But the thing about reading is, it’s a personal choice. And I know the subject matter of The Hunger Games would be difficult for me to deal with. Reading is an intense emotional experience for me. And I’m certain the idea of children being forced to fight to the death for food, no matter the reasons or circumstances, would bother me. Again. I don’t have a problem with Suzanne Collins writing about it, people reading it or watching it on the screen. I want to be clear. It just not for me. I know a lot of authors, but I’ve never met Suzanne Collins. But from reading about her she seems like an imminently likable, nice person and and an obviously talented writer. I congratulate her on her success. But I won’t be reading her books. At least not The Hunger Games.

I realize it sounds like a contradiction for me to say, as someone who has written about the Third Crusade in my Youngest Templar series, a particularly violent period of human history, that I don’t want to read a book like this. My characters face battles and death and all things the people of that era faced. But I also try to show them avoiding violence whenever possible. Resorting to violence only when it’s necessary to defend themselves or someone else. I also try to show that violence has consequences. It changes a person.

And I understand the concept behind The Hunger Games of a young girl doing what she feels she must to save herself and her family. But as a father, upon reading the books or seeing the movies, and cursed with a vivid imagination, I know I would imagine my own children in a similar predicament and it would upset me. I wouldn’t be able to enjoy it. I tend to do this all the time. I love reading Dennis Lehane for example, but I have never read his book Gone Baby, Gone because it deals with a kidnapped young girl. I know I would instantly imagine my own daughter in that situation and become emotionally distraught by it. I can’t watch movies or TV shows or read books where children face this kind of danger. Like I said, it’s a personal thing. Maybe it is a naive viewpoint, heck it probably is. But its how I feel. Maybe I’m just a big ole wuss.

But I will watch the success of The Hunger Games with a smile. I rejoice in the fact that we live in a place where books like The Hunger Games are published. Where books that inspire, teach, entertain, speak to and sometimes even anger people, are readily available. And I’ll especially rejoice that we live in a place where we are free to make our own choices.

So if you’re going to the movie this weekend, I hope you enjoy the experience. If you are a parent taking your child to see it, I congratulate you for allowing books like The Hunger Games to be read in your home. I hope you’ll discuss it with each other, reveling in the parts that spoke to you. And when the movie is over, I sincerely hope you’ll stop by the bookstore or library on your way home and pick out something else to read.

I would love to know your point of view. Are you going to the movie? Have you read the books? Love them? Not love them? If not why not? Tell me what you think. No spoilers please for those who may not have read the books or seen the movie.

Your authorness,

Michael P. Spradlin

©2012 Michael Spradlin Blog. All Rights Reserved.

Rest easy. I am here to help.

Here are 12 selections that should cover just about anyone on you shopping list.

1) Do you have a friend or relative who is a big fan of the Pirates of the Caribbean movies. Or just likes pirates in general. Then you should have a copy of Pirate Haiku: Bilge Sucking Poems of Booty Grog and Wenches for Scurvy Sea Dogs. The book is full of hearty chuckles as it tells the life story of the fearless, but slightly incompetent scourge of the Seven Seas Captain One Leg Sterling. It is sure to bring a smile to the face of your pirate loving kin. In fact you can complete the ensemble with our Pirate themed “Got Rum?” t-shirt for your favorite scallywag. Sure to please!

–

2) Those of you who regularly read my blog know that I’m a big advocate of using comic books to encourage kids to read. And you also may have read or heard about DC Comics and their decision to re-launch their entire universe of characters with new books.

That’s right. Starting over from scratch. None of the superheroes have met each other. They’ve collected all 52 of the 1^st Issues of each new comic in a gorgeous hardcover book. You have to admit, even if you disagree with the premise, it’s a way cool gift and it’s a great way to get your kid hooked on comics and by extension hooked on reading.

