Ch-ch-ch-changes...

This post was originally sent through my author newsletter on September 15th, 2023. To subscribe to my newsletter and receive up-to-date news, musings, and more, click HERE.

My newsletter is moving to Substack! 

Starting next week, my weekly email will look a little different. It will also come from a different email address. So, if you don't see your missive on Friday at 9am...check your spam folder! My name will still be attached, and you'll also see my new Substack title: 

Booked in Brooklyn

Why am I starting a Substack? A couple reasons. 

One, it's easier to build community and reach new readers, because other people with Substacks can recommend their favorite creators and re-share posts that resonate with them. Readers can comment directly on posts, as well. (You'll still be able to email me back, too!) 

Two, Substack gives you a home page with an archive of your past newsletters. This saves me a step; right now, I have to upload my newsletters to my website one by one as blog posts in order to maintain an archive. I'll keep the "Blog" tab on my website for now, since those posts and newsletters go way, way back, but moving forward, you'll find my newsletters saved on my Substack. 

As I've been setting up my Substack this week, I've also been thinking about what I write and the format I use. The contents of my newsletter will not change! I'm still going to write about the craft of writing, my creative process, the books I'm reading and those I'm reading with my daughter, and what's going on in my life at the moment that feels meaningful. You'll still get updates on my books, sneak peeks into future projects, and access to fun subscriber-only giveaways.

However, I am planning to make one tweak to my format: instead of sharing what I'm reading, watching, listening to, etc every single week, I'm going to try making the last newsletter of each month a wrap-up of favorites. I've realized that sometimes, I have a million things to recommend, and other weeks, it's hard to come up with anything to fill that space. By making this a monthly feature, I'll be able to curate a better list to share with you all. 

Please let me know if you have any issues with next week's newsletter! And remember, you don't have to resubscribe; I will transfer over my subscriber list. Fingers crossed, this will be a quick and painless transition. 

What I'm: 

Reading: This is one of those weeks where it's harder to make a recommendation! I started a book that didn't grab me, so about a third of the way in, I set it aside. Now, I'm listening to an audiobook that someone else recommended. It's a southern-set romance, and I'm enjoying it so far...but I'm not sure yet if I want to tell you to read it! So what I will recommend is a cute early reader series my daughter and I discovered at Barnes & Noble recently: Unicorn & Yeti by Heather Ayris Burnell. The stories are sweet and the illustrations by Hazel Quintanilla are adorable. 

Watching: The new Indiana Jones movie was actually quite fun! 

Eating: Homemade chocolate-chip banana bread. Yum! 

Loving: I get to do an author visit for the first-grade classes at my kid's school in October! You'll hear more about that when it happens. In the meantime, here's my cutie with Madison Morris. 

Does Back-to-School Make You Want to Start Something New?

This post was originally sent through my author newsletter on September 8th, 2023. To subscribe to my newsletter and receive up-to-date news, musings, and more, click HERE.

School is in session! My kiddo is officially in first grade! 

Pause here for a meditation on the unrelenting passage of time...

All joking aside, I love back-to-school season. I'm not necessarily one of those writers that goes on and on about school supplies—smelling bouquets of freshly sharpened pencils, cracking the spines of blank notebooks—but I do love the feeling of newness in the air. Everything smells like potential. 

Admittedly, September didn't mean as much to me between 2004 (college graduation) and 2008 (start of grad school), or between 2010 (finished grad school) and 2020 (my daughter started 3K). I'd see kids heading off to school with their shiny new backpacks and lunchboxes, and it would make me smile, but I didn't have any skin in the game myself, so to speak.

These days, the end of summer vacation carries more weight. It's not just the looming arrival of autumn (although when we did school drop-off on the first day at 8:15 a.m., it was already 85 degrees). Starting a new school year actually brings more changes to our lives than starting a new calendar year. (Maybe instead of new year's resolutions, we should make new school year's resolutions? But I digress.) It's as big a milestone as a birthday: she turned six, and now she's in first grade. First grade! 

I'm feeling those vibes in my own life, in a big way. But, since I'm not heading back to school myself anytime soon, it's more of a nebulous, drifting, wishing I were starting something new feeling. 

A new manuscript? A new freelance project? A new hobby? A new goal? 

Last week, I got Instagram-marketed to by a guided journal company. I clicked their attractive ad and got directed to a quiz meant to determine which fantastical, life-changing journey I needed to go on. I completed the quiz (why not?) and ever since, have been receiving daily emails with discount offers to actually buy the guided journal in question. I haven't taken that step yet...but I'm awfully tempted. 

I do feel like going on a journey. I do feel like starting fresh, like taking steps forward toward something unexpected or different or just...new. 

Do you get this feeling around back-to-school time? Do you act on it? If so, how? What do you do to find autumn equilibrium after the chaos and freedom of summer vacation? Do you try something new or double-down on routine until the feeling passes? 

Should I buy the guided journal?? 

There's a quote from The Lord of the Rings that's been bouncing around in my brain—probably because the guided journal's theme was finding fantasy/adventure in your everyday life: 

"It's a dangerous business, Frodo, going out your door. You step onto the road, and if you don't keep your feet, there's no knowing where you might be swept off to." 

I'm a bit ready to be swept off. I'm also a bit ready to become a homebody, with a book and a blanket and a mug of something warm and yummy on the table beside me. A hobbit, but maybe a hobbit on an adventure of sorts. 

I should buy the journal, right? 

~Kathryn 

What I'm: 

Reading: Kiss the Girl by Zoraida Cordova—the third romance novel in Disney's series of classic animated movie reimaginings. As you can probably guess, this one's based on The Little Mermaid. Ariel is a pop star wanting to get out from under her dad/manager's thumb, while Eric is the lead singer of an indie band on the rise. A fun read! 

Watching: I needed some giggles this week, so we started another series of "Taskmaster," the UK show where comedians complete ridiculous challenges. 

Eating: My daughter requested sandwiches from a local cafe as her last-day-of-summer-vacation lunch. Lest you think having a six-year-old is all sunshine and rainbows, here's how it went: she wanted to create a custom sandwich using one ingredient from each of the various specialty breakfast sandwiches. After we'd gotten the cashier to agree to this, my kid decided she didn't actually like eggs. So she got a regular turkey sandwich and I got bacon, egg, and cheese. Then, at the playground, she eyed my meal: "Are those scrambled eggs? I like scrambled eggs. Can I eat your sandwich?" 

Loving: Sandwich difficulties aside, it was a great summer. Here's one last glimpse of my gal walking in the surf. Until next year, beach... 

I Wrote a Whole Book This Summer!

This post was originally sent through my author newsletter on September 1st, 2023. To subscribe to my newsletter and receive up-to-date news, musings, and more, click HERE.

See that title up there? I think I'll shout it again: 

I wrote a whole book this summer! 

The second book in my write-for-hire contract is turned in to my editor and the client. I'll have at least one round of revisions, but for the next few weeks...it's out of my hands! 

I've been feeling triumphant since sending in my draft. In fact, this whole project has me feeling triumphant. I wrote most of book one while recovering from a detached retina in the spring. I wrote all of book two over my daughter's summer vacation, only some of which she spent in camp. (If I get to work on book three, I'm crossing my fingers for smoother sailing in the fall/winter?!) Working as a contractor, rather than as the sole creator, has been a new experience for me, but overall I've enjoyed it—and I can't wait for you to get to read the finished product in 2024. 

So what's next? 

I'm...not sure. 

Maybe that book three I mentioned, above. Or maybe (hopefully!) the second book in the Science & Strange series, currently being considered on proposal. Maybe a proposal for more Class Critters. Or maybe I finally get back to the standalone middle-grade I've been working on for years and for which I have possibly, finally, figured out the final missing puzzle piece. 

Or all of the above? 

I wrote about battling the blahs a few weeks ago—about the inevitable letdown at the end of a contract and the uncertainty of what's on the horizon. As I look forward now, I'm trying to focus on the positives. Like all of those potential stories, waiting to be told!

Maybe, one answer to "what's next?" is, what would bring me the most joy? What will get me excited each day, as I sit down at my computer with my coffee? Can I prioritize those things? That doesn't mean I'm not wearing my business hat. I definitely need to have a conversation with my literary agent to strategize my next moves. But...how can I look at my career in a way that focuses on creativity and inspiration and—I'll say it again—joy? 

Publishing books can be an anxious, uncertain thing. There are so many variables that affect whether what you write will reach readers. I've had enough letdowns in the eight-plus years that I've been a published author to know that I can't count on success. So, when I find myself enjoying writing something—looking forward to working on it—reading over it later feeling satisfied and fulfilled—that matters. 

I've enjoyed this write-for-hire gig. The original idea and main character sketch might not have come from my own imagination, but I've made them my own. I like spending time in this world. At the same time, there are other characters and worlds I'm eager to get back to. Series and sequels and drafts and ideas. 

I wrote a whole book this summer, and that's a huge accomplishment. 

I like the book I wrote this summer—also huge. 

I'm enjoying writing these days. I'm enjoying it a lot. 

That's the biggest win of all. 

~Kathryn 

What I'm: 

Reading: I snagged Kate Clayborn's Georgie, All Along from a box of free books a neighbor set out on their stoop—and I loved it! It's a romance about a woman who returns to her Virginia hometown, adrift after her assistant job in L.A. ends. When Georgie finds a scrapbook she and her best friend made in eighth grade, sharing their hopes and dreams (and perfect prom dates) for high school and beyond, she realizes that that was the last time she felt sure of herself and her future. Maybe looking back can help her find a path forward. (In the process, she meets the black-sheep, loner older brother of her high school crush...and sparks fly.) 

