A New Look and More – The Content You Need Is Now Easier to Find on the New Winged Pen Website

The Winged Pen is 2 ¼ years old! We may not have served a cake with two lit candles when the big day came around, but we did make a wish. We wanted a new website. After publishing 2-4 posts a week every week for two years, we realized we had a lot of info in our archives that new readers never saw. Since I … Continue reading A New Look and More – The Content You Need Is Now Easier to Find on the New Winged Pen Website

Rebecca J. AllenMay 29, 2018May 28, 20182 Comments

News

March Road Trip!

It’s road trip time again! There has been a TON of great stuff flying through cyberspace in the last few weeks. Here are some of our favorite informative, motivating and moving finds: On Craft Whether you’re on Draft 1 or Draft 100, it seems like there’s always room to improve. From the nitty-gritty — like this article on how to avoid transition words — to … Continue reading March Road Trip!

Richelle MorganMarch 19, 2018March 19, 2018Leave a comment

Book Recommendations, Middle Grade, News, Publishing & Promotion, Young Adult

Cover Reveal! BRAVE NEW GIRLS

It’s here! The cover of the third BRAVE NEW GIRLS anthology. The newest edition, titled BRAVE NEW GIRLS: TALES OF HEROINES WHO HACK!, is a collection of twenty-three short stories featuring teen girls who hack not only computers, but any puzzle they encounter. And I’m fortunate to have one of my stories included: The Experiment Called Life. These anthologies, created and edited by sci-fi authors … Continue reading Cover Reveal! BRAVE NEW GIRLS

Halli GomezFebruary 26, 2018August 6, 20182 Comments

Book Awards, Book Recommendations, Middle Grade, News

Cybils Awards: MG Speculative Fiction

The winners of the Cybils Awards have been announced! If you haven’t heard yet, you must still be busy celebrating Valentine’s Day. The winner for the 2017 Middle Grade Speculative Fiction Category is … WAIT! First, what are the Cybils Awards? They are awards that recognize children’s and young adult authors and illustrators whose books combine the highest literary merit and popular appeal. Second, I had the pleasure of … Continue reading Cybils Awards: MG Speculative Fiction

Halli GomezFebruary 19, 2018January 10, 20192 Comments

News

Road Trip!

We spend a lot of time writing our own thoughts here at The Winged Pen. But there are a ton of other blogs and sites we visit for inspiration. So we wanted to give a shout-out to some of the informative, motivating and moving articles we’ve read in the last few weeks. Join us on our first-ever blogosphere road trip! On Craft Tips on writing … Continue reading Road Trip!

Richelle MorganJanuary 24, 2018January 22, 2018Leave a comment

Book Awards, Book Recommendations, News, Publishing & Promotion, Young Adult

5 More Great Reads from the CYBILS Young Adult Speculative Fiction Nominees

My last post shone a spotlight on Five Must-Read books from the CYBILS 2017 Young Adult Speculative Fiction nominees. But there was too much awesome to fit in just one post. If you love fantasy, science fiction and magical realism as much as I do, you’ll love these books too! The Last Magician by Lisa Maxwell – In the present day, magic is all but … Continue reading 5 More Great Reads from the CYBILS Young Adult Speculative Fiction Nominees

Rebecca J. AllenDecember 13, 2017June 2, 20191 Comment

Creativity and Craft, News

What Can We Learn About Character Arc and Pacing from GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY II? (Spoiler free)

Months ago, my fourteen-year-old son saw the trailer for Guardians of the Galaxy II, and insisted we see it in the theater. We all liked the original movie and the trailer looked good, so on a cloudy, not-too-promising Saturday morning, we planned it as a family outing. By the time we arrived at the theater, my son, my daughter and I were still excited, but … Continue reading What Can We Learn About Character Arc and Pacing from GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY II? (Spoiler free)

Rebecca J. AllenJune 15, 2017June 2, 2019Leave a comment

Book Recommendations, News

EVERYTHING, EVERYTHING Movie vs. Book (no spoilers!)

My 13yo daughter and I arrived at a movie theatre Tuesday night as excited as two people could possibly be about getting a sneak preview of the EVERYTHING, EVERYTHING movie based on Nicola Yoon’s book by the same name. But excitement wasn’t the only thing coursing through my veins as I stood in line to take my seat… Anyone who knows me well, knows that EVERYTHING, … Continue reading EVERYTHING, EVERYTHING Movie vs. Book (no spoilers!)

Michelle LeonardMay 18, 2017June 1, 20192 Comments

Book Awards, Book Recommendations, News, Publishing & Promotion

Behind the Scenes: My Experience as a Cybils Judge

This winter, I was able to serve as a judge for the Cybils, an award for children’s and young adult authors and illustrators. Established by bloggers, the Cybils recognize work that combines literary merit with popular appeal. I’d been following the Cybils for a few years, and knew that it was a well-respected award. I’m a book blogger, too, at Kid Book List, and when … Continue reading Behind the Scenes: My Experience as a Cybils Judge

Kate HillyerMarch 27, 2017January 10, 20193 Comments

Book Recommendations, Middle Grade, News, Young Adult

BRAVE NEW GIRLS: STORIES OF GIRLS WHO SCIENCE AND SCHEME

BRAVE NEW GIRLS: STORIES OF GIRLS WHO SCIENCE AND SCHEME will be released August 2017! This YA sci-fi anthology (edited by sci-fi authors Paige Daniels and Mary Fan) features stories about girls in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math)… Girls who engineer, tinker, hack, and more, using their smarts to save the day. It’s got space operas, sci-fi mysteries, steampunk, cyberpunk, all kinds of punk! … Continue reading BRAVE NEW GIRLS: STORIES OF GIRLS WHO SCIENCE AND SCHEME

Michelle LeonardFebruary 21, 2017May 9, 20182 Comments

News

#KidLitforAleppo

News Flash! Check out #KidLitforAleppo on Twitter today. Many prizes are available for those who donate to organizations supporting Aleppo/Syria. We’re giving away query/first chapter critiques today on Twitter. Check out Dana Levy’s post here! Please share the news! Continue reading #KidLitforAleppo

Michelle LeonardDecember 18, 2016Leave a comment

Interviews, News, Publishing & Promotion, Writer's Life

The Call with Julie Artz

Hi, Julie. I’m so excited that you’ve signed with Jennie Dunham of Dunham Lit and are on your way to publishing success! I think The Call is one of the most desired/feared/nerve-wracking/exciting/elusive steps a writer works toward. You’ve nailed your query and finally garnered some interest, but now what? She sent me an email. I had received a similar email from her in the spring … Continue reading The Call with Julie Artz