I had two launch parties for Girlish—one in my hometown of Rochester, NY, and one in my current town, Cleveland. Old Hometown Launch Venue: Writers and Books (a writing center) Food: Beautiful appetizer and dessert trays, which remained largely uneaten. Two kinds of wine + bottled water, most of which remained largely undrank. Agenda: chatting, signing, and general milling about. I did a 10-minute reading from Girlish. Takeways: People don’t care…
No One Minds Cake
My launch party took place at the awesome Fountain Bookstore in Richmond, Virginia — the place which is, more or less, my hometown. I wasn’t born there, but it’s where I spent my formative years, where my parents still live, and where I recently returned after leaving Roanoke. If you’re ever in the Richmond area, definitely stop by — it’s my favorite kind of indie store, quirky and charming and…
[News Flash] Announcing Your 2019 Deb Class!
Today we are breaking away from our usual Sunday News Flash to introduce our new Debutante Ball Class of 2019! We are so excited for the new Debs to take over and share their amazing books with you. So without further delay please join us in welcoming: KA Doore – THE PERFECT ASSASSIN (TOR March 2019) Layne Fargo – TEMPER (Gallery/Simon Schuster, May 2019) Stephanie Jimenez – THEY COULD HAVE…
Interview with L.L. McKinney, Author of A Blade So Black
L.L. McKinney is a writer, a poet, and an active member of the kidlit community. She’s an advocate for equality and inclusion in publishing, and the creator of the hashtag #WhatWoCWritersHear. She’s spent time in the slush by serving as a reader for agents and participating as a judge in various online writing contests. She’s also a gamer girl and an adamant Hei Hei stan. A Blade So Black is her debut…
Trunked: A Love Story
I have a veritable stockpile of poems none of y’all are ever going to read, and you should thank your lucky stars because those words– though they taught me about imagery and evoking emotion and storytelling– they are not good words. There are 23 versions of my first novel sitting on a hard drive next to 3 years of MFA poetry work that you’re also not going to read. And that’s…
The Manuscript in the Drawer Might be Your Best Teacher
The first book I ever wrote lives in a drawer. I learned a lot from writing it. I learned how fun it was to sit with an idea and think “What next?” To put myself inside the mind of people of my own invention and realize I could have them say or do anything…and then watch the fallout. I learned that I didn’t know anything about plot, or pacing, or…
Kimmery’s Dream Book
see the stars you say, in the gloaming night my tiny hand in yours here is the world through my daddy’s eyes up higher than high on a shoulder ride in from our porch with the day’s dying light sleep tight, little flower, good night build it strong you say, as the summer melts but i make my house from a heap of sticks that blow away…
The Manuscripts In Lara Lillibridge’s Drawer
I write a lot. I devote the majority of every day to writing, reading, and editing. (It really helps to have a work-and-home SigO who is always working.) I know I’m both incredibly lucky to be able to do so and also incredibly boring by most people’s standards. I get antsy when I’m away from my work for too long. Even when I travel—and I travel a lot—I write…
Characters in Search of a Plot
I don’t have a drawer of abandoned manuscripts; I have a goddamn vault. I’m not even slightly exaggerating when I say I’ve started scores of projects since the age of eleven, when I first decided I wanted to be a writer. It’s probably over a hundred, but that sounds so ridiculous, right? Like I might as well say a million. But if I were to comb through all my files…
[News Flash] August 5, 2018
Congratulations to Jessica Reed, winner of our #DebBallGiveaway of By the Forces of Gravity by Rebecca Fish Ewan. Thank you so much to yesterday’s guest, Emily Giffin! If you haven’t already, enter the #DebBallGiveaway to win a copy of All We Ever Wanted. You can enter by sharing our post on Facebook and/or retweeting the following tweet: Interview With Emily Giffin, Author of All We Ever Wanted + Giveaway https://t.co/iYyNmC7EmI pic.twitter.com/Yp7SULEImD —…
