I am still so stunned and happy by today’s news that Charm & Strange is a finalist for the 2014 William C. Morris award. What a special, special moment. I’m not sure I even have the words to express how very honored I am and how much gratitude I feel toward YALSA and all the amazing librarians who have cared about this book.
I am a pretty well-trained insomniac and usually spend my late night hours watching old movies or bad television. But last night, for some reason, I actually re-read Charm & Strange for the first time in a … read the rest
It’s mid-November and I’ve had my head down in all-consuming work for the past few weeks. But now that I’ve completed two big projects, I’m finally sitting back, looking around, and the trees are bare and my in-laws are coming and the holidays will be here soon-soon-soon and everything feels surreal. How did I get here?
Quite a few nice bookish things have happened in that stretch of time. St. Martin’s finalized the cover of my forthcoming novel, COMPLICIT, and I love it more than anything. CHARM & STRANGE received a beautiful review in the Nov/Dec issue of The … read the rest
A few days ago, I was part of a good-hearted discussion on twitter about how one gets a baby to go to sleep. I have three children and my answer for getting them to sleep has always been the same: I hold them. Then I lay down with them. I wrap my arms around them, and I watch their eyelids flutter shut and feel their limbs go limp and listen as their breath becomes slow and steady.
I know that’s not the answer people want; getting a baby to go to sleep means teaching them how to do it on … read the rest
This is a quick post mostly to say that Charm & Strange received a lovely review from the School Library Journal, for which I am very grateful. The review will be in the upcoming issue. It reads:
Gr 8 Up–The dark and twisted heart of this YA novel unfolds slowly, every chapter revealing a hint of the terrible secret that holds Andrew Winston Winters deep in its painful grip. The narrative toggles between the present, as Win, a surly Vermont boarding-school student (chapters titled “matter”), and flashbacks to his past as Drew, the middle child between his sensitive older … read the rest