Defending Irene was Released as an E-book Today

My soccer novel about an American girl playing on an Italian boys’ team in Italy was released as an e-book today. Since DEFENDING IRENE originally came out in 2004, a few sections will undoubtedly read more like historical fiction. But so many things hold up. Italian women and girls are making slow but serious headway … More Defending Irene was Released as an E-book Today

Flying the Dragon

I suspect that one of the reasons that I’ve written two cross-cultural books is that I like reading them.  That’s why I’m excited about the launch of Natalie Dias Lorenzi’s Flying the Dragon.  For a behind the scenes look at how this book came to be, you can visit Emu’s Debuts for the first installment.   … More Flying the Dragon

Literary Rambles

I was so delighted to see that Casey McCormick and Natalie Aguirre received some well-deserved recognition for their fabulous blog, Literary Rambles. It made theWriter’s Digest 101 Best Websites for Writers in the May/June issue.  They came in at #13 under “Everything Agents.”   In addition to spot-lighting agents, they also profile writers.  So this is … More Literary Rambles

Back to Blogging

Believe it or not, I’ve missed my little soapbox.  Every once in a while I would find myself thinking that it would be nice to pull together a nice little rant on some topic or other.  But then I’d think about my stack of undone student assignments.  I know how hard it can be to … More Back to Blogging

Before and After Harry Potter (Grades 3-5)

It was such fun to see SAVING THE GRIFFIN turn up on a master list of fifty or so books for kids to read before and after Harry Potter.  Susan Fichtelberg and Bonnie Kunzel pulled this list together for their June, 2011 ALA presentation.    A quick cruise through Susan’s website, Encountering Enchantment, made it clear that she’s … More Before and After Harry Potter (Grades 3-5)

Parenting Characters

I was one of the writers who shared a few techniques in Sue Bradford Edwards article,  “How to Avoid Parenting Your Characters.”  It was the lead piece in the 11/1 WRITER’S DIGEST e-mail newsletter.  Congratulations, Sue!