11 August 2015 Note From Rochelle Dear Writers, I’m enjoying my time away from work, finally reading some of the books I’ve been collecting all year! I have a confession to make about the books in the stack. Some of them were written for children. I’m not alone. Adults purchase 55 percent of young adult books. At book...Read More

    Can God-talk be funny-talk? I have wrestled with this for much of my life. Certainly, my understanding of the Bible has been that it’s not a real knee-slapper. As a young Catholic, I found the Baltimore Catechism to be 100% chuckle-free. It seemed to me that the Almighty was not a subject for...Read More

  She is too fond of books, and it has turned her brain. —Louisa May Alcott Books are a uniquely portable magic. —Stephen King I spent this past weekend in Spring Green with two dear friends from summer theatre camp at Michigan Tech University. We talked from early in the day to late into the night, watching...Read More

30 June 2015 Note From Rochelle Dear Writers, Can you believe it’s almost the 4th of July? My usual celebration includes my porch, a stack of books, and a glass of wine. But this year, I promised my daughter I’d celebrate by taking her to an Ed Sheeran concert followed by fireworks at the lake....Read More

9 June 2015 Note From Rochelle Dear Writers, I just got back from the Write to Publish conference, where I spoke about Increasing Productivity and Conquering Social Media. I’m currently putting together a book of my very best social media tips. If you have something you’ve always wanted to know about social media—no matter how...Read More

Dear Writers, A few weeks ago, I blogged about How to Use Poetry to Transform Your Writing. But author and poet JoAnn Early Macken says it so much better in today’s post about her favorite poetry collections. Read the post, then go out and buy some of these books and read, read, read. Then you’ll...Read More

I’m thrilled to welcome Nancy Levin to the blog. She’s here to talk about the books that have shaped her writing—and it’s a delicious list! We’re also celebrating with her the release of her wonderful new book: Jump…and Your Life Will Appear. After you read the post, enter to win a signed copy of the book! -Rochelle,...Read More

I’m always curious about what writers read—so I started a blog series! In #WritersRead, authors share five books that have inspired or educated or nurtured them in some way. Today I’m delighted to welcome fellow blogger Sarah Allen to talk about five books with soul. Enjoy!   #WritersRead: Five Books with Soul by Sarah Allen Writing...Read More

Some books should be tasted, some devoured, but only a few should be chewed and digested thoroughly. —Francis Bacon Although I devour mysteries and novels, I also like to have a nonfiction book around to nibble at. Here are a few that you might want to taste as well. These books have nudged me to...Read More

I grew up on fantasy novels like L’Engle’s A Wrinkle in Time and Lewis’s The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. Just a few weeks ago, I cozied up with Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones (amazing!). This post reminds me that it might be time for me to delve into some grown-up fantasy...Read More