Category: Uncategorized
Middle Grade Ninja: NINJA STUFF: On the Destructive Desire for Fame (And Ben Affleck)
Do you want to be famous, Esteemed Reader? Do you yearn for the attention and possibly even adoration of millions–nay, billions–of strangers? Are you going to live forever? Are you going to learn how to fly? Are you gonna make it to Heaven and light up the sky like a flame (FAME!!!)? Will the love […]
Middle Grade Ninja: NINJA STUFF: Why We Write (Part Two)
Last time on Ninja Stuff: We discussed the long odds of would-be writers seeking publication and the pain of authorial aspirations. If you haven’t read the first post, you might want to start there. And now, the thrilling conclusion… Remember, Esteemed Reader, every book reviewed here was once a manuscript circulating editors and agents and […]
Middle Grade Ninja: The Book of David: Chapter One read by Robert Kent
WARNING: This recording is for ADULT LISTENERS and packs profuse profanity:) Quarantine for COVID-19 has given me the unexpected gift of perspective and free time. I always wanted to record at least one audiobook, and I always figured I’d read THE BOOK OF DAVID… someday… when I have time. To keep from crawling the walls […]
Middle Grade Ninja: 7 Questions For: Literary Agent Amy Tipton
Hello there, Esteemed Reader! I am super excited to introduce a brand new feature to the blog today, 7 Questions For Literary Agents! It’s just like 7 Questions For Writers, except it could help you find the perfect literary agent to represent your book! Or if you already have an agent, this will be a […]
Middle Grade Ninja: 7 Questions For: Author Francesca Zappia
Francesca Zappia lives in Indiana, majors in Computer Science at the University of Indianapolis, and still isn’t sure exactly how that happened. She spends most of her time writing, reading, drawing, watching anime, and playing way too much Pokémon. Some of her stories have nice neat endings, and others don’t have very neat endings at […]
Middle Grade Ninja: 7 Questions For: Author Lynne Reid Banks
Lynne Reid Banks is the author of ten acclaimed adult novels as well as many much-loved books for children. She was born in London in 1929, the only child of a Scottish doctor and an Irish actress. During WW2 she was evacuated to the prairies of Canada where she spent 5 years. After studying at […]
Middle Grade Ninja: 7 Questions For: Author Susan Kaye Quinn
Susan Kaye Quinn is the author of the bestselling young adult SF Mindjack Trilogy. The just-released Debt Collector series is her more grown-up SF, meant for ages 17+. Susan grew up in California, got a bunch of engineering degrees (B.S. Aerospace Engineering, M.S. Mechanical Engineering, Ph.D. in Environmental Engineering) and worked everywhere from NASA to NCAR (National Center for […]
Middle Grade Ninja: 7 Questions For: Author Dawn Lairamore
Dawn Lairamore is the author of Ivy’s Ever After. Click here to read my review. She has always loved fairy tales but thinks you can only take so many sweet, proper princesses and ferocious, fire-breathing dragons. She thought it would be fun to write a fairy tale where the princess and the dragon weren’t what you expected. […]
Middle Grade Ninja: 7 Questions For: Author Jean Craighead George
Jean Craighead George was born in a family of naturalists. Her father, mother, brothers, aunts and uncles were students of nature. On weekends they camped in the woods near their Washington, D.C. home, climbed trees to study owls, gathered edible plants and made fish hooks from twigs. Her first pet was a turkey vulture. In […]
Middle Grade Ninja: 7 Questions For: Literary Agent Adriann Ranta
Adriann Ranta is a literary agent at Wolf Literary Services, actively acquiring both fiction and nonfiction, specializing in children’s and young adult novels. A magna cum laude graduate of the University of Arizona, she served as managing editor of Between the Lines, The Editorial Department’s e-zine focused on the business of publishing, before moving to […]