One of the best decisions I ever made, and probably the most impactful on my writing career, was to join a critique group. From my first one, formed years ago with coworkers and friends, to my current group, I have found the encouragement and feedback from other writers invaluable. How We Met – We are all members of SCBWI and found each other through the website. (Check your region and look for a critique group [...]
The Middle-Grade Mafia had a great time at Springmingle. The event was held in Decatur, Georgia and featured awesome intensives, speeches, and opportunities for networking. Also, a party! Check out the highlight video below and next year, be there yourself!!! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HJJDm1B3jF0
Ask any author and they'll tell you the same thing - to be a good writer, you need to READ. Believe it or not, as much as the Mafia loves to read, we still have to be deliberate in making time for it. I polled the family to ask for their 2017 Reading Goals. Ours are below. Add yours in the comments and we'll check back in a few months to see where we are! [...]
There's something about starting a new year that brings out the optimist in all of us. That calendar flip represents a clean slate and the perfect time to finally lose weight, stop smoking and save some money. And to writers? It means another chance to buckle down and get those words down on paper! The Mafia writing goals for 2017 are below. Feel free to post yours in the comments. We'll check back in a [...]
I admit it. I am NOSY. I love hearing how other writers write, what their process is like. Some people plot, some are pantsers. Some set a word count everyday while others set a time limit. Since I don't think I'm the only one who likes a peek behind the writer curtain, I thought I'd ask the Mafia to share their writing process with us. I asked them two questions: What are you working on [...]
Happy Release Day to C.C. Payne! Her book, The Thing About Leftovers, comes out today! The Book: The Blurb: Fizzy is a good Southern girl who just wants to be perfect. And win the Southern Living cook-off. The being perfect part is hard though, since her parents’ divorced and everything in her life has changed. Wary of her too-perfect stepmom and her mom’s neat-freak, dismissive boyfriend, she’s often angry or upset and feels like [...]
Platform, platform, platform! That’s all we hear about, but how do we do it! Blogging is a great way to begin building your platform. It’s low cost, it’s not limited by a number of characters, and it’s a great way to show off your writing skills. So, how do you get started? […]
Hot off the presses! The Jennifer De Chiara Literary Agency has a new agent and she is looking for middle grade fiction! Meet Alexandra Weiss - Alexandra Weiss is a Books Writer for Bustle.com, the PR Manager for a local Chicago circus, and an all-around literary bookworm. She graduated from Columbia College Chicago with a BFA in Creative Writing and Publishing in 2015. Previously she's worked as an Acquisitions Editor for the award-winning anthology Hair [...]
Today’s interview is with Halley Bondy, author of Speak Up! A Guide to Having Your Say and Speaking Your Mind. The blurb: Middle school is a tough time for nearly everyone, but it can be especially hard on girls. Between social and cultural pressures, academic challenges, family dynamics, changing hormones, and a growing awareness of the world around them, middle school girls often end up feeling voiceless and powerless. They can struggle with speaking in class, [...]
I recently attended a writer’s conference in Atlanta and while there, was blown away by the awesome science books written by authors in the region. Here are three of my favorites! National Geographic Kids Brain Games: The Mind-Blowing Science of Your Amazing Brain by Jennifer Swanson. The blurb: QUICK: Name the most powerful and complex supercomputer ever built. Give up? Here’s a hint: It’s housed in your head and it’s the one thing that makes you YOU. [...]
