Russell Hirsch

Happy Hallow-week! With leaves falling, fireworks flaring, and pumpkins grinning, I’m very excited to welcome booktuber Emily of Page...

Six years of silence. Magic as dark as black swan feathers. Sacrifice, struggle, and the interweaving of worlds. Today Storythreads hosts...

Today, I’m thrilled to present an interview with Caitlin Boyle, an expert on children’s book adaptations for stage and screen! You can...

Pub date: Sep. 1, 2018 from Carolrhoda Lab (an imprint of Lerner Publishing Group) Available in Canada through Thomas Allen & Son Today,...

The Civil War meets dinosaurs in Daniel José Older’s new Middle Grade novel, Dactyl Hill Squad. You heard that right. Civil War +...

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...

Today, we’re diving back in time to 17th-century Prague! Getting historical? We’re getting there through the historical fantasy novel...

Perhaps nothing simultaneously excites and intimidates a fantasy author as much as worldbuilding—crafting the geography, history,...

Today, I continue “Lessons from a First Novel” by reflecting on the outlining process. In writer slang there are Plotters and Pantsers....

Last winter, I finished a polished draft of my first novel manuscript. Of course, “finished” and “polished” are words that automatically...

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,...

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...

Happy Canada Day! This July, I highlight underrated Canadian fantasy novels for kids, especially those from decades past that still stand...

In this post, I finish my examination of Kristin Cashore’s excellent Graceling Realms series. (Part one here!) The title of the post may...

***Onward, there be spoilers!*** Although the series is beloved first and foremost for its powerful and deep-feeling heroines, a central...

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...

Today, I break down a few skills (skillz?) on display in recent reads from the past month, specifically, books by Sayantani Dasgupta,...

Released last October, La Belle Sauvage, is essentially a prequel (or as Pullman calls it, an “equel”) that takes place a decade before...

I recently had the opportunity to contribute some articles and book reviews to The YAK, a magazine devoted to Education, Writing,...

CHAINBREAKER | Tara Sim Publisher: Sky Pony Press Available in Canada through Thomas Allen & Son Retail Price (CAD): $29.99 HC Pub. Date:...