I love the YA community on the interwebs. Truly, I do. Twitter, Goodreads, and the blogosphere are great places to read the thoughts and opinions of many smart, fascinating, righteous folks (writers, librarians, book bloggers, teachers, etc.) who deserve your attention. They are diligently trying to make the world better which is, really, what we […]
Being On Submission…
It’s been a while since I wrote a post about writing/publishing, and that’s the whole reason I started this blog, so here we go. Back in July, I somehow conned a gen-yoo-wine literary agent into offering me representation. I, of course, accepted before she could discover I was a talentless sham and snatch her offer […]
Sprout vs. the Fantastical Childhood Multiverse
Back in September, NPR did a piece about the premiere of Nina’s World, the first original show for children’s TV network Sprout. Before we go too far, I need to say that I’ve never watched even a single episode of the show. All I know about it is what Mandalit Del Barco told me on […]
Merry Merry, All
’Tis the season and I’m going to keep this post short because I’d like to take the time I normally spend slaving over my blog and spend it with my family instead of with my laptop. If you’re luckily enough to have a family (biological or otherwise), I suggest you get off your phone or […]
Why Nightcrawler Stuck in My Craw
Because I have an infant and rarely see movies in the theater anymore, I didn’t see Nightcrawler until a few months after it was released on Netflix. In case you haven’t seen it, the film follows the highly-motivated, thirty-something Louis Bloom as he tries to make a career for himself as a videographer who sells […]
Adventures in Horror Fic: An Interview With the Boys of Night Terrors
A few months ago, my dear friend Troy H. Gardner asked me to contribute a short story to a horror anthology to be released by Night Terrors. Though horror isn’t my forte, I happily accepted the challenge and penned 6,500 words about an amnesiac and a lake that used to be a granite quarry. The […]
Demographics, Passion Projects & Nicktoons: Why I Don’t Write YA “For Teens” and That’s a Good Thing
Earlier this month, Nielsen’s #KidsBookSummit caused quite an uproar on Twitter. Among other faux pas, the summit included a panel of adult YA readers who claimed they wanted to see less dystopian, more realism, and a possible name change to the genre (YAH, or young-at-heart, was suggested). Obviously I wasn’t there, I just read the […]
Unmooring Mandy from the Misogynistic Wasteland of the Late-90s
A week ago, as I was scrolling through VOD options for a movie, I stumbled upon a blip of pop culture I’d all but forgotten about—the 2004 teen comedy about Christian and non-Christian teenagers, Saved! Though neither groundbreaking nor as whip-smart as Mean Girls, Saved! is nonetheless entertaining and offers a positive message of tolerance […]
Getting The Call (or How I Learned to Stop Worrying About My Brother’s Instagram Account and Love My Hobby-Jobby)
A few months ago, I created an Instagram account so I could give a poor barefooted child a pair of shoes by posting a photo of my feet in all their calloused glory. Once my shiny new account was up and running, the app immediately suggested I follow a number of my Facebook contacts, including […]
Erin Callahan 