Comics and other graphic texts are one of the fastest growing areas of publishing, and they seem to be getting stronger each year. If you haven’t considered getting graphic, you might want to. This post is for creators, especially writers, who are interested in graphic story-telling. Even if your art skills are limited to crooked, one-armed stick figures, […]
The One Thing I Wish Someone Had Told Me About Creating Characters
April 24, 2019 by · 5 Comments
There’s a lot of conflicting advice out there about characters. Do you make them quirky and unusual (like Amelia Bedelia), or more ordinary (like Charlie Brown)? Do you make them heroic (someone readers might aspire to be, like Atticus Finch), or deeply flawed (like FH in Jesus’s Son)? Do you make them raw and human […]
Writing Advice Part II (my top six other best pieces of advice)
April 19, 2019 by · 9 Comments
The single best piece of writing advice I ever got was to write the book you most want to read (more on that here). After that, here are six other bits of writing advice that have made the biggest difference for me (and that I need to keep reminding myself of to keep on going). […]
The Last Panther Teaching and Book Club Kit
April 21, 2017 by · 2 Comments
Looking for materials to enhance using The Last Panther in the classroom or book club? This is the place to find and share those. Although my first goal is always to write an entertaining story, it’s my hope that The Last Panther will help students creating vivid, personal connections to several areas of interest for 4th-7th grades, including: —Understanding […]
Do Something Good (and get a Protector Pendant!)
October 19, 2016 by · 8 Comments
Ever wish you were living in a fantasy book, fighting monsters and questing to save the world? (I sometimes do). Fortunately, there are plenty of real causes in need of heroes. BECOME A PROTECTOR! Being a protector is easier than you might think. You can: —Sell lemonade or homemade crafts to raise money to protect endangered species […]
A Unique Gift: How to get a signed, personalized book
December 4, 2019 by · 2 Comments
Want to give kids and friends a unique gift they’ll never forget? Get them a personalized, signed book! Here’s how: Order The Last Panther (available in hardcover or paperback) or any of my other books from Amazon, Indiebound, Barnes and Noble, or other booksellers, and have it sent to you. (Or better yet, support your local […]
The Chicken Sees: How Stories Change the World
December 2, 2019 by · Leave a Comment
For nine years, authors I admire have shared their thoughts about writing and the environment on the A4ED (Authors for Earth Day) blog, including such incredible (and Newbery Winning) folks like Bruce Colville, Sy Montgomery, Debbie Dadey, Eliot Schrefer, Jack Gantos, Jane Yolen, Jeff Kinney, Linda Sue Park, Kathi Appelt, Wendy Mass, Brooke Bessesen, Sara Pennypacker […]
Twelve things about Squirrels that will blow your mind
November 24, 2019 by · 107 Comments
Squirrels rule. Here’s why: I’ve tried to explain my love of squirrels to folks before, only to watch them back away slowly and speed dial their doctor for a rabies vaccine. So here it is (with pictures), twelve amazing facts about squirrels for the uninitiated. 1) There’s a squirrel superhero: Squirrel Girl! (And Ulysses –the […]
