The Blog
Book reviews, notes on raising readers, and the stories behind the author's own books.
I Took the Stars Off ALMA
Until this week, every book on ALMA came with five stars. A rating that never changes isn't a rating, so I took them off, and put a sentence in their place.
The Ten Words I Buried in Book Two That Nobody's Asked About Yet
A wiki entry almost nobody clicks on, a coincidence with Wren I didn't plan, and a detail about the Founding Fleet's collectors that connects to both in a way I only noticed months later, at two in the morning.
I Almost Ruined My Kid's Love of Reading This Summer. Here's What Fixed It.
A reading rule that quietly killed the reading. What actually brought it back had nothing to do with more books, and everything to do with less pressure. A September reset any parent can start tonight.
Funny Story by Emily Henry: Whose Story Was It, Really?
Funny Story is warmer than it is funny, and that turns out to be the most interesting thing about it. A spoiler-light review of what works, what doesn't, and the one thing about its structure nobody else seems to be talking about.
The Messages I Get at 2 A.M.
The messages that show up on my phone at 2 a.m. are never really about the plot. Here's what I've learned from answering them anyway.
How to Start a Book Club With Kids Who Don't Think They Like Reading
A book club doesn't need a curriculum or six kids who already love reading. Here's the version that actually worked, and where to start if you don't want to run it alone.
We Just Opened a Place for Readers to Talk to Each Other
I built a place on the site where readers can talk to each other directly, not just to me. It just opened. Come say hello.
Nobody Called It the Slow Group. I Knew Anyway.
I sat at the round table by the window in third grade, the one for kids who weren't keeping up, and nobody ever called it that out loud. This is the real reason Shadow Choice exists, and it isn't about my daughter this time. It's about me.
What I'm Willing to Tell You About Book Three
The full Book Three teaser, plus a few connections hiding in plain sight in the Keeper Archive. Your theories go in the comments. I read every one.
I Took Two Finished Books Apart After They Were Already on Shelves
Book One and Book Two of Shadow Choice were already published, already selling, already being read, when I quietly pulled them apart and rebuilt them from the inside. This is the real reason, and what it actually cost me.
5 Tricks That Actually Get Reluctant Readers to Finish a Book
A mystery instead of a chapter, a line to stop reading on, a nightly ritual instead of an assignment, and two more things that turned one reluctant reader into someone who calls herself a Luca. Real tricks, tested at one actual kitchen table.
Inside the Shadow Choice Universe: Every Symbol, Every Title, Every Secret We Can Tell You
Two books, eight symbols, a cast whose titles evolve between volumes, and an ending that leaves nine words we won't spoil. Here's everything a new Keeper Candidate should know before starting Shadow Choice.