First Review of Sour Cakes
Illustrator Anna Kwan and I are delighted with this first review of Sour Cakes from Publishers Weekly. Coming October 15 from Owlkids Books and available for pre-order now!
New Book Deal: Fantasy Novel for Kids
Exciting news! I’ll be publishing a new fantasy novel for kids with Charlesbridge Publishing. Thanks to agent-extraordinaire Ginger Knowlton of Curtis Brown for her support. Thanks to Alex McKenzie and Charlesbridge for seeing the potential in this novel. Here’s the official announcement:
I’m grateful to the Ontario Arts Council for awarding a writing grant to this project when it was a newly hatched idea. I’m also grateful to my creative community for feedback and encouragement while writing and revising.
Monster vs. Boy includes a character who might be my personal favourite among all those I’ve written so far. But I don’t think an author is supposed to have a favourite, so let’s just say that I adore writing this one.
I’m looking forward to sharing this story!
An Interview on Side-Writing
Ever since I first heard Erin Nuttall read from her works-in-progress during our time together at the Vermont College of Fine Art’s Writing for Children and Young Adults MFA program, I was a fan. She is a writer to watch, and I’m sure we’ll be reading her middle-grade and young-adult novels in the future. Thanks to Erin for interviewing me about side-writing on KidLit Craft – a terrific blog you’ll want to explore. You can check out Erin’s thoughts on side-writing in her inaugural post on KidLit Craft, and stayed tuned for more side-writing exercises on the blog all month.
And if you want even more on side-writing, you can sign up for my workshop Fresh Stories for a New World: Finding Your Stories Through a Practice of Side-Writing with SCBWI Canada East on April 10.
Upcoming Talks
CANSCAIP Monthly Membership Meeting: Panel Discussion
In a virtual meeting for CANSCAIP Members and Friends across Canada, I’ll be speaking with panelists S.K. Ali and Nadia Hohn as well as moderator Glen Huser about our faculty and student experiences in writing programs and schools.
Have you considered a degree in creative writing? What degrees are out there? What is the workload? What can you gain? And – is it worth the money?
Date and Time: March 10, 7 p.m. ET
Guests are welcome, and can contact office@canscaip.org to request the Zoom link.
Fresh Stories for a New World: Finding Your Stories Through a Practice of Side-Writing
As part of SCBWI Canada East’s Digging Deeper series, I’ll be delivering a virtual workshop.
Our world has been going through extraordinary changes, and so have we as writers. Who are you now? What stories are currently simmering within you, waiting to be told?
In this hands-on workshop, I’ll explore how to tap into ourselves and our stories through the practice of side-writing, which refers to stepping away from the story on the page to explore the raw heart of it through creative exercises. You’ll explore how side-writing can help us to write true to ourselves, plumb the emotional depths of our characters to better connect to readers, and spark joy and play in our writing.
Date and Time: April 10, 1 to 2 p.m. ET
Cost for members: $15
Registration closes at noon on April 8.
My Interview on Cabin Tales
Last year, author Catherine Austen began a spooky new podcast for kids and adults called Cabin Tales, which I highly recommend. Catherine is a Canadian author of many excellent books, including including Walking Backward, My Cat Isis, 26 Tips for Surviving Grade 6, 28 Tricks for a Fearless Grade 6, and All Good Children. Please check out her books!
Now, you can listen to Catherine’s interview with me on Cabin Tales. It includes my advice to young writers with writer’s block, and tales of terror from my childhood. (Yes, I was afraid of closets. Maybe I still am.)
New Book Deal: My Third Picture Book
This week, I signed a contract for my third picture book! I’d like to share all the details, but for now, I can tell you that it’s a nonfiction picture book scheduled for Spring 2023 with Groundwood Books. Oh, the anticipation!
This manuscript took 28 drafts (so far) to find its path, and it’s had plenty of help along the way. A shout-out to my critique groups and partners for all their insights. A special shout-out to the Vermont College of Fine Arts, which helped me learn how to write this new-to-me genre. And much gratitude to my agent Ginger Knowlton of Curtis Brown for her support, as well as Groundwood for seeing the potential in this manuscript.