Frequently Asked Questions
Q: "How do you pronounce your last name?"
A: I pronounce it "Peter-froind" (think "Freud" with an N), but if that's too hard for you, "Peter-friend" works great. That's what it means in German, anyway, and it's how my dad and grandfather pronounce it.Q: "Is there going to be a third book in the killer unicorn series (that started with Rampant & Ascendant)?"
A: Yes, someday. I don't have a title, publisher, or release date yet, though. But I promise I have not abandoned Astrid! Meanwhile, enjoy the killer unicorn short stories.Q: "How many books are in the Secret Society Girl (Ivy League Novel) series?"
A: There are four books in the series. The correct reading order is: Secret Society Girl, Under the Rose, Rites of Spring (Break), and Tap & Gown.Q: "Are you going to write any more books in the Secret Society Girl (Ivy League Novel) series?"
A: Tap & Gown is the last book in the series. (It's time for Amy and me to graduate!) If you're interested in reading further in the series, check out the free secret stories.
Category Archives: writing life
My pal Colleen Gleason is canvassing for titles for the fifth Gardella Vampire Chronicles book (And if you haven’t been reading these, why the hell not? Go forth now and devour! These books have always had the most amazing titles. … Continue reading
Some interesting reads out there in blog-land: The prolific and always candid Lauren Baratz-Logsted discusses writing in multiple genres, and the various mythologies about that. Scott William Carter, a debut author whose website I just discovered yesterday, talks about the … Continue reading
When I was in high school, this famous Dickens scholar came to speak to our school and he said that Dickens had three rules for writing that he had learned from his childhood nanny and her penchant for telling him … Continue reading
1. 1pp for ROSB2. Outline for SSG4 (title TK)3. Finish unicorn book4. Finish judging RITAs5. Finish judging Golden Heart entries6. Read and return CP’s work (simply devouring it!) Busy month…
Calling all Writers: Seventy Days of Sweat returns this week. The sponsors, Yours Truly, HelenKay Dimon, Jaci Burton, Larissa Ione, Lauren Dane, Portia Da Costa, and Shiloh Walker invite you to join in. Basically, 70 Days of Sweat is designed … Continue reading
So I got my RITA books in the mail, which of course, I’m not allowed to talk about. In passing, why do we capitalize the word RITA? The award is not an acronym. It’s named for Rita Clay Estrada. Why … Continue reading
I have a nice, healthy obsession with character names. I need to get them right, or they don’t work on the page. In the past, I’ve started writing a character as one name and he’s changed his mind mid-sentence, started … Continue reading
I used to be a journalist. I wrote for several years for an alternative weekly paper in Tampa Florida. Most of my articles were food reviews, which made them opinion pieces. When I wrote those pieces, I went to the … Continue reading
Justine Larbalestier, Scott Westerfeld, Cecil Castelucci, and many others are in a new anthology out today about First Kisses, called, appropriately, First Kiss (Then Tell): A Collection of True Lip-Locked Moments edited by Cylin Busby. In honor of that, Justine … Continue reading
I’m all done with copy edits on Rites of Spring (Break). The next time I see it, it will look like a book, not a manuscript. Which doesn’t mean the work is done, but first proofs are always so…. final-looking … Continue reading
