I wrote a picture book for my 4-year-old daughter and she illustrated it. She wanted me to post it online so that everyone could read it for Halloween. It’s titled A Witch for a Day and her illustrations are absolutely delightful. But before I include the story/pictures, a little background. (You can scroll to skip […]
Books are well-loved in my family, so it was quite natural to throw a book-themed birthday party. Having a Fancy Nancy themed birthday party made it so my daughter could have all the fancy, pink things she wanted. For activities we did everything from Fancy Nancy crafts to a Fancy Show and Tell. You could […]
Two years ago I gave a presentation to 800 people at Ignite Phoenix titled “Pride and Prejudice: Jane Austen and the Art of Argument.” I argue that if they had lived at the same time, Jane Austen and Aristotle probably would’ve fallen in love, because Jane Austen’s novels are really rhetoric textbooks that teach the […]
When I was ten years old I decided to keep a reading log. I wish I had kept one all growing up, but at least I have a little window into the past. I rediscovered the notebook the other day while unpacking after moving. Highlights When I was 10, I read Pride and Prejudice for […]
Learning how to write emotions was one of the hardest skills I had to learn as a writer, and something I’m still trying to improve on. (Sadly, statements like “Mary felt afraid” are actually terrible at showing Mary’s fear.) Finding Your Sense of Place by Janni Simner focuses specifically on how to use setting and description […]