Of all the characters in 7th Grade Revolution, the one my inner twelve-year-old identified the most with was Rhonda Snodgrass. Smart, funny, individual thinker, reader, and definitely not one of the “IT” crowd. And klutz. At twelve, I was an athlete — softball and swimming — and I couldn’t figure out how I could excel in things requiring hand/eye coordination … Read More
Did the Search for Nessie Help Save Sergio?
On the face of it, Cryptozoologists* and wildlife conservation scientists** don’t have much in common. Cryptozoology is widely considered a pseudoscience because its enthusiasts don’t follow conventional scientific methods while searching for monsters and mythological creatures, like Nessie and Bigfoot, which are also known as cryptids. Most conservation scientists don’t want to be associated with monsters and monster-hunting, but are … Read More
7th Grade Revolution: Bring Back the Fish
One of my greatest delights while writing 7th Grade Revolution was being able to take a moment that happened at Exploris Middle School and weave it into the story. There were so many moments it was hard to pick and choose which ones I’d be able to get into the story without bloating the beginning part of the book. When … Read More
7th Grade Revolution: Asserting Independence
Middle School is such an interesting time of self-discovery and stretching boundaries, which is part of the reason I am drawn to writing this age group. By this age many are beginning to assert their independence of who they are apart from their identity and role in the family. The opinions of their peers becomes more important than the opinions … Read More
7th Grade Revolution: Prepare for Battle
One of the biggest pleasures I have while writing is when the characters come through loud and clear. Dennis Alexander was one of those characters for me. The minute he slouched in, I knew he was a kid who sits in the back of the class so he can lean his chair against the wall. The kind of guy who’d … Read More
7th Grade Revolution Book Trailer
Just thought I’d take a moment to share the brand new book trailer for 7th Grade Revolution. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do. Pre-Orders now available:AmazonBarnes and NoblePowellsAll available Ebook Retailers
7th Grade Revolution: When Things Change
When the interior art for 7th Grade Revolution was originally commissioned, we hadn’t yet made the decision to replace Twitter with QuackerMe, so the request for the second chapter of the book was something totally different than the QuackerMe logo from my last post. Once QuackerMe was born, Vesuvian Books decided to replace the original piece with the QuackerMe logo. … Read More
7th Grade Revolution: QuackerMe
In 2011, when Exploris Middle School staged its bloodless revolution, a key part of the experience was played out through the “media”. The media presence in the classroom was taken up by the teachers and they reported events as they unfolded throughout the experience. Between the Twitter stream and the article posted in the News and Observer, word on what … Read More
7th Grade Revolution: When the Story Gives Back
As a writer, honoring the story and getting it down and into the hands of readers is my job. It’s a solitary endeavor that takes a host of people to bring to fruition. We are never in it alone. And for each person who helps me along the way, I am grateful for the help I have received. In the … Read More
7th Grade Revolution: The Time of Year
One of the most exciting things for me as we are going through the process leading up to the publication of 7th Grade Revolution is that the publisher, Vesuvian Books, commissioned artwork, sort of a mood piece, to precede each of the chapters in the book. I had the opportunity to work with the talented Luke Spooner and watch scenes … Read More
7th Grade Revolution at ALA
A couple weeks ago I was able to announce the publication date for my upcoming book 7th Grade Revolution (10.24.2017 in case you forgot 😉 ). Well, my book has already been on the road without me. Every year, the American Library Association (ALA) puts on a huge conference, and this year it was in Chicago. I didn’t think it … Read More
7th Grade Revolution Announcement
I am delighted to announce a publication date for 7th Grade Revolution has been scheduled. It is exciting to have a date for this project as I have been working toward the publication for a while now. But everything is falling into place and it will be released 10.24.2017. On top of being able to announce the release date, this … Read More