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The songs Kadence Mulligan wrote and sang with her best friend, Lauren DeSanto, made them both online sensations. But when Lauren loses her voice, Kady can't wait to go solo. It's no secret the two had a major falling out and are barely speaking to each other. Lauren keeps to…

I’m very proud to reveal the book trailer for GIRL LAST SEEN. Also, actual music videos for the music that’s in the books will also be revealed on YouTube soon. For now…. check out the trailer here.    

We are just weeks away from our launch of GIRL LAST SEEN (coming March 1, 2016) and were very pleased to receive some praise from Kirkus Reviews: "Endlessly twisty, this deliberate head trip will keep readers guessing until the very end. The kind of dark, wild ride that begs to…

I'm on Writer Unboxed today, talking about title paralysis, or TP for short.

Copy edits are done. Line edits should be arriving soon. ARCs anticipated by the end of summer! I'm chomping at the bit to see a book cover (which this photo is NOT).As part of the "input" process, my co-author (Heather Anastasiu) and I offered some Pinterest boards with sample images…

Available Now! A “propulsive tale of love and war” – Booklist

     I'm on Writer Unboxed today, talking about the Mona Lisa and Lemony Snicket. If you're looking for a fun way to enhance a scene, inform a character, or evoke emotion in your work in progress, consider these tips.

When you write YA fiction and it's been . . . let's say a few years since you were in high school yourself, it's always great to have some real, live teen resources close at hand. That is why I had children. I had to wait awhile for them to…

Last spring, I had the idea for a new novel about a couple of girls who became YouTube sensations, then one goes mysteriously missing.  I mentioned it to my critique partner, author Heather Anastasiu, and I think her exact words were, "I want in!" We'd sort of talked about maybe…

A friend of mine, Justin Baldoni, whom you may know as Rafael in the popular new show on the CW, Jane the Virgin, has started a campaign called#Good30.  Click here to see a video on what it's all about, but the premise is simple: Spend 30 seconds doing something nice…

Welcome, dear friends, to my stop on the tours. I write about mermaids, the monsters and lures. My LIES BENEATH series has been called spooky and scary. Now move through the posts and on none may you tary. Here's my Q&A for the Looking Glass trail. Remember it well; in…

Today I am guest blogging on the popular and informative Writer Unboxed. If you have not yet checked out the wealth of writerly information there, I highly recommend it. Every day there is a post from an author or agent with something great to say about characterization, plotting, submitting, or…

This past weekend I had the pleasure of hosting a writers' retreat at our cabin in the north woods of Wisconsin, near the shores of Lake Superior. I invited a number of fellow authors, hoping a few would agree to join me. Along for the ride came: Tiffany Schmidt (Send…

On May 17, 2014 - 10:00-4:30 - TEEN LIT CON comes to St. Paul, specifically Henry Sibley High School. I am one of 10 authors coming to dish on writing, books, and all things YA. Hope to see you there!

Today, I am blogging on Writer Unboxed, talking about the pacing of novels and how you can ensure a better structure to your stories. I think there's a lot novelists can learn from screenwriters. I hope you will check it out by clicking here.

I've been invited by fellow kidlit author Lynne Kelly to be part of the MY WRITING PROCESS Blog Tour. I loved Lynne's beautiful middle grade novel, CHAINED (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2012). Set in India, it's about a 10-year-old boy who takes a job as an elephant keeper to work…

I've been invited by fellow kidlit author Lynne Kelly to be part of the MY WRITING PROCESS Blog Tour. I loved Lynne's beautiful middle grade novel, CHAINED (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2012). Set in India, it's about a 10-year-old boy who takes a job as an elephant keeper to work…