Watching: "Only Murders in the Building" keeps getting better. I can't recommend this show highly enough. 

Loving: During the last week of summer vacation, we squeezed in a few more adventures around the city. One day, I took the kiddo (joined by a friend and her two boys) to the Intrepid, a military museum housed on a decommissioned aircraft carrier docked in the Hudson River. Here she is exploring the flight deck, where they have tons of vintage jets and helicopters on display! 

Do You Gather Your Ingredients Before You Create?

This post was originally sent through my author newsletter on August 25th, 2023. To subscribe to my newsletter and receive up-to-date news, musings, and more, click HERE.

In my standard school visit presentation, there's a portion where I talk for a bit and then a portion where I ask the students to do an activity with me. When we're transitioning—when their teachers are handing out paper and clipboards and pencils and everyone's shifting gears from listening to participating—I always offer two important pieces of information for what's about to happen: 

  1. Students can write in response to my prompts and questions, or they can draw, or they can do both. There is no wrong way to participate! 

  2. I am not expecting them to complete an entire story in the next 15-20 minutes. 

I usually have to repeat that second one: We are not trying to write a story today. We're just gathering our ingredients. (My school visit is called "Recipe for a Story," so I use a lot of cooking metaphors!) 

Why do I stress this second point?

Because a lot of kids get anxious when they're asked (or when they think they're being asked) to produce something on the spot. Also, because each child will respond in a different way to what I'm asking them to do. I've had kids cover a whole page with writing during my activity. I've had kids draw elaborate pictures, filling every corner of the paper with tiny details. I've had kids jot down a bare-bones list of ideas, or a series of one-word answers to the questions I'm asking. And I've had kids get stuck on question one ("If you could turn into an animal for a day, what animal would you choose?"). 

The goal, I keep telling them as I circle the room, isn't to finish something today. It's to get ideas on the page that you can come back to later. Gathering your ingredients is the starting point. It takes time to cook up a whole story. 

This is not just true for kids. 

One of the reasons I've found drafting my write-for-hire project this summer to be a relative breeze is that when I sat down to work on the draft, I had all my ingredients gathered and organized. I'd brainstormed and outlined. I'd created a document that was already broken down by chapter, including a brief synopsis of what each chapter was meant to do. I'd jotted down important notes to myself and questions my editor and the client posed.

As I've shared before, this is not my strategy every single time I write a book. What is consistent is that I've learned to make ingredient-gathering a key part of the process. Sometimes, that looks like brainstorming over a period of weeks or months before actually diving in. Sometimes, that looks like creating a beat-sheet to see how the story might flow from one scene, or beat, to the next. Sometimes, that looks like outlining key story arcs. Sometimes, though not as much anymore, that looks like free-writing—like play (like I talked about last week)—to see what ingredients emerge organically on the page. 

In the food industry, this is called mise en place: the setup required before you actually begin to cook. It's setting out your tools. Chopping your vegetables. Arranging your herbs and spices. By preparing ahead of time, you streamline the cooking process. 

By preparing ahead of time—in whatever way makes sense to you, for the specific book you're working on—you can ease the writing process, as well. 

This year, I have had a new story idea brewing in my mind. I'm not sure exactly when I'll have time to write it. But I have already begun gathering my ingredients. I have a Word doc with bullet-pointed ideas that I add to from time to time, when something new occurs to me. When I'm truly ready to dive in, I may do a bit more prep work: character sketches, story beats, etc. Then I won't be starting from a total blank. Then, the actual cooking process can begin. 

What are some ways you gather your ingredients before you begin to create? 

~Kathryn 

What I'm: 

Reading: I shared on my Instagram this week that I read The Unsinkable Greta James by Jennifer E. Smith, ostensibly for my summer reading challenge ("book set in a bucket-list destination"). This wonderful book is about a musician who goes on an Alaskan cruise with her dad after her mom's death. The two haven't gotten along in years—but this cruise might help them mend some fences. I really enjoyed this read...but I later realized that the actual square on the reading challenge grid is for "book set in a country on your bucket list"—and Alaska is not a country! Alas. 

Watching: "Ahsoka" on Disney+! This one is interesting, because I didn't watch either of the Star Wars cartoon series, and thus I'm going into this new show with some major gaps in my knowledge. That said, so far I'm enjoying it a lot. (Is my husband enjoying all the questions I'm asking about characters and their backstories? Remains to be seen...) 

Enjoying: Some slightly cooler summer weather in NYC this week. I love a good 80-degrees-and-breezy summer day! 

Loving: This purse my daughter made in her week of sewing camp!

Does Your Creative Process Include Play?

This post was originally sent through my author newsletter on August 18th, 2023. To subscribe to my newsletter and receive up-to-date news, musings, and more, click HERE.

This summer, I spent a little more time than usual in the dance studio. A teacher/choreographer I've performed for in the past brought a group of her "regulars" together for weekly rehearsals. Not because she had a big idea for a new dance piece. And not because there was a show on the horizon. Simply because...she wanted to play. 

She wanted to create.

She wanted to see where a few weeks of playful creation took us. 

There was no obligation to participate. She invited each of us for however many Sunday afternoons we could offer her. She reserved space, and we showed up, whenever we were able, ready and open. 

In July and August, we made almost six minutes of material. It's not set in stone. It's malleable. But it exists—in our bodies and on video. 

What does this process look like? So many different things! We remixed set sequences of choreography. We improvised together. We tried various pieces of music, to see how each one affected the movement and the feelings within it. Those of us who were present last week caught up those who weren't able to come, so everyone was on the same page. Dancers Zoomed in to participate remotely. It was a process filled with joy, laughter, gratitude, curiosity, and surprise. 

I hadn't rehearsed like this in years, and doing so this summer was a bit of a revelation.

It has me thinking about writing as play.

Once upon a time, free-writing was a part of my creative process. I'd sit down to play with an idea, just to see where it would lead me. Sometimes, that idea turned into something bigger! Other times, it fizzled. But the result wasn't really the point. The process of creating, of being ready and available and open, and of putting words on the page—that was what mattered. And I would ask myself to try different things: writing from new points of view, or switching up the tense, or having a character write poetry. I showed up, and I played, and every once in a while, I made magic. 

These days, more often than not, I'm starting from sturdier ground. I have an idea I've already settled on, and I know what the voice needs to sound like. Or I'm working in a document or with characters I know well. Or (in the case of my write-for-hire gig) I'm playing in someone else's sandbox—giving life to their characters, in a style of their choosing. Also, these days, my writing is very goal-oriented. I have a deadline, and I know what I need to do to make it there. 

But playing choreographically this summer has given me a bit of an itch to do the same with my writing. To sit down, maybe once a week, without a goal or even a set starting point. To show up at my laptop and just...write something. And the following week, to decide whether to develop it...or to set it aside and start something new. 

Do you make time for play in your creative process? Do you ever dive in without an intention or a plan, beyond simply seeing what happens? 

~Kathryn 

(Photo: performing with this choreographer, Diane McCarthy, in November 2018—I'm kneeling front right.) 

What I'm: 

Reading: My mom recommended The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek by Kim Michele Richardson for the "book about books or libraries" square in my summer reading challenge. This novel is set in the 1930s, deep in the hollers of Kentucky, and follows the journeys of a "book woman"—a librarian who would ride a pack horse out to remote wilderness locations to bring books—and literacy—to mountain folk. An added interesting piece to this story is that the titular book woman has a blue skin tone, caused by a recessive blood disorder. Although there are whole families of "Blues," she deals with prejudice and scorn from her neighbors. I like learning about pockets of history that are new to me, and this book met that criteria on two fronts: "book women" and the "Blue People of Kentucky."   

Loving: My daughter and I took a “girl’s trip” to Tennessee to visit my parents (her Gigi and Doc)—and for me to visit a local elementary school to share my author presentation!

A Book is a Calm, Quiet, Safe Place

This post was originally sent through my author newsletter on August 11th, 2023. To subscribe to my newsletter and receive up-to-date news, musings, and more, click HERE.

My daughter doesn't have summer camp this week, so we've been enjoying "Mommy camp" instead. ("Mommy camp" means I entertain her and take her places, punctuated by lots of snacks.) I'll admit, being on full-time mom duty doesn't make for a very productive workweek! But I have been loving the quality time—and having a bit of a brain-break, after writing an entire book draft over the past month. 

On Wednesday, we journeyed to the Central Park Zoo. I say "journey" purposefully, because it's almost an hour there by subway! I packed books, coloring, and yes, plenty of snacks. And, it turned out, I didn't need most of it. 

As a writer for children, I hear a lot about how kids these days need constant stimulation. I hear that video games and phones and tablets have messed with their brains, leaving them unable to focus or just...be.

(In fact, I met a parent at the playground this week who expressed exactly this concern: when I shared that I write books for kids, he said that must be hard. I agreed, citing things like recent book industry changes; the ongoing issue of book bans and challenges; and how self-publishing has flooded the market with options for parents and kids to choose from. But what he meant was, do kids even read anymore? Don't they just watch screens?) 

Don't get me wrong, my daughter loves screens. She is a TV-fiend. But I try really hard not to resort to iPhone videos and games when we're out and about. Instead, I pack books to read, notebooks and pens for drawing, a toy to play with. Videos do happen! This is not a brag about my awesome parenting skills. But I try to make it a last resort. I want her to do other things first. 

On Wednesday, on the subway, I read an Owl Diaries book to her. On the ride home, I asked if she wanted to color or draw in her notebook. Nope! She wanted to snuggle and read the Owl Diaries book again. 

