Starred review from School Library Journal
Again, Nick Podehl’s fantastic narration for Permanent Record has garnered us another starred review, this time from School Library Journal. “Stella has written a dark, humorous, realistic novel about...
View ArticleI got your deep despair right here
I read an essay recently about the “deep despair of writing a novel.” In a characteristic burst of disproportionate rage, I kind of wanted to punch my laptop in its throat. But why should I do that?...
View ArticleA Ghost Story
If you tear open the walls, you don’t find Confederate money nestled in the horsehair insulation. Nothing is lined in gold. No treasure maps in attic trunks. But still, I tore open the walls and I...
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Selfie
Taking photos embarrasses me. I prefer to hide behind a fake-mustache-and-glasses combo thing of my kids’ and mug for the camera that way. Or else I fall back on my “go-to” pose: hands clawing at you,...
View ArticleMaudlin no more!
Regular readers of this irregular blog will note that most of my posts tend to be pretty maudlin. It may be because I am a fundamentally morose person, or because I battle depression on an ongoing...
View ArticleDio mio, io sto per morire
A couple of months ago, the pressures of one professional disappointment after another got to me, and I broke down in front of my kids. My six-year-old daughter hugged me and said, “Oh Mom. Why can’t...
View ArticleBookplates and book lists
PERMANENT RECORD has been out since March, and today’s the first day it cracked the top 100 in teen fiction (it’s #10 in teen books about mental illness). And the Kindle version is still only $2 till...
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Chicago
Is the Chicago sky half-empty or half-full? I saw my city at its most beautiful, a November sun and the dark hint of winter. Tom Waits sings, “Maybe things will be better in Chicago,” and I believe...
View ArticleRoll Damage
It was either between D&D campaigns or right after the Star Trek convention when I had that drink in the hotel bar with Gowron of the Klingon High Council that I realized that I was, in fact, a...
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Father Issues
November. Why does November make me think about my dad? I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to make you think he was dead; nothing could be further from the truth. He is alive and well and raising hell. He is...
View ArticleLobbing It In
Last week, I told my six-year-old daughter, “I signed you up for softball this spring.” “But I want to play baseball,” she said. “Oh. But then…you’d be playing with boys.” “I know,” she said. “But I’m...
View ArticleNewCity Chicago interview
A recent interview with NewCity Chicago for their Lit section.
View ArticleDo I Wanna Know?
Incredible song. My God, the video makes me wish I still had the urban shaman on speed dial.
View ArticleGet yourself something for Christmas
I have been friends with Mr. Dan Kelly—a man best described as mild-mannered yet evil, and a writer best described as hilarious yet bitter—for twenty fun-filled years. I bossed him around at Lumpen,...
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The Red and the Black
I have 15 shades of brown eye shadow. Down-to-earth tones I seek a color of lipstick that perfectly replicates the hue of my natural lips. I would die to find an under-eye concealer that will erase 20...
View ArticleYear-end Double Wow!
Thank you, Booklist, for selecting Permanent Record as a 2013 Booklist Editors’ Choice: Audio for Youth! And thanks to YALSA for nominating Permanent Record to their 2013 Amazing Audiobooks for Young...
View ArticleTucson Festival of Books
As I sit here typing this, freezing rain pelts my house. Fellow midwesterners can understand why I’ll be glad to get out of here into a warmer climate. Too bad I have to wait till March to do it. Come...
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Naked Authors Calendar
In the shower this morning, as I gazed down at the ravaged husk of my body, I hit upon a marketing idea that is solid gold: the Naked Authors calendar. I, of course, will not be posing, but I will...
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Deep Space Noir
My friend Joe likes to say, “You know who keeps it real? Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, baby.” It’s true. Benjamin Sisko was an incredibly complex commanding officer. Conflicted and imperfect and...
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Thrift Stores and Broken Hearts
Today I am an empty shell that can be filled only with cookies. It seemed like a good idea at 7 p.m. last night to start baking a few batches, even though by 8 p.m. most nights I am ready to fall to...
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