–

3) Tired of signing the same old Christmas Carols around the tree this year? Don’t blame you. Jazz things up with It’s Beginning To Look A Lot Like Zombies: A Book of Zombie Christmas Carols. Christmas will never be the same. And while you’re at it, you may as well pick up Every Zombie Eats Somebody Sometime: A Book of Zombie Love Songs. That way your Valentine’s Day shopping will be done as well.

–

4) If you love the movie Zombieland then I have to recommend our t-shirt two pack ALWAYS DOUBLE TAP and NUT UP OR SHUT UP. Remember all the shirts mentioned here are available in sizes up to 5XL and come in about two-dozen different color options. But they are printed on demand, so hurry.

–

5) Here is a gift perfect for either the boy or girl middle grade reader. It’s Roland Smith’s I,Q series. And it’s a smartly written story about a boy name Q and his step-sister Angela, who get caught up in some very interesting international intrigue. Book 1 I,Q: Independence Hall is out in paperback. And book 2 I,Q: The White House is now available. You can look for book 3 in July.

–

5) Speaking of smartly written books for young readers I would be remiss if I didn’t mention my Youngest Templar series. Starting with The Youngest Templar: Keeper of the Grail then the action continues in The Youngest Templar: Trail of Fate and reaches a stunning conclusion in The Youngest Templar: Orphan of Destiny. All three books are now available in paperback and make a great gift.

–

6) If you have a student or aficionado of the American Civil War on your shopping list this year. Why not try out our “CIVIL WAR BUFF” t-shirts. We have a version of Robert E. Lee and a version of Ulysses S. Grant. These shirts are only available online.

–

7) If you’ve got a wee little future Albert Pujols living in your house, try a copy of the funtastic alphabet book Baseball From A to Z: A Baseball Alphabet. Learning the alphabet has never been so much fun! Batter up!

–

8 ) For grown-up readers and by that I mean adults. Adults. Not kids. Let me be clear, this is not a book for kids under the ages of 16. But my favorite holiday pick this year is When Elves Attack by Tim Dorsey. It’s non stop hilarity from page one. You’ll never look at the Christmas holidays the same way. Trust me. And it’s for adults. Did I mention that?

–

9) Have you sent out your Christmas Cards yet? Me neither. But it’s not too late. And be the only one of your friends to send Zombie Christmas Cards. Really, you’ve got to try these.

–

10) And speaking of sending cards, you don’t have to send them by Pony Express anymore, but you could still read about the Pony in the Wrangler Award winning OFF LIKE THE WIND! The First Ride of The Pony Express with stunning paintings by Layne Johnson this is book your young Pony rider will want to read again and again.

–

11) Okay, if you’re going to break down and buy an e-reader this year. Why not pre-load it with a copy of the newest Spy Goddess novel Spy Goddess: The Spy Who Totally Had a Crush on Me? It can be found at smashwords.com in any format for any device. This book picks up right where Book 3 left off so don’t worry about the Manga editions. Like the ‘prequel’ to Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid it never happened. Are we clear? It never happened.

–

12) And to round out your twelfth day of Christmas. You’ll want to pick up a copy of Jack And Jill Went Up To Kill: A Book Of Zombie Nursery Rhymes. Why? Because it’s the perfect stocking stuffer for all of you people who are watching The Walking Dead on AMC and not admitting it.

©2012 Michael Spradlin Blog. All Rights Reserved.

That’s not how it works in Justice League #1 The New 52.

As previously mentioned, DC Comics is starting over. They are taking 52 of their most popular characters and ‘rebooting them’ completely. No connections to each other. No familiarity. We’re talking going all the way back to:

“Hi, I’m Green Lantern, and you are?”
“Batman?”
“Nice to meet you Batman.”
“Uh huh.”

If you have read comics for a while it takes a little getting used to. But I have to admit, at least in Justice League #1 it works. You get caught up in the story. Green Lantern arrives in Gotham City to save the world from a space alien. Batman not so politely says Gotham City is my town. GL is all “how can that be when you don’t even have superpowers? And beside Green Lantern’s are responsible for this whole sector of space” so he says to Batman “That kind of makes me the boss of you.” And Batman is all “Like that’ll happen.”

