Lonna’s Writing

Lonna writes fiction for children twelve and under. She is seeking agent representation for a middle-grade prose/graphic novel hybrid and various picture books while working on another stand-alone middle-grade novel in prose.

She taught middle school for thirteen years before leaving the classroom to pursue a writing career and raise her kids. Even while teaching, she was active in several face-to-face as well as online critique groups. She is a member of the Society for Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) and has taken classes through the UCLA Writer’s Program, Writer’s Digest, Gotham, and participated in a number of multi-month workshops offered by the agents and editors working with the Inked Voices writers’ community. 

She currently lives in Beijing, China with her husband and two children. Her whole family loves to read, but their tastes vary widely. It brings her great joy when they find a book that all four of them get excited about.

Lonna’s Blog and Website

When I’m not writing, I read. Children’s literature. Stories for grownups. One-hundred-year-old classics. Nutty contemporary tales that makes me giggle.

I love all kinds of books. Reading them. Writing them. This website is where I talk about them. A lot. 

A Reading and Writing Community

I taught middle school for thirteen years and then left the classroom in 2015 to pursue a writing career and raise my kids. I miss having a classroom to form my own little community of readers and writers. Literature grows us no matter how old we are, and the change that comes through reading should be celebrated and shared.

I don’t have students these days, but even though I’m not pushing others’ reading and writing to new levels, I constantly make an effort to improve my own. My reading challenges vary from exploring a new genre, to reading a book that forces hard questions, to finally reading that fat classic that’s been sitting on my shelf for years. This blog is where I talk about my reading and writing discoveries, and I hope some of you will join the conversation and share yours as well!

A Passion for Struggling or Reluctant Readers

I’ve always been passionate about literacy, but my experiences with my two young readers at home gave me a unique perspective on how challenging it can be to raise lifelong readers. We are a book-loving family. My kids know that my husband and I value books; they see us reading all the time. But the reality is, each child is different, and even when parents do everything right, not every kid gravitates toward books. On my blog, I also share what I’ve learned through experience and research in getting my own kids to love reading as much as I do.

I have a heart for teaching struggling readers, and I swear by the Orton-Gillingham instructional model to teach decoding skills to dyslexic students (and all students, really). I’ve toyed with the idea of returning to the classroom in a learning support role or as a reading specialist, but at the moment, I find much joy in writing fiction and seeking publication. 

Reaching Out Toward Others

Until I once again have the classroom as a reading-community outlet, I’ll project my love of books into the wide world of the internet.

I hope you stick around and join this reading community. You’ll fit right in here whether you are . . . 

  • A book nerd like me who loves reading lists and challenges.
  • A book lover who’s looking for the next great read for you or someone you love.
  • A parent looking for tips to encourage a passion for reading in your children.
  • A reader who is looking for occasional online read-alongs of those thick, intimidating classics.
  • A writer who wants to share knowledge or follow along on my journey to publication.

Newsletter

Sign up for my newsletter, and twice a year I’ll consolidate my best material and send it right to your inbox. You’ll get information on this site’s upcoming book clubs or reading challenges and the most popular blog posts from the last six months.

Social Media

Review Policy

I don’t do solicited reviews. As an unashamed supporter of a DNF reading policy, I don’t finish every book I start, but I end up liking most of the ones I do finish.

I write a lot of reviews here, but I do not review every book I read—only my favorites, the ones that demonstrate an excellent handle on some element of craft, or the ones that challenge me in an unexpected way.

Affiliate Programs

While I actively promote using your local library, I also post links to Amazon and Bookshop (an online bookstore that supports local independent bookstores) in my posts.

I am an affiliate for both of these stores which means I make a very small profit if you use one of my links to purchase a book. This does not increase the book’s cost for you, nor does it affect the opinions expressed in my reviews.

Life In China

I am a Michigan girl at my core, but I’ve lived in Asia since 2005 (first Korea and then China). If you’d like to read about my youth in the midwest or about life overseas, browse my personal essays below.