It’s May– Mental Health Awareness Month– and I’m thinking about the beautiful cover of Taylor Before and After, illustrated by Rachel Suggs, on which there’s a break in the clouds above Taylor. In this intimate, honest interview, I discuss depression, desperation, empowerment, hope, and what matters more than anything.
Check out my YouTube Channel Story, setting, character– In short clips, I explore elements of the writing process, and expand on certain scenes. I talk about what isn’t visible, and lead viewers to their own connections and predictions. My YouTube Channel
Interview with Roundabout Books Bend’s beloved bookshop, Roundabout Books, and I chat about the unique structure/format of Taylor Before and After. We talk rhythm, sounds, and analysis. Sometimes we write with our brain, and sometimes we go with our gut, or intuition. Toward the end, I surprise the live audience with how long I’ve been…
The Villain! For World Read Aloud Day A story’s villain is smart and complicated. She is powerful (even subtly), manipulative, and driven by a motive. She also has her own vulnerabilities. In this segment, I read from page 47 of Taylor Before and After, in which the villain Brielle persuades Taylor to do something out…
I had the opportunity to write for Meduim.com What’s the deal with the last page? In this interview with Medium Magazine, I look at the end of Taylor Before and After, along with the biggest obstacle in becoming an author, the one thing I’d do over, how I feel about polarizing reviews, and the two…
Check me out in the Mail Tribune! The only 2022 Oregon Book Award finalist from the southern half of the state, I was honored and happy to help get Southern Oregon on the creative map. I bought all the finalists’ books– Waka T. Brown’s While I Was Away, Cathy Camper’s Ten Ways to Hear Snow,…
The Official Listing! A lifetime honor was receiving the 2022 Eloise Jarvis McGraw Book Award for Children’s Literature. Rez Dogs author Joseph Bruchac– a writing hero of mine– was a panel judge, along with picture-book author Lisa Jahn-Clough and illustrator Mechal Renee Roe. I was surprised and thrilled to accept the award presented by my…
