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Russell F. Hirsch
Oct 25, 20232 min read
Descriptive Language that Sparkles
Kill your darlings! Get to the point! Plot over prose! How many times have you heard advice about simplifying your writing for middle...
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Russell F. Hirsch
Oct 11, 20231 min read
SIWC - Simply Inspiring Writers' Conference
We all know the feeling of finding our tribe. Whether we were kids discovering new friends on the playground, teens navigating a new...
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Russell F. Hirsch
Oct 28, 2018
Horror for Kids – with booktuber Emily of Page Turns
Happy Hallow-week! With leaves falling, fireworks flaring, and pumpkins grinning, I’m very excited to welcome booktuber Emily of Page...
Russell F. Hirsch
Oct 15, 2018
BLOG TOUR: The Flight of Swans by Sarah McGuire
Six years of silence. Magic as dark as black swan feathers. Sacrifice, struggle, and the interweaving of worlds. Today Storythreads hosts...
Russell F. Hirsch
Oct 4, 2018
Adapting Books for Stage & Screen – with Caitlin Boyle
Today, I’m thrilled to present an interview with Caitlin Boyle, an expert on children’s book adaptations for stage and screen! You can...
Russell F. Hirsch
Sep 27, 2018
BLOG TOUR: Open Mic Night at Westminster Cemetery
Pub date: Sep. 1, 2018 from Carolrhoda Lab (an imprint of Lerner Publishing Group) Available in Canada through Thomas Allen & Son Today,...
Russell F. Hirsch
Sep 21, 2018
Dactyl Hill Squad by Daniel José Older (Guest Review for The Book Wars)
The Civil War meets dinosaurs in Daniel José Older’s new Middle Grade novel, Dactyl Hill Squad. You heard that right. Civil War +...
Russell F. Hirsch
Sep 12, 2018
Lessons from a First Novel: Supercharging the 2nd Act
The Second Act is the middle section of a novel and usually the biggest chunk of a book. It spans from when a character is first thrust...
Russell F. Hirsch
Aug 23, 2018
REVIEW: Sword of Power by Oliver Potzsch
Today, we’re diving back in time to 17th-century Prague! Getting historical? We’re getting there through the historical fantasy novel...
Russell F. Hirsch
Aug 19, 2018
Lessons from a First Novel: Worldbuilding from the Inside-Out
Perhaps nothing simultaneously excites and intimidates a fantasy author as much as worldbuilding—crafting the geography, history,...
Russell F. Hirsch
Aug 12, 2018
Lessons from a First Novel: Plotters, Pantsers, and Outlines—oh my!
Today, I continue “Lessons from a First Novel” by reflecting on the outlining process. In writer slang there are Plotters and Pantsers....
Russell F. Hirsch
Aug 6, 2018
Lessons from a First Novel: Patterns and Parameters
Last winter, I finished a polished draft of my first novel manuscript. Of course, “finished” and “polished” are words that automatically...
Russell F. Hirsch
Jul 25, 2018
Review: Game of Secrets by Kim Foster
This week, I have the pleasure of reviewing Game of Secrets, a YA Victorian thriller, by Kim Foster, who just so happens to be Canadian,...
Russell F. Hirsch
Jul 10, 2018
Canadian Corner: J. Fitzgerald McCurdy
As a kid growing up in the Harry Potter generation, I devoured fantasy novels—and since a new HP book only landed on the shelf every two...
Russell F. Hirsch
Jul 1, 2018
Canadian Corner: William Pasnak
Happy Canada Day! This July, I highlight underrated Canadian fantasy novels for kids, especially those from decades past that still stand...
Russell F. Hirsch
Jun 17, 2018
Graced with Epic-ness: Kristin Cashore’s Series Structure
In this post, I finish my examination of Kristin Cashore’s excellent Graceling Realms series. (Part one here!) The title of the post may...
Russell F. Hirsch
Jun 11, 2018
Graces and Ghosts: Kristin Cashore’s Elegiac Fantasy
***Onward, there be spoilers!*** Although the series is beloved first and foremost for its powerful and deep-feeling heroines, a central...
Russell F. Hirsch
Jun 8, 2018
Calling Vancouver Kidlit Authors!
Hear ye! Hear ye! Any and all aspiring Young Adult, Middle Grade, or Picture Book authors in the Vancouver area! Next July 9th, come out...
Russell F. Hirsch
Apr 6, 2018
Writing Rewind! Tips from Recent Reads
Today, I break down a few skills (skillz?) on display in recent reads from the past month, specifically, books by Sayantani Dasgupta,...
Russell F. Hirsch
Mar 27, 2018
Review: Pullman’s Book of *FAIRY* Dust
Released last October, La Belle Sauvage, is essentially a prequel (or as Pullman calls it, an “equel”) that takes place a decade before...
Russell F. Hirsch
Mar 12, 2018
The YAK speaks! Diversity in kidlit
I recently had the opportunity to contribute some articles and book reviews to The YAK, a magazine devoted to Education, Writing,...
Russell F. Hirsch
Feb 15, 2018
BLOG TOUR: Chainbreaker by Tara Sim
CHAINBREAKER | Tara Sim Publisher: Sky Pony Press Available in Canada through Thomas Allen & Son Retail Price (CAD): $29.99 HC Pub. Date:...
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