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
YWS: Where Do You Start?
You’ve just had a fabulous idea for a story and your brain is bursting with all the details and you cannot wait to write it. You sit down at the keyboard and pull up a page, or grab a notepad if you draft long hand, and the blank page mocks you with its emptiness. The only thing on your mind … 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
Chocolate and the Endangered Species
I have been a chocolate lover my entire life. Unfortunately, I was tortured as a child because I was not allowed to have chocolate because I was allergic to it. Turns out I never was allergic to chocolate itself, but chocolate when paired with other things. Good thing I’m a purist and love plain chocolate the best. 🙂 By the … 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
The Homeless Scout Troop
During my school years, up until high school, I belonged to the Girl Scouts. I have many memories of being a scout, particularly the camping trips. We were known as the camping troop in our area, and had several outings a year. So when I think of my time in the Girl Scouts I remember setting up tents, roasting marshmallows … Read More
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
Bullying and the Dangers of Labels
In my writing the theme of bullying frequently pops up because bullying situations occur from childhood through adulthood. No one remains unscathed. If not bullied, you may have been the bullier, or you have seen someone else being bullied. And oftentimes we are reluctant to accept that we are being bullied, or if we accept it, we don’t want others … 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
The Madushan Monster
One of the features to the Timmy and the Golden Lion Tamarin series is the guardian angel animal. We are using endangered animals throughout the series, to bring awareness to the animals themselves. The quest for the Madushan Monster is ongoing along the Red River in Yunnan province, southeastern China. What is the Madushan Monster? The Madushan Monster is actually … Read More