All I ever wanted in life was to tell stories. To make up big, wonderful, grand adventures and get lost in them. That’s it. Growing up, I put reading and writing first. Over everything. And everyone. I decided at age 9 that I didn’t want to have children, and as I got older, that if…
Let me tell you a story about a weekend adventure I put together for some friends of mine. I know, I know, you want the secret. Just trust me for a minute; it will be worth it, okay? A group of my friends had planned to go hiking and peach picking on a certain summer…
“You’re not scared of anything, are you?” “You’re so brave. I wish I could be like that.” “It’s so easy for you to do scary things. I’m not like you.” People have made comments like this to me on many occasions. They think that having courage means not feeling fear. It doesn’t. It means feeling…
Digital Book World reported in October 2014 that young adult and children’s books are the biggest factor driving the growth of trade publishing. Hollywood’s been snatching up YA and middle grade titles at an unprecedented rate. So what gives? How come the whole world is suddenly paying attention to books written for teenagers? Because they…
I never used to like graphic novels. I’m a word girl. Most of the time the pictures were distracting and confusing. I couldn’t interpret them properly; I would end up feeling lost, missing half the story. The style of the art often felt dark and impenetrable and I wouldn’t get far before giving up. But…
This is not a book about writing or painting or sculpting or making music. It is not a book about motivation or inspiration (well, it kind of is, but that’s not the main point). It is a book about asking for help. I’m reading it for the second time after having just finished it the…
Are you sensory sensitive? Oftentimes creators are. I am. For a long time, I was ashamed and thought I had to “fix” myself somehow. But we’re not the only ones who find the lights too bright, the sounds too loud, or the party overwhelming. About 20 percent of the population is born with a highly…
Kenzi, Lost Girl official bestie and kickass sidekick, is the ultimate Spunky Misfit Girl. Who doesn’t love her style, her attitude, her way with words? She can teach us a lot about courage. 1. Regret is fo suckas, fo suckas, fo suckas. Puta. Spoken first by the great poet Ludacris, of course. This could be…
Haters, prepare to kiss my sexy white booty. I have seen it go down time and time again: Some windy-wallets (read: Victorian slang for pompous windbag) poops all over the Twilight series with whine whine whine about how dumb it all is, and then when I ask which of the books they’ve read, the answer…
A friend posted this quote from Diana Vreeland on Facebook: “You don’t have to be pretty. You don’t owe prettiness to anyone: not your boyfriend/spouse/partner, not your co-workers, especially not random men on the street. You don’t owe it to your mother; you don’t owe it to your children. You don’t owe it to civilization…
