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October 23, 2018Bad Reviews and Broken Hearts: How to Deal with All the Feelings
First: Spend several years working on you—I mean, a manuscript. Revise each draft based on feedback from your therapist—I mean, editor. Get Tinder—I mean, get publishing deal. Agonize over each ...
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August 27, 2018An Open Letter to the Stranger Who Asked Me, “How Did You Write That Book for Children If You Don't Have Children?”
Dear Stranger,I realize that writing a book is kind of a self-important undertaking. When I write, I sometimes imagine that there are people out there who might actually enjoy reading my words and letting ...
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June 27, 2018Why Do We Keep Picture Book Authors and Illustrators Apart? - or How to Play Well With Others
I completely underestimated how emotional the whole process of creating a picture book would be. When my first picture book was being published, I became a horrible self-involved troll-person. I couldn’t ...
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May 29, 2018What I Wish Every Aspiring Children’s Author Knew About Publishing
It seems like book publishing is a mysterious, captivating industry to many people. It barely gets represented in pop culture and when it does get featured (Elf and Fatal Attraction come to mind), ...
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May 28, 2018"I Realized the 1st Time I Walked into a Prison That I Would Write About My Experiences" Activist Ann Hansen on Her New Book
In 1983, Ann Hansen was arrested along with four friends. It wasn't mischief, drinking, or other youthful antics that led to the arrest though - Hansen and her companions comprised a radical group called ...
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April 30, 2018Robert Chafe on Writing a Play About a Man Who Spent His Life Freeing Things Only to Become Trapped Himself
Governor General's Literary Award winning playwright and author Robert Chafe has made a name for himself with both his acclaimed original plays and fiction and his stunning stage adaptations of works ...
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April 25, 2018On respectable narratives and why diversity on the page matters
Growing up, I was very particular kind of Chinese girl. I attended Chinese school on Saturdays. I took piano lessons. My report cards were always the best in my class. I played first clarinet in my school ...
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April 25, 2018
In Praise of … Generosity
I’ve been told I sometimes need to tone it down in the hospitality department when entertaining company at our place. I am told this by my wife, acclaimed novelist and short story writer Rebecca Rosenblum, ...
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March 27, 2018CBC Canada Reads the Halfway Mark: And Then There Were Three
(If you aren't caught up on CBC Canada Reads, this post contains up to date information on the competition, aka spoilers!)Today marked the halfway point for CBC Canada Reads 2018. In a tie-breaking upset, ...
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March 14, 2018
How to hold a launch.
There comes a time in a writer’s life when, if you are very lucky, you will be published (frequently but not always a book) and you may feel the need to draw attention to it with some kind of hoohah. ...