So here I am, sitting in the school library and trying to get students to find books for their term reading project. Every term they are are required to choose a book, read it, and write a paper analyzing it for theme, character development, etc. They have the entire term to complete the assignment and I'm fairly lenient in regards to choice, so it should be easy. The intention is for students to develop a taste for reading and generally gain exposure to books, applying the lessons learned during class readings to their own choices of texts.
Like all assignments, some students respond better than others. It's interesting to see how set in their ways teenagers can be, applying seemingly inflexible rules to their choices even though they have, by their own admissions, "not read many books." I have one student, for example, who only wants to read autobiographies of famous footballers. That's all well and good, but I think it's a shame that he's limiting himself to a rather specific genre. Luckily, I was able to turn him onto Walter Dean Myers and, after reading the first chapter of Fallen Angels, he grudgingly admitted it was "pretty cool, actually." You know, "actually," as any book that wasn't written by an overpaid athlete would, by default, suck.
But it's all about the little victories. Hopefully, he'll finish the book and be able to write about it. Maybe it will open his eyes a little bit to what's out there. Maybe it won't, but at least he tried.
In the end, that's all we can ask, really.
Thursday, April 4, 2013
Monday, April 1, 2013
Poison Spirit, 2nd Edition!
Hey everyone, the new edition of Poison Spirit goes on sale this month! You can find it here.
Enjoy!
Enjoy!
Sunday, February 24, 2013
Back in the Loop
So I haven't been around for a while. There's a couple of reasons for that--first off, I finished my teaching certification and now live in Beirut, Lebanon, where I'm an English teacher at a private high school. Suffice it to say, that's been a pretty big transition. On top of that, there have been some personal issues and some issues with my last novel being available and so forth, all of which have been dealt with and are finished.
Now, onto the latest news. First off, my novel The Wolf and the Bear is no longer available. That's unfortunate, but it is what it is. My experience with Trestle Press was...less than ideal, and let's leave it at that.
But that's not the end of things. I have recently signed an agreement with the British outfit, Aventura eBooks, to publish my earlier novel, The Poison Spirit. I'll have more news as things develop, but Aventura is an established outfit and I'm hoping everything goes well with this new arrangement.
Other than that, I'm working on A LOT of new projects, mostly in original worlds and so moving away from historical fiction, though I still have a strong interest in continuing the stories I've started. We'll see where things go.
As for living in Beirut--well, that's an experience all its own. It's a beautiful place, if conflicted, and stuck in a part of the world that is torn between several different ideologies. Luckily, that has yet to affect me in any meaningful way. My students are terrific and the school for which I'm working is great. There's little flaws, obviously, but you're going to find them anywhere. The positive is outweighing the negative for now and I'm hoping it stays that way.
More later!
Now, onto the latest news. First off, my novel The Wolf and the Bear is no longer available. That's unfortunate, but it is what it is. My experience with Trestle Press was...less than ideal, and let's leave it at that.
But that's not the end of things. I have recently signed an agreement with the British outfit, Aventura eBooks, to publish my earlier novel, The Poison Spirit. I'll have more news as things develop, but Aventura is an established outfit and I'm hoping everything goes well with this new arrangement.
Other than that, I'm working on A LOT of new projects, mostly in original worlds and so moving away from historical fiction, though I still have a strong interest in continuing the stories I've started. We'll see where things go.
As for living in Beirut--well, that's an experience all its own. It's a beautiful place, if conflicted, and stuck in a part of the world that is torn between several different ideologies. Luckily, that has yet to affect me in any meaningful way. My students are terrific and the school for which I'm working is great. There's little flaws, obviously, but you're going to find them anywhere. The positive is outweighing the negative for now and I'm hoping it stays that way.
More later!
Friday, December 23, 2011
Thursday, December 22, 2011
Coming Soon...
The Wolf and the Bear, a story of a young warrior on a quest for glory and riches through Viking Age Scandinavia. Available through Trestle Press and with (awesome) cover art by Dan LaValley, look for it soon!
Saturday, November 5, 2011
Long Time, everyone!
Hey there. So, it's been a long time since I last posted (just over a year, in fact.) There's been a number of reasons for this, not the least of them the fact that I'm finishing an Education certificate right now. When it's done, I'm going to be a high school teacher, so that's fun.
Anyhow, the writing's been on the back burner, as it were, for the last few months. I'm still doing plenty of it, but not with the same fervor as before, simply because I don't have the time. It's been very difficult to focus on a single project at a time. As a result, I've been writing A LOT of different things, but only in small pieces. It's not very conducive to getting something done.
Lately, however, things have been picking up. I've signed a contract with Trestle Press for a Viking Age novel, tentatively titled The Wolf and the Bear. I'm excited about that, as well as dealing with this new company, who have been very supportive and direct with me already. The book is being edited now, and I'll have more information up as soon as I know anything concrete.
Finally, it appears that Aspen Mountain Press is having a lot of problems. My first two books are no longer available since the site went down, and I am currently trying to unravel the circumstances surrounding the implosion, as well as work out the status of Man of Iron and Poison Spirit. I want those books to be available, and I am doing my best to make sure that happens soon.
More to come!
Anyhow, the writing's been on the back burner, as it were, for the last few months. I'm still doing plenty of it, but not with the same fervor as before, simply because I don't have the time. It's been very difficult to focus on a single project at a time. As a result, I've been writing A LOT of different things, but only in small pieces. It's not very conducive to getting something done.
Lately, however, things have been picking up. I've signed a contract with Trestle Press for a Viking Age novel, tentatively titled The Wolf and the Bear. I'm excited about that, as well as dealing with this new company, who have been very supportive and direct with me already. The book is being edited now, and I'll have more information up as soon as I know anything concrete.
Finally, it appears that Aspen Mountain Press is having a lot of problems. My first two books are no longer available since the site went down, and I am currently trying to unravel the circumstances surrounding the implosion, as well as work out the status of Man of Iron and Poison Spirit. I want those books to be available, and I am doing my best to make sure that happens soon.
More to come!
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