I looked down at the over-stuffed backpack I'd been lugging around all day, realizing that I'd over-prepared. I hadn't needed all the extra activities. And sure, if I hadn't brought them, maybe she'd have melted down and we'd have ended up playing "Angry Birds" on my phone. But as we snuggled and read about young owl Eva helping her teacher, Miss Featherbottom, plan her woodland wedding, I thought about how kids do still crave quiet and calm—maybe because their daily lives can be so overstimulating. 

And isn't that true for all of us?

Yesterday, when we got to our local playground mid-morning, I was initially disappointed that none of my parent-friends were there. As a part-time work-from-home writer-mom, most of my socializing happens while my kid is playing with someone else's kid. But the solitude ended up being a blessing in disguise. Instead of socializing, I sat on a bench and read a book. (Lisa Fipps's lovely middle-grade novel-in-verse, Starfish.) It was calming and comforting, and I would have been disappointed if someone had interrupted me. 

Yesterday afternoon, it thunderstormed, so Mommy camp went indoors. We had a dance party and baked blueberry muffins and then spent almost an hour reading a book. My daughter curled up in bed as I read The Secret Lives of Mermaids, a faux-scientific account of the various merclans that live in oceans, rivers, and lakes around the world. She didn't ask to watch TV—at least, not until I'd said, "The End." She went into her evening calm and refreshed. 

I think what I'm getting at here is that children's book authors aren't in danger because there's so much competition for kids' attention nowadays. We are necessary because there's so much competition for kids' attention. Our books can be a place where kids can hide from the outside world for a little while. Where they can be quiet and focused. Where they can imagine and dream. 

Books can be a quiet, calm, safe place for kids.

Books can be a quiet, calm, safe place for adults, too. 

When was the last time you truly lost yourself in a book? What about the kids in your life? 

~Kathryn 

What I'm: 

Reading: I finished Love, Theoretically on Wednesday and then read Starfish, which is a verse novel about a sixth-grade girl who is bullied for her weight. I'll be honest: this book made me cry—first sad, empathetic tears and then happy, hopeful ones. 

Watching: The new season of "Only Murders in the Building" has begun! Are you a fan of this comedic murder mystery? 

Tasting: I bought myself some fancy hot cocoa mix a few weeks ago, and it has been a delight to occasionally treat myself to fancy hot cocoa after a long day. Do you have a splurge like this in your life? 

Loving: It can be exhausting, but exploring NYC with my kiddo is truly the best. Here she is, striking a pose in Central Park. 

Battling the Blahs

This post was originally sent through my author newsletter on August 4th, 2023. To subscribe to my newsletter and receive up-to-date news, musings, and more, click HERE.

Earlier this week, I was feeling a little bit...blah. 

Not because of what I'm currently writing—I am absolutely crushing my drafting deadline, and will finish chapter 20 (out of 20) today! More on that next week...

No, the reason for this week's brief case of the blahs was that, once again, I am nearing the end of my contracted book work. "This happens to you a lot," my husband joked, and he's not wrong! Part of being a traditionally published author is never being sure (unless you are wildly, wildly successful) that you will get to publish another book.

This is why all the authors I know were so obsessed with Leigh Bardugo's recent twelve-book deal: that kind of thing simply does not happen. These days, a lot of publishers are loathe to offer even three-book deals! Of course, Leigh Bardugo is a safe bet for her publisher, especially since the Netflix "Shadow & Bone" series launched. Most, if not all, of those dozen books will hit the bestseller list. Macmillan will earn their money back, and then some. 

To me, the dream isn't just to make millions of dollars. (Though that would certainly be nice!) To me, the dream is...security. A multi-book deal means you know what's on the horizon. It means you have a horizon. Each time a contract comes to an end—unless you have multiple contracts with different publishers at the same time—what's next is up in the air. You're back in the trenches, submitting projects as proposals or full drafts and praying something will land on the right person's desk at the right moment. 

I have a few "possibles" out there now. MarcyKate and I have submitted a proposal for a second and third book in the Science & Strange series, which launches in January with The Thirteenth Circle. I'm hoping to get hired to do more books in the write-for-hire series I've been working on this year. And I do have a few more things of my own up my sleeve. (A proposal for more Class Critters books! A standalone magical middle-grade novel I've been working on for years! Another standalone magical MG idea I have to start from scratch!) 

As of writing this, I'm not feeling quite so blah. Yes, I would love to receive some immediate good news in my inbox! But when I take a step back and look at that list of "possibles," I actually feel quite encouraged. When I started writing fiction seriously, I was a "one book at a time" writer. Maybe I could start brainstorming something new while revising my current project. In general, though, I worked very linearly. 

Now, at any given point, I've got a lot of irons in the fire. Writing books of different lengths has helped. So has coauthoring. And I'm able to alternate projects I've been working on for years with books I must write from start to finish in a span of months. Some things are quickly pushed off my plate; others continue to simmer on the stove. 

All of that means that while what's next might not turn out to be exactly what I'd envisioned...there's more where that came from. More ideas, more works-in-progress, more things I'm willing to try while I wait. 

How do you battle the blahs in your personal or professional life? 

~Kathryn 

What I'm: 

Reading: I read a thriller this week: Andrea Bartz's We Were Never Here, about two friends who travel together...and end up covering up murders (in self-defense, ostensibly) together. It's been a while since I read an adult thriller, and I've added a few more to my library holds list. Now, I'm listening to Ali Hazelwood's Love, Theoretically, the latest in Hazelwood's series of STEM-focused romance novels. 

Watching: Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol 3 finally came to Disney+, and I really enjoyed it! But be warned: it does have a lot of flashback scenes of animal abuse (the main plot relates to how Rocket Raccoon ended up the way he is). It's fun and zany, but also about grief and trauma, and I teared up as much as I laughed. Did you like this latest Marvel installment? 

Loving: My summer reading challenge!

Setting Goals, Seeking Accountability

This post was originally sent through my author newsletter on July 28th, 2023. To subscribe to my newsletter and receive up-to-date news, musings, and more, click HERE.

"How are you writing so fast?!" a friend DMed me on Instagram yesterday, in response to one of my daily word count updates. 

I wrote back with a quick explanation: my four-weeks-of-camp timeline, my 10-page chapter-by-chapter outline, my rule that I have to finish my chapter each day before I do anything else (including shower). But really, I wanted to say, "Thank you." 

Every message I get, whether congratulating me for getting my daily words on the page or asking how I'm doing it, keeps me going. That's one of the reasons I've been sharing my word count tracker online for the past three weeks (and will continue to do so next week). At this point, if I miss a day, I think people will notice. 

I have a professional deadline for this project: August 30th. But I've written in my newsletter before about the difference between the "zero-draft," i.e. the very first thing I write, and the "first draft" that I send to my editor or agent. I don't want my publishing team to read the earliest set of words that I basically splat onto my screen. Thus, I have to bake in some time for revisions. This year, the timing happened to work out perfectly: I have this four-week stretch of summer camp to hammer out words, and then three and a half weeks (only one of which is a camp week) before the actual deadline, to polish everything up. 

Perfect timing notwithstanding, I would consider this fast-drafting. I don't usually push myself to get down approximately 2,000 words a day, every single (week)day. When I was writing the Class Critters books, I didn't have to; those books are shorter, and the challenge was to get each chapter to do its job in the fewest possible words (around 500-700). When I was writing my longer YA novels, meanwhile, the deadlines weren't this tight. Plus, I drafted my debut long before working with a publisher. In a nutshell, this particular drafting situation—35,000-40,000 words in under eight weeks—is new to me. 

And...I don't hate it. 

I am someone who thrives under (reasonable) pressure. If I don't have an external deadline, I often give myself one. I like making plans and sticking to them. So, this idea of writing a chapter a day for twenty days naturally appealed to me. I knew what I had to accomplish from the get-go, and I am making it happen.

Why share online each day? Accountability. Like I said earlier, if I miss a day at this point, there are people in my life who would notice. I've put my intentions out into the world. Now, I have to follow through. 

But every book is different, just as every season of life is different. What's working for me this summer might not work at another time of year. I might have more on my plate. Or another book might not lend itself to the kind of outlining that has facilitated my drafting process this time. And of course, with my coauthored projects, I have to factor in another person's schedule and preferences. 

I'm trying to enjoy this productive flow I'm in. I've written 28,607 words in 14 days (as of yesterday), and I have six chapters to go (one today and five next week). Then my schedule changes again: I'll be working while also running "mommy camp" for a week and a half, followed by traveling with my daughter and doing a school visit in my hometown.   

When the stars align, as they did with this twenty chapters in twenty days marathon I'm in now—and when the writing flows, as it has been—this work is so satisfying. But it's also satisfying to find time to do a small, meaningful revision in an otherwise busy day. It's satisfying to add 2,000 words to a growing document, and it's satisfying to delete a scene that isn't serving any purpose, or to replace that long scene with a single, perfect sentence. 

I enjoy what I do, and I'm happy to have the time to do it.

I'm thankful for summer camp. 

And as I enter the home stretch of getting this zero-draft written, please hold me accountable. ;) 

~Kathryn 

What I'm: 

Reading: I just reread Emily Henry's Beach Read, and, serendipitously, her newest book, Happy Place, just landed in my library queue. So, that is what I will be happily reading this weekend. Happy Place is a second-chance romance about a couple that broke up five months ago after an eight-year relationship, only to be thrust back together by their friends at an intimate cottage gathering on the Maine coast.  

Watching: So much "Star Trek." The second season of "Strange New Worlds" is really fun! And with the way streaming services work these days, we have to watch everything of interest to us to on Paramount+ before canceling it again, which means rewatching some of the "Trek" movies... 

