by Michelle | Aug 4, 2015 | agenty stuff, not for me, querying, reading, recent, storytelling, writing
This is second in a five-part series on Magical Realism. If you haven’t read Part 1: What Is Magical Realism?, I’d recommend starting there. “Eddie had come to understand that what a man saw and what actually existed in the natural world often were...
by Michelle | Aug 27, 2013 | agenty stuff, authors, craft, not for me, publishing, querying, reading, storytelling, writing
Let’s start at the very beginning. It’s a very good place to start. Or not. Thing is, how your novel opens is vital to telling the rest of your story. Start in the wrong place, and you might never catch a reader’s attention enough to get them to more...
by Michelle | Jan 16, 2013 | agenty stuff, authors, bookselling, e-books, kidlit, NA, not for me, publishers, publishing, querying, rant, reading, self-publishing, storytelling, writing, YA
Update (4/23/13): In the three months since I originally wrote this post, New Adult has progressed significantly to the point where some of this information is obsolete or opposite from what I wrote earlier. So I’ve revised the post below to reflect new changes...
by Michelle | May 1, 2012 | agenty stuff, authors, kidlit, MSWL, NA, not for me, publishers, publishing, querying, rant, self-publishing, writing, YA
I’m getting questions from writers curious about why I’d specifically say I’m weary of paranormal romance and dystopian, so let me explain. By the time a book hits the shelves, it’s already old hat for agents and editors. Most fiction is...
by Michelle | Apr 2, 2012 | agenty stuff, authors, kidlit, MSWL, not for me, publishers, publishing, querying, rant, reading, respect, storytelling, writing, YA
Update: For another perspective on this, using one YA book as an example, see Bookshop’s post Bad Romance (or YA and rape culture). I’ve been noticing something disturbing with quite a few of the beautiful paranormal romances currently shimmering on...
by Michelle | Mar 9, 2011 | NA, not for me, random, reading, reviewing, storytelling, writing, YA
Even though YA paranormal romances have shifted from vampires to werewolves to angels to every creature imaginable, many of the same themes present themselves in the various iterations. In an effort to take a lighthearted poke at the cliches that inhabit this genre*,...
