The Creative Life

The other day someone asked me, “Why do you write for children? It’s a tough market to break into.”“I’m so glad you asked,” I replied. “Aside from just a love of telling stories, there are some hard reasons why I think it’s so important to write for children. Here is just one.

The Lucy & Dee series required dozens of inspirations and decisions, large and small. Many involved extensive research which I absolutely loved. Although it’s easy to go down a rabbit hole only to emerge hours later!

I’ve found that writing does require space to think and create. And creating it can sometimes mean thinking laterally.

Libraries provide a valuable community service! Visit your local public library soon.

Adventure is the spice of life. It can be defined as a thrilling or exciting experience that takes us out of our comfort zone and pushes our boundaries.

“Encouraged by her first small success, Lucy cupped her hands and summoned a ball of fire. It appeared as a flickering ball of light and squirmed excitedly in her hands.”

Dee is fascinated by alchemy because he focuses on its quest to find the formula to transmute base metals into gold. He needs the gold to continue his search for his missing parents.

When we first meet Yidi in The Silk Road he’s a royal pain in the backside – an entitled pipsqueak who relies on his power to have someone executed with a snap of his fingers to get his own way.

Earlier this month, I almost gave up on my small publishing business. It had been going for over five years and we still weren’t seeing sustainable results.

Shuka is a demi-goddess also known as the Vermillion Bird of the South. In her animal form she’s a firebird. In her human form, she is small and lithe, and moves as if gravity is just a suggestion.