(This blog is a follow-up to the last blog about AI)
Watching AI trends over the last year, as well as following the emerging science looking at the impact it has on our lives and brains, has turned my initial fascination into one of concern. While I am not a full-blown hater of the potential of AI for things like medical advances, I have become deeply concerned about the psychological and developmental impact of AI on children and believe we should approach it with some skepticism and eyes...
AI.
I think most of us have had some fun with AI tools at some point over the last few years. In 2024, I was quite fascinated with, and naive about, AI and I enjoyed learning about it. It is, understandably, a very divisive topic, especially among writers and illustrators. There are so many reasons to limit AI use and I can't cover them all in one blog, so I will do this as a 2-part post to keep it manageable.
Most modern creatives, especially writers, have a deep fear of being accused of...
Draven the Kirin: A Magical Creature from Ancient Legends
In Eclipse’s Secret, we learn Draven is a kirin. But what exactly is a kirin? Let’s step into the world of myths and legends to find out.
What is a Kirin?
A kirin (pronounced “kee-rin”) is a magical creature from East Asian mythology. In Chinese stories it is called qílín, and in Japan it is called kirin. People have been telling stories about the kirin for thousands of years.
The kirin is often described as looking like several animals...
The Unicorn Shore: The Ring of Mischief
Book Three in The Unicorn Shore Series
ONE ENCHANTED RING. ENDLESS MISCHIEF.
Return to the magical Unicorn Shore in the third adventure of the series, as nine-year-old Marigold fulfills her promise by bringing her little sister, Sophie, to celebrate Eclipse’s coronation. At the castle, everyone gathers to cheer the new king when a powerful tremor cracks open a hidden crystal cavern in the hills nearby. Marigold and the unicorns dash off to investigate, but...
When we think about magical creatures, two of the most famous ones that come to mind are the unicorn and the pegasus. They both look like horses, they both show up in fairy tales and adventures, and they both feel like they gallop straight out of dreams. But even though they are sometimes mentioned together, they are different.
The Unicorn
A unicorn is usually described as a white horse with a single, spiral horn on its forehead. That horn is the unicorn’s most important feature. In legends,...
Have you ever wondered what happens as a newborn's brain grows and develops into a child that, only a few years later, can read? It's quite a fascinating thing to witness as a parent. Here's a gentle overview of the brain science behind the development of reading and some ways to support each stage.
From birth to one year, babies’ brains form rapid connections in areas that handle vision, hearing, and language. They start noticing sounds and speech patterns that will later help with letter and...
The Unicorn Shore: Eclipse's Secret
Book Two in The Unicorn Shore Series
Eclipse has vanished—and he took a dangerous secret with him.
When nine-year-old Marigold returns to the magical Unicorn Shore, she discovers that her friend Eclipse, leader of the Pegasus Clan, has mysteriously vanished. All that remains is a strange letter and an enchanted map covered in glowing symbols. With her unicorn friends Coral, Spark, Nibbles, and little Rose, Marigold sets off...
There were two things I was pretty neurotic about when our children were younger... reading and playing an instrument. I suppose throughout my life I had casually observed that it seemed the smartest people with the most opportunities had those two things going for them.
The studies agree!
How Music Makes You a Better Reader and Writer
Musicians might actually be smarter, and there's science to back it up. A study from Vanderbilt University found that professionally trained musicians typically...
I have kept a commonplace book for many years. If you aren't familiar with the term, a commonplace book is a notebook where you write down things you hear or read that inspire you and you want to keep in one "common" place.
They have been used by some of the greatest minds since the mid-1500s by the term "commonplace," but the idea goes all the way back to the time of Plato and Aristotle. Some people have extensive systems of cataloging in their commonplace books so they can later find...
Illustrations play an important role in helping young children learn to read. They support early comprehension, provide context, and help make stories more engaging and enjoyable. Everyone love pictures!
But somewhere between early readers (think-Step Into Reading levels by Scholastic) and middle grade(books with no in-chapter images), something begins to change in the child's brain. Children’s cognitive development is rapidly growing during this stage, and the type of the books they read...
