I love kids

From a fan:

I think you've noticed that I like stories with stolen items or pets in it.

The Author/Editor Partnership

My FSG editor, Frances Foster, and I discuss our working relationship during the creation of The Fantastic Secret of Owen Jester -

over on the Macmillan MacKids Blog.

Another cool doggie blog post

....from Jama Rattigan.

My indoor office

The rain is keeping me in indoors.

(Yes, Ruby has her nose in my slipper. Peeyew...)

Just testing

Just testing something here. Ignore.

Why it's so hard...

....to work on a rainy day with a bored dog in the house.

Jama's cool doggie post

Check out some authors/illustrators and their dogs.

If you love Scrivener

(and who doesn't), here's a nice little tip from author Scott Westerfeld.

Work in Progress Check-In

Slow and steady wins the race.

Right?

Another reason...

...to know your characters well:

Your dialogue will be better.

I just wrote:

"I bet Levi and them were lying," Stella said.

And when I was typing that into the computer, it hit me right away that it was wrong.

What Stella would say is:

"I bet Levi and them were fibbing."

[and that's such a good word "fibbing", isn't it?]

Why I love the UPS guy even more than before

Tooley Graham came to live with me!

The frog in my new novel, The Fantastic Secret of Owen Jester, is named Tooley Graham.

He arrived at my house!

(Yes, that is iTunes on my computer. But I really was working. I swear. Just took a little iPod break.)



He's a puppet!!

Many, many, many thanks to my jewel of a friend, Grier Jewell. It's no secret: she's fantastic.

My office assistant

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

I love kids

From a reader:

You have been my favorite author from the second I saw you.


I love kids.

It's not summer without...

....beer in the rear chicken!