Loving: My daughter's summer camp is science-themed, and it has really captured her imagination. I love that she enjoys the experiments, but also gets into the pretending aspect of it—for instance, the week they learned about detective science, she was basically a sleuth 24/7. Her big imagination is one of my favorite things about this age! 

(Here's a new Little Free Library near her camp. Isn't this the cutest?)

A Few Bookish Updates

This post was originally sent through my author newsletter on July 21st, 2023. To subscribe to my newsletter and receive up-to-date news, musings, and more, click HERE.

Some weeks, I know exactly what I want to write about. 

Other weeks, Thursday sneaks up on me and catches me off-guard. 

This week was the latter. I finished my chapter yesterday (8,185 new words this week, not counting whatever happens today!) and was sitting there thinking, now what do I need to do? Then I remembered my newsletter. 

You would think, since I've been doing this weekly for over a year, that forgetting it wouldn't be an option—but that's life. 

So, what's on my mind this week? For starters, it seems like I *may* be allowed to announce this secret project I've been working on soon. One of the strangest aspects of doing a write-for-hire job has been the secrecy. With my own books, even if the news of a book deal isn't public yet, I can talk about what I'm working on as much as I want with my friends and family. My current project has not been like that; only a select few people know what I'm up to right now. There is a freedom in that, but it's also a bit isolating. I like sharing what I'm working on, especially when it's going to become something people can buy next year! 

So, I'm very excited at the prospect of announcing these books in the near future. Please stay tuned! 

In other news, I learned this week that the paperback of Tally Tuttle Turns into a Turtle is currently being reprinted—which is great! Not quite as great: the reprints won't arrive in my publisher's warehouse until probably mid-October. So, that paperback edition might be a little scarce over the next couple months. (It's already listed as Out of Stock on my publisher's website, and is only available on Amazon in used condition...) If you have a hankering to purchase a Class Critters title, I hope you'll consider choosing David or Madison, or else buying Tally in hardcover. There are still plenty of hardcovers floating around! 

Multiple printings of a book are wonderful. They mean there has been, and continues to be, demand. And I believe this may actually be the third printing of the Tally Tuttle paperback, as I've seen second printings in my local bookstore. 

School visits have been a great source of sales for me with this series, which brings me to the other thing I've been thinking about this week: 

I am currently booking author visits for elementary schools for 2023-24! Please reach out for information if you have any interest at all in bringing me in to speak to your students. I can do Class Critters presentations for K-4 and will be working on a presentation centered around The Thirteenth Circle for grades 4-8 for the spring. (That book releases in January!) 

I think that's all the updates I have for this week, and my brain is mush from trying to write all the words while my kiddo is in camp, so I'll catch up with you again next Friday! 

~Kathryn 

What I'm: 

Reading: My BookBub summer reading challenge is going great! So far, I've read: 

  • The Antiquity Affair (book recommended on the BookBub blog) 

  • Freewater (historical novel set before the 20th century) 

  • Smile (biography or memoir—in this case, a graphic memoir about middle-school, perfect for middle-grade readers!)

  • Mrs. Nash's Ashes (romance featuring your favorite trope: in this case, a grumpy-sunshine match. In this road-trip romance, she's an eternal optimist and he's a grouch with a secret heart of gold. I loved this book!) 

Does anyone want to recommend a thriller set in a vacation destination or a book about books/libraries? 

Watching: I went to a Broadway show this week! I haven't been to a Broadway show (aside from taking my kiddo to see Winnie the Pooh: the Musical last year) since before Covid. A friend and I went to Funny Girl on Wednesday evening. The show was fun, and Lea Michele is such an incredible singer and performer. 

Loving: My daughter has started swimming lessons, and I'm so proud of how brave she's being in the pool and how open she is to trying what the instructors ask her to do. But I can't share a picture of her swimming (for starters, there are too many other kids in the pool at the time!) so here's a pic of the Funny Girl marquee. Look, Broadway! 

My Mini Summer Writing Bootcamp

This post was originally sent through my author newsletter on July 14th, 2023. To subscribe to my newsletter and receive up-to-date news, musings, and more, click HERE.

If you follow me on any of my social platforms, you probably know that I am drafting a new book this summer. It's the second book in my write-for-hire contract, the sequel to the first. (I know you're curious about this project—I really, really hope to be able to share more details soon!) Because I'm working with a relatively tight deadline, and because my kiddo is in summer camp for four straight weeks, I've decided to turn the work of drafting into a mini bootcamp for myself. 

I have never attempted NaNoWriMo. (That's National Novel Writing Month, for those who aren't familiar—each November, millions of writers attempt to complete a novel, or at least 50,000 words of one, in a month.) I haven't abstained from NaNoWriMo because I'm opposed to the idea. Not at all! I've just never found myself ready to write 50,000 new words when November rolls around. I'm either deep in revisions on something, or drafting something shorter (like the Critters books). Maybe one day I will give it a shot! 

But this summer, I'm attempting something close. This new book needs to be between 35-40,000 words. My daughter is in camp for four weeks. By her last day of camp, I want to have a complete zero-draft. (Then, I will have about three weeks to polish up that draft before my August deadline.) 

So, how does one write an entire book in a month? 

The same way you eat an elephant: one bite at a time. 

My outline for this book has 20 chapters. My kiddo has 20 days of camp. That equals a chapter a day. How long must each chapter be? 35,000 / 20 = 1,750. I've set myself a goal of writing at least 1,500 words a day, knowing that most chapters will be closer to 2,000. (In the first four days, my word count total was 7,988, so I am slightly ahead of schedule overall. Woohoo!) 

Now, maybe you're someone who looks at this strategy and shudders. Maybe the idea of breaking a book down into bite-sized chunks doesn't mesh with your writing vibe at all. I have to say, I've written books where this strategy wouldn't have worked at all. Books where I was finding my way as I wrote, or focusing for an hour on a single paragraph because I couldn't move on until it was just right. But for this particular project, having a daily goal and a clear finish line within view has been invaluable. 

I have a deadline and a plan. I enjoy a sense of accomplishment each morning, as I cross off "write a chapter" from my to-do list. I can see my document growing, thanks to the handy-dandy progress bar in Scrivener. I feel confident, and sometimes confidence is the best feeling you can experience when you're working on something completely new. (Also, for me, it's my first time writing a true sequel; the Critters books were each about a different character. So the confidence-boost of getting words on the page is balancing out my uncertainty about crafting a sequel that's as compelling as the first book!) 

I wouldn't be able to work like this without my incredibly detailed outline. When I sit down each morning, I have the chapter's synopsis ready to guide me forward. And yes, things do change from outline to draft. But I have a road map. If I follow it, I'll get to my destination. 

Today is the end of Week One. After today's writing session, I should have approximately one-fourth of a book. That's definitely something! 

And with each day that passes, my momentum grows. I'm more in the story. More invested in the characters. Hopefully, by the time I get to "The End" and circle back to page one to start revising, I'll be so in the zone that I'll know exactly what I need to do. 

There's a quote writers often share: "I hate writing, but I love having written."

To be honest, I love both. Not all the time, but certainly right now. I'm enjoying the process, and I'm looking forward to the outcome of having a finished draft to revise. It may feel a bit like bootcamp, but it also feels like home. 

Are you pushing yourself to work on anything big this summer? 

~Kathryn 

What I'm: 

Reading: I'm currently crossing off the "historical novel set before the 20th century" box on my BookBub Reading Challenge grid! The most recent Newbery Award winner, Freewater by Amina Luqman-Dawson, is about two children who escape from a plantation and find a new home in a free Black community hidden deep in a swamp. Freewater is home to other formerly enslaved people as well as a group of children who were born there—children who have never known enslavement. This book is lyrically written and lovingly depicts—from many different points of view—a part of history I haven't read about before in children's literature, the free Black (also known as maroon) communities in the south in the 1800s.  

Watching: My husband and I finished "Picard" season 3 this week. I grew up watching "Star Trek: The Next Generation" with my dad, and it was a pleasure to spend more time with the crew of the Enterprise-D in this new series. (If you're a Trekkie, it's on Paramount+!) 

Loving: I took this photo of my kiddo last week, and I still think it may be one of the best pictures I've ever captured. It looks like she's surrounded by magic. 

Let the Summer Reading Challenge Commence!

This post was originally sent through my author newsletter on July 7th, 2023. To subscribe to my newsletter and receive up-to-date news, musings, and more, click HERE.

Last week, I reminisced about the summer reading challenges I used to do as a kid. This week, I want to share that I've picked a challenge for myself to complete this year! 

When I was Googling summer reading challenges for adults, I came across so many different versions of the idea. Some were as simple as "Read one book a month." Well, I usually read at least a book a week. Other challenges were targeting specific genres of books, but I was searching for something a little more varied. Finally, I encountered BookBub's challenge graphic on Instagram: 

That's more like it! 

BookBub is a website that offers book discounts and recommendations. It's one of those places all of us authors cross our fingers to get featured! In fact, two of my author friends recently had a book show up on a BookBub list: The Antiquity Affair by Lee Kelly and Jennifer Thorne, which I finished just last week, is highlighted in the blog post "You'll Dig These 9 Action-Packed Books About Archaeologists." (I did dig this book, BookBub!) 

Long story short, I was clicking around on BookBub a few days ago when I found this graphic, read the nine prompts, and decided this was my challenge. And The Antiquity Affair will be my first crossed-off square, since it was recommended on the BookBub blog! Off to a great start. 

