I’ve been thinking a lot recently about how I can give back in 2017, and I came up with a big, ambitious plan to help students and schools. It’s called BOOKS FOR CHANGE, but in order for it to work I need your help. I want to give 1000 books and 10 author visits to underfunded schools! (Click […]
Coming out this summer! THE LAST PANTHER
February 14, 2016 by · 2 Comments
You might have noticed that I haven’t posted much recently. That’s because I’ve been hard at work on final revisions of a new book, THE LAST PANTHER, that’s set to come out with Random House in Summer, 2017. To read reviews and discover the latest on this book please visit The Last Panther page! THE LAST PANTHER (for ages 9 […]
Create a Comic Book in 10 (simple?) Steps
September 10, 2015 by · 1 Comment
Comics and other graphic texts are one of the fastest growing areas of publishing, and they seem to be getting stronger each year. If you haven’t considered getting graphic, you might want to. This post is for creators, especially writers, who are interested in graphic story-telling. Even if your art skills are limited to crooked, one-armed stick figures, […]
The One Thing I Wish Someone Had Told Me About Creating Characters
April 24, 2013 by · 5 Comments
There’s a lot of conflicting advice out there about characters. Do you make them quirky and unusual (like Amelia Bedelia), or more ordinary (like Charlie Brown)? Do you make them heroic (someone readers might aspire to be, like Atticus Finch), or deeply flawed (like FH in Jesus’s Son)? Do you make them raw and human […]
Writing Advice Part II (my top six other best pieces of advice)
April 19, 2013 by · 9 Comments
The single best piece of writing advice I ever got was to write the book you most want to read (more on that here). After that, here are six other bits of writing advice that have made the biggest difference for me (and that I need to keep reminding myself of to keep on going). […]
The Last Panther Teaching and Book Club Kit
April 21, 2017 by · Leave a Comment
Looking for materials to enhance using The Last Panther in the classroom or book club? This is the place to find and share those. Although my first goal is always to write an entertaining story, it’s my hope that The Last Panther will help students creating vivid, personal connections to several areas of interest for 4th-7th grades, including: —Understanding […]
Do Something Good (and get a Protector Pendant!)
October 19, 2016 by · 2 Comments
Ever wish you were living in a fantasy book, fighting monsters and questing to save the world? (I sometimes do). Fortunately, there are plenty of real causes in need of heroes. BECOME A PROTECTOR! Being a protector is easier than you might think. You can: —Sell lemonade or homemade crafts to raise money to protect endangered species […]
