Blog/News
Author’s Note & Afterword for King of the Tightrope
The back matter for King of the Tightrope is fabulously designed by the smart folks at Peachtree Publishing, but there’s more to the story than fit the limited pages available. In the Author’s Note and Afterword below, you’ll learn a bit more about the uncovered history of Jean Francois Gravelet, The Great Blondin. Watch for [Read More]
What Do You Do When Your Book is Scooped?
I was honored to be featured on author Kirby Larson’s Friend Friday blog about how I was scooped (or pre-empted) on several books. Click here or scroll down to read about how choosing a new focus made King of the Tightrope: When the Great Blondin Ruled Niagara a much better book. For a chance to [Read More]
I’m Teaching a Picture Book Biography Class
Word got out about the success of my 2018 online picture book biography class, so I’m bringing it back. If you’d like to join my class, facilitated through a Zoom virtual classroom, click here for more information. I’m not just a fan of picture book biographies, I dedicated my MFA critical thesis to the craft [Read More]
The Truth About Author Incomes
During the past glorious year, jam-packed with school visits and other opportunities to visit with readers of all ages, a nagging misconception kept popping up: the belief that authors are wealthy. The reality is that most authors—especially children’s book authors—earn a fraction of what teachers earn, and we all know how teachers are underpaid. It [Read More]
April Fools Hijinx, TLA, Free Stuff, Oh My!
In what section of the library can you get bitten by a snake? —Hisssstory! What does a prank-loving author like me do when she’s booked for fourth-grade expository writing workshops on April Fool’s Day? Why, prank the librarian (sorry, David!) and infuse the workshops with a few shenanigans, of course. It was great fun to [Read More]