Welcome to my blog (scroll down to see individual posts), which was originally on a separate site at Inkygirl.com. I also have a separate Inkygirl newsletter on Substack at debbieohi.substack.com.
Also see: Inkygirl interviews – Resources
Last year, I mentioned how much I enjoyed The Blackthorn Key by Kevin Sands (as Kirkus said, “a spectacular debut”) from Aladdin/Simon & Schuster. I’m excited that the sequel, Mark Of The Plague, launches today! Since escaping from university with a pair of degrees in theoretical physics, Kevin Sands has worked as a researcher, a business consultant, and a . . .
I read books in all formats: print, digital and audio. If the story is good, I’ll read in any format. I got curious about whether other people felt the same way, so I recently posted a one-question poll asking: “In the past year, how have you read books? Check all . . .
Just read Kevin Sylvester’s MiNRS 2 in one sitting, on the train to Buffalo. Or almost one sitting: I had to stop reading for a few minutes at U.S. Customs to answer the standard border crossing questions (I did keep reading in line until the very last minute). We were all told . . .
Back in May 2013, I posted an interview with Celia Lee, an editor at Cartwheel Books / Scholastic, and Celia invited Inkygirl readers to submit manuscripts for a limited time; apparently Celia received over a thousand submissions (!). A couple of years later, I met Josh Funk at nErDcampMI and found out that he had . . .
It’s been four years since my first children’s book came out. One thing I’ve learned since then: to pay more attention to the people and things around me. EVERYTHING AND EVERYONE can be a source of wonder and inspiration: a snippet of conversation, a secret smile, even someone’s shoes. Ask . . .
(Quote above & others available as free, print-ready posters for classrooms, libraries, bookstores and elsewhere here)
Just got back from the SCBWI Summer Conference in LA. My roommate was the amazing illustrator, Eliza Wheeler, and I had a chance to see her just-released picture book, THIS IS OUR BABY, BORN TODAY (Nancy Paulsen Books / Penguin). So sweet! And of course, gorgeously illustrated. For ages 3-5. . . .
“Write, write, write… The world is full of people with good ideas. The published authors are the ones who sat down and got them written.” – Jennifer Fallon
