10 Great Young Adult Books for Summer 2021
It’s summer! And we’re actually allowed out of our houses and can get to the beach this year! We know you want a few good books to bring on vacation, so Halli, Richelle, and I came up with a list of our favorites.
Whether you love thrillers or fantasies, contemporaries or romances, you’ll find something(s) you love on this list.
Happy reading! Continue reading 10 Great Young Adult Books for Summer 2021
Interview and Book Launch Celebration with Author Candice Marley Conner
We are thrilled to have debut author Candice Marley Conner with us today! Candice’s two books, Sassafras and Her Teeny Tiny Tail (picture book) and The Existence of Bea Pearl (young adult novel), came out this month. We will be talking with her about books and the methods, and challenges, of writing for such different age groups. Hello Candice! We are excited to have you on The Winged Pen. … Continue reading Interview and Book Launch Celebration with Author Candice Marley Conner
Thoughts From a Bookseller
If you read this blog regularly, you know I am an author, and may also know I have had several careers in my adult life. Four to be exact. While signing copies of my new novel at my independent bookstore (author – career number three), I was told about an open bookseller position. I love books, as an author you have to, and I love … Continue reading Thoughts From a Bookseller
Fear Factor: How to embrace your fear and keep creating
Every single time I sit down to write something — whether it’s a novel chapter or fundraising copy or an email to a colleague — I feel a moment of fear: Can I do this? Will people respond to it? Am I too ambitious? Am I good enough? What if I can’t? Fear can be paralyzing. In its most severe forms, it causes (or at … Continue reading Fear Factor: How to embrace your fear and keep creating
Celebrate Your Writing Milestones!
I recently wrapped up a writing project. Two middle-grade books written in under 4 months. It was a fun project, but the short timeline made it stressful. (For more about that, see my article on Work-for-Hire Writing.)
I turned the second book over to a critique partner to read for me and as I breathed a sigh of relief at having a couple days off, I began thinking about the project I’d pick up once this one was submitted . . . Continue reading Celebrate Your Writing Milestones!
Book Review: Enduring Freedom
Enduring Freedom is a young adult novel written in dual points of view by Jawad Arash and Trent Reedy. This novel releases at a perfect time as the US military prepares to leave Afghanistan and the twentieth anniversary of 9/11 comes later this year. Synopsis: On September 11, 2001, the lives of two boys on opposite sides of the world are changed in an instant. … Continue reading Book Review: Enduring Freedom
What’s so funny? Injecting Humor into Your Story
I’m pretty cheerful in my regular life, but my writing has veered toward the dark. But 2020 was more than dark enough for all of us. So as I sat down to work on a big revision to my WIP, I decided to try something new: humor. As I started working, though, I found it harder than I’d thought it would be to inject a … Continue reading What’s so funny? Injecting Humor into Your Story
The Surprising Aftereffects of the Debut Novel
This past year, I’ve written three posts about the debut year. Peeking Inside a Debut Group, The Debut Timeline, and Launching and Marketing Your Book. It has been a wonderful and enlightening year. Many things about the debut process surprised me, but nothing more than the aftereffects of the whole process. Well, really just one. I mentioned in the post about launching and marketing your novel … Continue reading The Surprising Aftereffects of the Debut Novel
Recommended: THE LIVES OF SAINTS by Leigh Bardugo
Is anyone else excited about the Grishaverse coming to Netflix?
Because I AM!
So when Leigh Bardugo’s The Lives of Saints popped up on NetGalley, I requested it.
I’m not usually one for . . . Continue reading Recommended: THE LIVES OF SAINTS by Leigh Bardugo
Tips for Writing Short Stories
Do you read short stories? Have you written any? I love them and have written a few of my own. This month, it seems as if short stories dominated my reading list. I judged a teen short story contest with 33 entries and read two books of short stories. As you can see, I’ve thought of nothing else and that is what prompted this post. … Continue reading Tips for Writing Short Stories
Launching and Marketing Your Book. Tips From Debut Authors.
Tips on launching and marketing your book from debut authors @Halli_Gomez, @anya_writes, and @jsamtaylor #the21ders #writingcommunity #writerlife Continue reading Launching and Marketing Your Book. Tips From Debut Authors.
Why I Revised My Manuscript from 3rd Person, Past to 1st Person, Present & How I Plan to Avoid Doing That Again
Have you ever wondered whether you’re writing in the right point of view (POV) for the story you’re trying to tell? The right tense?
Revising an entire manuscript from 3rd person to 1st is no small task. The task is made a whole lot bigger yet when you add a tense change on top of that. My revision of a 90,000+ word manuscript for both POV and tense took a couple months to complete.
To hear what I learned by doing this huge revision, read this post. Continue reading Why I Revised My Manuscript from 3rd Person, Past to 1st Person, Present & How I Plan to Avoid Doing That Again