News

Hi! I’m so excited! I can finally share more details about WILD SWANS. It does have a few things in common with the Cahill Witch Chronicles (sisters, a bookish boy, a potential family curse), but it’s my first contemporary book and in some ways it feels like a debut all over again! I can’t wait to share it with readers.   And here’s the back cover copy: The summer before Ivy’s senior year is going to be golden; all bonfires, barbeques, and spending time with her best friends. For once, she will just get to be. No summer classes, none of Granddad’s intense expectations to live up to the family name. For generations, the Milbourn women have lead extraordinary lives—and died young and tragically. Granddad calls it a legacy, but Ivy considers it a curse. Why else would her mother have run off and abandoned her as a child? But... Read More

Hi! Welcome to my new website, redesigned by the wonderful Erin Bowman. It’s been an embarrassingly long time since I’ve posted any news, but now that I have these gorgeous new digs, I’m excited to sharing more about the things I’m reading (finishing some fabulous scary stories in honor of Halloween), watching (Switched at Birth), listening to (Halsey) and — of course — writing! I have shiny new pages for my 2016 books, A TYRANNY OF PETTICOATS and WILD SWANS, and there’ll be more info — like a WILD SWANS cover! — coming soon. In the meantime, feel free to look around, check out my upcoming events, see the extras on the Cahill Witch Chronicles page, and come say hi on social media! I love hearing from readers.

Hi! I’ll be in town this weekend for the NYC Teen Author Fest! If you’re in or near NYC, I’d love to see you. I’ll be at many of the events from Friday-Monday, but mine are as follows: Saturday March 21, Symposium (42nd Street NYPL, Bartos Forum, 5th Ave at 42nd St) 4:10-5:00 – Creating Strong Characters Explanation: We often talk about “strong” characters – but what does that mean? Don’t characters also have to be vulnerable for readers to connect to them? And why is there so often talk of “strong female characters” but not “strong male characters” – what’s left assumed there, and how can we counterbalance that? Each of these authors has created complex protagonists grappling with issues of strength. We’ll discuss how they created these characters, and what balances needed to be achieved. Sarah Beth Durst TM Goeglein Elizabeth Kiem Kieran Scott Jessica Spotswood Robin Talley Sandra... Read More

Happy New Year! I’m going to try to do a post tomorrow about my 2015 goals, but I thought I’d tackle my super dorky 2014 reading stats today. I fell way short of my goal to read 75 books, reading only 56. Of those 56, the breakdown was: 11 nonfiction 3 NA romance & 1 contemp adult romance 4 MG (2 of them graphic novel memoirs) 38 YA – and within YA, I read more contemp this year than anything else – which makes sense as I prepare to write MILBOURN FALLS! As far as how I read: 32 were books (19 books – 7 of the books were library books, 13 were ARCs) – 57% 24 ebooks (11 ebooks, 8 egalleys, 5 full ms critiques I read on my computer) – 43% 21 advance copies total – 8 egalleys, 13 ARCs – 38% of my total reading of the... Read More

I fell way short of my 2014 reading goal of 75 books. Even counting manuscripts I read for critique, I only got to 56 books. I’m hoping to read 100 next year – I did that in 2009 and it was so good for me creatively. But here are my favorites of 2014: Favorite book of 2014: The Winner’s Curse by Marie Rutkoski Favorite fantasy: The Winner’s Curse by Marie Rutkoski Favorite contemporary: What I Thought Was True by Huntley Fitzpatrick Favorite paranormal/Gothic horror: Between the Spark and the Burn by April Tucholke Favorite debuts: Lies We Tell Ourselves by Robin Talley and Sekret by Lindsay Smith Favorite series I finished: Rae Carson’s Girl of Fire & Thorns trilogy (I read the whole thing this summer) Favorite middle-grades: Sisters by Raina Telgemeier and Ninth Ward by Jewell Parker Rhodes Favorite sexy book (new adult): Last Will & Testament by Dahlia... Read More