It takes nothing away from the first two books in the Mr. Puffball series to say that the third installment, Mr. Puffball: Escape from Castaway Island may be my favorite—possibly because in this third book, Constance Lombardo is working with what amounts to a well-seasoned ensemble cats cast, a crew of Hollywood veterans and up-and-comers […]
He’s back, baby! One of the greatest parts about having published even one book is the privilege it gives you of reading other authors’ work before it even comes out. A year ago I had the great pleasure of reading Mr. Puffball: Stunt Cat to the Stars—and of talking with the author, Constance Lombardo, for […]
It’s been a while since I’ve done a newsletter, but I wanted to put one out now in order to celebrate the first anniversary of the release of Tales of a Fifth Grade Knight. Thanks in part to you, beautiful reader, Knight has now sold a few thousand copies! And while that doesn’t exactly make […]
One of the most fun things I do when I’m not trying to put books together is write about Asheville’s local YA/MG authors for our local independent weekly, the Mountain Xpress. My most recent article was about CM Surrisi, whose middle-grade mystery The Maypop Kidnapping launched this week. Basically, in exchange for writing an article, […]
Before I begin, I should distinguish between fan mail and fan art: my first fan art was this excellent paper sculpture of Ear-with-Legs, shown here with the sculptor himself, a gentleman named Lincoln H. who lives in Chapel Hill— But over the Christmas break I received my first fan letter! Griffin W., a fifth grader […]
A lot has been written about this excellent novel, and there’s not much that I can add, but it’s so good, I feel compelled to try. If you haven’t heard of Eleanor and Park, know that it’s the story of a romance between a Korean-American boy (and New Wave/Punk/Alternative fan) named Park and a wonderfully […]
It’s been a busy couple of months since I last put out a newsletter, and this time has included some great school visits! In early December, I had one of my best author events ever as a guest of the Friends of the Library in Hot Springs, North Carolina. Here’s a picture of me teaching […]
The holiday season is upon us, a time when many exchange gifts. If you’re trying to think of a special gift for a special kid on your list, may I suggest my book, Tales of a Fifth Grade Knight? You don’t have to take my word for it being a great gift, just read what […]
It’s not news that someone would like Sarah Dessen. After all, she’s a bestselling author. I think, though, that it might be news that a guy whose tastes run more toward science fiction and fantasy enjoys her stories of young female protagonists dealing with families, boyfriends, and the assorted trials of high school. But here’s […]
I spend a fair amount of time on Twitter. I used to avoid it, mostly because 140 characters didn’t seem like enough room to say anything worthwhile. As I’ve come to use it more and pay more attention to what others are tweeting, though, I’ve come to agree with Alexander Pope that brevity is the […]
