Middle Grades

Micki Bare

Apr 42 min read

West Coast inspiration

Adventures help build creative muscle. I'm convinced writer's block can always be cured by taking a break from the keyboard and trying...

Micki Bare

Nov 26, 20233 min read

A writer who teaches

Amidst my hectic graduate work, middle school teacher, and novel writer schedule, I carved out time for a writers and illustrators...

Micki Bare

Oct 1, 20232 min read

Publishing options

Recently, I had the privilege of speaking at the SCBWI Carolinas Deep Dive Day. My presentation was rooted in my personal writing and...

Micki Bare

Sep 17, 20231 min read

Uwharrie Mountains Enchantment

The Birkhead Wilderness, which is part of the Uwharrie Mountains in central NC, was the inspiration and setting for my Zahra of the...

Micki Bare

Aug 13, 20232 min read

Hal and my animal character

When writers create characters, they draw from observations of friends, relatives, acquaintances, and strangers. Then they mix those...

Micki Bare

Oct 30, 20222 min read

Taking a break in 2022

I've been a dedicated NaNoWriMo participant for years. Each November, I challenge myself to draft a book—or at least the first 50K words...

Micki Bare

Jan 29, 20222 min read

Quirky, Hippie MG Author

We wear many hats in our lives. My collection includes mother, wife, aunt, daughter, caregiver, marketing director, mentor, friend, and...

Micki Bare

Jan 9, 20222 min read

The Voice Over

My mom is a ham. She's sociable, funny, and dramatic. Could she have been an actor? After her recent stint in the recording booth, I...

Micki Bare

Sep 30, 20203 min read

Can children’s horror literature be too scary?

Editorial Note: This is an opinion piece by David Bare, the teen librarian at Asheboro Public Library. The world is a scary place. The...