I began writing The Hidden Knife in 2010. I was pushing forty, and I’d decided to become a mother one more time. As part of prepping for motherhood, I began to exercise. A lot. I was doing Pilates, including trapeze exercises, setting “walk goals” of one hundred miles a month. The side benefit was that […]
July
14
Coping with Grief and Gaining Empathy Through Story and the Lens of History
posted by CBethM
Almost unfathomably, this September 11th marks a staggering 20 years since many of us watched in horror as the iconic twin towers fell, and our nation was under attack. As many adults still work to process the shock and trauma of that day, students not yet born in 2001, grow ever more removed […]
July
13
You Can’t Say That: Who Should Censor Our Children’s Reading? by Leonard S. Marcus
posted by CBethM
As a historian and critic, I realized long ago that books for young readers are not as innocent as they seem. How could they be? In every generation, the stories we tell our children and teens lay bareour collective hopes and dreams–and fears–for the future. No wonder titles published for young readers always dominate the […]
July
10
Ten Books to Help you Get Ready for the Summer Olympics by Jennifer Swanson
posted by CBethM
Got sports? The Olympics does, and plenty of them. A huge multinational sports competition held every four years, this is THE sporting event of the world. Well, okay it depends on who you ask, but still, the Olympics are a pretty big deal, especially if you are an athlete. It brings together some of the […]
July
09
What We Know by Heart by Jamie Michalak
posted by CBethM
As a children’s book author, I spend a lot of time visiting rooms that no longer exist. I try to magically transport myself to the past by recalling the specifics. The names of the board games in my playroom. Or the scent of my first grade classroom—a combination of eraser dust, floor polish, and my […]
July
06
Forever (Bogalusa) This Summer by Leslie C. Youngblood
posted by CBethM
I was born in a town that forever reigns in my heart and mind: Bogalusa, Louisiana, the setting of my second novel, Forever This Summer. A town of close to twelve thousand, Bogalusa was crowned the “magic city” because of the speed of its construction in 1914. I was a tween before I realized it was […]
July
05
The Why by Veera Hiranandani
posted by CBethM
Whenever I visit schools to talk about my books, I answer the very popular question, “how do you get your ideas?” Even though it’s a common question for writers, each writer has an answer personal to them. I tell students that I write about things I’m both interested in and confused by. Then I explain. […]
July
01
Finding Hidden Portals and Other Worlds by Eleanor Crewes
posted by CBethM
When I was little I wished more than anything to be a witch. I dressed in black, wore silver jewellery from the market, learned the magical symbols that appeared in the comic books my Dad left around the house, and begged my parents for a black cat who I named Lulu and loved for eighteen […]
June
23
COVER REVEAL: The Great Peach Pit Experiment 2: The Peach Pit by Erin Soderberg Downing
posted by CBethM
I am so excited that Colby is willing to do the big reveal of this amazing cover, for the second book in THE GREAT PEACH EXPERIMENT series (The Great Peach Experiment 2: The Peach Pit), since so many pieces of the first book in this series were inspired by my family’s road trips to and […]
June
15
When Life Hands You Ideas by Nandini Bajpai
posted by CBethM
The path to publication from idea to ink is different for every book. Sometimes life hands you an idea and sometimes the idea comes from something in your own life. The first was true of my U.S. debut A Match Made in Mehendi since I don’t actually come from a family of matchmakers and the […]
