Work-in-Progress Character Blog Hop, or Made Up People Can Jump Too
As part of a character blog hop, I introduce Tina Aguilar, the protagonist of my forthcoming YA novel, Surviving Santiago.
The Violence in Missouri: Writers and Artists Respond
Writers and artists respond to the police shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, and the ensuing violence with works that encourage empathy.
The Value of Workshops
Writing workshops can be especially useful in identifying flaws in a manuscript or getting unstuck, as I found with Surviving Santiago.
#WeNeedDiverseBooks Because We Are Not Alone
My blog contribution to the #WeNeedDiverseBooks campaign, which emphasizes the building of bridges among activists and people of different backgrounds.
The Perils of First-Hand Research
An illness likely contracted in the course of researching my next book prompts me to reflect on how realistic writers take risks in the service of authenticity.
Patricio Has Writer’s Block, But I Don’t: My Writing Process Blog Tour
My contribution to the My Writing Process Blog Tour, where I talk about the fun of revision and why I write about social and political struggles.
Some colophons from small and large presses, from left: Nortia Press, Delacorte, Royal Fireworks Press, HarperCollins, Curbstone Press (now part of Northwestern University Press), Nancy Paulsen Books (a Penguin Random House imprint), Cinco Puntos Press
It’s All Good! How You Can Create Diversity in Publishing
How parents and general readers can use their purchasing power to support diverse authors, alternative voices and a new generation of book-lovers.
UConn Co-op decked out for Halloween.
Speaking to the Teachers of Tomorrow at UConn
At the University of Connecticut I shared my experiences of growing up "different" and offered advice to both young writers and future teachers.
Thwarted in his quest for ice cream, Patricio finds another kind of refreshment.
Complicating the Minifig: Layered Narrative
In contrast to linear, chronological narrative, a layered narrative plays with time sequence to reveal character bit by bit and to build curiosity and suspense.
The Writer on the Road: Schenectady County Community College
On my dear departed MobileMe blog, I had an occasional series titled "The Writer on the Road," which featured reports of my various speaking engagements in high schools, colleges, public…