I am often asked about the research I do for my historical novels. When people think of research I suspect they think primarily of secondary materials, histories, biographies, and the like. That is to say, text. Such texts are obviously vital. For me, however visual information is also crucial. I am currently working on a novel set
Avi_Favorite Historical Time Period from Mackin Educational Resources on Vimeo. Have you wondered what my favorite historical time period is? This short video will provide the answer but, before you watch, what do you think? Thanks to MackinVia for this excerpt from a longer interview I did with them recently. You can view more of Mackin’s
Here’s another thing I don’t do on my own. I am thankful for the educators who have prepared teaching guides, readers’ guides, and discussion questions for a number of my books. These are available on my website. It’s helpful to have a place to start when you’re planning to use Crispin or Midnight Magic or Iron
It is a popular cliché that writing is a most isolating process. Most young writers I know seem to embrace this notion and indeed, almost enjoy the notion. The problem is that this is not the way professional writing works. A publisher friend once told me that before a book is fully published, an estimated
Are you making use of the Avi Reads! pages on my website? Your classroom, library group, and family can hear readings from all three Crispin books and the six Poppy books. The selections are from 1 to 14 minutes in length. Enjoy!
A recent blog post had me working on four books at one time. Let me grant it is an absurd number, but circumstances have given me little choice. As my twin sister, Emily Leider, herself an accomplished writer, asks, “As you work on four books at the same time, how do you keep their plots and voices
I have just submitted a new manuscript to my editor. If all goes well it will be my seventy-seventh published work. Those of you struggling—and it is a struggle—to publish your first book, that number may seem outlandish, and you must think my mood sanguine. The number may be absurd, but my mood is anything
Having written as many books as I have, and series books and sequels being so popular among readers these days, it is not surprising that I am often asked something like, “Are you going to write a sequel to The Book without Words?”. Among other books about which I’m often asked a similar question are
A writer friend recently sent me an e‑mail. “What are you doing?” I said, “Pushing the alphabet keys. You?” She replied, “Working the delete key!” I suspect that the most important aspect of writing is what’s not on the page. The white space. What you take out. Leave out. Cut. An editor once told me it’s much better to
Avi_The Challenge of Writing a Mystery from Mackin Educational Resources on Vimeo. Thanks to MackinVia for this excerpt from a longer interview I did with them recently. You can view more of Mackin’s videos here. If you haven’t already read my mystery Catch You Later, Traitor, here’s more about the book.