continue reading A success story
Friday Feuds: Team Peeta
Oh Peeta. Sweet, unwaveringly loyal, smart and cute… what else does a girl need? Well if you’re Katniss Everdeen, you could go for the best friend, the one you’ve known all your life – the one that looks so much like you he could be your brother (AKA Gale)! But you should go for the… Continue reading Friday Feuds: Team Peeta
“Teens will like”
I was just perusing Goodreads and saw this beginning on one of the reviews. “Teen will like” and then later “Teens will identify” – and I’m not sure why, but that really bothers me, though I’m sure I’m guilty of it as well. Obviously, as a writer of YA I want to write novels that… Continue reading “Teens will like”
Retro YA: “The Outsiders”
I discussed in my first post about finding that Judy Blume novel on my sister’s shelf made me a reader, but it was another tattered book that I read that made me obsessed. That one was S.E. Hinton’s 1967 novel (one of, if not the first “YA” ever) The Outsiders. Now, I’ll be honest. I… Continue reading Retro YA: “The Outsiders”
Why didn’t I go to boarding school in Paris?
That is what I asked myself when I finished reading Stephanie Perkins’ fantastic debut novel, Anna and the Kiss. Let me tell you, I’ve read this book twice now and I love love love it. I actually bought the kindle version of it, and I love it so much, that I’m going to order a… Continue reading Why didn’t I go to boarding school in Paris?
Why YA for me
When I was 12 I did not like to read. But one day I was bored and I went into my older sister’s room to snoop around. She had one shelf of books and I remember sitting on her floor looking at them. I pulled out a tattered copy of Judy Blume’s It’s Not the… Continue reading Why YA for me