Some people gain knowledge when they open a book. Others absorb information by observation. Yet everyone can learn through play. Here in Seattle at the University of Washington, we have a top ranked College of Education. I am a new board member. I still can’t believe it. The honor thrills me because I get to be involved in how our teachers are taught to teach and how these amazing individuals can inspire our children, get communities involved...

You can’t write what you don’t know. Research is essential. No one gets it right in the first draft. The average novel is rewritten 7 times. You will get rejection letters. Learn Origami, rejection letters look much better when they are folded into cranes. There will always be people who don’t like what you write, you’ll never please everyone, it is impossible, don’t even try. Embrace your characters quirks and tells. When I was...

You can’t write what you don’t know. Sure, books and the internet are great ways to find out about your subject, but the best way to research your story is to live it. For the Lakeview Novels I tried to do just that. While researching Hush (the story of an unknown princess who is discovered by an undercover student journalist and hunted down by terrorists on the campus of her elite boarding school) I went to several rugby games – a...