If you want a kid to read a book, tell him he's not allowed to pick it up. I've always found it interesting what books end up being...

English teachers spend their time digging through novels looking for symbols and motifs -- things their students usually don't care...

I went to a writer's conference in Tampa where we were told we have to have an online presence. Social media has changed the face of...

My first novel was titled Signs which I sent to a literary agent in New York. He liked it but said he had another client who was working...

After retiring from teaching English for way too long, I picked up a part time job as a library assistant. I was around people who still...

Meet the real Dean Richard Smith. I just finished my sixth manuscript and have begun the publishing journey for my own YA novels. The...

I played football in high school. At 6’ 2”, they made me a tight end even though I had hands of stone. I couldn’t catch a pass if the...

I am writing this blog more for myself than for my readers. I’ve been working on the novel Old Friends & Other Strangers for almost ten...

I had a gut feeling something was off when I saw that old box truck creeping around the school after hours. As a kid, if you spotted an...

Here's the first part of chapter one. Wendy Weller is narrating. Below is a picture of what Danny/Charlie might look like with his...

Old Friends & Other Stories has caused me to lose more sleep than I'd like to admit. As evidence, it's 4:00 A.M. as I write this. Wendy...

Met a Glenn Erick Miller at an event for local writers from Southwest Florida. Out of the fifty or so authors there, he was the only one...

I went to a writers conference with fellow author Robert Hankes and asked a panel of literary agents, "What are you seeing too much of,...

Just for Fun Along with teaching English and Young Adult Literature, I also taught a film course. If you want to analyze motif in a film,...

The problem with most of the novels taught in high school is that they were all written by dead white European males intended for college...

Set in the 80’s in rural Florida, Amy Nielsen’s breakout novel is a realistic and gritty portrayal of the tough journey facing pregnant...

I’ve been fascinated by the obsession “Concerned Moms of America” has with Critical Race Theory and “wokeness.” My understanding of...

As an English teacher, I tried to be considerate of my students and their parents when selecting classroom novels. If a parent had a...

Literary analysis is a bit like finding Waldo in a children’s picture book, especially when you’re looking for a motif. I used the...

Literary fiction tends to emphasize theme and character over plot. However, I would add the inclusion of symbolism and motif greatly...