Thursday, May 24, 2007







Dylan Cover Art

I've been taking a much-needed break from writing, and have been busy pulling weeds, planting flowers, and enjoying the outdoors. My next project is an herb garden filled with lavender, lamb's ears, rosemary, sweet basil, and thyme. I've got quite the sore back and about 100 killer mosquito bites, but I'm happy. I'd almost forgotten how satisfying pure physical labor can be.

Anyway, yesterday, when I was taking a break I checked my email and was pleasantly surprised to see that the cover art for Dylan is in. And the best part is, I love it. The artist/designer did a great job of blending in parts of the story. I'm thrilled.

Also, I'm pleased to announce the release of my good friend Brian Yansky's YA novel, Wonders of the World (Flux 2007). Check it out here. It's a great story, beautifully written, and has gotten some fabulous reviews. Congratulations Brian!

Also, on a google search I was happy to discover that Brothers is a nominee for the Texas Lone Star list, and a BWI Top Pick.


Wonders of the World, by Brain Yansky


Thursday, May 10, 2007


Lovely Librarians, Dorkmobiles, and a Little Angst

A few weeks ago I was the honored guest at The Austin librarians' first ever book club meeting. After the lovely ladies did "flash talks" of new books such as Twisted, by Laurie Halse Anderson, and Pants on Fire, by Meg Cabot, they proceeded to discuss Brothers. (My editor had supplied them with ARCs.) The very charming leader of the group, Allison O'Reilly, posed some interesting questions that had me thinking. The whole experience was fun and a bit surreal. All in all, a great way to spend an afternoon.

But the really big news (at least for me) is that I am no longer driving a dorkmobile. Yes, we have officially given my son Daniel the family van and I am now sitting pretty in a zippy little phantom blue Mazda 3. Very happy.

The not so good news is that after a starred review from Kliatt, I got a mean one from Kirkus. Which goes to show you what a crap-shoot reviews are. Anyway, at first I thought I would ignore it, but since that's probably not healthy, I decided to announce it via this blog, then plunge back into my serial killer story and make the next victim a mean-spirited children's book reviewer. Just kidding. Not.