By Julia Drake The Last True Poets of the Sea by Julia Drake is on sale now. While I was on a book tour for my debut novel The Last True Poets of the Sea, a person attending an event asked me a question that began, “Did you do a lot of research?" Why, yes, I thought, and gleefully began to … [Read more...] about Reading Widely Was the Best Research I Did for Writing
queer
Queernorm Fantasy Worlds: Writing as an Escape
By Alexandra Overy These Feathered Flames by Alexandra Overy is on sale now. Reading has always been my escape. From anxious late nights to hiding in the school library, it has always been my go-to method of avoiding the world. A way to get out of my own head for a while, to get completely … [Read more...] about Queernorm Fantasy Worlds: Writing as an Escape
Q&A With Sabina Khan, Zara Hossain Is Here
By Alaina Leary Today we’re pleased to welcome Sabina Khan to the WNDB blog to discuss her young adult novel Zara Hossain Is Here, out April 6, 2021! Zara's family has waited years for their visa process to be finalized so that they can officially become US citizens. But it only takes one … [Read more...] about Q&A With Sabina Khan, Zara Hossain Is Here
Therapeutic Storytelling: How a Book About Queer Witches Helped Me Heal
Witches of Ash and Ruin is out now. Order it here! By E. Latimer The first chapter of my life was ruled by the fear of going to hell. At twelve, I went to a Christian camp. There, one of the leaders stood in front of a room full of children and proceeded to tell a story about how a demon … [Read more...] about Therapeutic Storytelling: How a Book About Queer Witches Helped Me Heal
How MFA Programs Can Discourage YA Writers
By Aaron H. Aceves A little over two years ago, on a sticky hot August evening, my soon-to-be classmates and I crowded under white tents on a prestigious New York campus, hoping for a chance to introduce ourselves to our new writing faculty before classes began the next week. I sipped wine out of … [Read more...] about How MFA Programs Can Discourage YA Writers
MFA vs. YA: How MFA Programs Can Discourage YA Writers
By Aaron H. Aceves A little over two years ago, on a sticky hot August evening, my soon-to-be classmates and I crowded under white tents on a prestigious New York campus, hoping for a chance to introduce ourselves to our new writing faculty before classes began the next week. I sipped wine out of … [Read more...] about MFA vs. YA: How MFA Programs Can Discourage YA Writers
Q&A With Tehlor Kay Mehia and Anna-Marie McLemore, Miss Meteor
By Alaina Leary Today we’re pleased to welcome Tehlor Kay Mejia and Anna-Marie McLemore to the WNDB blog to discuss their co-written young adult novel Miss Meteor, out September 22, 2020! There hasn’t been a winner of the Miss Meteor beauty pageant who looks like Lita Perez or Chicky … [Read more...] about Q&A With Tehlor Kay Mehia and Anna-Marie McLemore, Miss Meteor
Q&A With Leah Johnson, You Should See Me in a Crown
By Aaron H. Aceves Today we’re pleased to welcome Leah Johnson to the WNDB blog to discuss her young adult novel You Should See Me in a Crown, out June 2, 2020! Liz Lighty has always believed she's too black, too poor, too awkward to shine in her small, rich, prom-obsessed midwestern town. But … [Read more...] about Q&A With Leah Johnson, You Should See Me in a Crown
I Self-Published My First Young Adult Novel. Here’s Why.
By Kelly Quindlen In 2014 I self-published my first book, a sapphic young adult novel called Her Name in the Sky, the same year that We Need Diverse Books was founded. It was only six years ago, but it feels like a lifetime in terms of LGBTQ+ representation. This was before Simon vs. The Homo … [Read more...] about I Self-Published My First Young Adult Novel. Here’s Why.
