Blogs are dead; long live the blog! Welcome to a curated selection of my blog posts on writing, diversity, LGBTQ+ young adult, and my books, dating all the way back to 2008. If you enjoy my writing, please consider supporting it with a donation.
Back in October, I wrote a detailed post on how the national wave of book banning has targeted my books. For a couple of months afterward, I posted updates on instagram, but since December I haven't had the chance to do any more updates ... until now. I've been keeping a list, folks, and it's not very nice.
Read MoreEvery year I do an annual review post in which I look back on what I did professionally and look forward to what I hope to do in the year to come, and I tag them annual review on my blog. This means if you’re interested you can go back to see my annual reviews since the early 2010s.
I just re-read my annual review for 2022, in which I wrote: "I know that I won’t be able to finish a whole new book in 2023, but I do plan to get a good start on it.”
Read MoreYesterday, I joined my publisher, Penguin Random House; the Iowa State Education Association; authors Laurie Halse Anderson, John Green, and Jodi Picoult; three Iowa educators; and an Iowa high school student and parent in filing a lawsuit against the state of Iowa and challenging Senate File 496, which was enacted in May 2023.
Read MoreAs the holidays approach, I wanted to let you know that I’ve partnered with Belmont Books in Belmont, MA, to offer signed and personalized books for holiday gifts. (You can gift them to yourself, too! )
Read MoreSince 2021, there has been an extremely disturbing surge in book bans in school districts and libraries in the United States. The most frequently targeted books are about people of color, LGBTQ+ people, racism, and history.
In the last two years, my books have been banned, challenged, or restricted in 44 cases in 40 communities across 16 states. Last Night at the Telegraph Club receives the most attention, but Ash, Huntress, A Line in the Dark and A Scatter of Light have also been targeted by book banners.
Read MoreOn a Thursday in June 2023, I drive to Hanscom Field in Bedford, MA. I’ve scheduled myself to take a flying lesson. I’m nervous. I feel fully present in the way I do when I’m doing something scary. I’m aware of every tiny gurgle in my stomach.
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