[image description: a long, open road at either dusk or dawn (it’s hard to tell). The road goes straight into the horizon and the light of the sun is peeking through the clouds in the distance.]
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The writing life is full of adventures and I’m on a big one!

I got a book deal a couple of months ago (if you missed that news, here’s the announcement!) for my book Midwest Shreds, which is about skatepark culture in the Midwest and Rust Belt. I’ve been busy hunting down stories, connecting with fascinating skaters, and discovering the region’s best skateparks and skate shops.

And now (as you’re reading this), I’m traveling through middle America visiting those places and talking to those skaters! It’s a long trip with a lot of driving, but one I’m extremely excited and fortunate to make. Since I’ll be tied up most of every day between researching, interviewing, skating, and driving, I won’t be updating this blog again until mid-June. However, if you’d like to keep up with my skate adventures, I’ll be keeping a sort of tour diary on midwestshreds.com.

And in the meantime, you can catch up on book content you might have missed and if you’re looking for something good to read, I’ve got lots of recommendations on my Bookshop lists. When you buy through Bookshop you’re supporting indie bookstores and this blog.

Here are some past posts to keep you occupied while I’m away:

Should There Be F-Bombs in YA Novels?

Want to Get Paid to Read? Do These 3 Things

10 of the Strangest Things I've Found in Books

Writing a Book Proposal Was the Best Thing I've Ever Done for a Work In Progress. Here's Why

Why "Write What You Know" Doesn't Mean What You Think It Does

24 Things to Do When Listing to an Audiobook

Ask A Book Nerd: What if I'm afraid of what my family will think of my writing?

Dear Indie Bookstores That Don't Sell Romance Novels

The Challenge of Reviewing Memoirs

and you can catch up on my creative writing here.

Thank you so much for your support. I’m hoping to stop at a few bookstores along the way, so I’ll be looking forward to sharing those with you!

xo
Mandy