One of my favorite book discovery sites, Shepherd.com, asked me and a bunch of others authors to pick our top three reads of 2023. It was hard – I read a lot of great books this year. And I can think of at least five more I would add in a heartbeat! But here are the three that were most on my heart and mind on the day they asked:
Read my full reviews and learn more about these titles at Shepherd.com.
What were your favorite reads of 2023? Let me know in the comments!
I recently had a chance to put together a booklist for Shepherd.com. I was inspired by Soraya, the heroine of my YA novel Dagger and Coin, to create a booklist featuring other prickly, wonderful female characters like her. So, without further ado, I give you:
Check out the complete list here!
I’ve posted a round-up of the most common questions I get about Sword and Verse, my writing process, and my favorite stuff. Which Hogwarts House would I be Sorted into? Do I write longhand on a computer? What’s my favorite movie? Check out the FAQ to find out!
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.
Welcome to the fourth and final installment of my “Books That Made Me” series, part of the #SixteensBlogAbout series featuring The Sweet Sixteens’ favorite books and authors. So far in this little series, I have written about the book that made me evangelical about reading, that books that enthralled me, and the books that launched me into a community of readers. Today I get to talk about a series of books that is close to my heart – the series that made me want to be a writer: The Queen’s Thief series by Megan Whalen Turner.
Continue reading Books That Made Me: The Queen’s Thief Series
Stories By Hand with Kathy MacMillan 