Middle Grade Author Margo Dill On Writing Historical Fiction for Kids

Cover for Finding My Place by Margo Dill

Cover for Finding My Place by Margo Dill

I’m excited to introduce to you middle grade author Margo Dill. Her historical middle grade novel Finding My Place was published by White Mane Kids this past October. In addition, she also has a picture book accepted by Guardian Angel Publishing and another by High Hill Press. She is also the memoir editor for High Hill Press. When she’s not writing, she loves spending time with her husband, stepson, daughter, and dog—Chester, a boxer.

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My MWG Interview with Author Susan McBride

In case you missed it, I did a blog interview with St. Louis author Susan McBride over at the Missouri Writers’ Guild Conference Blog last Thursday. Susan will be one of the speakers at the Guild’s 2012 “Write Time! Write Place! Write Now!” Conference.

With that interview, Susan graciously donated a copy of her most recent book LITTLE BLACK DRESS to give away to one lucky commenter. Commenting closes tonight, so you still have a chance to win.

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Police Officers Join Forces to Co-Write Supernatural Suspence Novel ‘The Light Bringer’

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I’m pleased to bring you my first author interview. Chris DiGiuseppi is the co-author, along with Mike Force, of The Light Bringer, a supernatural crime suspense novel that debuted earlier this month. Since then, it has been selling like crazy on Amazon.com and BN.com. Continue reading

Killing the Parent in Young Adult Lit

Parents are always a sticky problem for young adult writers. Your protagonist can’t have exciting adventures if her parents are continuously blocking her fun – a feeling, I’m sure, many kids relate to. However, sitting in time out doesn’t make for a good story. Unless that story is based at a detention camp where your protagonist has to dig Holes all day. But even, in Louis Sachar’s story Holes, his main character’s parents are MIA for all but the first and final chapters of the book.

The problem with parents as characters is that most parents in real life are buying the book for their children. Most parents don’t like buying books, especially for younger readers, that don’t display parents in a good light. Figuring out how to develop characters that are acceptable to parents, librarians, teachers and other adult figures AND their children and students can be a daunting task.

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Crying over ‘Hate’

Books don’t make me cry. I don’t know why not. Not since I read Where the Red Fern Grows in third grade has a book made me sniffle in the slightest.

Here’s a list of books that make me sad, but not enough to cry about. Continue reading