Over the past two and a half years, I’ve worked as a freelance editor and had the pleasure of editing several middle grade books. I’ve also finished my first middle grade fantasy manuscript. But most of all, I’ve read dozens of middle grade books, and there’s something about each one that takes me back to… Read more »
Hello! Today on the Kid Lit Craft column I’m going to be covering my favorite of the many amazing types of kid Lit books: middle grade. But first, what is middle grade? It’s not a name you hear often outside of the publishing world, and if you peruse your indie bookstore or local Barnes &… Read more »
Hello, fellow kid lit writers! This week I have another interview to share with you from the wonderful author Heather Mateus Sappenfield. About Heather Mateus Sappenfield Heather Mateus Sappenfield loves adventures, especially in the Rocky Mountain landscape that’s been her lifelong home. As part of women’s teams, she’s won 24-hour mountain bike races and road… Read more »
Today, I have the pleasure of interviewing Gillian McDunn. We’ll be talking about Honestly Elliott, a middle grade novel about a big-hearted boy trying to find the way to his best self. Have you signed up to be a DIY MFA Radio Insider yet? This is an exciting new monthly newsletter especially for our podcast… Read more »
Hello fellow Kid Lit Writers! This week, I have the pleasure of introducing author Anna Staniszewski. Anna has been writing children’s books for 10 years now; her first book came out in 2011, and her most recent book, Double Clique: A Wish Novel, came out in December of 2021. She was born in Poland and… Read more »
Today, I have the pleasure of interviewing Ryan Dalton. We’ll be discussing his latest novel, This Last Adventure, a middle-grade story about the bond between a teenage boy and his grandfather, how that boy copes with his grandfather’s memory loss, and what it means to live a life worth remembering. Have you signed up to… Read more »
I’ve been thinking a lot about death lately. I suspect that’s a somewhat universal pastime given that we’re on what will hopefully be the tail-end of a global pandemic. But it’s also because my debut novel, The Wolf’s Curse, is narrated by a Grim Reaper-like character. I’m often asked why I chose to tackle such… Read more »
Today, I have the pleasure of interviewing Traci Sorell and Carole Boston Weatherford. Traci is the author of the critically acclaimed book We Are Grateful: Otsaliheliga. She is an enrolled citizen of the Cherokee Nation and lives in northeastern Oklahoma, where her tribe is located. Today we’re talking about her picture book Classified: The Secret… Read more »
Today, I have the pleasure of interviewing Cynthia Leitich Smith. Cynthia is a New York Times bestselling author known for her award-winning children’s and YA books. She writes both realistic contemporary stories and fantastical narratives, and most recently, she won the American Indian Youth Literature YA Award for Hearts Unbroken published by Candlewick. Today we’ll… Read more »
Hey there word nerds! Today, I have the pleasure of interviewing Henry Clark. Henry is the author of What We Found in the Sofa and How It Saved the World as well as The Book That Proves Time Travel Happens. He has contributed articles to MAD magazine and published fiction in Isaac Asimov’s Science Fiction… Read more »