Good writing captures us and invests us in the characters, whether it’s in a novel or a comic book. And Justice League #1 is a well-written comic book. And without giving away any spoilers the best part of the book is the end, when the Green Lantern and Batman finally make peace and decide they need to head to Metropolis to check out this Superman guy. The way it’s brought to a close is fun. It could have been a cheap tactic, but they invested in the idea and made it work.

Fun. Well-written. Interesting. For $3.99 you might be able to get your reluctant reader hooked on a comic series.

I’d also recommend Green Arrow #1 and Action Comics #1, which reboots Superman’s origin story. For older kids Detective Comics #1 (Which is for older kids only because it re-launches the epic struggle between Batman and Joker but is very violent and the art is a little graphic for young readers).

I’ll admit, which DC announced this initiative I was skeptical. But so far the stories and the writing are winning me over. Forcing something on a reluctant reader almost never works. So maybe you make a quick trip to the comic shop and leave a few of them ‘lying around’. The next thing you know, they’re asking you to take them to the comic shop every Wednesday. (Wednesday’s are new comics days). Or you make a deal with your reluctant reader. Sure. You can have a Green Lantern t-shirt, or an Iron Man lunchbox, but first you’ve got to read one of the comics. Try as many different tactics as you can. Reading is just too important.

And more importantly, if you want your reluctant reader to start reading comics, they just might try it if they see you reading them. And if you haven’t read them in years and don’t know where the stories are or where the characters are at in their lives, well DC has given you a chance to jump in at a new beginning for all of their biggest names. If your reluctant reader gets hooked, there are lots more stories to come. And the next thing you know they’re reading George R.R. Martin’s Game of Thrones or maybe even,  The Youngest Templar: Keeper of The Grail.

I’m just sayin…

Your authorness

This blog has been brought to you by NERDTASTIC DESIGNS, the official sponsor of michaelspradlin.com/blog

Visit www.nerdtasticdesigns.com

Neat. Nerdy. Nerdtastic

©2012 Michael Spradlin Blog. All Rights Reserved.

DC Comics the home of Superman, Batman, The Flash, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern and my personal favorite Green Arrow, has announced their ‘NEW 52″ initiative.

Essentially, they are taking all of their characters from the The Atom to Zatanna and start over with their stories. Every hero will have a new #1 issue. Superman and Batman haven’t met yet. The Flash is just getting his super speed. Who knows what’s going to happen with Wonder Woman.

It’s a tremendous risk for DC. On the one hand they risk alienating their fans who have been reading these stories and following these characters for decades. On the other hand, they’re hoping the idea of a brand new start across the DC Universe will attract readers who want to jump in but don’t want to enter in the middle of a story. Some fans are howling! What? No Superman married to Lois Lane? How dare they? Others will no doubt jump back into comics with the chance to return to a favorite character and see where this new direction takes them.

Long time readers of this blog know I strongly advocate using the power of pop culture to entice kids to read. And the comic based movies we’re seeing are no doubt driving more folks including kids to the comic store. And that’s a good thing. And while this is a big risk for DC Comics, it’s a great opportunity for parents, teachers and librarians to get kids to try something new. There is nothing kids like more than being a part of something new. Reading books like Harry Potter and Percy Jackson become a collective experience. Something they can share with their peers.

My advice is to hit your local comic shop and take advantage of this opportunity. Try a few of these new books on your reluctant reader. Ask them what they think of Superman’s new costume? Get a discussion going. And like me, if you fondly remember going to the drugstore to pick up the new issue of Superman and the latest Richie Rich, you just might remember how much you enjoyed reading comics as a kid.

How cool would that be?

Keep reading!

Your Authorness

©2012 Michael Spradlin Blog. All Rights Reserved.

