We authors are always a wee bit terrified to read reviews of our books, so it was with great relief that I read this review of my second book from Kirkus, which includes these lovely lines: “Magras deftly balances introspection and action as Drest proves herself willing to risk everything—and the result will leave readers… Read more »
My Books
Gender Empowerment and Risks: A Conversation Between Diane Magras and Laura Shovan
The ranks of strong girls in middle grade fiction is growing. (Thank goodness for that!) These girls come in all forms: tough, spunky, wild—and occasionally soft and gentle but with a core of steel. They’re fantastic models for girls (and boys) to see diversity in how girls are represented. And often, these days, they have… Read more »
Holiday Book Box
I love to give books for holiday gifts. This year, some of the books I give will be reaching recipients in book boxes, so a book with a few other little things that go with the theme. As I was thinking of what would go with each book, it occurred to me that I have… Read more »
Discussion Question: On Being Strong
This is the first post in a series of in-depth discussion questions, to accompany my Teachers’ Guide, or simply be a guide for anyone reading The Mad Wolf’s Daughter with a group. Anyone who’s read The Mad Wolf’s Daughter will have a few adjectives they might use to describe my protagonist, Drest. “Strong” is probably the first. And… Read more »
Being Drest (and How to Make Borawyn)
When I first wrote The Mad Wolf’s Daughter, several people told me that they could envision kids going trick-or-treating as my wee lass, and that certainly made me smile. How incredible it would be to see a crowd of kids with dirt on their faces, tattered sleeves, and a mighty sword at their sides! Yet…that sword. It’s… Read more »
Fan Art
Every author loves seeing fan art. I saw my first example when my friend Henry Lien (Peasprout Chen: Future Legend of Skate and Sword) shared a picture of a recommendation he’d spotted at Vroman’s Bookstore in Pasadena, California: And with this recommendation is Eva Andrews, who works in the incredible children’s department at Vroman’s—and by… Read more »
A Dessert Feast of Summer
This summer was a busy one, with a string of appearances that kept me on my toes! I wanted to share a few pictures from the one of my last summer appearances. This was a tween book club at the Lithgow Library in Augusta, Maine, which I visited early in August. The participants had read… Read more »
Sherman’s in Portland, Maine
Sherman’s (a local bookstore chain in Maine) was the bookstore I grew up with, and so it was great fun to be on a tour of several Sherman’s stores this summer. On Saturday, we were in Portland. Usually when I drive down to Maine’s largest city, it’s to go to my day job, but for… Read more »
Drest (and Me) in Scotland: Part 2
One of our first visits in Edinburgh this year was to my favorite museum ever: the National Museum of Scotland. It’s an incredible place. What makes it especially close to my heart are the magnificent exhibits of Scottish history, starting from the forming of the earth, lochs, mountains, and hills (the Borders!!!!) to the modern… Read more »
Drest (and Me) in Scotland: Part 1
Scotland, and Edinburgh and the Borders in particular, are places very close to my heart. Early this summer, I made my third trip in my adult life. As usual, it was a part-research trip and part-family vacation. Because The Mad Wolf’s Daughter is in print, I took along a copy with the idea to pose it at… Read more »
These lilacs have the most glorious scent, but are pretty modest in their way. The former colleague I lost over the weekend to cancer would have liked them for both those reasons.
#flowers #grief #lilacs
It’s been a tough week. A moment with a few flowers can make a difference.
#flowers #azalea #springflowers