Blast From the Past!

I’ve been diving into middle grade fantasy recently, and one of my projects was to re-read one of Young Me’s favorites: Susan Cooper’s DARK IS RISING series.  Which makes this a good time to do another post in our semi-regular series: Blast from the Past. The gist: We will occasionally read (or listen) to a book we had loved as children but have not re-visited … Continue reading Blast From the Past!

Fear Factor: How to embrace your fear and keep creating

Every single time I sit down to write something — whether it’s a novel chapter or fundraising copy or an email to a colleague — I feel a moment of fear: Can I do this? Will people respond to it? Am I too ambitious? Am I good enough? What if I can’t? Fear can be paralyzing. In its most severe forms, it causes (or at … Continue reading Fear Factor: How to embrace your fear and keep creating

What’s so funny? Injecting Humor into Your Story

I’m pretty cheerful in my regular life, but my writing has veered toward the dark.  But 2020 was more than dark enough for all of us. So as I sat down to work on a big revision to my WIP, I decided to try something new: humor. As I started working, though, I found it harder than I’d thought it would be to inject a … Continue reading What’s so funny? Injecting Humor into Your Story

Blast from the Past!

Welcome to another edition of our new semi-regular series: Blast from the Past. A refresher: We will occasionally read (or listen) to a book we had loved as children but have not re-visited as adult writers. And then we’ll tell you about it. How did the story hold up? Is the magic still there? What differences do we notice, both cultural and in storytelling techniques … Continue reading Blast from the Past!

Welcome to 2021: Create Your Own Vision Board

Happy New Year! Each year around this time, I like to take a few minutes to think about my goals for the coming year. As a devoted list-maker, I usually jot down a list of short-term tasks, longer-term projects and shoot-for-the-moon goals that I want to accomplish in the next twelve months.  We’ve written about that process before here and here. But this year, I wanted to try … Continue reading Welcome to 2021: Create Your Own Vision Board

Goodbye 2020 Road Trip

All of us at The Winged Pen are looking forward to seeing the end of 2020 and have high hopes for 2021…especially all the new Pennie books coming out, including Halli Gomez’s LIST OF TEN, Jessica Vitalis’s THE WOLF’S CURSE, Gabrielle K. Byrne’s THE EDGE OF STRANGE HOLLOW, and Gita Trelease’s EVERYTHING THAT BURNS. To prepare for the excitement, we’re going to take a few weeks off. But never … Continue reading Goodbye 2020 Road Trip

Blast From the Past!

Welcome to another edition of our new semi-regular series: Blast from the Past. A refresher: We will occasionally read (or listen) to a book we had loved as children but have not re-visited as adult writers. And then we’ll tell you about it. How did the story hold up? Is the magic still there? What differences do we notice, both cultural and in storytelling techniques … Continue reading Blast From the Past!

New: Blast from the Past!

This year has been pretty nutso. All the chaos and news demanding our attention can make reading new books hard – at least it has for me. I’ve found myself turning more and more to books, movies and TV shows that I’ve already experienced – for comfort, for predictability, for the relaxation that comes with knowing what’s next. Well, we Pennies decided that re-reading might … Continue reading New: Blast from the Past!

Cover Reveal: Rea and the Blood of the Nectar

All of us at The Winged Pen are excited to be a part of the cover reveal for a new middle grade fantasy: Rea and the Blood of the Nectar by Payal Doshi.

The novel tells the story of Rea Chettri, a 12-year-old girl living a simple, if boring, life on the tea plantations of Darjeeling, India. Without warning, Rea’s life gets turned on its head when her twin brother goes missing. Determined to save him, Rea embarks . . . Continue reading Cover Reveal: Rea and the Blood of the Nectar

Interview and Giveaway with Author Sara Bennett-Wealer

We’re here today with Sara Bennett-Wealer, whose new book NOW & WHEN is out today! Let’s dive right in! Skyler Finch hates Truman Alexander with every fiber of her being. So when her phone starts sending her notifications from the future, and it looks like she’s with Truman—as in romantically with him—she goes on a quest to fix it. But changing the future means messing … Continue reading Interview and Giveaway with Author Sara Bennett-Wealer

Socially Distant, but Still Connected

For all of us writers, one of the difficult things about the pandemic has been the cancellation of so many of the annual conferences that we depend on for continuing education, camaraderie, critiques and just general get-out-from-behind-our-desks opportunities. But even though our in-person connections may have been curtailed this year, there are still a ton of ways to experience the networking and learning of a … Continue reading Socially Distant, but Still Connected