Tag Archives: literature

Representation matters. Here’s why you should care.

Posted on January 11, 2017 by

I didn’t think much about diversity in childhood. I grew up in a rural Midwestern elementary school district primarily comprised of white middle class students. A portion of the student body was Hispanic and Latino. Throughout my entire grade school … Continue reading →

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BRB; I have to finish sniffling over this Harry Potter thread

Posted on July 27, 2016 by

I came across this exchange this afternoon while wasting time online (be warned that the image below contains a curse word): My first reaction to this thread was to tear up a little. Like most Harry Potter fans, Rubeus Hagrid … Continue reading →

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Reading books to inspire writing books

Posted on January 8, 2016 by

With the start of a new year comes the start of work on “The Mountain of Dempsey Molehill,” my in-progress middle grade novel. To get in the proper frame of mind, I’ve kicked off my year with reading “How Angel … Continue reading →

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Kid lit isn’t just for kids

Posted on December 29, 2015 by

The name of the genre might be deceiving, but the truth is, kid lit isn’t just for kids. There are those who disagree (Ruth Graham outraged half the Internet in 2014 when she said adults should be embarrassed to read … Continue reading →

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The Bookish Christmas: Kid lit edition

Posted on December 15, 2015 by

When I encountered The Bookish Christmas tag at Scifi and Scary Book Reviews (*the tag was created by callummclaughlin.wordpress.com), I couldn’t resist jumping into the bookish fun. Without further ado, here is my bookish Christmas list. Father Christmas: Name a … Continue reading →

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Your childhood mischief could inspire a book chapter

Posted on December 4, 2015 by

If you have an entertaining tale of childhood mischief, your anecdote could inspire a chapter in my next book. Now through April 30, I am collecting memories of childhood shenanigans for my upcoming middle grade novel, “The Mountain of Dempsey Molehill.” … Continue reading →

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Kids can win cash for reading a book and writing to the author

Posted on September 23, 2015 by

If you live in Illinois and have a child between fourth grade and high school senior, there’s an opportunity to win cash in exchange for reading — and then writing about it. The 2016 Letters About Literature contest is a … Continue reading →

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