Author: Michelle Leonard

Michelle is a We Need Diverse Books advocate and volunteer, a member of SCBWI Carolinas, and a Masters of Library and Information Studies student on her way to becoming an academic STEM librarian. She blogs about libraries and information studies at michelletleonard.com (More Than Stacks). You can also find her on Twitter @mleonardwrites.
Book Recommendations, Interviews, Young Adult

Daughter 4254: A New Dystopian Series about fighting for the arts #D4254

The soon-to-be-released futuristic dystopian young adult novel Daughter 4254 started out as an ebook on Wattpad that received over         ******1 million******   views. Impressed by the attention it had received, the publishers at Owl Hollow Press invited Leigh Statham to publish Daughter 4254 as a series of novels. The original story has been revised and enhanced, and the first novel in the trilogy … Continue reading Daughter 4254: A New Dystopian Series about fighting for the arts #D4254

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Master Your Craft

MYC: Tightening

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 Sentence, Paragraph, Chapter, and Story Length. This week, we’ll discuss Ten Steps to Tightening. One of the important steps in the revision process is tightening. This is a multi-level, multi-step process, but oh so important to make your … Continue reading MYC: Tightening

Michelle Leonard1 Comment
Author, Book Recommendations, Interviews, Young Adult

Nic Stone Interview: Dear Martin

Black Yale-bound graduating senior Justyce McAllister’s good life at his prestigious, mostly-white prep school takes on a new harsh reality after he’s falsely accused of crimes and roughed up by a policeman while innocently helping a friend. Meanwhile, daily news accounts of young black men being shot or arrested flood the airwaves, stirring up strong opinions among his classmates. As Justyce searches for answers to … Continue reading Nic Stone Interview: Dear Martin

Michelle Leonard1 Comment
Creativity and Craft, Master Your Craft

MYC: Make Your Story Fit Your Reader

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 Creating Interesting Dialogue and Description. This week, we’ll discuss making sure the content and sentence, paragraph, chapter, and word count work for your reader. As you are revising, one important step in the process is to make sure … Continue reading MYC: Make Your Story Fit Your Reader

Michelle Leonard1 Comment
Book Recommendations, Middle Grade, Young Adult

Native American Literature for Young Readers

Happy Indigenous People’s Day! As the wind turns from humid to crisp and the leaves begin to change colors, we can’t help but think about Thanksgiving and our mixed feelings about this celebration. My education about Native Americans as a child was woefully inadequate and wrong for the most part. Understanding that our childhood views of colonialism were misrepresented is important to our history, our … Continue reading Native American Literature for Young Readers

Michelle Leonard2 Comments
Book Recommendations, Middle Grade, Young Adult

Fall Releases on Our Radar!

Fall makes me long for crisply cool, slightly overcast days. Why? On days like this, I enjoy exerting myself in the yard, cleaning up my summer gardens and preparing the cool season garden, and then hopping in the hammock with a book. Here are a few new releases for fall that have caught my attention. Picture Books Miguel’s Brave Knight: Young Cervantes and His Dream … Continue reading Fall Releases on Our Radar!

Michelle Leonard6 Comments
Creativity and Craft, Master Your Craft

MYC: Writing “Other” with Sensitivity

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 Power of Metaphor. This week, we’ll discuss writing “other” characters. What is writing “Other”? It simply means writing characters that are not like yourself. Some writers are terrified to try this. If you’ve ever witnessed arguments about … Continue reading MYC: Writing “Other” with Sensitivity

Michelle Leonard1 Comment
Book Recommendations, Interviews, Middle Grade

Meet Jada Jones! New chapter books by Kelly Starling Lyons

Happy Birthday to Jada Jones! She’s a “rock” star and a good citizen in two new chapter books released September 19th by Kelly Starling Lyons and illustrated by Vanessa Brantley Newton.                   Goodreads: Rock Star                                              … Continue reading Meet Jada Jones! New chapter books by Kelly Starling Lyons

Michelle Leonard1 Comment
Book Recommendations, Creativity and Craft, Interviews, Middle Grade, Writer's Life

NYTimes Author Alan Gratz talks about REFUGEE and BAN THIS BOOK

Three gutsy protagonist, three continents, three different time periods. How’s that work? Well, you won’t have to wait much longer to discover how middle-grade author Alan Gratz weaves these interconnecting stories together in a way that Kirkus Reviews has called a “feat nothing short of brilliant.” REFUGEE hit bookstore shelves in July 2017 and made it to the NYTimes best-sellers list for middle grade fiction twice … Continue reading NYTimes Author Alan Gratz talks about REFUGEE and BAN THIS BOOK

Michelle Leonard1 Comment
Author, Book Recommendations, Interviews, Middle Grade

The Unicorn in the Barn: Review/Author Interview with Jacqueline Ogburn

Today we welcome to The Winged Pen the author of one of my all-time favorite picture books, THE MAGIC NESTING DOLLS. Jacqueline Ogburn is the author of ten picture books and, in just a few short days, the world will be able to read her beautiful debut middle-grade novel, THE UNICORN IN THE BARN.   … the presence of the unicorn and other magical creatures adding … Continue reading The Unicorn in the Barn: Review/Author Interview with Jacqueline Ogburn

Michelle Leonard3 Comments
Writer's Life

Hiding in the Closet (and other tricks to find writing time in the summer)

Shhh. I’m in the closet with my laptop. Should I mention there’s no air conditioning in this closet. And it’s at least 90 degrees outside. I’m sweating like I’m in a sauna. And the air smells like teen boy sneakers. Why am I torturing myself? I just want uninterrupted writing time. My kids have been out of school for a whole week already. Every three … Continue reading Hiding in the Closet (and other tricks to find writing time in the summer)

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Author, Book Recommendations, Interviews, Middle Grade

LORD of MONSTERS by John Bemis

Do you like books with monsters and magic? Heroes and epic journeys? On June 6th, 2017 at a bookstore near you, one of the most imaginative books I’ve read in a long while will be released into the world. LORD of MONSTERS is the 2nd book in the OUT of ABATON series, and this Pinocchio retelling is sure to please. Goodreads   |     Amazon    … Continue reading LORD of MONSTERS by John Bemis

Michelle Leonard2 Comments