A few months ago, I released a photo of a pair of Chuck Taylors one of my students had personalized for me with hand-painted graphics of my young adult book cover images on the side panels. They were roundly applauded, and I even got a few messages from fellow young adult authors interested in obtaining a pair of their own, complete with images of their book covers on the sides. One of those authors was the talented Diana Rodriguez Wallach who, in addition to being a creative writing professor and a busy mom of two lovely children, is also the author of seven young adult novels. Her latest tr ..read more

READ “A COLOSSAL MISTAKE” @ The Saturday Evening Post The Saturday Evening Post is impenetrable. It was one of the first publications I ever read. I would page through Norman Rockwell prints as a three and four-year-old boy and try to be one of the guys in my grandfather’s South Philly barber shop. He’d always have the latest issue front and center, and I’d pretend I knew how to read Edgar Allan Poe and F. Scott Fitzgerald and Ray Bradbury as I stained the now-priceless covers with sticky, green lollipop juice. Now my own work can be found under the iconic masthead of one of this nation’s true ..read more

It has been almost five years since my debut young adult novel, NO SAD SONGS, first hit shelves. It has been a wild and satisfying writing journey since then, which reminds me of one of the wildest, most out-of-the-blue moments I’ve enjoyed since my first books came into the world. First, I have to give another massive shout out to my good friend, Birdie Thompson, who happens to be one of the most talented photographers in the Los Angeles area. Check out her portfolio of amazing shots @ Bird’s Eye Photography. One of the coolest things about Birdie’s life is that her job places her on the red ..read more

My dad is a famous musical artist. In his mind. His group has thousands of screaming fans that follow them from venue to venue. In theory. I’ve been to a few shows, but it always feels like I’m a curator at the dinosaur exhibit. So many dusty, old bones lying around. So many hip replacements squeaking and popping to Frankie Valli’s greatest hits. It gives me a creepy feeling. Like one of those ancient Doo Wop chicks is about to sling a pair of panties on the stage at any moment. Probably a pair of designer Depends. The ones I stock every Saturday on aisle two at the Drug Emporium. You know, Da ..read more

Dear Fellow Americans, We hold many defining characteristics in common. You and I, the “chosen” few. The free and the brave. By simple virtue of being born under the same flag, there are some undeniable facts we can’t escape–and to escape them would, quite frankly, be a travesty of the highest order. As Americans, we are eternally proud of our stars and stripes, of the visionaries who punched a tyrannical king square in the teeth and, in the process, gave birth to the world’s greatest experiment. We are gritty and raw and rough-around-the-edges. We allow a clean shave to burst into patchy stub ..read more

Like you, I’ve read the myriad of stereotypical stories about writers sitting at street side cafes with the sun slowly setting on the horizon and a piping hot cup of French press on the table, and just writing away until their little hearts are content. I’ve read about writers who jam out to carefully-curated set lists while writing, and about those lucky souls who can douse the inevitable frustrations of a writing session with a few quick belts of Scotch or a glass of wine. While I’m sure all of these scenarios are entirely possible and are undoubtedly playing out somewhere on the globe–proba ..read more

The explosion of the young adult market in publishing has exposed many adult readers to the wonders of today’s brand of kidlit. From books turned into major motion pictures like 13 Reasons Why and The Perks of Being a Wallflower, to the surprising emergence of cult favorites like The Vampire Diaries, adult readers have joined their teenage contemporaries in falling deeply in love with the rawness, the grittiness, and the introspection present in books that delve into issues related to one of the most chaotic times in the life cycle of a human. BUY LINK But, in doing so, it seems many adults ..read more

Author Frank Morelli discusses the mural arts project in his hometown and how it helped inspire him to write his upcoming young adult novel, ON THE WAY TO BIRDLAND. Add on GOODREADS Growing up in the Philly area, the concept of graffiti art was a source of constant grumbling and a total lack of understanding from many of the folks in my community. I heard it referred to as “garbage” and “a disgrace”. I’ve even heard someone refer to graffiti art as “outright, felonious vandalism”, which I guess is technically accurate…if you’re not viewing the art with an open mind. Now, I’m not out here tryi ..read more

I was recently contacted by Ben Fox, the entrepreneur responsible for the creation of a new literary site designed to help readers find life changing books. Shepherd.com is a literal smorgasbord of book recommendations from authors by authors. Many readers are unaware of the hidden work of writing a book, and that is the process of studying the market…which means reading anything and everything under the sun as it pertains to your genre. For me, raising mental health awareness is a personal goal and I’ve consistently featured elements of the mental health experience in my young adult novels N ..read more

With my middle grade novel, Breaking News, out in stores, I’m thrilled to share this piece that explains my motives behind writing the novel up at the School Library Journal blog. Special thanks to Amanda MacGregor and Teen Librarian Toolbox for sharing! Follow the link below to read the piece. FACT VS. FICTION IN MIDDLE GRADE LITERATURE (read more ..read more