In a Tumblr post last week, YA author, Maggie Stiefvater, said: "If you fail in writing, you’ve failed once. Get up. Do it again. Wipe your nose if you have to, but for God’s sake. Get up. You’re getting grass stains on everything." What she's really talking about here, is grit.

Psychologists have been studying the roots of human motivation and success for years. Angela Lee Duckworth, Ph.D. is an American Psychologist who's research focuses on  a construct she calls "grit." 

No matter our goals, it's way too easy to become discouraged, to feel we don't have the intelligence to succeed, to compare ourselves to others.

Researchers like Angela Duckworth and Heidi Grant Halvorson are defining constructs that change the landscape in terms of how people view potential. Their work, and the work of so many others, is setting the foundation of proof that hard work and a "get-better" mindset (vs. "be good" mindset) are the driving factors for goal-attainment. 

In the end, the best predictor of any success - whether we're talking getting a book published, a grant accepted, or acing that hole-in-one - is the number of tries we make. And here's a secret: tries=practice. Practice leads to mastery.

To quote Brian Johnson, "grit is willpower squared, soul food."  How about a nice, big bowl ...?

Here it is! And isn't it pretty!


Leap Books has revealed the official cover of the anthology of YA short stories inspired by the timeless classic "Alice in Wonderland," due out in April. Check back here for more information about the release.

So what do you do when someone offers you a whole set of drinking glasses, but you have nothing to protect them during transit?

You guessed it!

Books saved the day. The glasses made it home in perfect condition, not a chip or scratch to be found. What do all of these have in common? They were all illustrated by the incredible Dan dos Santos. To see him at work, check out this video ...

The moral of this story? Always carry a bag of books in your trunk. You never know when they'll save the day

What a way to ring in the new year!

Yesterday, Leap Books announced the April 14th release date for "Beware the Little White Rabbit" along with this little sneak peek of the dreamy cover.  

My story, "Alice in Wilderland," will be in excellent company along side works by:
Laura Lacarso, Charlotte Bennardo, C. Lee McKenzie, Christine Norris, David Turnbull, Jacqueline Horsfall, Medeia Sharif, Tom Luke, Chrystal Schubert, Holly Odell, Jennifer Moore & Liam Hogan.

If you want to see more, be sure to check back here and on the Leap Books Blog next week on January 8th for the full cover reveal.