Author Archives: madelynruth@yahoo.com

Tom Swifties

I went to hear Elmore Leonard speak at the Coolidge Theater in Boston about 10 years ago. My biggest takeaway was that he never used adverbs when his characters talked. You should be able to tell from the dialogue if … Continue reading

Posted in cars, family, summer, tom swifties | 4 Comments

Books and chocolate

I’ve had countless kids come up to me and ask when I have a new book coming out. I could let it go to my head and think they are excited about my writing. But the truth of the matter … Continue reading

Posted in Canary in the Coal Mine | 3 Comments

How to Be a Good Book Friend

Lots of people have asked how they can help support me now that my book is out in the world. Usually I say something like “Oh, you know…” But actually, you may not. And after reading an article that talked … Continue reading

Posted in kidlit, marketing, Mission Possible, world domination | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Things We Do with Friends

Things we do with friends: Walk. Eat. Laugh. Cry. Talk into the wee hours of the night. And sometimes? We write books with them. Which is what I did with Mary Crockett. Mary and I first met in the mid … Continue reading

Posted in Dream Boy, kidlit, summer, world domination, writing | Tagged , , | 4 Comments

Audio Appreciation Month

We spend a lot of time in the car, especially during the summer, and though we all love music, stories have been winning out lately, even on short trips around town. As a reminder that summer reading can also be … Continue reading

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