A Mouse in the House Blog

A Mouse in the House Blog

I love Roberta Baird's whimsical illustrations and perusing her blog is always an adventure. You won't want to miss the Santa stuck upside down in the chimney! Roberta also offers free pages with activities for kids -- Millie the Mouse Paper Doll with lots of different outfits, Cutout and Fold Paper Toys, Giraffe Sewing Pattern, and Coloring Pages. While you're there, be sure to check out her portfolio and sketchbook.

Diamonds & Toads

Diamonds & Toads Blog

Diamonds and Toads blog shares information about all things fairy tale. You can find links to a number of interesting fantasy blogs and sites, including the fairy tale journal, Enchanted Conversation. For anyone who loves fairy tales and wants to know more, this is a great place to start.

Between Fact & Fiction

Natalie Whipple:  Between Fact & Fiction Blog

I always find something interesting at Author Natalie Whipple’s Between Fact and Fiction Blog. Whether she’s sharing her feelings about being on submission for 15 months, or bragging about her friends’ books, or bemoaning the trials of medical insurance policies, or her approval of occasionally writing crap,  she’s always honest. That honesty shines through with over 1000 people following her!



Cliche Finder

Cliche Finder

Here's an unusual concept -- find a cliche to add to your writing! Easy to use -- just type a word into the search box and see what cliches pop up.

I tried "rabbit" and got:

a rabbit out of the hat
faster than a jack rabbit
hop like a rabbit
-----

I tried "fast" and got:

thick and fast
play fast and loose
hard and fast rule
hard and fast
fast and furious
Knock you from hell to breakfast
Faster than a speeding crawfish.
faster than a speeding bullet
all over the place like a dogs breakfast
faster than a comet
faster than a jack rabbit
faster than a speeding bullet
pull a fast one

Science Fiction & Fantasy Ezines

I spent the morning adding a number of science fiction and fantasy ezines to the list of Ezines, Magazines, & Stories. I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of some of these ezines -- of course others were a bit inconsistant. In the future I will showcase individual titles, but if you just can't wait, check out the following titles:

(I'm not taking the time to turn these into links -- links are available by selecting the title under the topic Ezines, Magazines, & Stories in the column on the right side of the blog.)

Abyss & Apex
After Burns SF
Another Realm
Apex Magazine
Aurora Wolf
Beneath Ceaseless Skies
Bewildering Stories
Big Pulp
Black Gate Magazine
Copper Wire
Darwin's Evolutions
Digital Dragon Magazine
Dunesteef, Audio Fiction Magazine
Electric Spec
Every Day Fiction
Fantasy Magazine
Flash Fiction Chronicles
FlashFiction.Com
Heroic Fantasy Quarterly
Daikaijuzine
Kaleidotrope
Lorelei Signal
Mindflights
Morpheus Tales
Murky Depths
Night Train Magazine
Orson Scott Card's Intergalactic Medicine Show
Residential Aliens
Silver Blade
Sorcerous Signals
Strange Horizons
The Annals of Hypnosia
The New Bedlam Project
Theaker's Quarterly Fiction
Weird Tales

Kid Magazine Writers

Kid Magazine Writers Website

Subtitled "the information center for children's magazine writers," Kid Magazine Writers website offers information about markets listed alphabetically. There is a section called "Dead Zone" where magazines that don't accept submissions or who have ceased publication are listed. The paying markets for fiction in children's magazines have dwindled over the years, but there are still a few out there. If you write nonfiction or want to find markets that are still accepting fiction stories, this is the website for you.

Come in Character

Come in Character Blog

This is an unusual blog, because writers are encouraged to comment in character. You choose one of your own characters or create a new one, and post your comment under that character's name, answering as your character would. A fun way to stretch your imagination and learn more about your character.

Plot Whisperer

Plot Whisperer for Writers and Readers

Martha Alderson follows up the great information ins her Plot Whisperer books with day-to-day inspiration and examples that will keep your plots filled with conflict (that’s a good thing!)

JacketFlap

JacketFlap

JacketFlap is an excellent resource for children's writers, illustrators, librarians, publishers, editors, agents, teachers, parents, booksellers, and anyone interested in children's books. Here you will find:

• 
  
  Links to book-related blogs


• 
  
  A database of 900,000+ children's books


• 
  
  Bookshelves of members' books


• 
  
  A listing of more than 20,000 publishers


• 
  
  A database of more than 200,000 children's book creators


• 
  
  An opportunity to network with people in the book industry

Here's my JacketFlap page:

Deb's JacketFlap Page

Carolrhoda Books Blog

Carolrhoda Books Blog

Information about their books, announcement of a new imprint, inside looks at publishing, book trailers, writing tidbits – it’s all here. Why more publishers don’t have blogs is a mystery. Such a great promotional tool. Carolrhoda uses its blog as an interesting and informative way to reach readers and potential authors.

Writer Unboxed

Writer Unboxed

Writer Unboxed, filled with information “about the craft and business of genre fiction,” boasts a wealth of author interviews, essays, and guest posts about writing. Twelve authors contribute pieces, so a fresh perspective is a constant. Always something interesting to find here. Time flies as you jump from post to post, so allow yourself plenty of it when you visit.

