A lovely FOUR STAR review just in for AlphaOops: H is for Halloween— this one from The Examiner in Charleston, South Carolina. Heather Keuhl, Charleston Paranormal Fiction Examiner (how would you like THAT on your business cards?) says: AlphaOops! H is for Halloween is an adorable book that parents and children will fall in love with. Each letter as their…
I love pictures. Love them. Always have. You’ll see lots of pictures on this site. The digital age is a double-edged sword because we can take as many pictures as we want of absolutely everything, but slowly dwindling are the days of sitting around the table sifting through Nanny’s albums and boxes of memories. I love doing that, love…
Two great new reviews for AlphaOops: H is for Halloween from two exceptionally fun (and Halloween appropriate!) review sites — The Monster Librarian and Kinderscares. Got a budding slasher-film director in your progeny? Well, Mom and Dad, these are the sites for you! *From The Monster Librarian: AlphaOops goes a step beyond the typical letter representing a word in…
I learn something new with every book I publish. What I’ve learned with AlphaOops: H is for Halloween is: 1.) It is WAY easier to write the second book if you already know the characters, what their motivations are, and what they look like. 2.) It is more helpful to write the manuscript in actual theatre or film script…
I love reviewers. Love them. Especially when they 1.) are nice to me and 2.) spell my name correctly. Like this review in particular, from the Pittsburgh Tribune (warning: spoilers!). “A raucous Halloween production,” they say — which I appreciate simply for the use of the word “raucous.” They praise my clever idea and Bob’s exuberant art, and list…
Dude, I went to bed thinking I’d be lucky if one or two people responded to lay eyes on this manuscript real quick. By the time I woke up this morning I had been contacted by TEN PEOPLE, and more have been flooding in who missed last night’s window. I am humbled at this outpouring of generosity. You guys…
I was only going to edit one chapter tonight, but everybody went to bed and I just couldn’t stop. Finally, after far too long a time, I am finished with what feels like the umpteenth revision of HAVEN, my YA paranormal/horror novel. It’s 70K words, and I’m looking for some pre-readers who can get back to me fairly quickly….
As you know from reading this blog (*waves to those who are newcomers*), I’m usually quite vocal about the origin of my stories. For one, knowing a little bit about them (beyond the title), helps you as a reader decide whether you even want to bother. For two, it helps those of you who are writers answer the everlasting…
…the San Francisco Chronicle, for their lovely review of Althea Kontis’s AlphaOops: H is for Halloween. I get it, I do. It’s not totally their fault. Spell check nowadays will actually correct “Alethea” to “Althea” when you’re not looking. I forgive the folks who spell it wrong in emails (even though they’ve somehow managed to spell my email or…
I’m not eligible for this yet. But I will be, someday… It’s a dream I have. (And yes, I am a proud member of SFWA.) *********************************** LOS ANGELES – The jury for the Andre Norton Award for Young Adult Science Fiction and Fantasy is actively reading works published in 2010. The 2010 Norton Award jury members is chaired by…
I’ve been a lot of things in my life,…
I’ve been waiting for over ten years to finally…
If you’ve been following me for a while, you’ve…
