Ray Bradbury Inspiring Passion
Passion for writing. How do we get it? Where does it come from, and where, sometimes, does it go? I’ve been thinking about this question for a while, and it seems fitting to talk about it now in...
View ArticleWriting Inspiration
What inspires your writing? Hints of spring waft in the air and birds sing, and I consider what inspires me in my writing. Walking in nature is one of my favorites. Other writers a big inspiration to...
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Holla, Shadowcat! Lately I’ve been a little overwhelmed with the good news from other writers. Don’t get me wrong, I am super-thrilled to hear about their book deals, new agents, and launch days. I kid...
View ArticleWhen Writing Doesn’t Look Like It
There always comes a time in drafting a story when I need to see it better. I need it to be something more than just the words on the screen or page. I need it to become a little more 3-D. And since I...
View ArticleThe art of feeling successful
Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts. -Winston Churchill Hi Writers, Recently, I posted my 100th newsletter. 100 Mondays in a row. I spent some time...
View ArticleInsecurity v Humility
insecurity |ˌinsəˈkyo͝orədē| noun (pl. insecurities) 1 uncertainty or anxiety about oneself; lack of confidence: she had a deep sense of insecurity | he’s plagued with insecurities. humility...
View ArticleNotes From VCFA
Someone is playing piano in the lounge next to my dorm room at VCFA. It’s raining and a great rush of water pours off the roof and sends cooling air in on the breeze, and the sounds weave through the...
View ArticleWriters Dreaming
Hu Jundi This is the writer’s journey, the deeper we dig into our characters, the more we are able to unmask monsters of our own. Rock Me A cardboard cradle inhabits my character’s dream....
View ArticlePriscilla Chaves and the Art of Designing Book Covers
This week we’re lucky to have Priscilla Chaves, a book designer, visit the Tolllbooth! Priscilla designs books of all genres—fiction, non-fiction, cookbooks, children’s books, and more. Ever since I...
View ArticleWhat I Learned About Writing by Losing My Ducks to Eric Carle–Larissa Theule
After graduating college, when my ambition to write books for kids was still just a noodle of an idea, my best friend Catherine and I biked across Prince Edward Island in a gleeful display of homage...
View ArticleMiriam McNamara Talks With Linda Washington about The Unbinding of Mary Reade
Welcome to the Tollbooth. With me is Miriam McNamara, a fellow Secret Gardener. She’s here to talk about The Unbinding of Mary Reade, her historical novel based on the lives of Mary Read and Anne...
View ArticleInspiration, Color and Character: Ginger Johnson and Julie Berry Converse
Julie Berry–I’m thrilled to join Through the Tollbooth today to discuss Ginger Johnson’s glittering debut novel, The Splintered Light. Ginger and I have been friends since I was 11 years old. We met at...
View ArticleInspiration, World-Building and Fantasy Tropes: Melanie Crowder Talks with...
Mini Ini—A Few Moments with Melanie Crowder by Linda Washington Greetings! With me on the Tollbooth is the marvelous Melanie Crowder for a “mini ini”—a quick interview about her middle grade fantasy...
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Holla, Shadowcat! Lately I’ve been a little overwhelmed with the good news from other writers. Don’t get me wrong, I am super-thrilled to hear about their book deals, new agents, and launch days. I kid...
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