Loved this great review from Shelf Awareness, especially because it uses the word, “humdinger,” a favorite of mine that doesn’t get enough circulation anymore! Rule of Threes Kids in middle-grade novels tend not to have it easy. Even so, in Rule of Threes, Marcy Campbell (Adrian Simcox Does NOT Have a Horse) comes up with a […]
The Closet Creative Blog
RULE OF THREES review from The Horn Book
Thank you to The Horn Book for this wonderful review! From the May/June 2021 issue of The Horn Book Maggie has high hopes for sixth grade, especially when the principal announces a decorating contest as part of the school’s spirit week. As an avid interior designer who has learned all the rules of decoration—and persuaded […]
RULE OF THREES Review from Publishers Weekly
I’m very excited to share this review from Publishers Weekly. It’s great when reviewers really “get” what an author was going for. “Harmony in the imperfect” pretty much sums it up. Rule of Threes Marcy Campbell. Chronicle, $17.99 (320p) ISBN 978-1-7972-0123-8 Twelve-year-old Maggie believes that “three is perfect”: her immediate family has three members, as […]
Don’t/Do Cross the Streams
As I’ve mentioned here once, or twenty, times, the publishing world moves slowly. A book that sells today won’t see a store shelf for at least two years. My next picture book with Corinna Luyken, SOMETHING GOOD*, comes out this September, but sold three years ago. I remember when I heard it wouldn’t be out […]
Hopeful Gifts
Like pretty much everyone, I’ve been in a bit of a funk, and the end of the year means heaps of melancholy, hooray! On that note, I’d say the absolute best Christmas song is “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” because it pokes at that holiday sadness and acknowledges loss, which we’ve experienced so much […]
Scissors, Markers, and a New Book
With my first middle-grade novel ready to come out in the spring (RULE OF THREES! May 2021! From Chronicle!), I’m focusing on Novel #2 with a process that requires scissors, markers, and a retreat into my attic. Writers often get asked about our “process.” Every writer has a different one, and writers might have different […]
Rearranged
During these past couple weeks, I’ve made huge progress on my next middle-grade novel and also put a collage of photos up in our newly painted stairwell. Seemingly very different projects, no? I actually found many similarities, which really spoke to my love of finding patterns. The stairwell collage is something I’ve wanted to do […]
Writing at Turtle-Speed
One of the hardest things I’ve had to learn in the publishing business is patience. I’m not a patient person by nature, and I wasn’t prepared for how slooooowly things move in this industry. For example, if I sold a picture book manuscript today, you wouldn’t see it on the shelves for two or three […]