HOW TO CREATE SETTINGS SO RICH THEY’RE PRACTICALLY CHARACTERS THEMSELVES
USING TRAVEL TO ENHANCE WRITING It’s June 25th, and I’m in the land of the midnight sun. More specifically, Svalbard,…
Simple ways to be more sustainable—let’s start today!
Quit single use plastics for an entire month. That was the pledge I took this July as part of #plasticfreeJuly, a global…
OLD ENOUGH TO SAVE THE PLANET: A Nod to Nonfiction Earth Day Titles
How can people join the fight against climate change? That’s the premise behind a middle grade series that I’m currently…
Barbara The Budgie Inspires Middle Grade Book Blog on Birds
Never in my wildest dreams did I think I’d be the caretaker of a pet bird. A budgie. That’s a parakeet for non-bird people.…
Found 'em in the Little Free Library
A Little Free Library is a small, wooden box commonly in the shape of a house, mounted on a post, and packed with books. The…
Wildlife Over Waste
I have a great little quote on my office bulletin board that reads: “Animals don’t litter. Humans do.” The manuscript that…
3 Fun and Creative Ways To Do Research
Setting the scene I consider myself a fact finder. I love looking up information about a variety of topics—whether it’s the…
Safari Adventures: Elephants In Crisis
“When a poacher kills an elephant, he doesn’t just kill the elephant who dies. The family may lose the crucial memory of…
Safari Adventures: Khalid, The Secondary Character, Takes Center Stage
“He [Chris] watched as Khalid moved from the cool shade of the welcome center to stand under an acacia tree. Chris noticed…
Safari Adventures: The Largest Land Mammal
I have done so much research on African elephants over the years that I found the easiest way to keep track of all the…