On Saturday, September 17, 2022, I and other New England authors will be appearing in person at the Bath Book Bash at the Patten Free Library in Bath, Maine. From 11 am to 4 pm, this will be a fabulous day with authors and illustrations giving talks and presenting on panels, as well as signing… Read more »
News
Coming Event – “All About Castles” – May 31, 2022
Hear all about these mighty fortresses of stone that featured moats, murder holes, portcullises, arrow loops and more. During this event, I’ll share a detailed view of what castles looked like inside and how they functioned in medieval times. Imagine yourself both as a castle defender and invader and learn what to think about when… Read more »
Student Book Awards
I love student book award programs: They encourage kids to read, and especially to read books they might not have discovered on their own. When I volunteered in my son’s elementary school library, I shelved the Maine Student Book Award (MSBA) nominees and admired the wide variety of choices the committee picked. These weren’t only… Read more »
Being an Award-Winning Author
There are some lovely huge moments in an author’s life: the moment you hold your first book, the first time you read from your first book aloud to an audience, the first time a student tells you how much your work has meant to them…and sometimes formal recognition of other kinds as well. I had… Read more »
Kirkus on Book 2
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 »
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 »
Sherman’s Bookstore Appearances
I’m thrilled to be doing a series of appearances at Sherman’s Books, Maine’s locally-owned indie bookstore chain, starting this month. Sherman’s was a very important bookstore in my childhood, and I’m delighted to go back to these fantastic indies in this way.
Spring Author Festival
On March 18, I joined children’s authors and illustrators Gina Perry, Jannie Ho, Carol Gordon Ekster, Rob Vlock, Heather Lang, Jen Petro-Roy, Lisa Rosinsky (back row), Sara Levine, Gregory Scott Katsoulis, Sarah Jean Horowitz, and Jarrett Lerner (front row) at the Framingham, Massachusetts, Barnes & Noble (I’m on the far right beside Lisa). We presented our books and chatted with… Read more »
Author Copies
The exciting moment when I get home from work after a long day and discover three boxes from Penguin Random House containing the author copies of my first book…
Author Copy
A special book was waiting for me at home on Friday after work…and was quite an incredible surprise. I saw the book-shaped padded envelope from my publisher, had a pretty good idea of what it might be, and asked my son to open the package. His grin grew wider and wider as he did. He’s… Read more »
Flora is just utterly beautiful in any pose she takes. And she hardly knows it!
#catsofinstagram
I took this pic to figure out what kind of furry visitor I had, and it’s so pretty I need to share. Meet my new friend, a tiger moth caterpillar, which, with luck, will transform soon into a gorgeous moth!
#caterpillar #garden #nature