WAIT!

May 14, 2025 Leave your thoughts

“Time waits for no man.” We’ve all heard the quote, but I never thought about it until I became a writer and starting sending out manuscripts. I’d submit, pat myself on the back, and wait for a what I hoped would be a ‘yes’. Sometimes, I also waited for the right time to submit. For the perfect person to respond. For Virgo and Scorpio to meet in the seventh moon. Waiting, as it turns out, is a nice way to postpone rejection. Even when I had success and sold my first short story, I waited for it to come out and millions of dollars to flood in. (Still waiting on that.) We all do some waiting in life. Waiting for an opportunity, an opening, a…

Example of a Query Letter

May 13, 2025 Leave your thoughts

Are you wondering what a query letter is? Maybe you’re a writer and you’re wondering what a great query letter looks like. If so, I can’t help you. But, if you’re looking for an example of a query letter good enough to get an editor’s response, then you’ve come to the right place. This is the first query letter I wrote for MONSTER DOWN DEEP. I had to make a submission deadline so I didn’t have time to finesse. Let me know if you find it helpful by sending a comment. I can also post the query for my upcoming picture book if there’s interest. Here it is: Dear Editor, Take an 11-year-old beachcomber afraid of the ocean, a lost diamond necklace with a million-dollar…

JOB DREAM

April 9, 2025 Leave your thoughts

[This is the fourth of a monthly newsletter that follows the process as two manuscripts become books in 2026. Join me for a behind-the-scenes look at how traditional publishing works, step-by-step. To sign up, click the Newsletter tab in the menu. Find past newsletters under the blog tag of my website.] When I tell people I write children’s books for a job, their eyes light up. It sounds like a dream job. We often say those two words as if they’re one: Dreamjob. And the emphasis is always on the word ‘dream’.  DREAMjob.  Which sounds, well, like a dream. But it’s still a job. And every job, IMO, is a mix of good and bad. I’ve had to remind myself of that and not just…

What does an Elevator have to do with a New Book Idea?

March 12, 2025 Leave your thoughts

[This is the third of a monthly newsletter that follows the process as two manuscripts becomes books in 2026. Join me for a behind-the-scenes look at how traditional publishing works, step-by-step. To sign up, click the Newsletter tab in the menu. Find past newsletters under the blog tag of my website.] Imagine you get on an elevator with someone really important to you. This is your one shot to talk to them and if it goes well, completely change your life. That’s the idea behind the Elevator Pitch. A writer comes up with a pitch for a book that is so exciting that in a short elevator ride you convince an agent or editor to say, “YES! I want to make your incredible story a…

BUCKLE UP!

February 12, 2025 Leave your thoughts
BUCKLE UP!

[This is the second of a monthly newsletter that follows the process as two manuscripts becomes books in 2026. Join me for a behind-the-scenes look at how traditional publishing works, step, by step. To sign up, click the Newsletter tab in the menu.] ••• I talk about publishing as if it’s a journey because that’s what it feels like with every new book. And since you’re on this journey with me, there’s something I should tell you. I crash a lot. If you read last month’s newsletter, you know I have two books coming out in 2026. But when I started playing around with the ideas, I didn’t know if they would end in another crash. That’s the thing with journeys, isn’t it? We never…

Fail to Succeed

February 12, 2025 Leave your thoughts
Fail to Succeed

[This is the first of a monthly newsletter that follows the process as two manuscripts becomes books in 2026. Join me for a behind-the-scenes look at how traditional publishing works, step, by step. To sign up, click the Newsletter tab in the menu.] ••• If you want to succeed, double your failure rate. — Thomas J. Watson   This is one of my favorite quotes and one I often share when I’m visiting schools. Failure is a part of success—you can’t be afraid of it. But still. I am. Every time I launch something new, I worry about failing. And, to be honest, it never feels like I’m launching something. It feels like I’m launching me. This newsletter is another new launch of a thing…

Workshops & Coaching for Writers in Phoenix Area

September 27, 2024 Leave your thoughts

Do you live in the Phoenix area? Are you some who’s thought about writing? Who has a story to tell but isn’t sure how? Someone with an idea? A story started, a stuck middle, a finished manuscript you don’t know how to market? Wherever you are in the process, I’m here to help. Starting the first week of October through the end of December, I’ll be the Writer-in-Residence for the Chandler Public Libraries. That means I’ll be teaching workshops and meeting with patrons to help with their projects. I’ll be moving between three locations to make it more convenient. It’s free and it’s easy–you just need to sign up on the calendar to reserve a spot. Or, if you’re not ready for a consult quite…

KID LIT COLLECTIVE

August 8, 2023 Leave your thoughts
KID LIT COLLECTIVE

Welcome to Kid Lit Collective! We’re a group of six authors and illustrators (all local to the Phoenix area) who have joined forces to help teachers and librarians schedule school visits. Our goal: To make booking visits easier for you! You’ll find a variety of presentations offered, geared toward ages from pre-K to 8th grade. For a larger view of the brochure, click the link: KID LIT COLLECTIVE

GIVEAWAY!

May 13, 2020 Leave your thoughts
GIVEAWAY!

No launch party doesn’t mean no launch gifts! I’ve had NINE novels published now. And every time, I’ve had a launch event at my favorite local Independent bookseller, CHANGING HANDS BOOKSTORE. Last week, I launched my newest YA romance, HOW TO QUIT YOUR CRUSH. Because of Covid 19, there was no in-person party but I still wanted to support the bookstore that has always supported me. So I’m giving one person a $40 GIFT CARD to Changing Hands Bookstore. Use it to fill your TBR and escape for a few hours into the world of books.  Click the LINK to Enter Now. Giveaway ends on Sunday. WIN A $40 GIFT CARD   If you haven’t read HOW TO QUIT YOUR CRUSH, I hope you’ll grab…

HOW TO QUIT YOUR CRUSH is HERE!

May 4, 2020 Leave your thoughts
HOW TO QUIT YOUR CRUSH is HERE!

Happy Book Birthday to HOW TO QUIT YOUR CRUSH. Welcome back to the world of Cholla High. To graduation night. To a couple who had a fling in the spring and wisely ended up. Or did they? (This is the follow-up to Announcing Trouble but it can be read as a standalone!)   “Five Stars! Definitely one of the best Young Adult romance books of 2020!” Goodreads Reviewer   Mai Senn knows Anthony Adams is no good for her—no matter how hard she might crush on him. She’s valedictorian; he’s a surf bum. She’s got plans; he’s got his art. Complete opposites in every way. Vinegar and baking soda, they once joked. A chemical reaction that bubbled. Yeah, they bubbled. Maybe still do. Good thing Anthony’s…