Neither the Green Arrow or Hawkeye are what could be considered major characters in the Marvel or DC Universes. As I’m always saying, anyone can be a Superman or Spiderman fan but it takes real dedication to favor the Red Tornado or Nightwing. And for a long time the only place where I could find the Green Arrow or Hawkeye was when they teamed up with another more popular character or they went to the Justice League (Green Arrow) or Avengers (Hawkeye) meetings. In those cases my two favorite archers might get off a wise crack or two and that would be it.

I was thrilled, when I found that Marvel had started a new four issue series called Hawkeye: Blindspot. And when I read it, I was even more thrilled, not just because it’s a great story, but it’s also a great introduction for young readers to learn about a member of the Avengers. And remember how I’ve said that we have an opportunity to use the power of popular culture to inspire kids to read? Hawkeye: Blindspot is a great place to start because next summer we’ll see him in the Avengers Movie in theatre’s everywhere and Hawkeye will have a major role. Reading Blindspot will give your young reader an introduction to Hawkeye and his role in the Avenger universe as well a summary of his life story and how he became a hero and an Avenger whom Captain America himself said “might be the very best of us.” (Also, if you’ve seen the Thor movie, you’ve already seen a cameo by Jeremy Renner who will star as Hawkeye in the Avengers movie).

So here are four reasons why you should try out Hawkeye: Blindspot on your reluctant reader.

1) It tells Hawkeye’s story, so you need not have read anything about him before you read Blindspot

2) It’s a great story filled with action and a great premise. Hawkeye is the worlds greatest archer. But on a mission he is injured and is losing his vision. Not a good thing if you’re an archer.

3) A villain from Hawkeye’s pasts shows up and Hawkeye, like all heroes and despite his handicap, most find a way to stop this evil person from wreaking havoc on the innocent.

4) As mentioned next summer The Avengers will be the biggest movie events of the summer. Hawkeye will help your young reader get up to speed on what is sure to be a fantastic movie event. And who knows. They just might want to read more!

And that’s the point of it all, isn’t it!

Your authorness,

Michael Spradlin

©2012 Michael Spradlin Blog. All Rights Reserved.

Lately, I’ve been on a crusade to encourage kids to read more comics. I’ve also been trying to inspire teachers, librarians and parents to let kids read more comics. I think we now have a tremendous opportunity with Hollywood cranky out so many movies based on comics and graphic novels, to use this medium as a tool to help reluctant readers, especially boys, get hooked on reading.

If you’re a parent who loved comics as a kid, why not start reading them again ? After all kids pay more attention to what you do, than what you say. Rediscover the love of Batman, Superman, Spider-Man, Wonder Woman or Supergirl that you had as a kid. If  you start reading comics, I’ll bet your kids will too. And I’ll be willing to bet, once they start reading comics, they’ll start reading other things. Like, you know, books. Take them to a comic shop and let them look around. Tell them they can’t have an action figure, but they can have a comic book! (You can come back later and get them the action figure!) Note: If your community doesn’t have a comic shop, there are a ton of online comic sellers, so let your child browse their selection and find one they like.

I really believe we have a golden opportunity now to use the power of popular culture to inspire our kids to read more. And don’t just take my word for it. There is a ton of research showing that comics are a great way to get reluctant readers hooked on reading. Here is just one article.

And to encourage more kids, parents, teachers and librarians I’m going to do my part by reviewing comics on a regular basis. And trying to give you some of my recommendations of what I think you or your young reader might like. I think it’s a worthwhile experiment. Trust me. Reading comics as a kid, made me want to read other things. And I know a lot of my writer friends say the same thing.

So to kick things off, this week, I’m recommending FLASHPOINT #1. In brief, the original Flash, Barry Allan was killed a long time ago and replaced by the original Kid Flash, Wally West. But now Barry Allan is back from the dead. And as usual, when someone comes back from the dead, things have a tendency to go wrong. Way wrong. Like Universe altering wrong. And this story is a suspenseful page-turner as ‘back from the dead Barry’ is trying to figure out what the heck is going on and why the world is upside down. Things really get weird when Barry discovers that all of a sudden the world he knew is completely changed. There is no Superman. There is no Justice League. There is a Batman, but he is not the Batman you think he is. Intrigued? I was. And I think you will be. Flashpoint #1 is on sale now and I believe this is a good way for you and your child to connect over a book. It might not be a traditional book, but remember this:

Reading is reading.

