Annotated

Whenever I start writing a book, I make myself a syllabus. The syllabus morphs as the story takes shape, but by the time the book is done, I usually have a big list of authors to whom I feel a debt of gratitude. I compiled my list of books that were particularly...

Climactic

When I was wee, I was told that this was a story: You struggle toward a goal, and it’s hard, but then you make it. And boy, it’s exciting! Then you lounge peacefully in the realm of Happily Ever After. I absorbed this shape. And not just because I write. I...

American Field Guide to Australian Animals

It has come to my attention that I was, during the formative years of childhood, grotesquely misinformed about the size and danger of Australian wildlife. I’ve been in Victoria for a few months now, and I have not once, not once, been accosted by any sort of giant,...

The penguins gave me a cover

According to Google Analytics, most people who visit my website are either college classmates or YA readers. If you’ve been on this website before, you will probably be surprised that I know this information. An outside observer would probably look at my posts...