Setting: A library-based author event earlier this year. Time: The latter portion of "set up" time, prior to the doors opening to the public. An author who said she writes young adult novels walked up to my booth and picked up my display copy of Society of the Sentinelia. She read the back cover. Her face lit up.

Ask any writer who has sat behind a table of neatly arranged books, swag, and themed decor, and they will have a story or two about the...

Adventures help build creative muscle. I'm convinced writer's block can always be cured by taking a break from the keyboard and trying...

Amidst my hectic graduate work, middle school teacher, and novel writer schedule, I carved out time for a writers and illustrators...

Recently, I had the privilege of speaking at the SCBWI Carolinas Deep Dive Day. My presentation was rooted in my personal writing and...

The Birkhead Wilderness, which is part of the Uwharrie Mountains in central NC, was the inspiration and setting for my Zahra of the...

When writers create characters, they draw from observations of friends, relatives, acquaintances, and strangers. Then they mix those...

I've been a dedicated NaNoWriMo participant for years. Each November, I challenge myself to draft a book—or at least the first 50K words...

We wear many hats in our lives. My collection includes mother, wife, aunt, daughter, caregiver, marketing director, mentor, friend, and...

My mom is a ham. She's sociable, funny, and dramatic. Could she have been an actor? After her recent stint in the recording booth, I...

Editorial Note: This is an opinion piece by David Bare, the teen librarian at Asheboro Public Library. The world is a scary place. The...