Fighting the Last War
Lessons learned from an overreaction to negative reviews and the failed project that followed, with advice for other writers.
Identity
Thoughts on identity and #ownvoices in light of my recent travels and a new historical work-in-progress.
Know Your History
Knowing history is key to making informed decisions in the present, because we can see the consequences of similar decisions in the past.
A Moving Target: Historical Research and Gentrification
A walking tour through the rapidly gentrifying neighborhood where my main character lived 50 years ago.
A Sneak Peek Prologue
I offer the deleted prologue of my unpublished contemporary YA novel to give blog readers a sense of the story.
On Hopelessness and Donald Trump
Discussing my unpublished contemporary novel that sheds light on the rise of Donald Trump among the white working class in the U.S.
Staying Motivated
If you knew that the best grade you could get in a course you really wanted to take was a C, would you still take the course?
The 777 Challenge and a New Web Page
I introduce Surviving Santiago via the 777 Challenge, in which I post from a work-in-progress seven full lines from the seventh page, starting seven lines down.
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 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.