Schooled by Crows and Creation

April 7, 2023.Reading time 2 minutes.

Crow research and cappuccinos were the order of the afternoon…

Do You “Censor” What Your Kids Read?

November 18, 2021.Reading time 2 minutes.

Amanda Cleary Eastep Do you censor the books your children read? This was a question a mother of young readers asked on Instagram. She explained that she doesn’t — she believes her children will quickly become bored with certain scenarios–such as a teen romance–and simply toss that book aside. Maybe the same way kids might […]

The Final (or Possibly Second-to-Last) Frontier: Guest post at The Glorious Table

April 27, 2021.Reading time 1 minute.

We’re moving. Or, at least, we’re attempting to. So far we’ve made it a half mile down the road to my folks’ place. But at least it’s a step in the eastward direction we’re heading. We sold our home in November, packed nearly every earthly possession into storage, and squashed into my parents’ suburban ranch. […]

AUTHOR SPOTLIGHT: Five Fun Facts with Amanda Cleary Eastep about her debut TREE STREET KIDS SERIES

April 12, 2021.Reading time less than 1 minute.

Originally posted on Laura Sassi Tales:
Today I’m delighted to have long-time editor and debut middle grade author Amanda Cleary Eastep here to share five fun facts about the first two books in her debut TREE STREE KIDS series, illustrated by Aedan Peterson, edited by Marianne Hering, and published by Moody Publishers. Here’s the official description…

Check out the New Tree Street Kids Series website!

April 5, 2021.Reading time 1 minute.

What’s on the new Tree Street Kids series website…?

Tree Street Kids books 1 and 2 available for preorder!

March 7, 2021.Reading time 1 minute.

I can’t believe we’re only one month away (April 6!) from the release of Jack vs. the Tornado and The Hunt for Fang, the first two books in the Tree Street Kids middle grade (8-12) series. The Tree Street Kids live on Cherry, Oak, Maple, and Pine … but their 1990s suburban neighborhood isn’t all […]

Tree street kids Cover reveals!

January 16, 2021.Reading time 1 minute.

After 1 1/2 years of working on the first two books in my new middle grade series, the Tree Street Kids, the day has finally come for the COVER REVEALS! Thank you to the gifted Aedan Peterson for this amazing cover art and the interior illustrations, which truly capture the spirits of the characters. Thanks […]

New YouTube Channel!

April 16, 2020.Reading time 2 minutes.

Welcome to our new YouTube channels with a read-aloud of chapter 1 from Jack vs. the Tornado!

Holding the wild story in small hands

August 17, 2019.Reading time 6 minutes.

My father had watched the rabbit’s nest for days and didn’t see the mother return. Still heartbroken over the event and not realizing then that the mother was probably caring for the remaining babies early in the morning, he decided we needed to rescue them…

Staying resilient, slaying parasites

August 16, 2018.Reading time 9 minutes.

The man made a beeline for me.

I, and a few authors, had just finished leading a discussion about the importance of the voices of “midlife” writers.

This particular writer, who had been in the audience, almost seem dazed–eyes glassy, lips parted as if what he needed to verbalize hadn’t fully formed yet and was resting between them.

Then…