Avi

Having just finished the immense BEYOND THE WESTERN SEA, I felt a need to do something very different, and yes, short. When Amy Ehrlich, editor and friend at Candlewick Books suggested I do a collection of short stories, I jumped at the opportunity. Hey, I thought, seven short stories should be easy.

I was wrong. Writing a good short story, I discovered, is very hard if is going to be any good. Seven stories was that much harder. But they are fun, and I loved doing the book.

You might be interested in knowing how I prepared myself to write short stories. By reading many of them. Short stories come in many forms, and I wanted to find a style, a way that I enjoyed.

By the way, while it is rare for kids to write good novels they can write great stories. Give it a try.