Arm-Pit Stank Bullies

I just closed my work-in-progress to write a blog post. Sinful? Yes. Necessary? Maybe. Doubt it. Sherman Alexie said something like, and I'm paraphrasing, 'every word on your blog is one less word in your book.' Yes, that's true. And now I'm feeling guilty. So I'm going back to Bird Nerd and Eddie and his world of talking parrots and arm-pit stank bullies. Writing middle grade is just fun, isn't it?

Make sure to check out the National Book Awards short-list. Typically, I like the books they select. They're usually issue-laden and raw to the bone. I strive for that kind of raw emotion in my work, that sense of realness. I'm experiencing that right now while reading One Crazy Summer. It's good. I recommend it.