More later

Your authorness

©2012 Michael Spradlin Blog. All Rights Reserved.

How many times have you uttered a phrase or quip and said “That ought to be on a t-shirt!” Personally I know I’ve said it at least 3,678 times in my lifetime. Trust me. I keep track of these things. And since illustrator Jeff Weigel and I have started collaborating on our Zombie books, we’ve found a lot of the designs and phrases from our books cry out for a t-shirt.

And that’s where Nerdtastic Designs comes in. We’ve created a little spin-off company that creates t-shirts from some of the best illustrations from our books. Plus a few others that we’ve come up with along the way that we just think are darn funny. 

So, take a moment to check out all of our designs including our newest, the Mt. Rushmore “Zombie Nation” design and of course our extremely popular Civil War Buff designs. All of them are unique, fun and quirky. The perfect gift for that hard to buy for unique fun, quirky person that you need to buy a gift for. You know who I’m talking about.

The best part is, you can take your favorite design, and with our print on demand technology you can have a t-shirt in just about any size and with over dozens of colors to choose from! It’s like Build-A-Bear only with t-shirts!

Watch for a Nerdtastic Designs Website soon but in the meantime:

Visit our shop today!

Be a friend on Facebook

Tell all your friends!

Your Authorness

Michael P. Spradlin

Also don’t forget we have Zombie themed Christmas Cards too! Visit www.zombie-cards.com for details!

©2012 Michael Spradlin Blog. All Rights Reserved.

So without  further ado:

Know a dad who is a history lover? Social studies teacher? Reads big, thick biographies of obscure Civil War generals? If so they need a ‘Civil War Buff’ t-shirt. Available in a design with General Grant or General Lee.

How about a Dad who has a really great sense of humor? Or has visited the Arctic Circle and seen two polar bears in the wild? In that case, the ‘Bi-Polar’ t-shirt is for them!

Does Dad like Pirates? Has he already been to see Pirates of The Caribbean: On Stranger Tides seven times? If so, he needs a ‘Got Rum?’ t-shirt. (And okay, he should really have a copy of Pirate Haiku, also. Sorry. Can’t help myself).

Is the Dad on your list into computers? Then he needs a ‘Spambot’ t-shirt.

And if you know a Dad who loves horror movies and zombies, who thinks George Romero should be elected President then check out one of our zombie themed t-shirts! My personal favorite is ‘Always Double Tap’.

There you have it! A gift for any and every Dad!

You’re welcome!

Your Authorness,

Michael P. Spradlin

©2012 Michael Spradlin Blog. All Rights Reserved.

I grew up in a one stoplight town in Michigan. A little farming community of about 1500 people. A place where everyone knew everyone else. Before I get all maudlin

Layne and I with actor Barry Corbin

talking about how life was better then, simpler, less hectic and all the other things I find myself saying more often these days, as I slide ever closer to curmudgeonhood, let me just say, one of the fondest memories of my childhood were the TV and movie westerns that I loved. In my opinion, there is very little that can compete with a classic oater. Bonanza, Gunsmoke, High Chaparral, The Big Valley, these were the shows I cut my teeth on as a youngster. And I grew up with an appreciation of western history and all things ‘cowboy’.

My Wrangler Award enjoys the after party at the Marriott

And my love of the west didn’t stop with movies and television. In college, my specialty within my history major was American Westward Expansion. I learned the Turner thesis and studied the scholarship of western scholars. My love of western history is plainly evident in many of the books I’ve written like TEXAS RANGERS: Legendary Lawmen and OFF LIKE THE WIND! The First Ride Of The Pony Express! And to this day I still study and consume books and movies and documentaries on the American West.

