Edit: Signups are now closed. Congratulations to @vixenreads for winning the prize pack!   We have a final cover for ROSEMARKED! It’s gorgeous 😀 I’m excited to share it with you all, and we’re trying something a bit different this time: a crowdsourced twitter, instagram, and facebook reveal.  And there are prizes for participating! Here are the details. When: June 8, 2016. Who can participate: Anyone with a twitter, facebook, or instagram account can participate.  If you’d like to be eligible for the prize though, your post needs to be visible to the general public. What’s involved: On June 8, I’ll email you the cover and the link to a…

DAUGHTER OF DUSK is out in paperback today! Purchase the paperback from: Indiebound | Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Book Depository (free international shipping)    

My entire Story Writing Workshop is now up on Teachers Pay Teachers!  There are seven lessons total. You can also get the complete bundle for a 22% discount. CHECK OUT THE SERIES AND DOWNLOAD THE FIRST LESSON FREE! Lesson One: Introduction to Storytelling (Free download) Lesson Two: Freewriting and Idea Generation Lesson Three: Building Strong Characters Lesson Four: Plot Lesson Five: Setting and Description Lesson Six: Revision Lesson Seven: Book Cover Design

  We’re on a roll!  My lesson plans for Description and Setting are now available on Teachers Pay Teachers. How do writers bring an entire world to life through simple words?  In this lesson, students learn the secrets of precise and descriptive prose, and how to filter a description through a character’s point of view.  Then they’ll go on to explore their story’s setting and how it affects their characters and plots

The fourth installment of my Creative Writing Workshop is up on Teachers Pay Teachers. Lesson four is about plot. What drives a plot and keeps the reader engaged? Students will learn basic plot structure, from inciting incident to climax, as well as tips for organizing everything in between. Then, they’ll draw plot charts for their own stories.

And the third lesson plan from my Story Writing Workshop is now available at Teachers Pay Teachers. Lesson three is about characterization. Students learn the tips and tricks that make a well rounded character.  Through brainstorming exercises, mock interviews, and character autobiographies, students develop their main character’s life experience and personality. Then after they’ve nailed down their protagonist, students explore how supporting characters complement and challenge the protagonist.  Finally, students learn about the ways  which characters grow and change throughout a story. Check out the rest of the series as well: Lesson One: Introduction to Storytelling Lesson Two: Freewriting and Idea Generation (The writing prompts in this lesson are also…

This past July, I ran a week long creative writing camp for middle and high school students.  After the camp, I revised my materials and expanded on them for other teachers to use. Lesson 2: Freewriting and Idea Generation is now available on Teachers Pay Teachers. It’s all about figuring out what to write. Sometimes the muse is ready to meet us, but other times we have to go look for her. This lesson leads students through eleven writing prompts. After they complete the exercise, they pick their favorite idea and develop it into a rough synopsis. This lesson can be used as a standalone creativity exercise. Alternatively, students can…

This past July, I ran a week long creative writing camp for middle and high school students. We had a ton of fun, and the students wrote some great stories! After the camp, I revised my materials and expanded on them for other teachers to use. Lesson one, introduction to storytelling, is now available for free download at Teachers Pay Teachers.  It’s a bird’s eye view of storytelling. Why do we tell stories in the first place? What makes a good story? How do you become a better writer? The lesson uses several well known stories to discuss plot, character, and writing, with the goal of encouraging students to start…

Midnight Thief is Tome Society’s November book of the month, and I made an introductory video for their blog.  In it, I talk about how I came to write Midnight Thief, as well as some of the influences behind it. (It’s also the first video on my youtube channel, and I still haven’t figured out how video editing works. I feel old…)

Welcome to YA Scavenger Hunt! This bi-annual event was first organized by author Colleen Houck as a way to give readers a chance to gain access to exclusive bonus material from their favorite authors…and a chance to win some awesome prizes! At this hunt, you not only get access to exclusive content from each author, you also get a clue for the hunt. Add up the clues, and you can enter for our prize–one lucky winner will receive one signed book from each author on the hunt in my team! But play fast: this contest (and all the exclusive bonus material) will only be online for 72 hours! Go to…