Now comes the part where I assess my TBR stack and my library holds list to see if there's anything else that fits one of the challenge prompts. If it does, it moves to the front of the queue. For prompts I'm less certain of, I'll have to do some research and ask around. 

On that note: let me know if you have a recommendation for a historical novel set before the 20th century or a thriller set in a vacation destination! I'm super excited for both of those categories. 

I'll share in my newsletter each week this summer which category I've crossed off and what I thought of the book. Also, for the purposes of this challenge, I'm considering summer to run until Labor Day. I finished The Antiquity Affair on July 2nd, and I know I recommended it last week, but I really did love it. 

Want to join me in this reading challenge? What's your favorite prompt from this grid, and what book would you choose to accomplish it? 

~Kathryn 

What I'm: 

Reading: The Royals Next Door by Karina Halle. My sister gave me this rom-com when we were together for the 4th of July. (In return, I gave her Trish Doller's Off the Map!) The Royals Next Door is about a woman who has a Harry-and-Meghan-ish royal couple move in next door to her remote Canadian island home. Almost immediately, sparks fly with the couple's Personal Protective Officer. I'm about halfway through, and it's fun so far! 

Listening to: I wasn't really listening to Taylor Swift in 2010, when "Speak Now" released, so I'm actually excited to dive into the "Taylor's Version" re-release. It's new music to me... ;) 

Loving: My daughter enjoyed a ton of cousin time over the 4th of July. Here she is with her littlest cousin, whom she absolutely adores, checking out the giraffes at the zoo. 

Were You a Summer Reading Challenge Kid?

This post was originally sent through my author newsletter on June 30th, 2023. To subscribe to my newsletter and receive up-to-date news, musings, and more, click HERE.

My daughter's school is officially out for summer vacation—and I am officially in my summer vacation feelings. 

One of the memories I associate most with the summer breaks of my childhood is doing our local public library's annual summer reading challenge. I was a bookish kid. This was my sweet spot and my time to shine. 

Here's the building that used to house the public library in my hometown: 

(Screenshot courtesy of Google Maps...) 

This isn't the library anymore. A beautiful new space was constructed nearby in the early 2000s. The new library is fantastic. It's everything you want a public library to be: open, welcoming, filled with light and books and activities and people. But when I think about my summers growing up, remembering the smaller, darker, more old-fashioned space warms my heart. 

At the start of each summer, my mom would drive me and my siblings to the library to pick up our summer reading challenge sheets. These weren't just blank reading logs or lists of ideas. These were pirate treasure maps, or wilderness hikes, or city scavenger hunts. They were passport books with pages you had to get stamped. They were adventures.

My childhood librarians were not messing around, is what I'm saying. 

Each challenge sheet had a list of types of books you had to read along your quest. Prompts like: 

  • Read a book about an animal. 

  • Read a mystery. 

  • Read a book set in the past. 

  • Read a book about friendship. 

  • Read a nonfiction book. 

  • Read a book of poetry. 

And so on. We'd bring in our sheet to get it stamped or stickered by the librarians, who would ask us about what we'd been reading. I usually completed more than one challenge per summer, because I was that kind of kid. (A bookstore in our area also offered a reading challenge for a few summers, and the prize for completing it was a gift certificate! Big motivation.) 

I know these challenges weren't only happening in my hometown. Maybe you were doing something similar, wherever you grew up. I hope your summer reading adventures were as exciting as mine. 

I also know that these challenges weren't just aimed at bookworms like me. I recall studies being published in the '80s and '90s about learning loss during the summer months. Challenges like these were supposed to make reading fun, so kids wouldn't sit around and watch TV all summer long. It's probably the same now, except the battle is against all sorts of screens. 

But regardless of how common my experience was, it was also really formative. I took those challenges seriously. I tried to stick to the letter of the prompt, not forcing books that only kind-of-sort-of fit into each category. If I read a book that fit into more than one category, meanwhile, I'd hold off writing the title onto the challenge map until I knew where I needed it most. I didn't just want to complete the challenge—I wanted to do it right. 

I've had this on my mind lately for two reasons:

One, I was wondering if the Brooklyn Public Library offers anything like this for kids my daughter's age. They do, but it's much more open-ended. No specific book prompts, just guidance to read for 20 minutes a day and to log each book you finish. Honestly, that's not nearly as much fun as what I remember from my own youth!  

Two, I was kind of feeling the itch to do a summer reading challenge of my own. Here, I have almost too many options. I Googled "Summer Reading Challenge for Adults" and got so many lists and bingo boards and Instagram graphics! So I'll need to do some more strategizing there. 

Does your local public library do a summer reading challenge for kids (or adults)? Are you challenging yourself to read in a new way this summer? I want to know! Please give me some ideas! 

~Kathryn  

What I'm: 

Reading: The Antiquity Affair by Lee Kelly and Jennifer Thorne. I've known Lee and Jenn since we all debuted in 2015, and I have been so excited to read the book they wrote together. The Antiquity Affair is a historical adventure about two sisters whose father is a renowned Egyptologist. Lila is about to be presented to society, and hopes to secure a good marriage. Tess wants to follow in their dad's footsteps and study archaeology. This book has secret societies, undecipherable codes, sisters trying to rebuild a broken bond, and a touch of romance. It's wonderful!

Writing: I'm about to jump into drafting the second book in my write-for-hire contract. I've mentioned before that this is always the scariest part: right before diving in. What if I've forgotten how to write?! Wish me luck in July... 

Loving: A few weeks ago, I took my three Critters to the beach for a photo shoot. Here they are, enjoying some fun in the sun—and waiting for some kiddos to read and enjoy them! What are your kids reading this summer? 

What Milestones Make You Look Back and Reflect?


This post was originally sent through my author newsletter on June 23rd, 2023. To subscribe to my newsletter and receive up-to-date news, musings, and more, click HERE.

Few things make you more aware of the unrelenting passage of time than your child having a birthday. 

My daughter just turned six. Six!!

Typing that, my mind scurries down a rabbit hole: Didn't she just turn five? And four? And three? Where's that video of her dancing, the day she turned two? Remember when she was a toddler? Six years ago, I was in the hospital with a newborn! Wow, remember not being a mom? When my first book came out, parenthood was still over two years away! And back, and back, and back it goes. 

I'm not this way about my own birthday. Other big milestones don't send me skittering through time like this. But becoming a parent is cataclysmic. It puts everything else into perspective and forever separates your life into "before" and "after." 

There's another element to my current nostalgia trip: last year at this exact time, my daughter and husband both had Covid. Everything in our life screeched to a halt. She was in quarantine on her birthday. Her party was postponed. She missed her dance recital and her PreK graduation and the entire last week of school. I think I'm still processing 2022's massive disappointment-bomb, because this year, I've been knotted with anxiety since the start of June. I've been bracing for everything to go wrong, like it did last year. Each time we passed a big moment without it getting canceled—her dance recital, her kindergarten stepping-up ceremony, her birthday party, her actual birthday—I felt a little lighter. I could breathe a little easier. 

So here we are. We made it. 

(Knock on wood...) 

I'm not generally a "glass half-empty" person. I don't usually expect the worst. I don't send manuscripts to my agent or editor anticipating that they'll hate them. I don't pour my heart into my work while also being certain no one will ever read it. I look for the best. I hope.

And no, things don't always work out the way I want them to. Sometimes, my books don't sell. Sometimes, readers don't like them. 

Sometimes isn't all the time. 

Last year, my daughter was sick and in quarantine on her birthday. This year, she wasn't. This year, every plan went off without a hitch. 

Sometimes isn't all the time. 

I've noticed a theme in my newsletters, over the past couple weeks. I've written several times about something being hard, and then remembering to trust myself and my experience. I've reminded myself that I know what I'm doing. That things being hard now doesn't mean they'll always be that way. 

On the topic of looking back in time, I wouldn't always have been able to give myself those reminders. Six years and a few days ago, I wasn't a parent. A decade ago, I'd never published a book. Fifteen years ago, I'd never written a whole novel. I know things now that I didn't know six or ten or fifteen years ago. I know myself now, in a way that I didn't six or ten or fifteen years ago. 

If my daughter's birthdays must make me prone to bouts of emotional time travel, I may as well reflect on what's changed for the better. 

And hopefully, next year, I won't spend June bracing for disaster. Hopefully, I can enjoy all of the celebrations the month brings. Sometimes isn't all the time, and if you get stuck in the sometimes, you might miss all of the amazingness the rest of the time can bring. 

~Kathryn

What I'm: 

Reading: I had another eye specialist follow-up, and both eyes had to be dilated for examination, so it was the perfect time to start another audiobook! I've been listening to The True Love Experiment by Christina Lauren. It's a romance about a romance novel writer who teams up with a TV producer to create a reality dating show. The twist: she's the star, and he's not one of the guys she's supposed to be falling for... 

Watching: "Silo" on AppleTV+ is so great, and you should all be watching it. Plus, the first episode of Marvel's "Secret Invasion" dropped this week on Disney+. Summer of sci-fi, anyone? 

Baking: Last weekend's mermaid cupcakes turned out great. Check my Instagram for photos! I also made banana chocolate chip muffins for my daughter's classroom birthday celebration on Wednesday. One of her friends told me it was the best muffin he'd ever eaten in his whole life. ;) 

Loving: Baking with my kiddo. Here she is, painting strawberry mermaid tails as decorations for her cupcakes. (Give this gal something sparkly or shiny and watch her go!) 

End-of-Year Madness and Writing-as-Puzzle

This post was originally sent through my author newsletter on June 16th, 2023. To subscribe to my newsletter and receive up-to-date news, musings, and more, click HERE.

