Hi Everyone,

My publisher has asked me to start lining up a blog tour for The Kindling when it comes out. So, I'm looking for bloggers who would be willing to review it, or at least just mention it. If you have a blog and would be willing to do this, I'd be very grateful. This will be in July or August, incidentally. If you are willing and able, would you let me know? You can either contact me here or just leave a comment.

If you don't have a blog you use Facebook, Twitter, or Goodreads, I have a small favor to ask of you as well. Would you be willing to "like" or "share" something on a certain day? If so, would you leave a comment or just click here. 

Thanks!

I got the final picture and  cover blurb for The Kindling today and I'm so excited! The blurb is that thing on the back of the cover that tells you about the book. This makes it all seem so real. You can read the first chapter and find out more about the book here.  

Loud shrieks sliced the air, followed by the smell of burning cloth. Conner looked over in time to see Geoffrey jumping up and down, yelling and shrieking. Smoke poured from the seat of his shorts while blue and yellow sparks snap-crackle-and-popped all around the heater.

All thirteen-year-old Connor Dell wants to do is pass pre-algebra, play lacrosse, and possibly kiss Melanie Stephens. He didn’t mean to set anyone’s gym shorts on fire or make school lunches explode. But now that the strange powers inside him have been ignited, Connor’s normal teenage life is about to go up in flames!

This fast-paced novel is non-stop fun for kids and parents alike. With characters you can’t help but root for, a plot that keeps you guessing, and plenty of humor, it’s a guaranteed thrill ride from cover to cover!

***

Homework? Of course. Crushes? Sure. But who knew seventh grade included superpowers?

I just heard from the publisher and my book was assigned an editor and a press date! I'm excited because it's the same editor who did The Road Show and I really liked her. The press date is May 7th (press date is the day the galley proofs are sent off to actually be printed). So exciting to see it getting closer to reality! What? You haven't read about The Kindling yet? Clic

So, just before Christmas I got the first version of the cover for my book, The Kindling, which will be released in June (or July--I can't remember now. I'll have to check). This is an initial draft only. My publisher is very good to get feedback from the author--as well the various editorial and creative staff. So, it's possible that the final cover will look different, even very different. Still, it's fun to get covers, and I thought some of you might be interested in the process and seeing how it evolves (if it does). 

It's incredibly exciting to see the cover for your book. It makes it real somehow. It's also exciting because it's a visual representation of your book--an interpretation of the essence of your story. So, it's a pretty big deal. What do you think? 

P.S. You can read a little about the book here. 

I am interrupting this very serious discussion of middle school issues to announce that I just got the word from my publisher that The Kindling will be released in July of 2012! This is sort of like when you have a baby going to hear the heartbeat for the first time. It sort of makes it real in a very practical way. The really cool thing is getting the cover--that's like seeing the ultrasound. But let's not get ahead of ourselves. It appears the The Kindling will be the book title. Still working on a series title. I'll keep you posted. 

Have you read the first chapter yet? Go on. It's short. Click here. 

Today I did one of the most exciting things that an author does. I sent my signed contract in to a publisher. I'm thrilled to announce that my book, MIDDLE SCHOOL MAGI: THE KINDLING will be published by Cedar Fort Press. I don't yet know what the release date will be, that will be assigned by the publisher later on. For now, I'm thrilled. I have worked on this project for 2 1/2 years now. For various reasons, it's been kind of complicated and has taken longer than normal to get to this phase. 

This book is quite close to my heart because it takes place in a small, private middle school and features the close relationship between three seventh graders and a slightly rotund, sweater-vest wearing theatre and choir teacher who happens to have a Ph.D. To be honest, the character is not based on myself. Rather, he's the teacher I wish I was.

If you've visited my blog much at all you know that next to my family and church, teaching, my students, and my school are the other great loves of my life and this book is sort of my love letter to those last three items. 

I wrote this book at a time when I was at a particularly low ebb in my career. Some students and their parents had hurt me terribly. It was unintentional, but I was deeply discouraged. But for the bad economy, I probably would have left teaching, or at least my school (that would have been a terrible, terrible mistake as the years since have been the happiest of my life). 

Feeling the need to pick myself up a bit, I thought about writing an adventure that featured close bonds between students and a teacher--it was sort of a vicarious way to ease the rather sharp pain I was feeling. 

While thinking about that, one night my family got home from church on a stormy Wednesday night. My son said they saw a creepy guy in a black cape walking across people's lawns in a heavy storm. Why would such a person be out on such a night? 

That got my mind thinking and those two lines of thought converged. I stayed up late that night writing two climactic battle scenes--one that happened at the beginning and one that happened at the end of the book. I could see these scenes clearly, like a movie in my mind and I couldn't type fast enough to get the words on the page. 

Then, I filled in the rest of the story between those two points. And then I revised and revised and revised and revised. And revised. 

At any rate, I love the story and the characters. I should add that the characters are not meant to be portraits or portrayals of anyone. It's true that some of the teachers in the story were suggested by colleagues, but they quickly evolved into their own people and are not meant to be representations of anyone specifically. Still, I suspect that those lucky enough to be in the Harding Academy community will think they recognize some of the characters. 

I'll be updating all this as I get a release date and so on. I'm already dying to see the cover. That won't happen until closer to the release date, but my publisher does amazing covers and I'm anticipating it already. I'm also planning how I can do a really cool book trailer and t-shirts and, and, and--- 

If you are interested, you can read the first chapter by clicking here.