In 1975, to my great surprise, No More Magic was nominated for the “Best Juvenile Mystery of the Year,” by the Mystery Writers of America. Back then, new to the world of children’s books, I had never heard of the award or the organization.
If I have learned anything in my career it is that nobody — nobody — writes anything very well in one go.
To my eyes, Tales of Wonder by James Gilroy is a wonderful work of art, brilliantly animated with life. In the style of the time, it contains a wealth of information — almost a narrative.
If anyone is interested in the world of writing and publishing, let me highly recommend, indeed urge upon you, The Untold Story of Books, by Michael Castleman.
One of the key tools a writer has is memory. In particular, it’s not unusual for those who write for young people to have engaging — and meaningful — memories of their own childhood.
From 1983 until 2011 — twenty-eight years — I worked with the late Richard Jackson as my editor. If I count correctly, I believe we created some twenty-five books together.
Commas and periods weren’t always present in written texts. The practice of using them evolved to make reading easier.
In my writing process, I don’t specifically seek out ideas, so much as I come upon them, serendipitously. But once I come upon the germ of an idea I do my research, mostly exploratory reading.
The coming of the new year always brings me a renewed sense of time, of moving forward. But there was a moment — one New Year’s Eve — when I experienced being lost in time.
I have absolutely no idea when I first heard it, but I can’t recall a time when I ever forgot it. For me — as for countless others — it represents the essential saga of Santa Claus and Christmas Eve.