Well, it’s official—The Song of Orphan’s Garden, my very first book baby has been born! And what a long labor it was! I got my publishing offer for this book at the end of August 2022!! For those of you who’ve been part of this blog for years, thank you for all your support. For those who’ve joined more recently, welcome! I’m glad you’re here! I just had to write a post about my launch […]
Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. My Top Ten (Actually Five) Bookish Goals for 2025 1. Get back to blogging My blogging has been so sporadic lately, and I know I’ve said this before, but I think I have a plan for getting back on track with an actual schedule. I miss this community, and I want to make it a priority in 2025. 2. Start participating in my own […]
It’s finally here!! Today I’m revealing the cover and official blurb for THE SONG OF ORPHAN’S GARDEN!! This gorgeousness was illustrated by the incredibly talented Maxine Vee. The cover design (and beautiful interior design, which I can’t wait for you to see) is done by Meg Sayres. Click here to see a hi-res image of the cover and view it in all its glory! Introducing my three most important characters: Humans Lyriana and her little […]
As I say every year, I’ve adapted this from The Perpetual Page Turner’s End of Year Survey! 2023 READING STATS Number of Books You Read: 95 I didn’t quite hit my 100 book goal this year (first time since 2013, when I started tracking), but that’s okay. I had a lot going on! (Plus, I read over 65 picture books and 1 manuscript, neither of which are included in Goodreads, but I track them in […]
Now that we’re nearing the end of the year it’s fun to think back to the bookish “firsts” of 2023. I found this tag over at Metaphors and Moonlight but it originated at girlxoxo. (The categories have been switched up a bit over time, so I decided to pick and choose which ones I wanted to include and added some of my own.) FIRST BOOK READ THIS YEAR Jennifer Chan Is Not Alone by Tae […]
Kids like a little bit of mystery in their lives, so I picked out ten middle grade mysteries I loved. (And four more I’d like to read!) Take a look at these fun options… TEN I’VE READ (Click on the links for full reviews, if I’ve posted them.) The Swifts by Beth Lincoln, illustrated by Claire Powell This book follows young Shenanigan Swift, who has always known she’s supposed to cause trouble. After all, everyone […]
My mom, my husband, and I headed to Europe to join my younger daughter Danielle, who had just finished her study abroad. She’s now very fluent in Spanish, which came in very handy since we definitely encountered a decent number of people in Spain that didn’t speak English (luckily the same wasn’t true in Italy). Jade and Noah didn’t come on the trip because Jade was absolutely not interested in a vacation filled with random […]
This is the first time I’ve ever done a post exclusively about a cover artist (though maybe I should do it again sometime?), but I just had to write this post when I discovered something astounding about the covers of TJ Klune’s and Sophie Anderson’s books: They aren’t illustrations; they’re created as 3D “sets” (as the artist calls them) and then photographed! That’s right, the gorgeous cover you see below is actually a painstakingly created […]
I often have kids coming into B&N looking for something spooky to read, so I thought I’d create a post with some of my favorite MG horror reads. I’m featuring ten of them, plus eight more books I’ve heard great things about and I’m planning to read (hopefully soon!). TEN I’VE READ (Okay, technically 11 – oh, wait, 12) (Click on the links for full reviews.) The Monsterious Series by Matt McMann I just recently […]
Since April is National Poetry Month, I figured it’s the perfect time to feature some middle grade verse novels I’ve loved. Check out my list below: Alone by Megan E. Freeman This book is a perfect bridge to NIVs for kids who aren’t sure about them. It has lyrical poetry, but also an exciting survival plot that will pull them in and keep them reading. (The MC survives on her own for years!) Plus, it […]