Before you get any weird ideas, let me clarify that the word I’m talking about is the word “oriental,” and at the outset I want to admit...

A Tale from the Pound by Sandy Throne is a sweet little picture book about a couple who want to adopt a cat, and end up choosing one that...

[2013 Update: (see original review below) Now that this book is age-appropriate for my daughter (she’s now almost 4) she loves this book!...

Scars by Cheryl Rainfield is an incredibly powerful story about self-harm, rape, abuse, and homophobia written in a completely authentic...

A sweet, funny story about four rambunctious sisters on summer vacation. The perfect read for those last days of summer vacation when...

My awesome critique group, Courtyard Critiques, is a small group looking for 1-2 new members. We welcome all genres of YA/MG fiction. Our...

“Where do you get your ideas?” This is one of the questions that authors dread because it comes up so frequently, pretty much every time...

As many of you already know (because you heard me enthusing about it a million times online), I was one of two recipients this year of...

This week’s Bizarro is relevant to one of my WIP’s. Care to guess which one? #comicstrips

Come see me read from my manuscript! Here’s more info: 4th Annual Susan P. Bloom Children’s Book Discovery Award Sunday, May 6, 2012,...

I knew The Fault in Our Stars would be a great book just because it was by John Green, co-author of the amazingly fabulous Will Grayson^2...

I am very excited to share the news that I am one of two winners of the 2012 PEN New England Susan P. Bloom Children’s Book Discovery...

No, this isn't a picture of me and my daughter. Yay! It’s been 4 fun years of Monkey Poop and incredibly eloquent blog posts by yours...

Last week my writing group was discussing our group’s book-of-the-month, The Boyfriend List by E. Lockhart. We were going around,...

I was afraid to read this book because of the heavy themes introduced even just in the synopses I read on Goodreads and Amazon, but I’m...

First things first, I have news on the writing front: I have an agent! I’m now being represented by the Sheldon Fogelman Agency. Very...

I won a writing award! Okay–to be more accurate, I received a “Letter of Merit” (sort of like honorable mention) from the Society for...

My short story/flash fiction piece, “Locked In”, has been published in the latest issue of Luna Station Quarterly, an online magazine for...

Really enjoyed this character driven book about a teenaged girl named Ruby who was abandoned by her mother and was forced by social...

But in the end (or rather from the very beginning) I was completely blown away by this book–by its authenticity, by its courage, and yes,...