The Mommy’s Pen Podcast

This week we interview author Julie Sternberg who's written 8 books for kids of all ages including the wonderful LIKE PICKLE JUICE ON A COOKIE. We talk to Julie about how she became a writer and how she got the idea for her first book and what she does when she doesn't feel like writing.

This week we to talk Kristin Glasbergen, a Canadian author who was brilliant enough to mix Lit RPG with Dragons! She writes a middle grade series called Dragon Canyon. The first book is Fire of Four and we learn the story behind it and the help she got from her 12-year-old, dragon-loving daughter.

This season we're launching a series of interviews with authors of middle grade fiction. First up, Valerie Francis, author of Nature Knights, Crossing the Rubicon, a middle grade fantasy. Valerie Francis is both author and Certified Story Grid Editor. She has published fiction for both women (love stories for busy women) and children (middle grade fantasy), and is currently working on her first thriller.As a bona fide story nerd, her passion for the craft of storytelling led her to become a Certified Story Grid Editor in 2017. Her non-fiction credits include a Story Grid Guide to Bram Stoker’s Dracula (publication TBA) and regular articles for the Fundamental Fridays column on Shawn Coyne’s Story Grid website. Valerie co-hosts two podcasts for writers. The first, The Story Grid Editor Roundtable, is focused on the craft of writing. Each week Valerie, along with four fellow Certified Story Grid Editors, analyze a film according to the editing method developed by Shawn Coyne. The second is focused entirely on book marketing. On The Book Launch Show, Valerie learns how to develop a relationship with her readers from book marketing expert, Tim Grahl.

We describe a school visit we did —in matching outfits—where we tried to convince a bunch of kids to become writers and gave them the secrets they need to know.

We are SO excited to talk about the release of the second book in the Simon Snow series from Rainbow Rowell. No spoilers!

Nora’s got homework so Alma is our guest cohost for this episode. So, we’re looking at the story structure for Moana. Because the four-year-old got to choose the story.

This week we brainstorm and work through some ideas in Nora's story plotting—playing with the idea of time travel in different eras. There might be a climax that takes place in the kitchen at Hampton Court Palace!Read full show notes at Mommyspen.com.

In this episode, 12-year-old Nora starts brainstorming some details to plan her story and confesses that wearing headbands makes her feel "elevated," a feeling she shares with her protagonist.Read full show notes at Mommyspen.com

This season 12-year-old Nora is going to write a short story using all of the story structure principles we’ve been discussing for the past year on the podcast. We discuss how to start story planning. Follow along and write your own story!

Nora had to pilot the podcast ship this week due to severe little sister interference. She analyzes book 1 in the popular series The School for Good and Evil using the four-act structure.