The Blog of Innocence

The Blog of Innocence

This is a unique blog written by Lethe, the editor of Escape into Life, an online arts journal. In addition to writing full of life and thought, the Blog of Innocence offers visual images that send your imagination soaring.

Six Sentences

Six Sentences Blog

Write your story in six sentences. Then submit it to this blog. What could be simpler? Right. Just try it! Writer Guidelines (written in just six sentences, of course) are available on the blog. Good luck!

Lois Lowry

Lowry Updates: Lois Lowry’s blog

Lois Lowry is one of my favorite authors. I’ve devoured her books since I first read The Giver and Number the Stars. You can keep track of her daily adventures on her blog, where she shares with her readers in a wonderfully conversational style.

Glossopedia

Glossopedia

Maybe I think like a kid too much, but one of my favorite research sites is Glossopedia. You will find articles with information explained in kid-friendly language with lots of pictures to assist your understanding. If you want basic information about a subject, this is a fun place to start.

Topics include :

• 
  Geography & Places
• 
  Technology
• 
  Earth & Space
• 
  Human Body
• 
  Natural Forces
• 
  Nature & Environment
• 
  Animals
• 
  People & Cultures
• 
  Chemistry
  

Janet Reid, Literary Agent

Janet Reid's Blog

You never know what you’ll find when you visit literary agent Janet Reid’s blog. It might be a picture of a baby moose or a creative pitch for a book by one of her clients or a peek into her query pile. Whatever you find, it won’t be boring.

Funny Typos

Funny Typos

Unfortunately, not all the examples on this site are typos. Most are probably brought about by ignorance of English grammar. This is a great site for making you feel superior!

A note from the site: “Thanks for visiting Funny Typos. Get your weekly fill of hilarious uses of English, Bad Grammar and Engrish that would make your grammar school English teacher cringe.”

100 Essential Tips & Tools

100 Essential Tips & Tools for Writers of the Future

I love lists and this website gives you 100 links to articles about writing and publishing.

The list is broken down into categories of:

• 
  Marketing & Branding
• 
  Organization & Project Management
• 
  Business & Career
• 
  Collaboration
• 
  Brainstorming
• 
  Finding Work
• 
  Web Tips & Tutorials
• 
  Niche Writing
• 
  Staying Cutting Edge

BookEnds, LLC

BookEnds, LLC Blog

BookEnds, LLC, is a literary agency. It's primary agents include Jessica Faust, Jacky Sach, and Kim Lionetti. Jessica is the main poster of this blog which offers lots of publishing information from an agent’s point of view. Recent posts include advice on avoiding scams, writing query letters, book sale numbers (do you know what “sell-through” means? I didn’t either!), writing mysteries, and staying true to your voice.

Not Your Mother's Book Club

Not Your Mother's Book Club Website

Books Inc. located San Francisco claims the title "the West’s oldest independent bookstore." They started Not Your Mother’s Book Club in order to bring writers together with their young adult readers. Even if you don't live close enough to attend one of the Club's events, you can enjoy the information and pictures offered at the site.

For even more fun visit their blog. The Not Your Mother’s Bookclub blog comes with a warning “content may not be suitable for parents.” In fact it is a great place for parents to find out what is happening in their teen's world, as well as gaining some great book recommendations along the way.

 

Not Your Mother's Book Club Blog

Institute of Children's Literature

Institute of Children's Literature (ICL)

You don't have to take a children's writing course from the Institute of Children's Literature in order to benefit from the massive amount of information on the Institute's website (although I did take the course many years ago and can highly recommend it.) You will find articles on every writing topic imaginable from getting ideas to marketing your polished picture book or young adult novel.

You can also sign up for their free weekly eNewsletter to receive information about live interviews scheduled with writers and editors, new articles and interview transcripts on writing, upcoming writing contests, and other news for writers.

ICL's Topical Index

Sarah Ackerley, Illustrator

Sarah Ackerley's Blog

I don’t personally know Sarah Ackerly, but I love to look at her illustrations. Who could not love that little dog on her website?

Sarah Ackerley's Website

MFA Confidential Blog

Writer's Digest: MFA Confidential

Written by Kate Monahan, a 2nd year MFA student at The New School University in downtown NYC, this blog is a great source for inspiring writing information. It’s fun to follow Kate through her writing journey. A recent post on what to do with your half written stories hit a strong note with me. Do you recycle bits of unfinished stories into other stories? When do you give up on a story? Questions most writers face at some time. It’s hard to let go of our babies.

Since an MFA program is out of the question for me right now, I'm looking forward to learning along with Kate.

Lisa Schroeder, Author

Lisa Schroeder's Website

I chose author Lisa Schroeder to start off this year's posts, because she's releasing TWO books in the first months of 2010! Her teen novel Chasing Brooklyn was released January 5th from Simon Pulse and her middle grade novel It's Raining Cupcakes will be released in March from Aladdin.

I've had the pleasure of meeting Lisa on a several occasions and she was nice enough to pose for a picture with my blogger bunny buddy Freckles.

There's some great information at both her website and her blog for writers.

Lisa Schroeder's Blog