NaNoWriMo is National Novel Writing Month. It’s a great event for writers who love deadlines and external accountability. The challenge is to write a novel about 50,000 words long in one month. I made some great friends through NaNoWriMo in the past. I’ve “won” the event, or reached 50,000 words, a few times. So I… Read more »
Writing
New Book Released!
I received copies of my newest new book this weekend!
Is #PitMad Worth It?
Is #PitMad worth it? Did you have any luck at the most recent #PitMad? I think a lot of people think that unless they get a book contract sent via DM that day, they failed. But I say you need a broad definition of success. Here’s how it worked for me, and why I think… Read more »
Help for Writers who are Parents and Parents who are Writers
In 2016, I was picking my kids up from art camp when I received a phone call from a New York phone number. Since this was the summer of 2016 (and the election had not yet happened) I was just still a naive, optimistic person. I answered the phone. It turns out I had won… Read more »
Finding a Mentor or Inspiration – Alhazen and Leonardo da Vinci
When I wrote my book The Science and Technology of Leonardo da Vinci, one of the things that really captivated me was how Leonardo learned a lot from an early scholar and scientist, Alhazen. I’d never heard of Alhazen before, but he did a lot of exciting work. It turns out Alhazen is the Latinized… Read more »
How to Write Nonfiction for Kids
View this post on Instagram A post shared by The Highlights Foundation (@highlightsfound) I’ve attended so many excellent Highlights Foundation courses over the past several years. Each one has helped me uncover big and small ways to develop my creativity and productivity. Now I’m so thrilled to be announce I’m working with the… Read more »
Looking for excellent STEAM books?
Over the weekend, someone asked me what kind of books I write. I mentioned I write books that fit into the STEAM category. “I thought it was STEM,” this person said. “There is STEM and there is STEAM,” I explained. “The A is for arts, and it makes sense as so much of art and… Read more »
Writer Submissions Tracking – 2019 and 2020
Here are my submission, acceptance, and rejection rates for 2019 and 2020. As a reminder, I keep track in both my lucky notebook and my lucky Numbers spreadsheet. Big news of 2020 – I signed with my lovely agent Miranda Paul of Erin Murphy Literary Agency and sold my book Animal Allies to Chicago Review… Read more »
When Your Book is Published!
It never gets old – celebrating when your book is published is fantastic! I was so thrilled to visit my local bookstore (Support those independent bookstores!!) and hold these books in my hands. You can find these books at YOUR local bookstore, too! Sweet Quest for the Unicorn’s Horn A taste for sweets (and… Read more »
How Many Books Have You Written? – Ask An Author
Here’s my Ask An Author video for February!