I’ve had an author website and blog in various forms for almost twelve years now. My hope is this little corner of the Internet is a friendly, welcoming place that is also a resource for readers, writers, teachers, librarians, and homeschooling families. But how do you know what’s here if you haven’t explored? Today’s your chance to do so!
This post is best read on the blog itself. If you’re reading via email, I invite you to click through. Let’s get straight to it:
How do I find…
information on your books? There are a couple of ways to do this. Either click on “books” in the main menu and select a title in the drop down menu or click on a cover in the sidebar. Underneath the covers, you’ll find a sidebar menu where I’ve also included each of my titles. Click on any of these to read blog posts about a particular book. And if you’d like a behind-the-scenes glimpse into the writing of my specific books, check out my new monthly series I’m calling The Notebook Series. You can find links for the first three posts under the “teacher resources” tab in the main menu.
posts about writing? In the sidebar menu, click on “the writing life.” You’ll find a number of posts about writing, including writing links, interviews with other authors, and my own thoughts on writing. Posts that touch on publishing can be found in the sidebar under the “publication” tab. To read the most popular posts I’ve written on writing, click on “bio” in the main menu and scroll to the bottom where you find a list of posts to choose from. If you’re looking for answers to frequently asked writing questions, you’ll find those under the “bio” tab, too, including some links with writing wisdom from other authors, articles on how to get your book published, and advice for young writers.
interviews with other authors? I run two monthly interview series: Straight from the Source, where authors talk about writing historical fiction and non-fiction, and Classroom Connections, meant to introduce teachers, librarians, homeschooling families, and all other readers to new releases. I keep a running list of both interviews under the “teacher resources” tab in the main menu. The Classroom Connections interviews are divided alphabetically into picture books, middle grade, and young adult. Each has a brief description about its setting, theme, or form. This list is an incredible resource! It represents almost ten years of interviews. If you’re looking for something new to read or want to learn more about authors’ writing experiences, Classroom Connections a great place to start.
If you scroll down a little further, you’ll find the Straight from Source interviews, listed alphabetically by author’s name. These are a treasure trove of information and (can I say this?) my favorite interview series. I have learned so much about other authors’ writing processes, their challenges and triumphs, and their reasons behind why they write what they do. A friend recently told me she read through a number of these interviews while working on her own non-fiction project.
Classroom Connections interviews can also be found via the sidebar menu. Click “classroom connections” and / or “teaching” to find them. From the sidebar, you can find Straight from the Source interviews by clicking either historical fiction or non-fiction. If you click the “authors” link in the side bar, you can find both interview series.
Classroom resources? I’m glad you asked! I’ve created teaching guides and other helpful documents for almost all my books. You can either click on “books” in the main menu and go to the title you’re looking for to find downloadable resources, or you can go to the “teacher resources” tab, where all the handouts are grouped together near the top of the page. Beyond the reader discussion guides, you’ll find some general handouts that I use in presentations: The Stickman Character Development handout, which is a great, easy way to introduce young writers to creating characters of their own, Going Deep with Young Readers, which is a collection of quotes I gathered for a state library association conference talk that showcases the importance of student choice and exploration when it comes to reading, and 10 Things I Wish I’d Known About Writing While in the Classroom, which is exactly what it sounds like — concepts I’ve learned as an author that I wish I’d known to offer my students during my teaching days.
Under this tab you’ll also find a reading assignment I developed for my social studies and English classrooms called Where in the World Are We Reading? , a collection of state reading lists where you can nominate favorite recent releases for state awards, and some wonderful professional development interviews with superstar author and teacher, Donalyn Miller, author of The Book Whisperer and Reading in the Wild. If you’re interested in starting a book club for kids, you’ll find a series of posts about my own after-school club under this tab, too.
Information on classroom or virtual visits? This one is easy. Both have their own tabs in the main menu. The “author visits” page opens with statistics on why such visits are wonderful ways to encourage and inspire young people in their own reading and writing. If you’re a teacher or librarian looking for hard facts on if a school visit is worth the investment, these are golden. But don’t just take my word for it. Have a look! Scroll down to see what kinds of talks I offer and how to contact my booking agency, the Booking Biz, to schedule an in-person or virtual visit.
information on your events? My “events” page is woefully out of date at present. But I hope that changes in the months ahead. Stay tuned…
your critique service? Click on the last tab in the main menu, “Writing One to One” for a rundown on what I offer (and what I don’t), what you can expect, and how to get the ball rolling if you’re interested in learning more. I’m thrilled to say three authors I’ve worked with have published or are soon publishing manuscripts I’ve read. What an honor to play a small role in their stories!
If you’ve benefited from something you’ve found on the site, I’d love to hear about it in the comments below!
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