Author: Halli Gomez

Halli Gomez writes for children and young adults and works at her independent bookstore. When no one is looking, she sock skates through the house and talks to dogs like they are human. When people are looking, she enjoys reading, outdoors, and breaking out of escape rooms with her family. She is represented by Deborah Warren of East West Literary Agency. Her debut young adult novel List of Ten (Sterling, 3/16/21) won the 2021 NC Young People's Literature Award. You can find Halli on Twitter or her website halligomez.com.
Book Recommendations, Middle Grade

Book Recommendation: The Dreadful Tale of Prosper Redding

I am a huge fan of creepy. Books, movies, decaying abandoned houses. So when The Dreadful Tale of Prosper Redding by Alexandra Bracken became available on NetGalley, I jumped at the chance to read it. This book is the whole package of eerie while still having the humor middle grade readers love. “I would say it’s a pleasure to meet thee, Prosperity Oceanus Redding, but … Continue reading Book Recommendation: The Dreadful Tale of Prosper Redding

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Book Recommendations, Young Adult

Book Recommendation: The Girl with the Red Balloon

I am immediately drawn to any book involving World War II and how it changed the world. When I read a good one, I feel the need to shout it from the rooftops . The Girl with the Red Balloon by Katherine Locke is one of those stories. The story is told in three points of view: a Jewish teen living the horrors of World War … Continue reading Book Recommendation: The Girl with the Red Balloon

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image shows middle grade and young adult fiction books open with text face out
Creativity and Craft, Master Your Craft

MYC: How and When to Write Emotion

Welcome to this week’s Master Your Craft post! Each Wednesday we’ll discuss prewriting and drafting a new book from the BIG IDEA to QUERYING. Last week, we talked about the importance of Pacing and Tension. This week, we’re looking at emotion. I don’t know about you, but this topic brings out a lot of emotion because it is so closely tied to the phrase writers love to hate: show … Continue reading MYC: How and When to Write Emotion

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image shows middle grade and young adult fiction books open with text face out
Creativity and Craft, Master Your Craft

MYC: Welcome to World Building

  Welcome to this week’s Master Your Craft post! Each Wednesday we’ll discuss prewriting and drafting a new book from the BIG IDEA to QUERYING. Last week, we continued our series with Setting as a Character. For the next few weeks, we will be talking about the humongous and intimidating topic of world building. Today we start by looking at the topic as a whole and how it … Continue reading MYC: Welcome to World Building

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Master Your Craft
Creativity and Craft, Master Your Craft

MYC: Setting as a Character

Welcome to this week’s Master Your Craft post! Each Wednesday we’ll discuss prewriting and drafting a new book from the BIG IDEA to QUERYING. Last week, we continued our series on research with Notes from a Time Traveler  This week we are talking about setting, but not just as a background for your character. We’re going to look at setting as a character in itself.We move … Continue reading MYC: Setting as a Character

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Book Recommendations, Young Adult

Book Recommendation: Willow Born

Willow Born, by Shanna Miles, is a young adult story filled with magic, witches, angels, and demons. Add in a girl who comes back from the dead, attempts to navigate contemporary society, and a murder mystery, and you have the recipe for a great adventure. Years ago, witch hunters came to Carolina and devoured the Willows. Sixteen-year-old Collette, a powerful empath, was one of them. … Continue reading Book Recommendation: Willow Born

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Book Recommendations

Book Review: Principal Kidd School Rules

Principal Kidd School Rules is the first book in the Principal Kidd series by author and illustrator Connie T. Colon. It is a fun chapter book featuring a bright kid who accidentally creates problems for his school then works to find creative solutions. Eleven-year-old whiz, Oliver Kidd, had no trouble using his genius IQ to skip grades and zoom through the accelerated college program. But … Continue reading Book Review: Principal Kidd School Rules

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Contests, Four on 400

The April #Fouron400 Kidlit Writing Contest Window is now Open!

Q: What is Four on 400?  A monthly contest that provides ONE LUCKY MG or YA WRITER with feedback on their opening 400 WORDS! As part of our ongoing mission to support writers, we’ll give a MG or YA writer feedback on their work from four of The Winged Pen’s contributors. Q: Sounds exciting! How do I enter? To enter, simply comment at the bottom of this post! At 4pm (EST) … Continue reading The April #Fouron400 Kidlit Writing Contest Window is now Open!

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Book Recommendations

Forget Me Not: Book Review

Forget Me Not is the debut middle grade novel by author Ellie Terry. Of course this novel has a special place in Ellie’s heart, but it also has one in mine. This is the kind of book I longed for growing up. The main character has Tourette syndrome, a neurological disorder characterized by involuntary tics and vocalizations. Astronomy-loving Calliope June has Tourette syndrome, so she sometimes makes faces … Continue reading Forget Me Not: Book Review

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Publishing & Promotion

Creating Your Social Media Platform

Welcome to the third post in the Basic Marketing for Authors series. Diving into social media, or even dipping your toes in, can be terrifying! Especially if you’re like me and grew up when face and book were two separate words. We know social media is a great resource for connecting with writers, industry professionals, and learning tips about our craft, but it’s also a great … Continue reading Creating Your Social Media Platform

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Contests, Feedback, Four on 400

Four on 400: March Feedback

Thank you to all the brave souls who entered this month’s Four on 400 contest! Sharing your writing takes courage, and we appreciate your enthusiasm for our contest. Below, we’ve posted the first 400 words from this month’s winner, along with feedback from at least four of our members. We also encourage our readers to share their (constructive) suggestions and encouragement in the comments section below.   HEART … Continue reading Four on 400: March Feedback

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Creativity and Craft, Publishing & Promotion, Writer's Life

Creating Your Website

Welcome back to my series Basic Marketing for Authors. In the last blog post of this series, Creating Your Brand, I mentioned there are many uses for your brand including social media, promotion material, and websites. Today we are focusing on websites. A scary, but necessary part of your platform and career-long marketing. (Who am I kidding? It’s all scary!) Okay, you have your brand. How do you use that … Continue reading Creating Your Website

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