Blog Posts
Setting Goals
Posted on January 27, 2014
I set goals a lot. I set them for exercise, for writing, for reading, for cleaning the house–real...
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Too Many Books
Posted on January 20, 2014
I can’t find enough time to read. I read before bed every night. I read on the treadmill every m...
Read MoreBooks Read 2013
Posted on January 01, 2014
Plus 6 manuscripts that will be books to bring my total to 72 for the year. Of these, 3 were non-...
Read MoreChocolate Kiss Peanut Butter Cookies
Posted on December 26, 2013
1 cup butter or margarine, softened 2/3 cup creamy peanut butter 1 cup brown sugar 1 cup white su...
Read MoreChocolate Mint Filled Cookies
Posted on December 26, 2013
1 cup chocolate chips 2 cups flour 1/4 tsp salt 2 tsp baking soda 2/3 cup butter or margarine 1/4...
Read MoreALAN Conference
Posted on December 02, 2013
My favorite conference of the year! It’s always great to be surrounded by librarians, teachers, a...
Read MoreMore Summer Books
Posted on September 10, 2013
Chantress by Amy Butler Greenfield When Lucy turns 15 on the island where she and her guardian we...
Read MoreVisitor
Posted on August 31, 2013
I always watch the birds on my feeder and try to figure out what they are. In the last couple yea...
Read MoreSummer Books
Posted on August 30, 2013
As the summer winds down and a more regular schedule begins, I thought I’d mention a few of my fa...
Read MoreFriday Five
Posted on February 01, 2013
Bagels–We made bagels for the first time using the King Arthur Flour recipe. They have a ...
Read MoreLiterary Resolutions
Posted on January 22, 2013
Sometime around the end of December, someone (Carrie Jones?) posted on Twitter about literary res...
Read MoreThe Power of a Book
Posted on January 08, 2013
Yesterday I walked home with my kindergarten nephew G after school. He was telling me about his d...
Read MoreFive things on a Friday
Posted on January 04, 2013
1) This red-breasted nuthatch has been a regular visitor at my feeders. 1) This red-breasted nut...
Read MoreBooks Read 2012
Posted on December 31, 2012
Here are the books I read this year: Here are the books I read this year: 61) HIDE AND SEEK by ...
Read MoreSummer Reading: Tracing Stars
Posted on August 03, 2012
The summer she is ten, Indie Lee loses her pet golden lobster on the last day of school. Her ol...
Read MoreMoments in Nature
Posted on July 30, 2012
Three great blue herons flew out of the fog by the churchyard this morning. They slowly circled t...
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Picture Book! One Day I Went Rambling
Posted on June 13, 2012
One Day I Went Rambling by Kelly Bennett, illustrated by Terri Murphy, Bright Sky Press, 2012 ...
Read MoreBooks! Bluefish and When You Reach Me
Posted on June 05, 2012
Bluefish by Pat Schmatz, Candlewick, 2011 Bluefish by Pat Schmatz, Candlewick, 2011 Bluefish ...
Read MoreBooks! See You at Harry’s/Homecoming
Posted on May 08, 2012
See You at Harry’s by Jo Knowles (Candlewick, 2012) is so full of heart that it will touch your...
Read MoreSpilling Ink Writing Contest
Posted on May 03, 2012
Spilling Ink has a great website full of writing ideas for teens. This month, they have a writing...
Read MoreBooks! The Book of Blood and Shadow/Stuck in Neutral
Posted on May 01, 2012
In my current work-in-progress, a librarian gives the main character two books every time she vis...
Read MoreNew England SCBWI Conference
Posted on April 25, 2012
Jo Knowles and my workshop (“Writing Camp for Adults”) at the conference went very well. Our camp...
Read MoreWriting Camp
Posted on April 11, 2012
For two weeks every summer, my teaching partner Rick S. and writing partner Jo Knowles and I run ...
Read MoreConferences
Posted on April 05, 2012
The Vermont Novel Writing Retreat was terrific! I loved spending the weekend with authors Holly B...
Read MoreNew Books
Posted on March 14, 2012
Finally, some of the books I’ve been waiting for have shown up in the bookstore! You might not be...
Read MoreAnaphora*, anyone?
Posted on March 01, 2012
I woke up this morning to snow and canceled schools and an email from a teacher friend lamenting ...
Read MoreReading Vacation
Posted on February 22, 2012
Now that I’m not teaching every day, my life doesn’t revolve around school vacation weeks quite a...
Read MoreMarch Madness
Posted on February 09, 2012
I know it’s only February, but one thing I look forward to every year is School Library Journal’s...
Read MoreThe Winners Are…
Posted on January 25, 2012
Newbery Award Newbery Award Newbery Award Winner: Winner: Winner: Dead End in Norvelt by Ja...
Read MoreAwards
Posted on January 19, 2012
The American Library Association (ALA)’s mid-winter meeting begins this weekend in Dallas, Texas....
Read MoreUpcoming Dates
Posted on January 19, 2012
March 15 – 17 Vermont Novel Writing Retreat March 15 – 17 Vermont Novel Writing Retreat
Read MoreSara Zarr
Posted on January 11, 2012
I have several authors whose work I anxiously await. Sara Zarr is one of them. Her books are all ...
Read MoreNovels in Verse
Posted on January 04, 2012
Most novels in verse annoy me because I’m not sure why they’re not in prose. They’re more interru...
Read MoreHoliday Shopping
Posted on December 15, 2011
It’s no surprise that I buy a lot of books for holiday presents. My local, independent bookstore ...
Read MoreVermont Novel Writing Retreat
Posted on December 15, 2011
Holly Black, Coe Booth, and Alvina Ling are the three presenters for the Vermont Novel Writing Re...
Read MoreAlly Carter
Posted on November 30, 2011
I finally opened Uncommon Criminals by Ally Carter last night, and was immediately thrilled to ...
Read MoreWhat I Learned from NaNoWriMo
Posted on November 27, 2011
NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) finishes on Wednesday. I participated for the first time...
Read MoreChoosing a Book, Part 3
Posted on November 23, 2011
Friends are probably the most used resource when it comes to choosing books. If your friend tells...
Read MoreChoosing a Book, Part 2
Posted on November 16, 2011
Lists are a great way to find more books to read—especially if you can find annotated lists that ...
Read MoreWriting Every Day
Posted on November 07, 2011
My goal for NaNoWriMo is 200 words a day. It’s not a very large goal, but it’s one that allows me...
Read MoreChoosing a Book, Part 1
Posted on November 02, 2011
Unless you have a particular title in mind or you have an author whose work you follow, walking i...
Read MoreLink for NaNoWriMo Help
Posted on October 31, 2011
NaNoWriMo begins tomorrow! If you’d like to do some thinking about your plot, I found these vide...
Read MoreNovel Writing Retreat Update
Posted on October 29, 2011
Registration for the Vermont Novel Writing Retreat begins 11/1! More information and link for si...
Read MoreNaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month)
Posted on October 27, 2011
November is National Novel Writing Month. For years many people have signed up on the NaNoWriMo w...
Read MoreFour Thousand?
Posted on October 25, 2011
Four thousand sentences. Whether you’re reading or writing, this is true. But which four thousand...
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