Katiaesque

  • Dragons and Aliens Make For Great Excuses

    Yikes! Sorry about the 22-day silence. (Yes, I counted). If it makes you feel any better, it’s not just you guys I haven’t been talking to. I have disappeared from just about everywhere else. Facebook. Friends. (What friends?) Stopped making phone calls to my mother and grandmother. Like I said, yikes! (An update in case…

    Katia Raina

  • Flying

    Happy Monday, everyone! Yes, happy Monday. Whether it’s a day job Monday, or just a busy Monday. Try to treasure it no matter what. Measure your Mondays with new words, measure them with love, with little bits of beauty. Try to fly through Mondays, if you can. Try to, even if you cannot. I think…

    Katia Raina

  • Middle-Grade Month!

    No, it’s not an April Fool’s joke — this month the Magic Mirror is going Middle Grade! I will admit, I am a YA writer first. But lately, middle-grade stories have been on my mind. Maybe it’s my daughter growing up. Maybe it’s all this wonderful reading I’ve been doing as part of the Vermont College…

    Katia Raina

  • Writing Under Pressure

    Celebration! Fireworks! Last night I sent in the second packet of writing work to my Vermont College of Fine Arts advisor, the tough, ther wise, the formidable Tim Wynnne-Jones. Two down. Only eighteen more to go. Ha! And yet, everyone who has been through the program  says these two years and twenty packets pass so fast. Very soon…

    Katia Raina

  • Homework Update

    Spring? Yeah, right! What was I thinking? Two days ago the world around me was wind, the sky lashing rain, and now the yard is covered with soft, beautiful, unwelcome snow. Oh, the foolishness of premature celebrations! As one Russian proverb says, “Don’t say ‘hop!’ before you jump over.” I don’t have time for a long or particularly thoughtful post,…

    Katia Raina

  • A Good Reader Is Like A Dementor: Writing Wisdom From Rebecca Stead

    I’ve been meaning to do this little post for a month now, following my glorious January residency. What can I say? It’s a good thing I’m no longer in journalism! Anyway — here it goes. Rebecca Stead, middle-grade author of Newbery-winning “When You Reach Me” and most recently, “Liar & Spy” came to Vermont last month…

    Katia Raina

  • Homework

    Dear Magic Mirror subscribers, old and new! I just wanted to show you: this is what my next month is going to look like. This is only some of it, mind you. Another pile of books is coming my way from the library shortly. (Two different libraries). But yeah, this is it. One pile you…

    Katia Raina

  • What I’ve Learned In Vermont (So Far)

    So, how is it? What have you learned? What are you learning? As soon as I came back from my first residency at the Vermont College of Fine Arts, Writing For Children and Young Adults MFA program, the questions started pouring in. Once, I was once one of the eager questioners,  hungry for any nuggets of wisdom…

    Katia Raina

  • Congratulations!

    Dear 31-minute challenge participants! We did it! You did it! Dear winners — I am so proud of you!!! Or — maybe you almost did it! I am proud of you anyway. What matters is, all month long, all of you’ve been writing away! Pushing yourselves, exploring, keeping your commitment to something that matters to…

    Katia Raina

  • I Am Back!

    Yes, I am! I can’t believe it! Did I just return yesterday? When I think about it logically, and trace the dates back, it sounds right. Mostly though, all the days are still kind of jumbled up together. Am I dreaming or something? No, I can’t be. Because I’m more awake than I have been…

    Katia Raina