Middle Grade Ninja: GUEST POST: “Why Picture Books Aren’t Just for Elementary School Kids” by Salvo Lavis and James Munn

We write children’s picture books about an elementary school-aged boy and his marvelous pet weasel. Often we are asked—understandably so—for what age groups our fun little episodes are intended. The answer: children between four and ten years old and the adults who read with them. But the deeper truth: anyone and everyone. Humans love a […]

Middle Grade Ninja: Banneker Bones and the Alligator People

Fair warning, Esteemed Reader, I’m going to use just a bit of adult language in this post. I’m emotional today because I’ve just picked up Little Ninja after his school went on lock down following a shooting. I don’t want to be writing this. I want that amazing interview with my hero Louis Sachar, author […]

Middle Grade Ninja: KT Literary

Before joining DeFiore in early 2016, Reiko Davis was an associate agent at Miriam Altshuler Literary Agency for four years. She grew up in Kansas City, received her BA in Comparative Literature and Art History from Brown University, and is a graduate of the Columbia Publishing Course. Reiko’s interests are varied, but she is particularly […]

Middle Grade Ninja: Thoughts on God

Middle Grade Ninja: Miss Snark’s First Victim’s Faithful Reader

Good morning, Esteemed Reader! I’ve got another online resource for writers today. One of my absolute favorite blogs is Miss Snark’s First Victim. If you’re not familiar with Authoress, the anonymous blogger who brings the internets her vast knowledge of literary agents and all things publishing, you need to get familiar. I’ve been reading her […]

Middle Grade Ninja: NINJA BOOK CLUB: Chapter 4 – BACK TO THE BURROW

First Paragraph: By twelve o’clock the next day, Harry’s school trunk was packed with his school things and all his most prized possessions — the Invisibility Cloak he had inherited from his father, the broomstick he had gotten from Sirius, the enchanted map of Hogwarts he had been given by Fred and George Weasley last year. […]

Middle Grade Ninja: NINJA STUFF: Author, Year One (Part Two – Control and Being an Adult)

Last Time on Ninja Stuff: I wrote about adjusting your expectations as a debut author to match reality, not your dream. I also discussed the virtue of patience as books depend on word-of-mouth to build readership and that takes time. And now the thrilling conclusion… Today, I want to share with you some of what […]

Middle Grade Ninja: NINJA STUFF: Hope Springs

I’m feeling good today, Esteemed Reader. The snapshot above is from Amazon this morning. If I could email it to myself ten years ago, I’d save a lot of dark moments of self doubt:) Not that there won’t be some more of those yet to come as well as some mistakes and disappointments. But I’ll […]

Middle Grade Ninja: NINJA STUFF: On Heartbreak And Diversity In Traditional Publishing (Part Two)

Last Time On Ninja Stuff: The YA Cannibals went to a SCBWI conference on “Finding Common Ground In Diverse Characters” held in one of the least diverse places I’ve ever been: McCormick’s Creek State Park in Spencer, Indiana. There I learned the first girl who ever broke my heart now, 16 years later, runs a […]

Middle Grade Ninja: The Ninja Won the Pot-O-Gold Award!

Big time thanks to my friend Casey McCormick over at Literary Rambles for bestowing on this blog the Pot-O-Gold Award! I’m not sure what it is or where I collect my gold, but it’s very exciting to win:) Christie Wright Wild created the award and here’s the idea behind it: “The Pot-O-Gold Blogger Award is […]

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