Author: Rebecca J. Allen

REBECCA J. ALLEN writes middle grade stories that blend mystery and adventure & young adult stories with kick-butt heroines. She's the author of STEM Superhero adventures, Cole Champion Is Not Super and Cole Champion Takes On the Villains (Jolly Fish Press). When not writing, she loves to bike, watch spy thrillers, and craft the perfect crème brûlée. You can find her at rebeccajallen.com. (she/her)
Writer's Life

Celebrate Your Writing Milestones!

I recently wrapped up a writing project. Two middle-grade books written in under 4 months. It was a fun project, but the short timeline made it stressful. (For more about that, see my article on Work-for-Hire Writing.)

I turned the second book over to a critique partner to read for me and as I breathed a sigh of relief at having a couple days off, I began thinking about the project I’d pick up once this one was submitted . . . Continue reading Celebrate Your Writing Milestones!

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Creativity and Craft, Master Your Craft

Why I Revised My Manuscript from 3rd Person, Past to 1st Person, Present & How I Plan to Avoid Doing That Again

Have you ever wondered whether you’re writing in the right point of view (POV) for the story you’re trying to tell? The right tense?

Revising an entire manuscript from 3rd person to 1st is no small task. The task is made a whole lot bigger yet when you add a tense change on top of that. My revision of a 90,000+ word manuscript for both POV and tense took a couple months to complete.

To hear what I learned by doing this huge revision, read this post. Continue reading Why I Revised My Manuscript from 3rd Person, Past to 1st Person, Present & How I Plan to Avoid Doing That Again

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Author, Book Recommendations, Interviews, Neurodiversity, Windows & Mirrors, Young Adult

Recommended: LIST OF TEN by Halli Gomez

We’re excited to host our own Halli Gomez for the launch of her YA debut!

This is a jam-packed post with a review of List of Ten, details on the book launch, and an interview with Halli about her inspiration for this #ownvoices story!

Click to read the full post! Continue reading Recommended: LIST OF TEN by Halli Gomez

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Everything that Burns has a beautiful girl on the cover
Author, Book Recommendations, Interviews, Windows & Mirrors, Young Adult

Recommended: EVERYTHING THAT BURNS by Gita Trelease

We’re excited to welcome Gita Trelease back to the Winged Pen for the launch of her 2nd book!

This is a jam-packed post with:
a review of Everything That Burns, a link to register for Gita’s virtual launch hosted by Odyssey Bookshop on February 4th, and an interview with Gita about her inspiration for this dark fantasy and tips for aspiring writers. Continue reading Recommended: EVERYTHING THAT BURNS by Gita Trelease

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The picture depicts someone writing in a notebook with a blue pen.
News

A Winged Pen New Year’s Resolution: Boosting Conversation with Readers Including Guest Posts

Happy New Year! At the Winged Pen, we have a couple New Year’s resolutions, and here’s the first we’re rolling out:

We’d like to make this site more of a conversation among our writing community.

On many posts, we ask for comments because. . . Continue reading A Winged Pen New Year’s Resolution: Boosting Conversation with Readers Including Guest Posts

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Influence by Sara Shepard & Lilia Buckingham. The cover has a pixilated image of a teenage girl.
Book Recommendations, Young Adult

Recommended: INFLUENCE by Sara Shepard & Lilia Buckingham

Who wouldn’t want to be Scarlet Leigh? Just look at her Instagram. Scarlet isn’t just styled to perfection: she is perfection. Scarlet has a gorgeous, famous boyfriend named Jack and there’s a whole fanbase about their ship. To everyone watching online, their lives seem perfect . . . but are they really? The sun is hot in California . . . and someone’s going to get burned… Continue reading Recommended: INFLUENCE by Sara Shepard & Lilia Buckingham

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Friend Me by Sheila Averbuch
Book Recommendations, Middle Grade

Recommended: FRIEND ME by Sheila M. Averbuch

What happens when an online friend becomes a real-life nightmare?

Roisin hasn’t made a single friend since moving from Ireland to Massachusetts. In fact, she is falling apart under constant abuse from a school bully, Zara. Zara torments Roisin in person and on social media. She makes Roisin the laughingstock of the whole school.

Roisin feels utterly alone… Continue reading Recommended: FRIEND ME by Sheila M. Averbuch

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Creativity and Craft, Master Your Craft

8 Tips for Getting a Great Manuscript Critique

I’ve been thinking about manuscript critique and revision a lot lately.

A LOT, a lot.

I’ve been working on a young adult thriller that feels like it has taken forever to pound into shape. As one of my critique partners mentioned more than once, “You don’t have to write 95,000-word manuscripts with 4 point-of-view characters. There are easier stories to write.”

True enough. And I’m extremely lucky to have wonderful critique partners (CPs) who will read my 95,000-word monstrosity and help me make it better.

As I revised on my own and then with notes from CPs, I spent a lot of time thinking about manuscript critiques and. . .
Continue reading 8 Tips for Getting a Great Manuscript Critique

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Author, Book Recommendations, Interviews, Windows & Mirrors, Young Adult

Cover Reveal: LIST OF TEN by Halli Gomez

Today, we’re so excited to host the cover reveal of a story by one of our own!

Ten: three little letters, one ordinary number. No big deal, right? But for Troy Hayes, a 16-year-old suffering from Tourette Syndrome and Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, the number ten dictates his life, forcing him to do everything by its exacting rhythm.

A harrowing yet hopeful account of a teen living with Tourette Syndrome and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder . . . and contemplating his own mortality. Continue reading Cover Reveal: LIST OF TEN by Halli Gomez

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Book Recommendations, Windows & Mirrors, Young Adult

Recommended: GIRL, SERPENT, THORN by Melissa Bashardoust

An atmospheric retelling of tales from Persian culture. Girl, Serpent, Thorn begins as many retellings do, with a neglected princess hidden away from the world. But the fact that Soraya’s skin is poisonous to the touch gives the story a unique twist. As as the princess begins to see her condition not as a curse but as a source of power, the story really becomes interesting. . . Continue reading Recommended: GIRL, SERPENT, THORN by Melissa Bashardoust

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