It is no April Fool’s joke when I say that the author that has most impacted my writing and reading life is Beverly Cleary. Yes, she’s a children’s book author and all her characters are, at the oldest, 13 or 14. But reading her books as a child was magical, and rereading them as an adult to my children, and often on my own just for fun, I realize that she had a gift of being able to distill important characteristics, emotional journeys and complicated plots down to their essence in such a succinct style that her books can be read and understood by her many readers. This doesn’t make the stories or the stakes childish. It makes them accessible to all ages, including 50 year olds.
Read moreApril is for Library Lovers
Celebrating the beating heart of any community: the public library.
Read more5 Surprising Influences on SOMETHING BETTER (and 1 Predictable Choice)
How did a snarky comedy about high school become a Women’s Fiction novel about reconciling the fantasy of “what if” with the reality of “what is?” Read on to learn about the influences behind SOMETHING BETTER.
Read moreThree Little Words
Here we are at four months away from my debut launch and I was feeling the energy and excitement and nerves around ‘someday’ turning the corner to ‘soon.’ Then three little words shifted my perspective.
Read moreFive 80’s YA Books That Shaped Me as a Writer
Love, family, and friendship. The hope, humor, and heartbreak involved in every meaningful relationship. This is what I write about. And I must thank the following five books that I read as a teen for shaping my author identity today.
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