Middle Grade Ninja: Author/Illustrator Teams and an Online Writers Conference
Good morning, Esteemed Reader I know what you’re thinking: where the heck’s the book of the week? It’s Tuesday, already. Or this might be your first time here and you could be thinking what the heck is a middle grade ninja? Either way, I’m not sure I care for your strong language:) I’m often asked how […]
Middle Grade Ninja: Another Pound of Flesh: a Second Post About Editing
In 2011, I wrote an extremely popular post about editing when I thought I was done editing the first Banneker Bones book. Ha, ha, ha, me from the past, you still had ahead of you three years of polishing and notes from multiple agents and editors, some of which were helpful, all of which resulted in rewrites. In […]
Middle Grade Ninja: AND THEN… (cover reveal)
I’m so excited today, Esteemed Reader, as this cover is something I’ve been wanting to share with you for months now and the actual title of The And Then Story is something I’ve been waiting to share with you for five years (I started the first draft at the same time I started this blog). […]
Middle Grade Ninja: An Afterword for ROB WORM’S BIRD ADVENTURE
The original draft of Rob Worm’s Bird Adventure—which came with your book—was published by my 5th Grade class in 1991. I’d been drawing Rob Worm on every scrap of paper and been thinking about him for at least a year, so forever. I was so in love with the idea of writing a book about […]
Middle Grade Ninja: An Afterword for PIZZA DELIVERY
WARNING: This ADULT novelette is mean and nasty and intended for a mature audience. It is absolutely not appropriate for younger readers. It is a gruesome, repugnant tale sure to warp young minds and it contains EXTREMELY COARSE LANGUAGE. Seriously. The following is an afterword for Pizza Delivery, but I’m not going to spoil the story and I’m mostly […]
Middle Grade Ninja: An Afterword for GOODBYE TO GRANDMA
When you hold my novel in your hands, Esteemed Reader, you hold my beating heart. That’s true no matter which of my books you happen to be holding, even the adventure stories. There are chapters in all three Banneker Bones books I cannot read without tears threatening. When you’re holding Goodbye to Grandma, you’re […]
Middle Grade Ninja: An Afterword for THE BOOK OF DAVID Part Two: “Pictures and Craft”
A quick reminder just in case you missed Part One of this Afterword, ideally to be read after you’ve read The Book of David: This book is not appropriate for younger readers. I wouldn’t let my kid read it and I would never give a copy to your child. Should they obtain a copy elsewhere, this is […]
Middle Grade Ninja: An Afterword for THE BOOK OF DAVID Part One: “Inception and Autobiography”
Esteemed Reader, if ever there was a strange book to promote from a site traditionally devoted to middle grade fiction, it’s The Book of David. But this is my site (I can barely be bothered to manage one website, let alone a second), so we’re doing this thing:) As much as I love writing stories […]
Middle Grade Ninja: An Afterword for BANNEKER BONES AND THE GIANT ROBOT BEES Part Three: Let’s Talk About Bees (and economics)
This is the final part of a three-part afterword for Banneker Bones and the Giant Robot Bees. If you read the first two parts, surely you’ve read the book by now, but if you haven’t (why not? It’s so much better than these blog posts), beware of casual spoilers ahead. In the first part of […]
Middle Grade Ninja: An Afterword for BANNEKER BONES AND THE GIANT ROBOT BEES Part Two: Let’s Talk About Magic (and, of course, Batman)
This is a continuation of the three-part afterword for Banneker Bones and the Giant Robot Bees. If you’re reading this after reading part one and you haven’t read the book, you’re obviously interested. I promise the actual book is better than this afterword for it, so why not go read it, then come back so […]