We’re halfway through the second inning. Did you enter the contest? It’s super easy to do and it’s all to get ready for Baseball season and Baseball From A to Z. Currently featuring The Pony Express and giving away The Youngest Templar. Don’t miss it.
Author: Michael
Inning #2: Rounding the bases, running like the wind.
Or in the case of this Second Inning of my Baseball From A to Z contest, riding like the wind, as in Off Like the Wind, The First Ride of the Pony Express, 
my next picture book about the beginnings of transcontinental mail delivery — it’s brand new on this site and due in stores in February (I’m just sayin’). Baseball’s lore is rich and fun, and I have loved researching it since I was a kid. But it wasn’t only baseball that captured my fascination — from an early age the idea of riding as hard and as fast across dangerous territory made The Pony Express magical to me.
Tell me below in a comment if you have ever read up on The Pony Express before and if so, what tidbit made you say, “Cool!” If this is your first exposure to it, try my book page on this site for a little intro. I will give away a signed copy of The Youngest Templar, Keeper of the Grail to a randomly selected commenter. Or share this post on Facebook or Myspace and you can be doubly entered (make sure to pop back and tell me you posted to Fbk or MSp).
And oh, yeah, Happy Holidays!
Rounding First and Heading to Second…
Hi Readers!
Your New York Times Best Seller Authorness here! (I never get tired off the sound of that!) Here with a few little tidbits to make your holidays a little smoother and more fun! Just one of the many services we provide here at Team Spradlin HQ.
But first, have you entered my contest yet? No? WHY NOT? It’s so simple. In fact you’re half way there. All you need to do is read one of my blog posts and post a comment. Comments such as “Hi!” “Did I win the contest?” and “Does this comment qualify?” all work. That’s all you need to do to win valuable prizes! So what are you waiting for. It’s a contest in advance of my my new picture book Baseball from A to Z, which is coming this spring, so don’t swing and miss!
IT’S BEGINNING TO LOOK A LOT LIKE ZOMBIES: A Book Of Zombie Christmas Carols is #21 on the New York Times Best Seller List! Its third week on the list! And it’s getting all kinds of great publicity including holiday roundups in The New York Daily News, The Baltimore Sun Book Blog, and LA Weekly.com. And this week, I made a visit to New York City to visit the FANGORIA Radio studio on Sirius/XM. Here’s a picture of me in my official Radio Guy 
Earphones. It was a great night and special thanks to Kelly, Kateri, Rebecca and Aaron for rocking out on the carols. It was great fun talking to a national radio audience about the book.
So as you’re finishing up your holiday shopping, here is my annual MICHAEL SPRADLIN, NEW YORK TIMES BEST SELLING AUTHOR, HELPS YOU CHOOSE WHICH OF HIS BOOKS WOULD BE PERFECT FOR THOSE EASY AND HARD TO BUY FOR INDIVIDUALS ON YOUR LIST list. I do what I can to help.
Boys Ages 10 and up.
The Youngest Templar Series–This is perfect for boys who like action-adventure novels like Ranger’s Apprentice or the Percy Jackson Novels.
Boys and Girls 14 and up.
It’s Beginning To Look A Lot Like Zombies–This book is rated T For Teen. More than two dozen slightly twisted and definitely upside Christmas Carols with macabre art by Jeff Weigel.
Girls 10 and up
The Spy Goddess Series–Available in reasonably priced paperback editions. Full of action, intrigue and suspense. And humor. And action. And humor.
Boys and Girls ages 4-8.
Daniel Boone’s Great Escape–Daniel Boone is running for his life, literally as he escapes from Shawnee captivity. Young readers will enjoy this thrilling true story!
Texas Rangers: Legendary Lawmen–Young readers will enjoy exploring the Wild West as it was tamed by some of the toughest lawmen around.
