I love that my normal posting day is Tuesday, which is the day new books come into the world. (No one knows why this is, not even Judy Blume. I know this because I was in her bookstore on a Tuesday when they were shelving new books and I asked Judy Blume why books always release on Tuesdays and she said that she had no idea. Investigative journalism at…
I met Meg Wolitzer in Iceland. (How great is an opener is that sentence? I could hardly have invented better words to pass myself off as some sort of globetrotting, namedropping force.) I am going to have to tarnish the portrayal of my image a bit by fessing up that I didn’t just serendipitously encounter her traipsing up an Icelandic glacier or pounding bourbon in a Reykjavík bar; Meg was mentoring a…
Let’s talk about THE DIMINISHED by Kaitlyn Sage Patterson. I’ve been screaming with anticipation for this book to come out now it is finally here! In a world populated by twins, Vi is “diminished” meaning the sole surviving twin of her pair, and the world waits for her to succumb to grief or murderous rage. Meanwhile, Bo, as single-born, is preparing to take the throne. There are sun ships…
This week, I am so excited to introduce Zoraida Córdova to the ball! Zoraida has written adult, YA, and short fiction; Labyrinth Lost was a fantastically inventive YA fantasy novel, and it’s one of the most exciting books I read last year. Zoraida’s also a fantastic public speaker. Her keynote at last year’s Sirens Conference was thoroughly entertaining and thought-provoking. The second book in her Brooklyn Brujas series comes out in June,…
Congratulations to @ReadRedRead, winner of our #DebBallGiveaway of one of Lindsay Ribar‘s books! Thank you so much to yesterday’s guest, Crystal Wilkinson! If you haven’t already, enter the #DebBallGiveaway to win a copy of THE BIRDS OF OPULENCE. You can enter by sharing our post on Facebook and/or retweeting the following tweet: Interview with @CrystalWilki + #Giveaway for THE BIRDS OF OPULENCE https://t.co/NNAdMbwPmw pic.twitter.com/UT5ZxRnNFW — The Debutante Ball (@DebutanteBall) March 31, 2018 News from the…
Crystal Wilkinson was a guest lecturer my first semester of my MFA at West Virginia Wesleyan College. She spoke eloquently about circular, fragmented, and braided forms. She spoke about how Point of View can circle overhead like a bird, coming to rest over different people. I wrote it all down very carefully, because I was not particularly good at writing linear stories and it was the first time I heard…
This week, I have the pleasure of welcoming to the ball one of my oldest friends within the publishing industry, Lindsay Ribar. Lindsay was actually one of the first people who ever knew anything about From Unseen Fire, as she was one of the agents I pitched the book to back at a Harry Potter convention in 2012! I was brave enough to pitch to her, honestly, only because her younger sister…
I am all kinds of delighted to be able to interview one of my writer heroines this week. Jessica’s Strawser’s debut novel, Almost Missed You, was named to Barnes & Noble’s Best new Fiction shortlist upon its release in March 2017 and it was one of my favorite books of the year. I’ve admired Jessica for years at the fantastic Writer’s Digest Conference held in New York City each summer;…
I was sitting on the cabin porch when I got The Call, which in my case, was not actually a call but an email—Thank God, because I hate talking on the phone and the cabin has really bad cell service. (The plastic sheeting pictured here was down when I actually got the email, because it was summer. However, today it is not anything close to summer so the plastic is…
My calendar reassures me that I have everything under control. It sends me electronic nudges that make me a better mother (NO CHESS CLUB TODAY), better friend (FRANCINE’S BIRTHDAY), and better writer (SUBMISSIONS OPEN FOR_____MAGAZINE). I have a shared calendar with my ex-husband to manage the children’s’ overly-full schedule (RED), another shared calendar for the Debutante Ball (PURPLE), holidays and other things Google has decided I need to know about…
