Wolf-Alice Comes Alive

April 9, 2018June 17, 2019 Essays, News

OK, forgive me a little fangirling here. It has been (many) years since I have stood in a sweaty, crowded club to see a band. But that’s exactly what I ... Read more

Why You Should Read Wuthering Heights

June 20, 2017June 17, 2019 Essays

I was an American sixteen-year-old the first time I read Wuthering Heights. Miss Warren, my English teacher during my junior year, assigned the book. I remember sitting at my desk ... Read more

Never Close Your Eyes

July 1, 2016June 17, 2019 Essays

A few years ago, I was asked by Penguin UK to write a foreword to a volume of Washington Irving’s work. Insanely honored by the request, I immediately said yes ... Read more

The Raven King

January 10, 2016June 17, 2019 Essays

I was fifteen when I saw David Bowie perform on Saturday Night Live and what I saw that night changed my life. In one song, he was a pale, unsmiling ... Read more

How I Got My First Sale

November 19, 2011June 12, 2019 Essays

If there’s one question I get asked more than any other, it’s “how do I get published?” A few years ago, I wrote a piece about how it happened for ... Read more

Let’s Tell FOX That Books Matter!

September 23, 2011August 13, 2018 Essays, News

Dear Reader: I have just launched Just Add Books – a campaign to include a books category in FOX-TV’s Teen Choice Awards. I started this campaign after looking at the recent TCA’s ... Read more

Why I Write

December 15, 2010June 17, 2019 Essays

I’d like to share one of the high points of my recent Revolution book tour. I was giving a reading at the University Bookstore in Seattle, and a very dedicated English teacher ... Read more

Playlist: Sounds of Revolution

December 7, 2010June 17, 2019 Essays

Revolution is about a lot of things: love, loss, hope, redemption, forgiveness — and the life-altering power of music. The book’s main character, Andi Alpers, is a gifted musician, and very ... Read more

Life is Too Short to Stuff a Mushroom

February 19, 2010June 17, 2019 Essays

Epiphany time. Are you ready? Here it is…. Life is too short to stuff a mushroom. That little Zen gem was sent in by a reader named Kelly M. in ... Read more

Charlotte Award Speech for A Northern Light

December 10, 2006June 17, 2019 Essays

I’m so excited! I received an early Christmas present this year – actually, I received 14,000 of them! Last month, New York State’s school kids voted A Northern Light their pick for ... Read more