Musings of a Novelista

I have always been intrigued by male voices written by female writers.
But what I find interesting is that some readers complain that the male voice is “feminized” or not “authentic.” And I often wonder what that means.
Characters are unique — and for me, when you write a character that is a different sex from you, [...]

The first book that I checked out of the library with my “big girl” card was the The Stand by Stephen King, so I can honestly say I’ve had a thing for dystopian fiction for a while now.
Dystopian fiction is also a hot commodity in YA right now. Publisher’s Weekly has an article Apocalypse Now [...]

Today is President’s Day, which for me means no software geek work today. That in itself is a celebration.
I hope that everyone had a great Valentine’s Day. I still have a love hangover from yesterday’s wonderful festivities so I thought I would share my great love for the library. It’s where I’ve spent most of [...]

Eariler this week, Bloomsbury USA ignited a furvor of controversy over the choice of a cover model for the YA fantasy, Magic Under Glass.
In my post, Two Steps Backward, I shared my thoughts of how kids and teens of color need to see themselves reflected on books covers and in novels.
The blogosphere took Bloomsbury to [...]

Earlier this morning at the ALA Midwinter Conference in Boston, the 2010 ALSC media award winners were announced.

The Lion and the Mouse illustrated (and written) by Jerry Pinkney won the Caldecott medal, which is given to the artist of the most distinguished American picture book for children. This book was a stand-out favorite, [...]