

She is extremely attentive to character development and plot structure, as well as how those elements resonate with the intended audience and reveal the author’s purpose.

She encourages you to push boundaries and explore the soul of your story. She doesn’t try to make you write like anyone else and applauds your uniqueness. Her feedback centers on developing your authentic voice. She tore down walls I didn’t know I had built and gave me the foundation to be a confident writer with direction. She showed me it’s okay (actually, it’s great) to embrace my quirkiness. Carrie inspired my growth as a writer and a person. She invigorated me to write and write better. There were times where I was so frustrated with my novel I felt like quitting, and Carrie pulled me from the bog of eternal revisions and dead-ends into a place of hope. It is a blessing Carrie is willing to share her insights and talents with others, because she is a powerhouse of a coach who pushes you to be the best writer you can be. Caroline Abbey at Bloomsbury also babysat me through so much of the making of NEED that she deserves a medal. I am insanely jealous of her voice and her talent. She is a genius and she has the most beautiful speaking voice I have ever heard.

Michelle Nagler at Bloomsbury purchased NEED at the end of 2007. Then, I just had this image of a man standing outside an airport pointing at an airplane this girl was on. That was one of the main things that got me started. I know! I know! I probably imagined the silver eye color. Then when we were in line to pay we made eye contact again and his eyes were brown. How startling? So startling that I actually gasped and got creeped out. I guess he could tell I was checking him out because he turned his head and looked at me. And sticking out from his blazer was this long tail-like appendage that was wrapped in different colored earth-toned cloth. He was wearing all corduroy – blazer, pants. To get to the main part of the fair you have to walk through this sweet trail that curves through these tall spruce trees.

I was at the Common Ground Fair, which is this huge, cool fair in Maine that’s sponsored by Maine Organic Farmers and Growers Association (MOFGA).
