Advising a Nine-Year-Old Who Wants to Write
At a middle grade authors’ panel with Caroline Carlson and Catherine Gilbert Murdock at the Big Blue Marble Bookstore we gave advice to a 9-year-old writer.
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We Watch Train Wrecks
Are writers “everyday sadists” because we ratchet up conflicts and place our protagonists in dire and painful circumstances?
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Developing Characters: The Lesson of Fruitvale Station
I use the movie Fruitvale Station as an example of how writers can go beyond stereotype to create sympathetic, multidimensional characters.
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The Moment of Disillusionment
Hudson, New York was a whaling town in the 19th century, which led to the adoption of the whale as the town’s symbol. For several years I have exhibited at the...
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A Writer’s Advice to Lego Builders
In my first two months on Instagram, I’ve gotten to know a lot of Lego builders and photographers, and I’m honored that some of my favorite Lego people...
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Winner, Los Angeles Times Book Prize for Young Adult Literature, 2023!
