A little bit of YA, MG, and NG (Neil Gaiman, that is ( Read more... )

While I was thinking about what my Top 10 list might be, I looked back through our archives and noticed we've talked about heroines who kick ass and couples with sizzling chemistry. Not too long ago, I did a survey--mostly of YA bloggers and other authors--to find out who the favorite guys of YA are. So--with apologies to those of you who might not ( Read more... )

(I am very amiss in posting this! Which is very pathetic because I wrote it on Sunday! Sorry ( Read more... )

I went to my very first writing conference a little over 9 years ago. I was a brand new writer, full of aspirations, and whole lot of naiveté about the publishing industry. Even though the conference was a huge eye-opener for me (what on Earth was I getting myself into?!), I had a wonderful time, learned a ton, and I’ve been going to as many ( Read more... )

I love when the lines between art forms are blurred. And I really love the artistic use of books, pages, chapters, and plots as metaphors. So here you have it. A list of great songs that use the craft of writing to make music, and maybe even tell us something about ourselves.

1. Paperback Writer by the Beatles because we all have a story to sell.

2 ( Read more... )

This was a tough list to make. There are so many awesome games out there that I've loved over the years, and not only was it hard to pick just ten, but it was even harder to rank them. Since it's such a short list, I tried to stick to games with story, which is why the list is mostly adventure games and RPGs and doesn't include the Sims or WoW, ( Read more... )

We all hate it, but it comes to every writer I know: that horrible moment when you sit down at your desk, open up your file, and can't think of a single sentence. Usually, just keeping myself planted at my desk (with the internet turned OFF!) is enough to force myself back into the groove, but every so often, that won't be enough. Sometimes I'm ( Read more... )

For me, the publication of the PRIDE AND PREJUDICE AND ZOMBIES by Jane Austin and Seth Grahame-Smith was one of those ah-ha moments.  Of course Austin is better with zombies.  What ISN'T better with zombies?  Consider:  Philosophy:  Anything by Ayn Ryan. Psychology:  THE EGO AND THE ID AND THE ZOMBIE.  Just about any broadway musical could be ( Read more... )

So I had the pleasure of hanging out last night with a bunch of teen bloggers who read and review YA novels. I wasn't sure what to expect, but I had a lot of fun with them and learned a few things in the process. I know it's not my Ten Things turn yet, but I hope you'll forgive me if I line jump ( Read more... )