This weekend, I found myself in Oklahoma City to receive the Wrangler Award from the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum. The award was given for Best Juvenile Book for OFF LIKE THE WIND! The First Ride Of The Pony Express. The award was presented at a black tie gala and hosted by actors Ed Harris and Rex Linn. Some call it the “Cowboy Oscars” and having gone through it, I’d say that’s a pretty close description. From the red carpet arrival at the museum to having my award presented to me (along with illustrator Layne Johnson) by Patrick Wayne, (that’s right The Duke’s son!) seeing cowboy stars like Robert Fuller and Stuart Whitman and Barry Corbin…all I can say is what a night!

The Wrangler Award at the Black Tie Gala. That's me in the background

Not only was the event a fabulous evening, being able to share with my wife and daughter and with Layne and his family made it all the more enjoyable. I hope I’ll get to write and publish more books on the Great American West. And while my childhood dream of becoming a cowboy never became a reality, I think maybe this was the next best thing.

©2012 Michael Spradlin Blog. All Rights Reserved.

The Green Arrow protected "Star City" the loosely disguised Seattle.

I’m here on business, attending Emerald City Comic Con. Me and William Shatner will both be there. That’s right. Captain. Kirk. It starts tomorrow and runs through Sunday. If you’re in the area, you should come. Looks like lots of great programming. But being in the Emerald City, got me thinking about, of all things, Detroit. Because when I got to the rental car aisle at SeaTac I was given a Chrysler 200. The car Eminem has now made famous with his highly watched, internet sensation Super Bowl commercial. If you haven’t seen the commercial yet, watch it and come back. I’ll wait.

Needless to say, being from Michigan, I had a very visceral reaction to the ad. And I had intended to blog about it when it happened but it created such a fire storm of coverage that it appeared everything had been said. So I let it slide. Not too mention, I have a zillion deadlines and editors who are about to leave the ‘polite inquiry as to the status of your manuscript’ stage to, “dude, on my desk, tomorrow!” stage before long. Blog posts tend to get pushed aside when you have editors peeking in your window and violating your personal protection orders.

My reaction to the ad. I was blown away. And I was reminded of it driving the car today. We can argue about bailouts and whether car companies are ‘too big to fail’. And I’m a self-professed, born to late, curmudgeon who tends to

This ain't no Emerald City, dude.

think life was a lot easier and better in many ways forty years ago.  But also I feel like we’re losing something really valuable in this country. We don’t make things any more. And for a fleeting moment, this ad captured the essence of Detroit. A place where things are made. Yes, a city with tremendous problems, many of them self-inflicted, but a city once called by the New York Times in the early 1900′s the “Paris of the Midwest”. With that single two minute ad, Detroit and Michigan got some much needed positive buzz. The hottest fires make the hardest steel.

We have so much in Detroit that nobody knows about because of our ‘if it bleeds, it leads” news culture. We have a beautiful riverwalk. Great ethnic neighborhoods with fabulous restaurants like Greektown, Corktown and Mexican Town. We’ve got a long way to go. But we’ve come so far. We put America on wheels. We were the Arsenal of Democracy. And yes it’s a ‘what have you done for me lately” world. But we’re not just high unemployment and failing schools. We’re a world class art museum. The Fox Theatre. Hockeytown.

If you want to start a fist fight with me, tell me Detroit doesn’t make good cars. Go drive a Chrysler 200 and see for yourself. Twenty five years ago, you might have had an argument.

The elegantly appointed Fox Theater. A one of a kind venue.

Not any more. That dog won’t hunt. 

I guess sometimes it takes you being in another place, to appreciate the place you live. I’m a Michigangsta and I ain’t going anywhere else. Not California. Not Florida. Not the Emerald City.

This is the Motor City. This is what we do.

Peace. Out.

Your authorness.

©2012 Michael Spradlin Blog. All Rights Reserved.