writer & bookseller
If you missed my top 19 books of 2019 on my Instagram, you have another chance to go through the list and see what books most captivated me this last year. I've opened up an affiliate shop at Bookshop, which is the independent bookstore answer to online retail. Most of the profits go back to… Continue reading Bookshop Launch and My Top 19 of ’19
Welcome back to another month of tips, tricks, and trade insights from an experienced YA bookseller! Today we're discussing that double-edged sword of the writing process: research. For some, research is a daunting and difficult task. For others, it's an easy way to procrastinate. No one has straight answers about how much you should research,… Continue reading Writing Advice: Research
Last month I debuted a new column in which I give advice for writing YA based on my experience as a YA bookseller. This month, I'd like to dive right in and talk about something vital to any story: world-building. Fantasy novels are the first thing that springs to mind when we talk about crafting… Continue reading Writing Advice: World-Building
Today I have a quick update for you guys: I started a Patreon page! For a limited time (until August 13th, 2019) everyone who pledges at least $1 will get a critique of the first five pages of their manuscript. My Patreon is going to feature short stories, writing advice, book reviews, and more. All… Continue reading I Have A Patreon!
This week I'd like to introduce a new column in which I share tips for writing in the Young Adult genre based on what does and doesn't work for teen readers, as informed by my education and experience as a bookseller. The goal is for this to be a monthly column, but depending on the… Continue reading Introducing: Writing Advice from the YA Aisle
One of the biggest fights you'll witness in a bookstore is between the tween who feels ready to dive into more "grown-up" books and the adult who is terrified that they will read something too mature for them. As a children's bookseller, I'm often the referee in that fight. It isn't easy. I sympathize with… Continue reading “Is That Age Appropriate?” : Tweens and YA
Earlier this year I started a project to make a prop spellbook based on the blood mage spellbooks from the novel Wicked Saints by Emily A. Duncan. I decided to upload some of the photos of the completed pages here on my site for ease of access. You can find the whole Twitter thread at… Continue reading The #WickedSpellbook
Long time, no see! We're on the home stretch of 2018, which means it's the perfect time to reflect on books we loved this year (and say a prayer for all the booksellers trying to send them home with readers this holiday season.) There were a lot to choose from, but I have narrowed it… Continue reading Top 18 of ’18
Hey readers, however many of you there may be! I wanted to write and explain why I've been completely off the radar for the last six months. Despite having read a great many books and holding a great many opinions about all of them, I've found it increasingly difficult to find the time and spoons to… Continue reading My (Six Month) Absence and Creative Fatigue
The morning after the election, I took the bus to work. It was a surreal morning. California was, as always, sunny and pleasant. Students were out on Stanford campus with "free hugs" signs. A gaggle of doctors, nurses, and construction workers were playing a pick-up game of soccer on the hospital lawn. There was tension… Continue reading “But what about our sons?”
