Dear The Misadventures of the Family Fletcher
Dear The Misadventures of the Family Fletcher, I’ve been working on a series of posts on books that shaped me, and this month, I want to highlight Dana Alison Levy’s THE MISADVENTURES OF THE FAMILY FLETCHER. The Fletchers are a two-dad, four-son, two-to-four-pet household. The brothers are all adopted. Two are white, one is African-American, and one is Indian. The best part is that all … Continue reading Dear The Misadventures of the Family Fletcher
Recommended: LIFEL1K3 by Jay Kristoff
Publisher’s Description On an island junkyard beneath a sky that glows with radiation, a deadly secret lies buried in the scrap. Seventeen-year-old Eve isn’t looking for trouble–she’s too busy looking over her shoulder. The robot gladiator she spent months building has been reduced to a smoking wreck, she’s on the local gangster’s wanted list, and the only thing keeping her grandpa alive is the money … Continue reading Recommended: LIFEL1K3 by Jay Kristoff
May Four on 400 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. Contemporary MG: WE’RE … Continue reading May Four on 400 Feedback
Windows and Mirrors: Tiffany Sly Lives Here Now
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
MYC: Responses and what they mean
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. Now, we’re discussing what to do with that novel once it’s written! So far, we’ve talked about the mechanics of querying and how to face rejection. But did you know that there are an entire range of responses an agent can … Continue reading MYC: Responses and what they mean
Recommended: BLOOD WILL OUT by Jo Treggiari
Publisher’s Description Ari Sullivan is alive–for now. She wakes at the bottom of a cistern, confused, injured and alone, with only the shadowy recollection of a low-pitched voice and a gloved hand. No one can hear her screams. And the person who put her there is coming back. The killer is planning a gruesome masterpiece, a fairytale tableau of innocence and blood, meticulously designed. Until … Continue reading Recommended: BLOOD WILL OUT by Jo Treggiari
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
May Four on 400 Contest!
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 May Four on 400 Contest!
MYC: Surviving Rejection
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. Now we’re talking about what to do when you’re ready to put that book out in the world. Last week we heard from Agent Hilary Harwell on querying from an agent’s perspective. This week, we’re going to talk about rejection. No. Nope. … Continue reading MYC: Surviving Rejection
Windows & Mirrors: One Last Word
We are coming to the end of another Poetry Month, and we would be remiss to let it go without highlighting a staggering new work by Nikki Grimes. ONE LAST WORD is an ode to the Harlem Renaissance, but also thoroughly modern. It utilizes the Golden Shovel form, in which a line from a previous poem, or the entire text of a short poem, is … Continue reading Windows & Mirrors: One Last Word
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
Book Recommendation: How I Resist: Activism and Hope For the Next Generation
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