Some of you guys have been with me on this publishing journey from the beginning. You’ve watched me break out into the self-publishing market in 2011, make some major mistakes, learn how to rectify them, and gradually come to produce children’s literature that has consistently received high ratings. I was an elementary school teacher, and I’ve […]
Beautiful Creatures, by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl, 2009
I have terrible timing. After three consecutive posts about the research that went into my upcoming novel, this was supposed to be the grand finale, the big announcement that Ebb Tide has released!!!! But it hasn’t. It’s coming soon. I promise. In ten days, in fact. It’s undergone final revisions and is currently out to my last […]
Ebb Tide: Mitchelville
This is the third in a three-part series about writing and researching my upcoming young adult historical fiction novel, Ebb Tide, the third book in my Ella Wood trilogy. (Part 1: The Port Royal Experiment; part 2: African American POW Trial.) Mitchelville, on Hilton Head Island, which was located in close proximity to the Union […]
Ebb Tide: African American Soldier POW Trial
This is the second in a three-part series about writing and researching my upcoming young adult historical fiction novel, Ebb Tide, the third book in my Ella Wood trilogy. (Part 1: The Port Royal Experiment.) Ebb Tide continues the theme of the evolution of Black soldiers in the Civil War, begun in Blood Moon. The First (July […]
Ebb Tide: The Port Royal Experiment
This is the first post in a three-part series about writing and researching my upcoming young adult historical fiction novel, Ebb Tide, the third book in my Ella Wood trilogy. Early in the Civil War, in November of 1861, the Union navy captured Port Royal and liberated South Carolina’s Sea Islands from Hilton Head all […]
The Family Romanov: Murder, Rebellion & the Fall of Imperial Russia, by Candace Fleming
You all know I love history. Usually, I prefer it as historical fiction, but this factual narrative of the last ruling dynasty of Russia is utterly compelling. Written for a fifth- to sixth-grade reader, it often uses “quotes right in the middle of its sentences” to tell the story. I found it mildly annoying at […]
The Paperboy, by Vince Vawter
Along with capturing Newbery honors back in 2014, The Paperboy won a whole slew of awards. Check this out: A Newbery Honor Award Winner An ALA-ALSC Notable Children’s Book An IRA Children’s and Young Adults’ Choice An IRA Teachers’ Choice A Bank Street College of Education Best Book of the Year A National Parenting Publications Award Honor […]
The Aviator's Wife, by Melanie Benjamin, 2013
This is primarily a children’s literature blog, but every now and then I read an adult book worthy of mention and clean enough for older teens. They’re usually historical fiction. That is the case in The Aviator’s Wife. It is the story of Anne Lindbergh. I read this one last December during my flight to Savannah. […]
Mara, Daughter of the Nile, by Eloise Jarvis McGrath
You may have heard of Ms. McGrath’s 1962 Newbery-winning title, The Golden Goblet, a wonderful middle grade story of ancient Egypt. (My review.) Well, this is another fabulous tale of that intriguing and little-known land, but this one is for a teen audience and far more involved. It was written in 1953, but don’t let […]
Kira-Kira, by Cynthia Kadohata
Before I dive into this review, I have a quick, fun note. A month ago I gushed about my favorite middle grade novel of 2016, The Girl Who Drank the Moon. A week and a half later the Newbery winner was announced. Guess what? I should have been on that panel! I finally broke my recent string […]