I have a confession to make. I hate Halloween. Not because of the candy, for which I harbor a shameful addiction, or the pressure of...

Hi book nerds! Today I have the honor of interviewing literary king James Patterson and the celebrated co-author of his latest novel,...

The Books I'm Reading Now...

Please welcome Ella Biber, my returning junior partner! Ella is a seventh grader and an avid reader.

Let’s be honest: I am not a trained writer. I don’t have an MFA or a background in journalism or even an English major. So it might amaze...

PJ: Dear Reader, I know The Antidote for Everything swept you off your feet. Kimmery is a wicked talent and her writing oozes clever...

Please welcome Ella Biber, my returning junior partner! Ella is a fifth grader and an avid reader. When she’s not swimming or playing...

Please welcome Ella Biber, my returning junior partner! Ella is a fourth grader and an avid reader. When she’s not swimming or playing...

I know I knew I went I came I turned the corner and called your name I searched for fire, for love, for life I heard your voice through...

Our topic this week is first drafts, and let’s be honest: I am not a trained writer. I don’t have an MFA or a background in journalism or...

Emily Giffin is the gold standard when it comes to women’s fiction. Her success surges past a writer’s wildest dreams into the realm of...

One week until article about deadlines is due. No problem; is loads of time. Would start immediately, except, much like childbirth, you...

Remember that summer when everyone was surreptitiously reading Fifty Shades of Grey on their Kindles, eyes darting shiftily as they tried to

I met Meg Wolitzer in Iceland. (How great is an opener is that sentence? I could hardly have invented better words to pass myself off as...

I am having all kinds of success with my author interviews lately. This week is another biggie: Catherine McKenzie, who I met at the...

I’ve been a fan of Chris Bohjalian for years, so having the opportunity to ask him questions was the literary equivalent of my...

Most of the time—to my surprise—I look forward to writing my weekly post for The Debutante Ball. This week, however, I dreaded it. This...

I am all kinds of delighted to be able to interview one of my writer heroines this week. Jessica’s Strawser’s debut novel, Almost Missed...

When I was an aspiring author, I read every query letter success story I could get my hands on. There was a common theme to these essays,...

Today’s topic is Writing Through Distraction, which I feel eminently qualified to discuss because my God, it is freakishly cold in here....

I typically don’t make New Year’s Resolutions, on the theory that I’m more of a fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants girl (a pantser, as we dorks...

We all know December is traditionally hellish, what with the looming holiday madness, the ten thousand “festive event” obligations, and...

Back when I was engaged in the humbling process of querying, I held a keen interest in other Back when I was engaged in the humbling...

I met Anna Quinn through a Facebook group for debut authors and was immediately intrigued both by her background and her book. Anna, a...

Note: this week, we are discussing the process of landing a literary agent. For anyone unfamiliar with this torturous process, it...

A few weeks ago, I stumbled across an article in National Geographic about the longest train ride through India. You know how every now...

For this post about people without whom The Queen of Hearts would not exist, I decided to go rogue in order to list a few unexpected...

At my wedding, my sister told a story of how we used to play a game when we were little called The Princess and the Servant. In this game...

I was contemplating the time course of novel-publishing the other day, after someone asked me an interview question about how long it...

“Fat moths the size of palms wreathed my hair like pearls and moonstones. And then, as I had done since before language burgeoned in the...

I am so excited about this book! It has already vaulted up to become one of my favorite thrillers ever and I think it is going to be...

O Canada! The True North strong and free! It is July, and the temperature at home is hellish and accompanied by near-lethal humidity. I’m...

I'm back! Summer always unglues me, what with the heat and all the travel and the thousands of children running around and the alcohol....

The problem with reviewing a large amount of books is it's possible to use up all the superlatives, particularly if you are excitable by...

One of the things I love most about reading fiction is the opportunity to inhabit a consciousness completely alien to my own. Recently...

Today, I'm speaking with the author of a great new medical thriller, my physician friend K.V. Scruggs. See below for a description of her...

Velkomin til Reykjavíkur! GETTING HERE: Unlike most of the people attending the Iceland Writers Retreat, who are flying Icelandair, I’ve...

Almost Missed You begins with an event so startling there is no possible chance you’ll put the book down. A woman named Violet is...

Bienvenido a Costa Rica! ¡Pura vida! Here I sit in a paradisiacal jungle, with a cup of strong coffee and a view of the rollicking...

The Last Kids on Earth is about a 13 year old boy named Jack Sullivan, whose town and possibly the rest of the world has had a monster...

T-minus 10 months until my book is published and I am officially transformed from nerdy reader to nerdy writer. (February 6th, 2018!...

I read Stevens' debut novel Still Missing when it was released in 2010 and remember it as one of the creepiest abduction scenes ever...

Well, this book tore my heart in half and then stomped on it, but before we get into that, here’s some background: Theo, Griffin’s...

Today's book review is a guest post from my friend Colman, age 12. He'll be recommending Middle Grade and Young Adult books from time to...

It’s very difficult to write a book with an unlikable main character. Or, I should say, it’s very difficult to write a book with an...

It was the best of years and the worst of years. My crazy dream is one step closer to reality— I signed with a fabulous literary agent...

I LOVED this book. I was therefore mystified when I looked it up on Goodreads and discovered a whole lot of people trashing it with the...

This is not a book afraid of a little raunch. Or a lot of raunch, actually. I had no idea what it was about when I downloaded it—I do...

I enjoyed The Circle right from the first few pages. Mae Holland is a millennial drudge, working at a public utility company that’s about...

Let's start out with a synopsis. Libby, formerly “America's fattest teen,” is about to become a junior in high school. She is still...