Category: young adult

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Do You Know Who I Am: On Writing and Identity

I had a job interview once for a job I sort of wanted. It was going to be a long commute and we needed the money. I interviewed with some peers and potential boss and then one of the founders of the company was going to meet with me. He walked into the room and the first thing he said to me was, “Do … Read More Do You Know Who I Am: On Writing and Identity

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self-promotion, bookselling, blah blah blah

As you probably know, I am in the middle of launching my new book, THE BOOK OF LANEY. It is a young adult novel and so a bit of a departure for me. I am extremely proud of this book and I hope those of you who have read it will believe me and know this to be true when I say it: I … Read More self-promotion, bookselling, blah blah blah

“I Wrote This Book Because…” – Myfanwy Collins and The Book of Laney

Originally posted on jabberwocky books:
We loved hosting Myfanwy Collins in the store last week for the publication of her young adult novel.  Collins had the crowd in near tears with the dramatic opening scene in the book, and attendees followed with a thoughtful Q&A session about what challenges kids today face in sometimes violent school culture.  She also prefaced her presentation with a…

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the bluff

This picture is of the bluff where Laney lived with her grandmother. Of course, the one in the book is made up but this is the one I based it upon. This bluff exists in the lake where I grew, a place where I felt most free and also most trapped. As a child, I lived in the woods, the water, the mountains. As … Read More the bluff

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pub day: today is my butter

Last weekend, I made a double batch of zucchini bread because we have a busy week ahead. My son is in his second play and has seven performances between tomorrow and Sunday. I wanted him to be able to have something homemade in his snack and lunch so that even though he was busy, he would know he was loved and that I was … Read More pub day: today is my butter

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arrival, gratitude

I started writing this book five years ago, in the winter. I started writing it after a long, dry spell of not writing much. I started writing it during the times when my then-toddler napped. I remember I would get him down to sleep and then bring my laptop into my room and sit on the lumpy chair and force myself to write 500, … Read More arrival, gratitude

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I Wrote This Book Because…

I wrote this book because we live in a sometimes horrible and often beautiful world. I wrote this book because I did not want you to feel so alone. I wrote this book because four boys in the town where I used to live used their collective rage, boredom, and feelings of worthlessness to turn the lives of another family into the thing of … Read More I Wrote This Book Because…

Sorta Like A Rock Star, by Matthew Quick

This one is for all of the kids who live outside the edge of normal, all of the kids who have secrets behind what their faces show at school each day, all of the kids who have been picked on, and especially for all of the kids who when faced with the worst, offer up their best. This one is for all of you … Read More Sorta Like A Rock Star, by Matthew Quick

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