Some thoughts on middle grade voice

I’m going through a big stack of submissions that have been languishing for a while (and if you submitted a partial before Sept. 1 and don’t get a request for a full manuscript by the end of the week, you’ll know the answer is a no thanks). I’m on the lookout in particular for a … Read more

Review roundup–TANKBORN

We’ve been getting some really great reviews in for Tu’s fall books, so I figured I’d start by sharing a few that have come in recently for Tankborn by Karen Sandler. I’m just quoting a few parts of each review, so follow the links to the blogs below for the whole reviews! (And this isn’t … Read more

Hurricane update

The hurricane was downgraded to a tropical storm by the time it hit us early Sunday morning, and in my neck of the woods (northern Manhattan), it was pretty much just a strong thunderstorm that I slept right through. I didn’t lose power and it was sunny by 11 am. However, not as much can … Read more

Hunkering down for the hurricane

To catch you up, I was on vacation last week (went camping with a group of teen girls from church, got rained on a lot), we had an earthquake earlier this week, and this weekend we’re expecting a hurricane. So as you can imagine, between those things I’ve been mostly just working away at my … Read more

We could learn something from the penny dreadfuls

My latest read is a departure from my normal fiction fare: Girl Sleuth: Nancy Drew and the Women Who Created Her. We start off getting some biographical details of Edward Stratemeyer, who headed the Stratemeyer Syndicate—which, far from being the organized crime ring the name sounds like, was the company that created Nancy Drew back … Read more

Placeholder—until I find this song

This is one of my favorite moments from the Korean TV show You’re Beautiful but I can’t find an mp3 of a finished version of the song. Funny enough, there’s lots of kpop on Itunes, just not this soundtrack from a movie about a kpop group. So I’m posting this here for my own reference, … Read more

Tankborn’s first review!

Tankborn received its first press review from Kirkus! Advanced genetic engineering and upsettingly plausible caste oppression keep pages turning in this futuristic science fiction tale… A good option for science-fiction fans interested in genetic engineering, rebellion and class issues. ETA: AND TODAY you can download the first four chapters and try it out!

Those darn vending machines

A friend was telling me how he misses sitting in a cushy college library, kicking vending machines. (I’m sure that’s exactly how he said it.) It reminded me of this. But I couldn’t just share it with one person. Once again (whether you want to be or not) you are the beneficiary of my current … Read more