Posted at May 10, 2013 4:15 pm
So it’s spring, and I’m feeling a bit crafty. Possibly also procrastinating, but that happens. 
This is my project for the day: liquid and moon-shaped soap with artificial flowers embedded. I got a kit last year and completely forgot about it until I was cleaning out the basement. I love it when that happens. I got the silicone moon soap molds from the dollar store a couple years ago and still had some violet soap fragrance hanging around. Those are glass marbles in the bottom of the liquid soap containers. I may try this again with other artificial flowers. It turned out to be easy enough to do, even with cat interference.
Are you working on any projects this spring?
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Posted at Apr 22, 2013 12:07 am
The upcoming sequel to THE HALLOWED ONES, THE OUTSIDE, has received a starred review from Kirkus!
* “Top-notch. . . . A horror story with heart and soul.”
—Kirkus, starred review
More deets are here.
You can’t see me, but I’m Muppet-flailing. 
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Posted at Mar 22, 2013 7:56 pm
I received the most wonderful package today from Sullivan McPig! There is candy, a postcard, stickers and the most lovely cross-stitch EVER!!!!
The candy will probably vanish today. The stickers will be used as a motivation to make my word count goals – I’ve decided I can stick them in my day planner if I’m successful with my goals. The postcard has been pinned over my desk, and I will be framing the lovely bear feeding robins! It’s so funny that I received this today…the robins have finally made an appearance in my neck of the woods!
Many thanks to the super-talented Sullivan for the care package!
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Posted at Jan 29, 2013 8:48 pm
THE HALLOWED ONES is a pick for the American Library Association’s 2013 Amelia Bloomer Project. The ALA’s Feminist Task Force of the Social Responsibilities Roundtable chooses a list of recommended feminist books for young readers, and THE HALLOWED ONES is on it!
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Posted at Jan 16, 2013 8:46 pm
Sullivan McPig is revealing the cover for THE OUTSIDE, the sequel to THE HALLOWED ONES! Check it out here!
(insert wild muppet flail)
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Posted at Jan 14, 2013 2:59 am
Couple of day-brighteners. The fabulous Jeffe Kennedy sent me a fun award a couple of weeks ago…a golden cow! Isn’t she lovely? THE HALLOWED ONES hit #5 in the kids’ farm life category on Amazon, and I will never forget that, now that the Golden Bessie is perched on my mantel!
I also went out to brunch with my mom and husband. We visited the B&N near Ohio State University and got the pleasure of seeing my book on an endcap. It IS weird going to visit your book with your mom, but also a lot of fun!
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Posted at Jan 4, 2013 10:19 pm
Squee – look what I found at the nearby B&N! so full of the pretty! and such good company!
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Posted at Jan 4, 2013 8:34 pm
THE OUTSIDE, the sequel to THE HALLOWED ONES, is now available for pre-order! It’ll be released September 3, 2013. I’m super-excited that this is my first hardcover book and thrilled to share a bit about the story!
Here are the details:
After a plague of vampires is unleashed in the world, Katie is kicked out of her Amish community for her refusal to adhere to the new rules of survival. Now in exile, she enters an outside world of unspeakable violence with only her two “English” friends and a horse by her side. Together they seek answers and other survivors—but each sunset brings the threat of vampire attack, and each sunrise the threat of starvation.
And yet through this darkness come the shining ones: luminescent men and women with the power to deflect vampires and survive the night. But can these new people be trusted, and are they even people at all?
In this edge-of-your-seat thriller, it’s up to one Amish girl to save her family, her community, and the boy she loves . . . but what will she be asked to leave behind in return?
THE OUTSIDE is available for pre-order from Amazon and HMH Books.
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Posted at Dec 18, 2012 12:59 am
Michigan peeps…anyone want to adopt a lovely dog from the Detroit Dog Rescue? His name is Blarney. Let me know if you’re interested and I’ll put you in touch with his foster mom! He’s about seven years old, 77 pounds, neutered, up to date on all vaccines, and is a Very Good Boy.
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Posted at Nov 21, 2012 4:26 am
I got tagged by the wonderful Celia Breslin to answer ten questions for the Next Big Thing Blog Hop today!
What is your working title of your book?
My latest release is THE HALLOWED ONES.
Where did the idea come from for the book?
For THE HALLOWED ONES, I was wondering who would be best-equipped to survive a large-scale disaster. It occurred to me that the Amish would be uniquely equipped to survive. They are incredibly self-sufficient and are not dependent upon things we take for granted in our world, things like electricity and cars.
What genre does your book fall under?
THE HALLOWED ONES a YA thriller.
Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?
That’s one thing I haven’t thought about – I have images of Katie and Elijah in my head, and they don’t really square with any actors I know about right now. I think I’d like to see unknowns cast – that would be fun!
What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?
Katie, a young Amish woman, must confront not only a massive disaster unfolding in the world outside her community, but also the threat of darkness in her own increasingly fragile society.
Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?
THE HALLOWED ONES is published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt’s Graphia imprint. I’m represented by Becca Stumpf of Prospect Agency.
How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?
It took a few months. I always start with a synopsis and outline, and I think that helps keep me (mostly) on track.
What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?
One reviewer compared it to THE FOREST OF HANDS AND TEETH, which is extremely flattering!
Who or what inspired you to write this book?
I live not too far from a large Amish settlement. When I was a child, my parents would take me to visit, and I was fascinated by a world very different than the one I lived in. I’d see Amish girls my age over the fence and wonder what their lives were like.
What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?
Think WITNESS meets 28 DAYS LATER!
Celia Breslin tagged me! To pass along the happiness, I’m tagging the following wonderful folks whose books are always in my to-read list:
Marcella Burnard
Carolyn Crane
Stacie Kade
Mina Khan
Lauren DeStefano
Merrie DeStefano
Jeffe Kennedy
Melissa Marr
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