Recommended: ALLEGEDLY by Tiffany Jackson
Publisher’s Description Orange Is the New Black meets Walter Dean Myer’s Monster in this gritty, twisty, and haunting debut by Tiffany D. Jackson about a girl convicted of murder seeking the truth while surviving life in a group home. Mary B. Addison killed a baby. Allegedly. She didn’t say much in that first interview with detectives, and the media filled in the only blanks that … Continue reading Recommended: ALLEGEDLY by Tiffany Jackson
MYC: The Waiting Game and 15 Ways to Play It
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 this week dipped back into craft and how to give your story cliffhangers. Last week, we were all about querying strategy. Naturally, this week is about The Waiting Game and how to play it. <cue game show music> … Continue reading MYC: The Waiting Game and 15 Ways to Play It
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
MYC: Chapter Endings, The End is Only the Beginning
Welcome to a bonus Master Your Craft post! We’ll still have our regular post Wednesday, and in the meantime… Chapter endings are like fish hooks. A hook alone can catch a fish, but it’s easier with a worm. So what lure can you use to entice readers to take the bait and keep turning pages? Two good options are “contagious” emotions and the sometimes-misunderstood cliffhanger. In Jonah … Continue reading MYC: Chapter Endings, The End is Only the Beginning
April 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. YA Fantasy: Ethereal The … Continue reading April Four on 400 Feedback
Windows & Mirrors: Ghost Boys
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 Ghost Boys by Jewell Parker Rhodes. Jewell Parker Rhodes is the author of now five wonderful middle-grade books. Ninth Ward, a Coretta Scott King honor book, Sugar, winner of the Jane Adams Peace Association book award, Bayou … Continue reading Windows & Mirrors: Ghost Boys
MYC: Querying Strategy
Welcome to this week’s Master Your Craft post! Each Wednesday we’ll discuss writing a new book from the BIG IDEA to QUERYING. Last year, we walked you through every step from getting the big idea through polishing your finished novel. Now we’re working on what to do once you’ve actually finished your book. Get caught up on last week’s post on researching agents before you check out … Continue reading MYC: Querying Strategy
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
Book Recommendation: Lizzie
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
Super-Charged Four on 400 Donation for Writers for Hope Auction!
The Pennies love to support a good cause, and the Writers for Hope Auction is one of them! Every April, in honor of Sexual Assault Awareness Month, members of the publishing world – editors, agents, and published and/or agented authors – help to raise money to combat sexual assault. Donations include critiques (ranging from queries to FULL manuscripts), consultation calls or Skype sessions, and signed … Continue reading Super-Charged Four on 400 Donation for Writers for Hope Auction!
Windows & Mirrors – Celebrating National Poetry Month
April is National Poetry Month, so Windows & Mirrors is back with another great list of books by under-represented voices. This time, in verse. The Poet X This new release by Elizabeth Acevedo is taking the publishing world by storm, debuting on the New York Times best seller list. This story about a young poet who dreams of performing all the poems in her notebook … Continue reading Windows & Mirrors – Celebrating National Poetry Month
April 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 April Four on 400 Contest!