Latina writer of books for kids of all ages.

Archive for the ‘The Writing Life’ Category

Wanted: Writers under 18

Just a newsflash for writers under 18:  Richmond Young Writers summer camp has opened registration.  Its got all the elements needed for a great time for the literary set:  a charming used bookstore, a cool part of town — and Bird Cox and Valley Haggard at the helm. Here’s the schedule. I’ll be teaching July 25 [...]

Have a short story you want to share?

A quickie – Just got news from Luisa Igloria, poet and director of  the MFA Creative Writing program at Old Dominion University. Barely South Review and ODU’s Creative Writing program are partnering on an inaugural short story contest. The Norton Girault Literary Prize offers publication in Barely South Review and $1,000 for the top selection. Best [...]

Charlotte Zolotow Award

A big thank you to the Charlotte Zolotow Prize committee for selecting Tía Isa Wants a Car as a highly commended book for 2011. I’m also happy to join in a standing ovation for this year’s big winner, Patrick McDonnell, whose nifty picture book, Me … Jane is the 15th annual winner of the prize. The Charlotte [...]

Trailer for The Girl Who Could Silence the Wind

Okay, friends. Steven Spielberg has been in town shooting for his Abe Lincoln film. Unfortunately, that means he’s been too busy to make my book trailer. Ha! So, instead, I offer you my humble, homemade effort. The Girl who Could Silence the Wind, is my young adult novel due from Candlewick in March 2012. I’m so [...]

Beloved Little Blogs

I had stopped by his roadside stand in Florida to admire the potted bougainvilleas. Their color caught my eye. Mine at home were skimpy on blooms despite fertilizers.“What’s the secret?” I asked the guy, dazzled. “Plants are like beautiful women,” he explained in Spanish. “You have to neglect them a little to make them want [...]

Why Writers Should Run Away

I never outgrew my fantasies of running away from home. When I was little, I wanted to leave Queens and live on a tropical island instead. Later as a teen, I imagined the pleasure of ditching my mother and renting an apartment of my very own in Manhattan. These days, I fantasize about living in [...]

Gifts for Book Geeks Like Us

It’s nearly holiday time, and that means that biblio-geeks all over Richmond and beyond will get lots of bookstore giftcards in our stockings. Not that I mind getting a lump of money to spend on books. (Keep it coming!) It’s just that I found another cool alternative right under my nose at ArtWorks Studios in Richmond. [...]

For my Holladay ES Peeps

So fun to visit Holladay ES this morning. They’ve been reading MILAGROS in the fourth grade and also TIA ISA in the second grade.  We ran out of time for questions, so as promised, I’m answering here. From grade 2: How did you get to be so good at writing? Practice, practice, and more practice. [...]

A Day at Marie Reed Elementary School

Last Thursday, I trekked up to DC to spend a day at Marie Reed Elementary School in Adams Morgan. Four years into my life as a published author and I’ve realized that I’d rather do a thousand school visits than a book signing, which for me are often skimpy on attendance. There’s something about being [...]

Sweet Endings

Whew!  We just finished the JRW Conference – two amazing days of friendship, good writing, and inspiration. My own high points were being on a panel with fabulous children’s book authors Kathi Appelt and Troy Howell. Mermaids, dragons, revision, writing across age groups – we chatted about all of it.  I also reconnected with poetry thanks to Hermine [...]

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