I’m going to be a cheating McCheater pants on this post. I know that it looks like I am going to blog about a favorite work of fiction that I read in the calendar year 2012. And I do actually have a few of these.If you are looking for some great reads, you can see what I loved in 2012. But I’m not going to talk about those books today. Instead, I’m going to say a few things about the most influential-on-me book I read in calendar year 2012. Basically, this blog post will probably be very boring if you are not a writer. Readers, my apologies! Just skip this stuff and look for the giveaway at the bottom of the post. (I love my non-writer readers!) Full disclosure: I read this book in 2011 before I read it in Read more…

Did you not love these as a kid? I know I did. Well, apparently adults can get them, too. A couple of months ago I was all excited when Kirkus (who have a TM on this: The World’s Toughest Book Critics) (I am not making that up) gave my book a Starred Review. I’m even more excited to report that they added my title to their annual list of 100 Indie titles to be named to Kirkus Reviews’ Best of 2012. As far as I can tell, twelve of those are children’s titles. And mine’s easy to find! So skedaddle on over there and read the review if you haven’t already. (I’ll wait.) And if you would like to read the book itself but you’re afraid you might not like it because it is Science Fiction (you know who you Read more…

I’ve been mulling over what to talk about at my upcoming Book Launch Party for my second book in The Saving Mars Series—DEFYING MARS. Now, I happen to know there will be a sizeable number of people there of whom it could be said, “Fans of Sci/Fi, they are not.” (Nor, I suspect, do their desks look like this.) So that got me to thinking about how, when I wrote the first book, I told myself, “I’ve got to work extra hard to make sure the characters are front and center—and unforgettable.” Okay, that might have been something my sister said to me (in the imperative form) now that I think about it… But in either case, I wrote with the idea firmly in my mind. I knew the book would have a title that SCREAMED Sci/Fi and was pretty Read more…

This post is crazy overdue. It’s like I totally forgot that I had a blog. (That is me, working at looking forgetful for you.) Which isn’t as bad as forgetting that you had a dog or cat or child, but still. It’s pretty bad. Too make up for it, I tried to tweet and visit my facebook page a few times, but that’s not the same. So I have some making up to do, wouldn’t you say, Internet? I propose a two part apology/make-up/love-fest. Part one: I reveal my NEW AND IMPROVED cover for SAVING MARS which includes a blurb from my Kirkus Reviews, uh, review. Part two: I reveal my BRAND NEW cover for the sequel to Saving Mars. Oh. Uh oh. I said I had a two part thingamabob and I’m going to have to make that into Read more…