Clik here to view.
Misadventures in Co-authoring
Once upon a time my friend Meghan and I decided to write a book together. Things have kind of gotten out of hand, but we’re having the time of our lives. We’ve been documenting part of our process on...
View ArticleClik here to view.
YA Recs: A Girl Named Faithful Plum
Summary: This nonfiction account follows Zhongmei Lei, a girl from the country who defies all odds to become a student at the prestigious Beijing Dance Academy. Why I loved it: I’m just in absolute...
View ArticleClik here to view.
My Positivity Project
I’ve been thinking a lot about Internet rage culture lately. It seems like every time I log onto my Twitter or Facebook, there’s somebody (and not infrequently, a lot of somebodies) being angry about...
View ArticleClik here to view.
YA Recs: Orchards
Orchards by Holly Thompson Summary: After a classmate commits suicide, Kana Goldberg’s parents send her to live on her grandparents’s orchard in rural Japan. Kana struggles with guilt over her friend’s...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Win a Query/ First Page critique!
Hello authors! I am in need of some bad essays for my writing students to revise. Please submit a poorly-written 200-400 word essay to thoughtsfromtheagentdesk@gmail.com by September 6th at noon. One...
View ArticleClik here to view.
YA Recs: Brown Girl Dreaming
Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson Summary: Acclaimed author Jacqueline Woodson recounts her younger years in verse. A vivid account of an African American girl growing up in the 1960s and...
View ArticleClik here to view.
YA Recs: The Iron King
The Iron King by Julie Kagawa Summary: When Meghan Chase’s brother is kidnapped, she must venture into the world of the fey. She soon discovers she is the daughter of the legendary Oberon and a pawn in...
View ArticleClik here to view.
P2P16 Wish List
I’m so excited to be participating in the October round of Pitch to Publication. Here is my wish list along with some of my favorite books. Wish List YA is my main jam. I read anything and everything...
View ArticleClik here to view.
YA Recs: The Port Chicago 50
The Port Chicago 50 by Steve Sheinkin Summary: Sheinkin recounts the tragic 1944 explosion on the Port Chicago military base. In the aftermath, Navy crew members fight against unsafe working conditions...
View ArticleClik here to view.
P2P Tips from Despina Karras
Today I’m excited to have Despina Karras guest blogging for me. Despina was one of my picks during the last round of Pitch to Publication. I asked her to share some of her wisdom with you guys. Here’s...
View ArticleClik here to view.
YA Recs: The Girl from Everywhere
The Girl from Everywhere by Heidi Heilig Summary: Nix and her father can sail across time and space. They can go anywhere and anytime they have a map for. However, they can’t return to Honolulu...
View ArticleClik here to view.
YA Recs: Dark Sons
Dark Sons by Nikki Grimes Summary: Sam feels betrayed when his father leaves him and his mother to marry another woman. He struggles with his faith and his father’s devotion to his new family. Sam’s...
View ArticleClik here to view.
YA Recs: The Geek’s Guide to Unrequited Love
The Geek’s Guide to Unrequited Love by Sarvenaz Tash Summary: Graham has been in love with his best friend, Roxy, for years. When their favorite comic writer comes to comic con, Graham decides to use...
View ArticleClik here to view.
YA Recs: Funny in Farsi
Funny in Farsi by Firoozeh Dumas Summary: Funny in Farsi is Firoozeh Dumas’s autobiographical account of growing up Iranian in America. Dumas tells stories of her family’s immigration to the US in the...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Clik here to view.
2016 in Books
It’s that time of year again! Here’s what I’ve been reading in 2016. A pretty similar spread to last year’s! And of course, my favorite part. Book awards! Note that these are for books I read in...
View ArticleClik here to view.
YA Recs: Brown Girl Dreaming
Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson Summary: Acclaimed author Jacqueline Woodson recounts her younger years in verse. A vivid account of an African American girl growing up in the 1960s and...
View ArticleClik here to view.
2018 in Books
It’s time for my annual reading recap. This has been my most productive reading year yet! Here’s the breakdown. Adult: 35 books Young Adult: 109 Middle Grade: 6 Nonfiction: 21 Fantasy: 39...
View ArticleHello world!
Welcome to WordPress. This is your first post. Edit or delete it, then start writing!
View ArticleClik here to view.
What Makes a Successful Query (according to science)
Once upon a time I was in a PhD program in linguistics. Which means I spent a lot of time doing a lot of analyses on different types of language. For one of my class projects I looked specifically at...
View Article