I'm writing this from the tiny lobby of my daughter's dance studio, to the sounds of her second-ever tap class. (Who knew three five-year-olds could make so much noise?) (Just kidding. I definitely understand the noise capacity of a gaggle of five-year-olds...) 

This is, admittedly, not the optimal place to be trying to focus on writing. Unfortunately, this week, I don't really have a choice. We are barreling toward the end of the school year, and I am absolutely swamped. I've got work deadlines...and elementary school concerts/ceremonies/picnics...and birthday party preparations...and family gatherings...and next week I have another eye specialist follow-up...oh, and Monday is a school holiday...

You get the picture. 

In fact, I'm sure many of you are in a similar boat! (Maybe without the child with a June birthday, but still.) 

One of the biggest things on my plate right now is writing a feature article for Dance Magazine. You may know that my first job out of college was as an editor at a group of dance magazines. I started out at Dance Teacher, then moved over to Dance Spirit. When I left that job after a few years to get my MFA in creative writing, I continued to freelance for all of the group's publications. In total, I've been writing about dance professionally for almost 20 years! 

But this article I'm working on right now is a doozy. It's about the preprofessional pipeline of trainee programs and second companies and apprenticeships that dancers travel along between being a student and becoming a paid professional. It's a great topic! The tricky thing is, after doing all of my interviews, I have too much information.

Magazine articles are relatively short; in this case, for a feature, I've been given a maximum of 1,500 words. I've drafted maybe two-thirds of what I want to say, and I've already surpassed 1,500 words. 

I described this process to my husband as this: 

Imagine being given a box with 1,000 puzzle pieces. From those 1,000 pieces, you have to complete a 100-piece puzzle. It should be a picture of a horse, but you aren't given an exact image to work from. Instead, the box is full of bits of horses...and also some zebras, and also some cows. So you start assembling pieces as best you can, and slowly, so slowly, the picture starts to turn into something. It starts to become a horse. 

My article is due on Tuesday. Right now, it's a mess. 

My horse has way too many legs. At least one of them is actually from a zebra. 

But by Tuesday, it will come together. 

That's one thing I've learned from doing this for so many years. I have the skill and the experience that I need. I know that some articles will be a breeze and others will give me a bit of grief. They'll all get done. 

I try to keep that in mind whenever I'm working on something that isn't cooperating. I've been here before. I know what I'm doing. Whether it's a short article or a full-length novel, I have what it takes. I just have to keep at it. 

How do you motivate yourself when a project isn't going smoothly? 

~Kathryn

What I'm: 

Reading: The Good Left Undone by Adriana Trigiani. This is a family epic set in Italy, ranging from pre-World War II to present-day. It's about big loves and family secrets and the differences and similarities between generations. I'm enjoying it!  

Watching: "The Other Two," a sitcom about the two older siblings of a child star. It's really funny! 

Baking: My daughter's sixth birthday party is tomorrow, and this afternoon's project is baking So. Many. Mermaid. Cupcakes.

Loving: Kindergarten stepping-up was this week! I can't believe I almost have a first-grader. Every day, my daughter brings home a wad of papers in her backpack, and at least one of them says, in wild, mismatched printing, "I love Mom and Dad." My heart is full. 

That Giddy First-Review Feeling

This post was originally sent through my author newsletter on June 9th, 2023. To subscribe to my newsletter and receive up-to-date news, musings, and more, click HERE.

The Thirteenth Circle recently got its very first review—and it was a five-star review! 

But let me back up. In May, the book went up on several industry websites for librarians, booksellers, and reviewers to request early digital copies. A lot of people request books and then put them in a queue for reading, so there's no telling how long it will take for these early reviews to actually trickle in. (And this is separate from reviews in major publications, like School Library Journal.) Regardless, the book being posted on these sites is a big moment, because it's full of potential: finally, people can read this thing we worked on for years and years. 

And recently, someone did read it!

Even better, he liked it, apparently quite a lot! 

If you're a Goodreads person, you can read the review on The Thirteenth Circle's page. But the gist of it is, this man reads and reviews a lot of kids' books, and he thought ours was great. Here's an excerpt: 

"The truth is that "The Thirteenth Circle" won my heart, won my mind, and entertained me. I enjoyed these characters immensely and enjoyed the storytelling.

Another winner from Feiwel and Friends, "The Thirteenth Circle" is the kind of book that leaves you appreciating the world it creates and is an ideal read for entry-level sci-fi/fantasy readers with the ability to embrace modestly complex concepts and who will identify with the family and friendship dynamics that feel honestly and richly developed here."

Amazing, right? 

I don't know this person. I don't know how much power his words hold in the book industry. What I do know is that when you've poured your heart and soul into something, the very first review to come in really hits you hard. When MarcyKate emailed me to let me know a review had been posted, she said up-front that it was five-stars...and my heart still skipped a couple beats when I clicked through to read it. 

To see that it was extremely positive was an absolute treat. 

More reviews will land in the months ahead. Hopefully, most of them will be similarly filled with praise. But I can't control that aspect of the publishing process, so I may decide at a certain point to stop reading them. Having that many voices in my head isn't helpful for promoting the book being reviewed or for writing what's next. 

That said, if you're a reviewer, bookseller, or librarian—or if you know one—here are the links to request digital review copies of The Thirteenth Circle: 

If you aren't someone who's eligible to read books early, don't fret! You can help out by doing things like adding the book to your "want to read" shelf on Goodreads, posting about it on social media (or sharing my posts), and of course preordering. (HERE is a link to preorder The Thirteenth Circle from my local indie!) 

Now, I'm going to bask in the feeling of that first glowing review for a little while longer... 

~Kathryn 

What I'm: 

Reading: I just started The Area 51 Files by Julie Buxbaum. This is another middle-grade sci-fi story, this time about a girl who is sent to live with her uncle...who works at the mysterious Area 51! I'm only a few chapters in, but it's fun so far. 

Watching: While my husband was away for a work trip, I watched "Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story" on Netflix. ;) 

Loving: Now that all three Class Critters books are out, it was time for some new promotional swag! Thanks to my husband for helping me design these awesome series bookmarks, which I am so excited to start handing out to young readers very soon. 

How I Learned to Love a Good Outline

This post was originally sent through my author newsletter on June 2nd, 2023. To subscribe to my newsletter and receive up-to-date news, musings, and more, click HERE.

Earlier this week, I had a call with the team for the write-for-hire book series I'm working on this year. On our agenda: brainstorm ideas for the second book. 

I'm happy to say I came to that meeting with loads of ideas—and left with even more. Now I'm in the process of writing a detailed chapter-by-chapter outline, which I will send to the client, my editor, and my agent by the end of next week. It's fun to be back at the idea phase. Right now, the book is filled with possibility. I'm dreaming up new characters, new interactions, new twists. I'm thinking about how to take concepts I introduced in book one to the next level, how to fulfill promises I made and raise the stakes. I'm also going back through book one and trying to find all of the seeds I planted. (For example, I referenced an upcoming school fall festival that now has to actually happen.) 

Before the last few years, I was not a big outliner. For some projects, I still probably won't be. But in certain contexts—like writing-for-hire—I have found it to be so, so helpful. Once this detailed outline is approved, I'll paste each chapter's synopsis into my Scrivener document's notes section. Then, every day when I sit down to write the zero-draft, I will know exactly what I need to do. Of course, things can diverge from the outline. With book one, I added two chapters when I realized I was missing a few story beats, and I rearranged a bunch of other plot elements that weren't in quite the right order. But in terms of getting words on the blank page, it's tremendously useful to have a plan. 

MarcyKate and I also worked with an outline in order to write The Thirteenth Circle, though what we started with was a lot less detailed than what I'm doing now. In the case of a coauthored book, having an outline up front allowed us each to work separately without accidentally steering the train off the track. We had mile markers we had to reach. Landmarks on the horizon. That said, there was plenty of room to play—and to surprise each other with unexpected twists and cliffhangers. 

Writers like to talk about being either plotters or pantsers (i.e. writing by the seat of one's pants). I've always considered myself somewhere in the middle of that spectrum: a "plantser." I generally like to write toward signposts, but not to have so much planned out up front that it takes away the joy of discovering new ideas and characters as I go along. Knowing a few key scenes that have to be in the story also helps me avoid writer's block: if I'm stuck at a certain point, I can jump ahead to the next big moment I am certain of, and then work backward to fill in the gap.

This write-for-hire series is the most heavily I've ever outlined before beginning to write. But every manuscript is different, and writing a book as a contractor is different from having complete creative control over my own vision. I don't necessarily have time to noodle around in discovery mode until I find the perfect plot point. I have to figure out as much as I can in advance, get the go-ahead from the other members of the team, and trust that my instincts as a writer will get me the rest of the way. 

I've been seriously writing fiction for over a dozen years now, and one of the ways I keep myself sharp and fresh is by trying new things. Sometimes, that means writing in a new genre or for a new age group. Other times, it means changing up my process. Writing-for-hire has been a big change of process—in a good way. I've added new skills to my toolbox. I'm continuing to learn and to grow. It's also valuable to try something and discover it's not for me! Everything is a step forward, even if it doesn't feel like it at the time. 

So back to my chapter-by-chapter outline. My outline for book one ended up being about ten pages, 1.5 spaced. (I prefer 1.5 over single or double. *insert shrugging emoji here*) I'm aiming for about the same length for book two, both because I found that level of detail to be useful to me in drafting book one and because I want to give my client and my editor a similar amount of plot to consider this time around. The more they're on board from the start, the less I'll have to rewrite down the line. 

It's all a process. A journey. 

And it's due next week, so it's time for me to sign off here and get back to it! 

