I suspect I've used that subject line before, but really, what could be more appropriate? I feel like I've been on a long journey these past couple of months, wandering through the misty wastelands of my own imagination without knowing where I'd end up, or whether it would be worth the trip when I got there. However, I am happy to say that as of ( Read more... )

Inspired by fellow Canadian YA author Arthur Slade and others, I've taken up walking on a treadmill as I write, watch videos, and browse the web ( Read more... )

So a while back, the nice folks at my UK publisher, which also happens to be Jackson Pearce's UK publisher, asked if Jack and I would be interested in doing a video together. And since I really enjoyed Sisters Red and she really enjoyed Knife a.k.a. Spell Hunter and Rebel a.k.a. Wayfarer, coming up with questions to ask each other was no hardship ( Read more... )

I've seen other authors doing this and it looked like fun, so here I go!

The first excerpt is from Arrow, so it comes with a mild spoiler warning for that book and a not-so-mild one for Rebel a.k.a. Wayfarer:

( 'May I ask you a personal question?' )

Link to YouTube

I am thinking that perhaps, to keep my hand in and warm up for Swift, I should write some fanfic short stories about the faeries of the Oakenwyld (and/or elsewhere ( Read more... )

I've finally discovered how to vlog without taking all day to film and edit the thing! So here's my first video, about what it means to authors to get fan mail -- and how to increase your chances of getting a prompt, personal reply from an author when you write:

Click to view

In yesterday's post we discussed whether or not it's a reasonable expectation that protagonists should always be pushing the plot forward or otherwise taking decisive action in order to justify their place at the center of the book ( Read more... )

I've seen a couple of criticisms cropping up in reviews lately -- not reviews of my own books necessarily, but of some very fine books by other authors. They're often stated somewhat crankily, as though they are universal rules and every author worth her word count ought to know better than to flout them -- but as a matter of fact they are ( Read more... )

Thanks to the nice folks at Inkpop, I'm their featured author this week and am doing a live chat on the site today from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. EST. I'll be interacting with aspiring teen authors in the forum, answering their questions about publishing and the creative process. If you're interested in such things, come along and check it out, either ( Read more... )