Thank you to Deborah Kalb – author of The President and Me: John Adams and the Magic Bobblehead (Schiffer, 2018), The President and Me: George Washington and the Magic Hat (Schiffer, 2016), and co-author of Haunting Legacy: Vietnam and the American Presidency from Ford to Obama (Brookings, 2011) – for hosting me and my She Spoke co-author Manuela Bernardi for an interview at her website! Check it out here.
I was honored to take part recently in a group interview of authors who publish books for multiple age groups, along with authors: Hena Khan, Nora Shalaway Carpenter, Leah Henderson, and Casey Lyall. Robin Galbraith conducted the interview for Cynsations, the excellent writing resource blog run by New York Times bestselling, award-winning children’s-YA author and all-around lifter-up-of-other-creators, by Cynthia Leitich Smith. Click here to read “Writing & Marketing for Multiple Age-Levels” at Cynsations.
(And shout-out to Casey Lyall, who provided my new favorite phrase in listing her picture books as being geared to “ages 0 to Immortal Being”. )
Hello lovely reader,
My Valentine special #LoveInBooks, featuring six other YA authors, has ended and a winner has been drawn for the giveaway. Thanks and a kiss to all who entered! I hope you enjoyed the series.
In case you missed them, here are the photos for Sword and Verse:
And here are the favorites from participating authors (alphabetically, by book). Enjoy!
ASSASSIN’S HEART by Sarah Ahiers ~ Follow Sarah on Twitter
THE MYSTERY OF HOLLOW PLACES by Rebecca Podos ~ Follow Rebecca on Twitter
Hello, lovely reader!
Today is the first day of a multi-author Valentine’s Day special: #LoveInBooks.
Seven of us have teamed up to share quotes from our books containing the word “love” from now through Valentine’s Day.
Here’s the first quote for Sword and Verse:
To spread even more love, each of us is giving away a finished copy of our books and swag. You can enter the giveaway below. Entries are accepted daily through Feb. 12th. The winner will be announced on Monday, Feb. 15. USA only.
A couple of weeks ago I got to go to my first GeekyCon, and it was fabulous! I left the con and went directly to a camp in the woods, which is why I haven’t gotten to post about it until now. A week and a half after leaving Orlando, here are the moments that stuck with me:
1. Being incredibly proud of founders Melissa Anelli and Stephanie Dornhelm as they received a “Geek Day” proclamation from the Orange County Commissioner.
2. Watching my good friend Megan Morrison discuss topics such as likable protagonists and making old stories new alongside authors like Taherah Mafi, Ransom Riggs, Holly Black, and Cynthia Leitich Smith (all of whom, by the way, totally recognized Megan as a fandom authority).
3. Getting signed copies of books by Stephanie Perkins, Courtney Summers, and Marie Lu. I was pretty much tongue-tied and starstruck. (And getting to reread Stephanie Perkins’ Isla and the Happily Ever After at camp. It was even better than I remembered.)
4. This sign in the bookstore:
5. Co-presenting a session on fanfiction as a launching pad for original writing with my pal Megan, and reliving our shipping days.
6. Getting
the map in the back of Megan’s book, Grounded: The Adventures of Rapunzel signed by mapmaker Kristin Brown.
7. 
The opening event at the Wizard World of Harry Potter. A bunch of Harry Potter fans having the whole place to themselves? It was awesome. And my son was chosen to be measured for a wand at the Ollivander’s Experience. I’m not sure who was giddier – him, or the superfan adults watching it all go down.
Stories By Hand with Kathy MacMillan 