Today is the day I have been waiting for since I was a little girl.
The first book in my debut series, The Unicorn Shore has officially released!
The Unicorn Shore: The Secret of the Shell
Book One in The Unicorn Shore Series
She thought it was just a fairy tale—until the shell whispered her name.
Nine-year-old Marigold always believed Grandma Pearl's stories about magic hidden in the waves. But nothing could have prepared her for the moment she found a...
Choosing the Right Books for Your Child
Finding books that match your child’s reading ability and maturity can feel complicated. With a range of categories and reading levels available, it’s not always obvious where to begin or when it’s time to transition to more challenging material. One of the most frequent questions parents ask is: How do I know when my child is ready for something harder?
Reading readiness can be measured in a variety of ways. To better understand how books are...
As a parent, former teacher, and now author, I’ve seen the early chapter book space change gradually. Over the past ten years, books intended for 6-9-year-olds have started to include storylines and tone more commonly found in books for older readers. Characters with sharp humor, themes of exclusion, and emotionally intense moments have become more common in stories for children who are just beginning to explore friendship and learning about themselves.
As trends have shifted, something...
I recently came across an interesting article which discusses the importance of writing things down by hand and the benefits unique to doing so. I'm not going to link the article because it wasn't well cited; however, I compiled the research and am presenting to you, The Case for Handwriting.
I am a huge advocate of developing typing skills. As a child in the late 1980s, I remember being bewildered by how fast my mother typed and made it a life goal to outpace her one day. She was taught...
Throughout the process of planning this three-book debut series over the last year, I have had the privilege of learning from some amazing teachers and mentors in the writing and publishing world.
Encouraging me to think ahead about my release was the consistent feedback I kept getting across the board, and I took this advice to heart. I knew from the start I wanted to write a series, and planning for its release was going to be key to each book's launch and the overall success of the series....
One of my closest friends of nearly 20 years is British. During the early years of our friendship, she introduced me to afternoon tea, as is the British custom. We spent countless afternoons together, with our little ones playing in the background. She'd put the kettle on, pull out the "biscuits," (that's cookies to Americans) and we'd sit and talk. The world slowed down for those precious moments. I didn't realize it but I was learning something that would not only show me how to slow down...
Move over bookworms. In 2025 we are raising book dragons!
A book dragon is a magical creature disguised as a child. Instead of gold or jewels, their treasure is books. Hoards show up in backpacks, under pillows, littered across the minivan, and stacked in every corner of the house. Once you’ve met one, you’ll recognize the signs right away.
Sign #1: The Hoard Begins
It usually starts with a small pile under the bed, then a stack of library books that somehow always end up overdue, and maybe a...
Why I Love Writing Junior Novels
If you’re not quite sure what a junior novel is, you’re not alone. In today’s publishing world, it’s a bit of an in-between category. Under the umbrella of children's literature, these books fall somewhere between early chapter books (Magic Treehouse or Junie B. Jones) and full-length middle grade, text-only novels (Harry Potter or Wings of Fire). As you read my examples, you might be thinking how big of a jump that is between the two. This is where the junior...
April 30, 2025 is Release Day for book one of my debut series, The Unicorn Shore!
The Unicorn Shore: The Secret of the Shell
Book One in The Unicorn Shore Series
She thought it was just a fairy tale—until the shell whispered her name.
Nine-year-old Marigold always believed Grandma Pearl's stories about magic hidden in the waves. But nothing could have prepared her for the moment she found a glowing seashell shaped like a unicorn's horn—and it whispered her name.
Swept away to the Unicorn Shore, a...
You know it's time. The jack-o'-lanterns have started to rot on the porch (we should probably throw those out), the fake spiderwebs are getting a little too real, and Mariah Carey has fully thawed.
Hopefully, we enjoyed our Fall TBR lists because it is time to focus on our Winter/Christmas reads.
As fall fades into memory, we find ourselves reaching for heartwarming tales and cozy winter adventures with a cup of hot cocoa near a fire. And for those of us celebrating the Holy Season of...
