Cover Reveal: Rea and the Blood of the Nectar

All of us at The Winged Pen are excited to be a part of the cover reveal for a new middle grade fantasy: Rea and the Blood of the Nectar by Payal Doshi.

The novel tells the story of Rea Chettri, a 12-year-old girl living a simple, if boring, life on the tea plantations of Darjeeling, India. Without warning, Rea’s life gets turned on its head when her twin brother goes missing. Determined to save him, Rea embarks . . . Continue reading Cover Reveal: Rea and the Blood of the Nectar

Writing Neurodiverse Characters Responsibly

Who is ready for WriteOnCon? You know we are! For those who can’t wait until next week, I am going to give you a sneak peek into my presentation about neurodiversity. The entire presentation will be shown on Sunday, February 23, 2020, from 12:00 – 12:30 pm EST. Of course, if you get an extended ticket, you can view all events throughout March 22, 2020. … Continue reading Writing Neurodiverse Characters Responsibly

Four on 400 in bold red on a background of text

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. Middle Grade: … Continue reading April Four on 400 Feedback!

Four on 400 in bold red on a background of text

March 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. Middle Grade … Continue reading March Four on 400 Feedback

Four on 400 in bold red on a background of text

February 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 from four of The Winged Pen’s contributors. Q: Sounds exciting! How do I enter? To enter, simply click the link the at the bottom of this post and submit … Continue reading February Four on 400 Contest

November 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.   MG Contemporary: … Continue reading November Four on 400 Feedback

The Three Rules of Everyday Magic

Back in 2015, Pitch Wars founder Brenda Drake put out a call for middle grade mentors to take on a second mentee. Without any idea who the writer was or what the story was about, Joy McCullough, Rebecca Wells, and I volunteered to co-mentor this mysterious project. That writer turned out to be Amanda Rawson Hill, who was working on a gorgeous story called The … Continue reading The Three Rules of Everyday Magic

Four on 400 in bold red on a background of text

September 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 from four of The Winged Pen’s contributors. Q: Sounds exciting! How do I enter? To enter, simply click the link the at the bottom of this post and submit … Continue reading September Four on 400 Contest

WHERE THE WOODS END (An Interview with Author Charlotte Salter)

Creepers and crawlers and things that go bump in the night? Yes, please! Since my latest literary obsession is dark middle grade fantasy, I’m especially thrilled to welcome middle grade author Charlotte Salter to The Winged Pen. Charlotte’s second novel, WHERE THE WOODS END, comes out on August 14th. The story follows Kestrel, a fierce huntress, as she strives to protect her village from Grabbers––shadowy … Continue reading WHERE THE WOODS END (An Interview with Author Charlotte Salter)

Four on 400 in bold red on a background of text

August 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 August Four on 400 Contest

Four on 400 in bold red on a background of text

July 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 July Four on 400 Contest

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