~Kathryn 

What I'm: 

Reading: Two amazing sci-fi-ish middle-grade novels: Tae Keller's Jennifer Chan is Not Alone, about an alien-loving girl who disappears and the girl who may have bullied her into running away, and Lee Bacon's The Last Human, about a future when robots have eradicated humans...or so they all think, until a friendly bot meets a 12-year-old girl who has somehow survived. As I gear up for the January release of The Thirteenth Circle, I want to read more middle-grade sci-fi. Any recommendations for me? 

Watching: We started "American Born Chinese" on Disney+ and it's great so far! Based on a graphic novel that was a finalist for the National Book Award, this series is a mash-up of Chinese mythology and realistic teen drama, and it's so fun. 

Enjoying: Long neighborhood walks in the springtime sunshine. 

Loving: It's officially beach season! People don't think of NYC as having good beaches, but there are a few, and we made our first trip out to soak up some sun over Memorial Day Weekend. Here's my excited mermaid girl striking a pose. 

Are You a Professional Juggler?

This post was originally sent through my author newsletter on May 26th, 2023. To subscribe to my newsletter and receive up-to-date news, musings, and more, click HERE.

I've had what I call a "shallow" work-week.

These are the weeks that include a million small tasks pertaining to a million different projects. (Okay, a million might be exaggerating, but sometimes it feels like that...) I started brainstorming for the second book in my write-for-hire contract. I prepped for and did a school visit, my last of the year. I worked on designing some new Class Critters bookmarks. I'm putting the finishing touches on one freelance dance article while trying to schedule interviews for another two that are due in June. Scheduling interviews mostly means sending lots of emails. I also sent emails about soliciting promotional blurbs for The Thirteenth Circle. And I sent emails about an upcoming author visit (not me! someone else) at my daughter's elementary school. And I ordered and picked up the classroom books for that author visit. Oh, and I booked an extra week of summer camp for my daughter. 

There's more. But you get the idea. 

In a "shallow" week, I dip my toes into a million puddles. 

I vastly prefer "deep" work-weeks.

Immersing myself in one enormous task (or maybe two) is so much more satisfying. The work may be harder, but it's also more engrossing. Tasks like writing 10,000 new words in a zero-draft or finishing line edits on an entire book yield a greater sense of triumph than sending 100 (necessary!) emails. 

But it's all part of the process. It all matters. And to be honest, it's easier when I can divide my weeks into one or the other. I've had periods of time where I'm both puddle-jumping and scuba-diving, and that's when things really start to spin out of control. My brain likes to pick a style and stick to it for at least a couple days. 

In Madison Morris is NOT a Mouse!, Madison spends a chapter listing her strengths and weaknesses. One of my strengths—like Madison—is that I am organized. But I'm also a working parent, a freelancer with multiple gigs, and like most of us, I am TIRED. That's why, on a week like the one I've just had, I like to come back to an analogy I read and love: 

Romance author Nora Roberts was once asked at a Q&A session for tips on balancing writing and kids. Her answer was that some of the balls you have in the air are plastic, and some of them are glass. You have to know which is which. If you're juggling and you drop a glass ball, it will shatter. That's potentially disastrous. But if you drop a plastic ball, it will bounce. You can pick it up again later. Roberts went on to add that you can't divide balls up strictly by category: some work balls will be plastic and others will be glass, and the same with family matters, and on and on. Sometimes, you'll have to choose to drop a plastic ball in order to catch a glass one—and that's okay.

For me, a "deep" week might mean I'm juggling two or three glass balls, whereas a "shallow" week might involve a dozen plastic ones. Plastic balls are easier to juggle in bulk. They're lighter and less fragile. Juggling glass balls requires concentration and care. 

Are you a professional juggler? Do you prefer to work on one or two "deep" tasks or cross off a million "shallow" to-dos? What's the most important glass ball in your juggling act right now? 

~Kathryn

What I'm: 

Reading: More of the historical romances I mentioned last week (why is it that library holds always all arrive at the same time?!), plus Once & Future, a YA sci-fi retelling of Arthurian legend set in space.  

Watching: Only one episode of "Ted Lasso" to go... Season 3 has been a bit rocky, but can they stick the landing? 

Baking: This is a cheat, because I haven't done it yet, but I am pumped to make my mom's classic cake mix chocolate chip cookie recipe for a Memorial Day BBQ on Monday! I love watching someone try one of these cookies for the first time. 

Loving: My daughter had her first dance recital last weekend, and let's just say, the stage presence is definitely there.

Do Authors Ever Reread Their Own Books?

This post was originally sent through my author newsletter on May 19th, 2023. To subscribe to my newsletter and receive up-to-date news, musings, and more, click HERE.

Last week, a friend messaged me that she was reading How It Feels to Fly. I was positively thrilled to hear it! My second published book holds a very special place in my heart, and it never really found a wide audience. As this friend was reading, she updated me a few times on where she was in the story. And as I read her updates, I got the strangest urge: 

I kind of wanted to reread my own book. 

I haven't read How it Feels to Fly, in full, since probably 2015. That would have been when I did my final proofreading pass before the book was sent to print. I read excerpts of it, sure—at readings and signings, or when I needed to double-check how I'd written something to talk about the story for promotional purposes—but I never reread the entire book. 

Each book in an author's career is a snapshot of the moment in time in which it was written. I have grown and changed a lot over the past decade, and there are things I would do differently if I wrote either The Distance Between Lost and Found or How It Feels to Fly today. I'm a better writer, for starters. I approach my craft with even more care. But also, my mindset on some topics has evolved. And the world is a different place. And the publishing industry has changed. 

Looking back—rereading something that's technically finished but could be better—can honestly be a bit frustrating.

On top of that, in the case of a book that "underperformed" (which How It Feels to Fly did, per my publisher), there's an ever-present wonder: could I have written a more marketable version of this idea? Hindsight is 20/20—and hindsight loves to tell me that, if I'd done a few things differently, I might have had the YA ballet book of the mid-2010s that got turned into a Netflix series. (Shout-out to Tiny Pretty Things!)

For all of those reasons (and probably others I haven't thought of), most authors I know don't often reread their work, once it's been published. 

The Class Critters books have been an exception to this rule, because I've been reading them to my daughter. Do I think what got printed is perfect? No. There are sentences I stumble over and wish I could rewrite. Plot points I could sharpen. But overall, I am happy with the finished product. I'm proud of those books, even upon rereading.  

Would I feel the same about How It Feels to Fly, were I to give in to my urge to reread it now? I sure hope so. 

(Sidebar: yes, sometimes older books can be edited and reissued. That's not going to happen for me and my books...unless I become wildly famous sometime in the next few years! So, um, get on that, fans... ;) 

Even as we promote our published work, authors have to keep looking forward. We have to keep chasing the next opportunity. The next title our readers will fall in love with. The next potential bestseller. The next story that will consume us until we've made it exist, wrenching it from nothing onto a printed page.  

The biggest piece of advice on what to do while you're waiting for one book to publish (or even to be considered for publication) is always "Write the next book." Look forward, not back. 

But I still feel that urge to reread How It Feels to Fly. I'm pretty far removed from the early days of my career, when that book's "underperformance" felt like the end of everything. And it might be interesting to revisit that version of myself, that particular snapshot in time (which is itself a snapshot, in many ways, of my teenage years). And maybe, sometimes, it's useful to remind yourself of how you've grown. How far you've come. 

If you're an author, do you ever go back and reread your early books? If you're a creator, do you like to revisit past projects? Or do you keep your eyes forward?

~Kathryn 

What I'm: 

Reading: A few historical romance novels that appeared in my library queue all at once, after being on hold for many weeks! 

Watching: My husband and I have started "Silo" on AppleTV+. It's a sci-fi story with humans living in an enormous bunker, unable to go outside...or can they? Are they being kept in the silo for a reason? I haven't read the books the series is based on, so I can't speak to it as an adaptation, but two episodes in I am pretty intrigued by the story and the mystery. 

Loving: Spending a chill Mother's Day with my kiddo and husband. Brunch and playground for the win!

When the Book Tells You What It's Meant to Be

This post was originally sent through my author newsletter on May 12th, 2023. To subscribe to my newsletter and receive up-to-date news, musings, and more, click HERE.

It's been almost exactly ten years since I received an offer from HarperCollins to publish my debut novel. (A journey into my email archives revealed that the actual offer came in on May 22nd, 2013!) 

I've been thinking a lot lately about the experience of writing the book that became The Distance Between Lost and Found. 

I wrote the first draft of Distance over a feverish few months during which I simply couldn't bear to stop working on it. (As an example, I had a dance performance during this period of time...and I brought my printed-out manuscript backstage! Every moment that weekend that I wasn't performing, I was editing. That's how invested I was.) I felt like the book already knew what it was meant to be, and I was just trying to get it there. 

The book was speaking to me. It was my job to listen. 

It's been a while since I felt like that. 

For one thing, writing pre-publication is different than writing post-publication (or even post-book-deal while still pre-publication). I wrote Distance with no deadline, aside from my self-imposed ones. I had friends read it to offer feedback, but until I landed my agent, I wasn't getting professional-level criticism. That's not to say my friends' opinions weren't valid, or that each person who read that manuscript wasn't an amazingly talented writer in their own right! But sending something to an editor or agent just feels different than sending it to a trusted friend. 

