Linda Vigen Phillips talks about BEHIND THESE HANDS

In Behind These Hands, a teenage piano prodigy’s life is upended when her two younger brothers are diagnosed with Batten, a rare neurodegenerative disease. In its *starred* review, Kirkus says, “Free verse evokes the myriad emotions brought up by the story’s numerous well-balanced themes. The result is a richly woven, unforgettable symphony of feelings and words.” Kirkus perfectly sums up the effect this book has had on me. Weeks … Continue reading Linda Vigen Phillips talks about BEHIND THESE HANDS

Launch of BRAVE NEW GIRLS: TALES OF HEROINES WHO HACK and Interview with Contributor, Halli Gomez

We Pennies are very excited about the Brave New Girls anthology because one of our own, Halli Gomez, contributed a short story to this year’s edition. Halli’s here to talk about the anthology and her story today! Publisher’s Description Welcome to the sci-fi worlds of brainy teen heroines who hack not just computers, but whatever puzzles come their way. A scrappy mechanic on an oppressed … Continue reading Launch of BRAVE NEW GIRLS: TALES OF HEROINES WHO HACK and Interview with Contributor, Halli Gomez

Interview with Kate Hillyer: Raised by Unicorns: Stories from People with LGBTQ+ Parents

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

Writer’s Digest Annual Conference Success Story: YA Thriller Author, Tiffany D. Jackson

Writer’s Digest Annual Conference asked us to be their promotional partner this year. We love writers’ conferences—for inspirations, to improve our craft, and to meet and network with other writers, agents and editors, so we were happy to say yes! To announce this partnership, we invited Writer’s Digest to share a guest post highlighting the success story of Tiffany Jackson, author of the YA thriller … Continue reading Writer’s Digest Annual Conference Success Story: YA Thriller Author, Tiffany D. Jackson

THE FRAME-UP with Wendy McLeod MacKnight

You might remember Wendy from an interview last year when her debut IT’S A MYSTERY PIGFACE! hit the shelves.   Well, she’s at it again with book two, THE FRAME-UP. How did you know that the idea for THE FRAME-UP was your next book and how did it all come about?  I struggled a bit to decide what I would write next, and one night, … Continue reading THE FRAME-UP with Wendy McLeod MacKnight

Interview with debut author A.M. Morgen: The Inventors at No. 8

The gorgeous cover of THE INVENTORS AT NO. 8 by debut author A.M. Morgen pulled me in immediately. Imagine my delight when I realized it was a middle grade #STEM historical adventure fantasy starring Ada Lovelace and written by a NC author! Like a moist, delicious piece of chocolate cake, I ate it up much faster than I wanted to! The Inventors at No. 8 publishes … Continue reading Interview with debut author A.M. Morgen: The Inventors at No. 8

MYC – Querying, An Agent’s Perspective

Welcome to this week’s Master Your Craft post! Last year, we walked you through every step from getting the big idea through polishing your finished novel. Our bonus post last week dipped back into craft and how to give your story cliffhangers. We also offered anxiety-free tips on playing the waiting game. This week, we’re talking with agent and Winged Pen pal Hilary Harwell from KT Literary about … Continue reading MYC – Querying, An Agent’s Perspective

Stacy McAnulty Interview: The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl

I’ve been a fan of Stacy McAnulty’s picture books and chapter books for years now. Last September, I got the opportunity to read the manuscript for her latest book, The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl. I set aside the other books I was reading and devoured it in exactly 1.0000 sittings. Lucy, a.k.a. Lightning Girl, is a once-struck-by-lightning middle-school math savant with a serious case of OCD. … Continue reading Stacy McAnulty Interview: The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl

Recommended: BOY BITES BUG by Rebecca Petruck

Publisher’s Description Will didn’t plan to eat a stinkbug. But when his friend Darryl called new kid Eloy Herrera a racial slur, Will did it as a diversion. Now Will is Bug Boy, and everyone is cracking up inventing insect meals for him, like French flies and maggot-aroni and fleas. Turns out eating bugs for food is a real thing, called entomophagy. Deciding that means … Continue reading Recommended: BOY BITES BUG by Rebecca Petruck

Happy US Book Birthday – Too Close to Breathe

Today I’m happy to interview my fellow Winged Penner and critique partner, Olivia Kiernan, to celebrate the US release of her adult thriller, Too Close to Breathe. Driven. Polished. Perfect. Dead. Eleanor Costello is found hanged in her home. There is no note. And her husband is missing. The suicide turned murder investigation soon spirals outwards leading Detective Frankie Sheehan and her team onto a … Continue reading Happy US Book Birthday – Too Close to Breathe

Introducing Don Bosco! (All the way from Singapore)

It’s my pleasure to introduce you lovely blog readers to Don Bosco. Last year at AFCC, one of Singapore’s writing festivals geared to children’s content, I was volunteering and was lucky enough to bump into Don and get to know him– that is, after I mistakenly assumed he was a moderator for the session he was actually co-leading…. Oops! But he was wonderfully kind and has … Continue reading Introducing Don Bosco! (All the way from Singapore)

Behinds the Scenes with Sera Rivers – Co-Director of the New England SCBWI Conference

Today I’m excited to talk with Sera Rivers. Sera is Co-Director of the 2018 New England SCBWI (Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators) Conference, along with Loretta Kapinos. The New England conference is the largest regional SCBWI conference with over 650 attendees annually. Sera’s also an editor and YA author, and winner of the 2016 PEN New England Susan P. Bloom Children’s Book Discovery … Continue reading Behinds the Scenes with Sera Rivers – Co-Director of the New England SCBWI Conference