Witchlanders Gets Another Star! (That Makes Three!) And Give-Away!
I never say “squee.” I mean, what kind of word is that, anyway? Surely there’s a better word for a woman of a certain age to use when she’s excited about something. A dignified word like: Topping! Oh Topping, Muffie. I’ve got some rather good news. Oh screw it, Muffie. SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE! I am very happy to report that my little book has scored a hat-trick and has now received THREE STARRED REVIEWS! This one is from the really wise and discerning folks at School Library Journal. I’m so delighted I’m going to hold a...
Read MoreMy Time in Narnia as the Fifth Pevensie Sibling
Loved doing this interview with Cynthia Leitich Smith over on the Cynsations blog–she always asks insightful questions. Have a...
Read MoreA Query Dissected
A number of people have been asking me how I got my literary agent, and it occurred to me that I have amassed quite a bit of knowledge about how to find the right representation. In upcoming posts, I’ll tell you about how I went about my agent search, but for today I thought I’d start by posting about that all-important query. A query is a single-page letter introducing you and your book. If you have finished a novel and plan to search for either an agent or a publisher, you are probably going to have to write one. I won’t lie: It’s a daunting task. Agents and editors see many, many...
Read MoreSome great news for Witchlanders!
I recently got two fabulous pieces of news from my editor at Atheneum, Caitlyn Dlouhy. The first is that Witchlanders has been chosen from over 160 books to be one of 20 ABC New Voices selections, a list from the American Booksellers Association that recognizes excellence in a debut MG or YA novel. AND I was reviewed in the Bulletin for the Center for Children’s Books who said, “Fans of contemplative, psychologically rich (but no less action-packed) fantasies à la Ursula Le Guin will welcome this warm, inventive debut and wait eagerly for the implied sequel.” Get OUT!...
Read MoreCongratulations Contest Winners!
Woo-hoo! Thank you! Thank you! to everyone who made comments on my blog tour. The lovely Heather and Danny over at Kismet Blog Tours have crunched the numbers (there were over 650 entries!) And now…I have some winners to announce! (Wow, this is fun!) First off, the winners of a copy of Witchlanders from the four surprise tour stops are as follows: Book Sake (Winner from The Zealous Reader) Indigo (Winner from Rayment’s Reading Rants and Rambles) Jessy (Winner from YA Booklover Blog) Rebecca (Winner from Midnight Bloom Reads) Yay! Heather and Danny will be contacting the four of...
Read MoreHAPPY BOOK BIRTHDAY, WITCHLANDERS!
The day is finally here! Over ten years ago, I read the first chapter of Witchlanders, then called The Black Bone, to my writing group. Today it’s being released by the Atheneum Imprint of Simon & Schuster. I won’t go into too much detail about my Witchlanders journey, mostly because that is the exact topic of my guest post today over at the Mundie Moms blog, but needless to say I am OVER THE MOON! To celebrate, I am giving away LOTS OF STUFF! Because I never would have been published if I hadn’t had great books to inspire me, I’m giving away a prize pack of...
Read MoreAbout Me
Hi! I'm Lena, a young adult fantasy author from Toronto.