One of the questions people often ask me is how to find or form a good critique group. My answer: it’s really hard. In some ways it’s like dating, and God knows I never want to go through that again! Not so long ago I was part of an amazing critique group with some ridiculously […]

It’s been so long since I’ve blogged here that it almost feels awkward starting up again. Almost. But just because I haven’t been here, doesn’t mean I’ve been hiding under a rock. In fact, I’ve been quite busy in real life. We decided to sell our house in California in July. That took all of […]

Headline news can be depressing. Which is why it makes me happy to find news stories like this one: This Teenager Discovered a New Planet on his Third Day of Work. Seriously. At 15, this kid shows up for day three of his “work experience” project, they’ve assigned him the task of wading through all […]

Several years ago I attended the SCBWI summer conference and one of the wonderful people I met was Rachel Marks. Super talented as both a writer and an artist, she had an incredible joy for life, due in part to being a cancer survivor. Rachel was rooming with Paige Britt and both of them had […]

I don’t know if it’s the longer days, or the fact that I’m forever on a school schedule, but I definitely have more energy in the summer. And for me, more energy means more writing, more cooking and baking and more exercise. I’ve never been a fan of the gym, but point me in the […]

It’s almost summer! I live in Michigan, so during the few months when the sky is blue, the grass is green, and clouds are fluffy, I pack away my winter projects and hit the outdoors—preferably with a book in hand. Those days are just around the corner, so I’m stocking up my Kindle now. If […]

Where do I even begin?! The L.A. Times Festival of Books is a sprawling, two-day event showcasing every type of book you can imagine. Thousands of people go, but as an attendee, you sort of need to map out your day because there’s no way to see everything. There are stages with interviews, music, cooking, […]

Last year when Wish You Weren’t came out, I was happy with the cover and hopeful that it represented the story well. I still love the cover, but I also started to realize that the static image implied a “quiet” type of story. If you’ve read Wish You Weren’t, you know that’s not the case. […]

I’m so excited to tell you that the audiobook of WISH YOU WEREN’T is live! I didn’t realize after approving the final version that it would take Audible nearly two weeks to listen to it to make sure the quality was up to par, but I’m glad they did. Because that ensures that anyone who […]

Last week at the book festival was so much fun. The venue was gorgeous – one of the best libraries I’ve ever visited – and the organizers were so thoughtful and generous. It was definitely my favorite festival so far. Plus, I got to meet some awesome authors who’ve written some great books. Thanks to […]

I don’t know about you, but so far, 2015 has been a good year. Okay, so we’re only nine days into it, but hey, it’s nice to start out on a good note! For starters, next week is the Celebration of Local Authors which I’m excited to be a part of. I’ll be there all […]

Shopping at holiday time is not high on my list of favorite things to do. Unless it involves being in a book store. I’m always happy in a book store :) Chronicle Books has an annual challenge for people like me. #GiveBooks this holiday and they’ll donate books to a child in need through First […]

Well, actually you can. People buy reviews all the time – even Kirkus is happy to take money from indie authors to furnish them with a glowing review. Which makes this honest-to-God-they-really-like-me review from Publishers Weekly on Friday even more wonderful: Though first-time author Petersen’s story flits through time and space, it’s easy to follow, […]

I’m posting over on the Emblazoners site today. Come on over to see what I’m thankful for this holiday season :) http://emblazoners.com/thank-your-lucky-stars Tagged: lucky stars, shooting stars, thankful, thanksgiving

When he was little, one of my husband’s favorite Christmas movies was “Santa Claus Conquers the Martians.” I laughed out loud the first time he told me the title, sure he was making it up. But no, it’s a real movie starring a young Pia Zadora as a martian child. The acting is terrible, the […]

Back in September, I was lucky enough to join the Emblazoners, a group of middle grade authors–some indie, some traditionally published–who strive to produce top-notch literature for kids. We have a shared goal of creating lifelong readers and all our books are geared toward tweens. Wouldn’t you know it, we’re already hosting a giveaway, and […]

Thanks to everyone who came out to the California Capital Book Festival in Sacramento. It was fun to meet new people, talk with readers, see familiar faces. And of course, buy some new books for myself! This was the first year for this book festival and the organizers did a great job making the entire […]

Blogging takes a lot of time, so I’ve always been impressed with the Kid Lit bloggers I’ve found who are also kids. People like Erik at This Kid Reviews Books, or Felicia at Stanley & Katrina. But the first kid blogger I ever followed was Lenny Lee at Lenny’s World. Despite battling leukemia and being […]

Speaking in front of people terrifies me. So last week when I had a fifteen minute slot to fill as a speaker at the Orange County Children’s Book Festival, I called a friend and told her she needed to share the time with me. The funny thing is, ask me to sing the National Anthem […]

I’ve never been a fan of people telling me what to do. I’m open to book suggestions, but when people tell me NOT to read something, I’m probably much more likely to pick that book up. Which is why I love Banned Books Week. I read my son his first banned book when he was […]

Many years ago I attended a writing conference and one of the authors recommended writing your entire story, then throwing it away and writing it again. The rationale was that writing the first time was to help you get to know the characters. Writing the second time was to finesse it and tease out your […]

On Saturday, I had the pleasure of leading a writing workshop with three of my critique partners. We’ve been writing and editing together for a while. And while we all write a variety of styles and genres, we intersect at middle grade. To be perfectly honest, I wasn’t sure when I conceived the workshop if […]

Are you ready for a giveaway? I’ve got an ARC of a book that releases next week, EVIL LIBRARIAN by Michelle Knudsen. Previously known for writing middle grade (The Dragon of Trelian and The Princess of Trelian) and picture books (the best-selling Library Lion), this is her debut novel for young adults. I have to […]

Today I’m really excited to welcome Laurisa White Reyes to the blog. I met Laurisa a few years back at a writing retreat, soon after her first novel, The Rock of Ivanore, had been picked up for publication by Tanglewood Press. Of course she was pulsing with excitement and we all wanted to sit next […]

Sites that advertise ebook sales seems to be popping up all over the internet. From Bookbub to Book Gorilla to Pixel of Ink, all strive to “personalize” listings for subscribers. But when I stumbled across The Fussy Librarian, I was impressed with the clean beauty of the site, the level of personalization for readers and […]