How it Feels to Fly sold in 2014, as my option book for the first deal. (The option clause basically means the publisher wants the first look at what an author writes next.) I knew from the start I wanted to pitch a novel about ballet and body image and anxiety, but the process of getting from idea to finished product wasn't at all like it had been for Distance. This book didn't know what it wanted to be. I began by writing 50 pages about a girl in her dance studio. My agent weighed in and, in the end, we agreed that the pages weren't working. I went back to the drawing board. I came up with the summer camp angle; the stuff I'd written before was backstory. That worked better, but it still wasn't clicking. At one point, my agent suggested I try writing "Girl, Interrupted" meets "Center Stage"—aiming for dark comedy.  

We discovered, together, that dark comedy isn't really my sweet spot. 

All of this exploration was happening between revising drafts of Distance with my editor, and with a tentative deadline: my agent wanted to try to sell book two before book one came out. Getting book two right felt high-stakes in a way that writing the first book hadn't. I was in the big leagues now.

I love what Fly became, but it was hard work getting it there. 

I could spin off here to talk about the years that followed Fly's publication, when I couldn't sell anything. The frantic, desperate time when I thought my career as an author was over. Desperation is not the best creative mindset. 

But the point of this walk down memory lane is simply that writing, now that I'm a published author, feels different than it used to.

Back in 2012, when I was feverishly working on Distance, it felt like magic. An idea I'd been holding close and safe in my mind suddenly rushed out onto the page. These days, there are so many other voices in my head. I have a publishing team, and readers, and sales numbers, and reviews, and, and, and...it's hard to recapture that magic, where it's just me and the story. 

But maybe I'm getting close. 

This week, I created a brainstorm document for a new idea. It's the idea I mentioned last week—the merging of a topic I'd wanted to write about for ages with a magical element I came up with in MarcyKate's SCBWI workshop. I quickly typed up two single-spaced pages of notes—fragments of scenes, vivid images, personal memories, possibilities. 

It felt almost—almost—like when the plot structure and characters and voice and imagery of Distance clicked together in my mind. A rush of inspiration. The right book at the right moment. 

Magic. 

Will I have time to write this book? When?! 

Who knows? 

But judging by the way I felt when I was brainstorming a few days ago, I will write it. It's a book that knows what it wants to be—already—at last. 

Last week, I quoted from Christopher Denise's keynote speech at the NESCBWI conference: 

"The book will tell you what to do, if you make space for it."

This new book has begun to tell me what to do. And I might have to tell it to be patient, to wait its turn...but when I have space, I intend to listen. 

~Kathryn 

What I'm: 

Reading: Thanks to a viral tweet, I finally got around to reading (well, listening to) This is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone. I've had this dual-POV sci-fi story on my list for a while now, and I'm really enjoying listening to it so far! (Also, a viral tweet sending a book that's several years old rushing to the top of the bestseller list...it's every author's dream!) 

Watching: Season two of Netflix's "Sweet-Tooth." This sweet, sad, and occasionally harrowing sci-fi show is really something. I'm so glad it's already been renewed for season three.

Loving: Last weekend, I got to do a storytime at our local community garden. None of my Class Critters books had in-person bookstore launches (thanks, Covid...), and so my daughter hasn't been able to see me do many proper author events. It was so fun to read to her and her friends, and the moment when I introduced myself and she proudly announced, "That's my mom!" will be a forever-memory. 

Making Space for Growth and Inspiration

This post was originally sent through my author newsletter on May 5th, 2023. To subscribe to my newsletter and receive up-to-date news, musings, and more, click HERE.

"The book will tell you what to do, if you make space for it." 

That's one of the things Christopher Denise, author/illustrator of the Caldecott Honor Book Knight Owl (and illustrator of many other acclaimed children's books) shared during his keynote speech at the New England Society of Children's Book Writers & Illustrators conference last weekend—and it stuck with me. 

Christopher talked a lot about making space: for creativity, for productivity, for growth. He talked about being open: to sparks of inspiration, to projects that seem challenging, to new directions. The theme of the conference was "STRETCH," and many of the workshops were about pushing past boundaries and comfort zones, but Christopher also interpreted the theme as being able to step back—and being willing to go deep. 

Being at the conference was shoving me out of my comfort zone.

I was definitely stretching. 

The "stretch" wasn't the conference itself; I'd attended before, in 2014. I was pre-published. The Distance Between Lost and Found had sold to HarperCollins, and I'd completed my edits, but I was still 10 months away from the release date. I was there with my friend Janae Marks—and it was at this conference that I first met my eventual coauthor, MarcyKate Connolly, face to face!

Pardon the extremely fuzzy 2014 photo. ;) 

So, the conference environment itself felt familiar. But this was my first time being on faculty at any sort of professional conference, leading workshops for my peers. I felt confident in my knowledge of the workshop topics: planning and booking school visits (with Janae) and co-authoring a book (with MarcyKate). I didn't feel confident that anyone there would be interested in what I, a decidedly non-famous, solidly midlist author, had to say. 

My workshops were both scheduled for Sunday, and so on Saturday, I listened to Christopher's inspiring keynote speech, then popped back up to my hotel room to do a couple hours of work on the book revision that was due on Monday. After lunch, I sat in on MarcyKate's first workshop, about creating magic systems for fantasy novels. Then, I went to a workshop for published authors, led by a bookstore employee and a school librarian, with tips for connecting with independent bookstores and libraries. 

In the magic workshop, I came up with an inkling of a new idea—something that might just dovetail perfectly with another topic I've wanted to write about for years, but couldn't figure out how to tackle. In the bookstore/library workshop, I took pages and pages of notes on tactics I may implement to more effectively spread the word about my books.  

That evening, I thought about those two sessions as I went over my notes for my own workshops the next day. And when it was finally time for me to be standing at the front of the room, slideshow cued up, I felt ready. (Or at least, as ready as I could ever be...) 

The workshop on school visits was first, and it was a full house! Standing room only! The room was about 50/50 authors who'd done school visits before and those who hadn't, but wanted to dive in. Janae and I tried to be thorough and honest, particularly about the sometimes thorny topic of setting your fees. We took questions—and suggestions, when someone in the audience had a slightly different point of view based on their own experience. The thing about school visits is, every school is different. Every single one! Different budgets. Different culture. Different atmosphere. Different priorities. While there are definitely some tried-and-true tips for making school visits a part of your author platform, there are other elements that you have to figure out on the fly—every time. 

I finished that workshop feeling absolutely exhilarated. We'd made our points, we'd stayed open to audience participation and conversation, and we seemed to have genuinely helped especially the newbie authors start to think about how they could incorporate school visits into their offerings. 

But I still had one workshop to go!

After lunch, MarcyKate and I were set to talk about the co-authoring process. This workshop also went well—but it was very different. The audience was small, so we decided to go for a more casual vibe. We followed our presentation outline, but also went off on a few tangents based on what people were interested in hearing about co-authoring and about our upcoming book. It felt more like a chat amongst friends than a workshop. Which was fine, and fun! 

And then I quickly changed shoes, turned in my faculty lanyard, and speed-walked to the train station to catch my Amtrak back to NYC. 

Now, as I reflect on what ended up being a very successful weekend (even though I signed zero—ZERO!—books at the faculty book signing, haha...), I have a few more thoughts on making space for inspiration and growth: 

1) Sign up to do the scary thing. Presenting at this conference wasn't my idea; Janae invited me to submit a workshop with her, and then I asked MarcyKate if she wanted to submit a second one. I don't know if I would have had the courage or the confidence to do this on my own! But I am so glad I did. 

2) Take advantage of opportunities. Part of the compensation for being on faculty at the conference was getting to attend for free! I did have some work that had to get done, but I'm so happy I made time to sit in on a couple workshops. The info I learned in the bookstore/library one will be so valuable to me moving forward—and I made a personal connection with one of the presenters. Meanwhile, I can't stop thinking about the idea I had in the session on magic systems. I truly feel like I have cracked this other topic I wanted to write about wide open. (Sorry-not-sorry to be vague...) Would I have come to this new idea without having been in that room, with those people, thinking about that subject (creating rules for a system of magic)? I don't know—but I do know that an idea you can't stop thinking about is magic in itself. 

3) Make space to be in community. The official theme of the conference may have been "STRETCH," but it might as well have been "JOY." Everyone was just so happy to be with one another in person! And even though I wasn't reconnecting with as many friends (I'm technically a member of the New York chapter of SCBWI), I felt that joy as well. To be in a room filled with hundreds of storytellers, celebrating the stories that we create and the readers for whom we create them...it's a dream. Getting away from "real life' for a weekend isn't always easy, but I was reminded that I need that community—that space. 

And now I'm home, processing everything I learned and thinking about what could be next! (And getting tons of snuggles from my kiddo!) 

What do you do to make space in your creative life? It doesn't have to be as big as a conference or retreat. Do you have everyday ways of feeding your creativity and giving yourself room to grow? 

~Kathryn 

What I'm: 

Reading: After spending the weekend with Janae, I picked up her third novel (and the sequel to her debut), On Air With Zoe Washington. I don't want to spoil the events of the first Zoe Washington book for those who haven't read it, but I do want to say that I love Janae's writing. She has such a perfect middle-grade voice: able to tackle tough topics while also staying in the sweet spot of tween/young teen interests and drama. I can't wait to read Janae's next book!

Working on: I turned in my revision of the write-for-hire book on Monday, and on Wednesday, MarcyKate and I received our first-pass pages for The Thirteenth Circle. First-pass pages are basically a final proofread, after the manuscript has been formatted for printing. Once we approve this version, it won't be terribly long before advance copies start making their way out into the world.

Loving: An attendee at my school visit workshop with Janae took this picture, as we were each introducing ourselves and our books. While it's admittedly not the most flattering picture that's ever been taken of me, I love having this record of what turned out to be a pretty cool "first" in my career!