I love the kinds of stories that make you look in the dark corners of your room or order a clear shower curtain so you know if a knife-wielding man dressed as a woman is going to stab you. (True story – I watched the movie Shutter Island while on the treadmill. I couldn’t stop looking behind me. You can see how that’s not a … Continue reading Tackling the Terrifying. How to Write Scary
September 28 – September 30, 2018, I spent the weekend at the SCBWI Carolinas “Word and Line” conference. The weekend was filled with craft, networking, and catching up with fellow writers and Pennies. But you know the feeling you get after spending a week or weekend at a workshop or conference filling your mind with ideas, tips, inspiration, and motivation? It’s a little exhaustion, a … Continue reading Conferences – Sharing What I Learn
Laurel Decher is an author and writer for The Winged Pen. We are very excited to share her story, TROUBLE WITH PARSNIPS, learn about her writing process, and decision to self-publish. When you’re 15th in line to the throne, it’s hard to make a name for yourself. The youngest princess of Cochem still needs a christening and she’s ten. She can’t get a word in … Continue reading Laurel Decher Talks TROUBLE WITH PARSNIPS and Self-Publishing
THE SPY WITH THE RED BALLOON is the second book in the Balloonmakers series by author Katherine Locke. I loved the first book THE GIRL WITH THE RED BALLOON so much, I couldn’t wait to read the second. (read about book one here) THE SPY WITH THE RED BALLOON is the second book, but it occurs earlier than the first, a nice twist. This time we are … Continue reading Book Recommendation: The Spy with the Red Balloon
There’s nothing better than a book that touches you, opens your eyes to different perspectives, and makes you want to tell all your friends. THE COLORS OF THE RAIN is one of those books for me. I was thrilled to review it and just had to talk with the author. R.L. Toalson, welcome to The Winged Pen! Before we jump into questions, let’s give readers a quick … Continue reading Interview with R.L. Toalson, Author of The Colors of the Rain
The wonderful thing about historical fiction is that readers are able to experience many points in time. We’re able to learn what life was like for people decades, even centuries ago, in different regions and countries. But what I love most about this genre is that I always find the characters and their situations are not that different from today. R.L. Toalson’s novel-in-verse, The Colors … Continue reading Book Recommendation: The Colors of the Rain
Pitch Wars is here! The excitement is spreading through social media as hopeful mentees ignore their laundry, home-cooked meals, and the clock as they get their manuscripts ready. Mentors are also getting ready by putting on their reading glasses, grabbing their red pens, and stocking up on coffee and tea. The lucky mentor-mentee pairs will work together to get the full manuscript ready for the … Continue reading Let’s Meet the Pitch Wars Mentors!
Welcome to Windows & Mirrors, where we feature books that provide us windows to lives outside our own and mirrors to our shared common human experiences. I’m happy to be able to talk about ONE TRUE WAY by Shannon Hitchcock. This is the story of Allie Drake, a middle school girl figuring out how she fits into the world. Welcome to Daniel Boone Middle School … Continue reading Windows and Mirrors: ONE TRUE WAY
I’m thrilled to announce a new anthology available today: RAISED BY UNICORNS: STORIES FROM PEOPLE WITH LBGTQ+ PARENTS. And even more excited that our own Kate Hillyer has an essay featured inside. In recent years, the world has been saturated by endless blogs, articles, and books devoted to the subject of LGBTQ+ parenting. On the flip side, finding stories written by the children of LGBTQ+ … Continue reading Interview with Kate Hillyer: Raised by Unicorns: Stories from People with LGBTQ+ Parents
Welcome to Windows & Mirrors, where we feature books that provide us windows to lives outside our own and mirrors to our shared common human experiences. Today we’re featuring TIFFANY SLY LIVES HERE NOW by Dana L. Davis TIFFANY SLY LIVES HERE NOW encompasses many different issues that make it a perfect book for our Windows and Mirrors series. Tiffany Sly lost her mom … Continue reading Windows and Mirrors: Tiffany Sly Lives Here Now
No matter who you are and where you live, you have to admit there are problems in every country and the world. They are individual and global issues, and each one affects us differently. You may be passionate about gun violence, women’s rights, LGBTQ rights, Black Lives Matter, poverty, war, global warming, or hundreds of other issues. Even looking at just one and what it … Continue reading Book Recommendation: How I Resist: Activism and Hope For the Next Generation
There are specific types of books I’m drawn to, and because of my long career with police departments (as an employee, not a criminal!) murder mysteries are at the top of my list. When I saw this book about Lizzie Borden, I knew this was a must read. The fictional tale of Lizzie by Dawn Ius was just what I hoped it would be. Seventeen-year-old … Continue reading Book Recommendation: Lizzie
