If I mentioned that I just discovered a cool new middle-grade series about a young orphan on the hunt for a magical stone, you might say, uh, Harry Potter came out 20 years ago. But what if that orphan lived in 1850s Missouri, and had to fight off a horde of zombie outlaws? If you know… Read more »
Getting To Know: Kidlit Authors
Getting to Know: Eliot Sappingfield
If I’m allowed to judge a book by its cover, I have to admit I was immediately blown away the moment I saw an advance copy of Eliot Sappingfield’s debut middle-grade novel, A Problematic Paradox (G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers, January 23, 2018). The fine-line detail, the color scheme, the constellations and lettering; I knew this… Read more »
Getting to Know: Jackie Yeager
This year, in my ongoing conversations with fellow kidlit creators, I’m going to focus on members of the Electric Eighteens, a group of middle-grade and YA debut authors. First up is Jackie Yeager, whose exciting STEM-friendly novel, SPIN THE GOLDEN LIGHT BULB (Amberjack Publishing), releases January 9th! Me: Can you sum up your book for… Read more »
Getting to Know: Ginger Rue
Of all hypothetical powers one may daydream about having, I have to admit I’ve always had a fondness for the ability to freeze time (especially in the middle of some of the hectic art classes I teach; instant quiet! Bathroom break! Time to kick back and read!) It’s a trope that comes up often in fiction,… Read more »
Getting to Know: Rob Vlock
This summer, I had the pleasure of visiting four dead American literary figures in Concord, Massachusetts, and one live one. Concord, as my wife and I discovered on a trip to the area, was the home of Thoreau, Alcott, Hawthorne and Emerson. Verily cool! Not as well known is that in the next town over lives an… Read more »