And don’t forget, Baseball from A to Z and Off Like the Wind: The First Ride of The Pony Express will be on sale in the New Year, so gift cards or Coupons for a book will make a nice surprise for a young reader once the holidays are over.
That’s all for now. Happy Holidays to you and yours!
Your New York Times Best Selling Authorness
Bottom of the first!
We’re halfway through the first inning. Did you enter the contest? It’s super easy to do and it’s all to get ready for Baseball season and Baseball From A to Z. Currently featuring Zombies and giving away Templars. Don’t miss it.
Inning #1: Batter up, Zombie at the plate.
Sure it might be winter outside, and It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Zombies, but it won’t be long until spring is here. And nothing trumpets the arrival of spring more than the beginning of the baseball season! And this spring my newest picture book Baseball From A to Z will arrive in stores everywhere. So as we wile away the short winter days, when darkness descends on us at two o’clock in the afternoon, and the thought of the sun on our face seems only a distant memory, we can think of baseball… We can think in terms of innings. And what rhymes with “innings”? Winnings! As in you might win a signed copy of The Youngest Templar, Keeper of the Grail.
I am changing this site’s normal contest structure for nine two-week innings and sending out winnings to randomly selected players. Participating is easy. For inning #1, running today: Dec 9 through Dec 22, simply tell me your favorite part of the book (if you own it), or favorite part from the book page here on this site. Give me some reader feedback in a comment below and I will give away a copy of the first Youngest Templar book signed to a randomly selected eligible commenter. If you comment AND you become a fan of Zombies on Facebook, you can be entered twice.
Eight more innings to come. Be sure to subscribe to this blog’s RSS feed so you don’t miss a thing.
A Whole Lot of Shaking Go On!
Hi Readers!
Your authorness here. Yes I know it’s been a while since you’ve heard from me, but well, a LOT has been happening. First, my publishers are trying to kill me. Yes, you heard me correctly. By releasing two books in the same week! I have to say, I know I’m lucky, but I’m also exhausted. I’ve spent almost the entire month of November on the road traveling to events, doing interviews, and attending conferences.
But last week, I got the news every writer dreams of. It seems my little book of upside down Christmas Carols (and let me remind you again, this book is rated T for Teen!) IT’S BEGINNING TO LOOK A LOT LIKE ZOMBIES: A Book of Zombie Christmas Carols, has MADE THE NEW YORK TIMES BEST SELLER LIST! Yes, its number 35, the last spot, but it’s on! There’s an old saying in baseball: when you hit one of those little dribblers, or dying quails or a ball that just squeaks past the fielder’s glove ‘It will look like a line drive in the box score!” So forever more, your authorness can now refer to himself as a New York Times Bestselling Author! Let me tell you, it’s a long way to from tiny Homer, Michigan to the New York Times List and this is one happy Midwesterner!
But the good news doesn’t stop there. A lot has been happening with The Youngest Templar: Keeper of the Grail. First off, it’s been selected for the Truman Reader’s Award list in Missouri! One of only twelve books chosen! Students in Missouri will read and vote for the winner. It’s become cliché to say it’s an honor just to be nominated, but it really is.
Next comes a fantastic review of Trail of Fate from School Library Journal. As soon as it’s posted on their website, I’ll link to it but here is what it said.
“The action and intrigue start right from the first page…puts a brilliant spin on…traditional tales.” —School Library Journal
They also used the word, ‘riveting’ in their review! If you haven’t already, I hope you’ll pick up your copy and find out what happened to Tristan in his quest to keep the Holy Grail safe.
Midwest Book Review also had great things to say:
“Run out and grab a copy of both Keeper of the Grail and Trail of Fate for all of the young readers on your holiday list. This series is sure to launch even reluctant readers into adventures that they’ll be fantasizing about for a long time! But be prepare to buy the third book when it comes out next year.”
As you can see, it’s shaping up to be a fantastic holiday here at Team Spradlin Headquarters. Thanks again for all of your support!
Happy Holidays!
Your New York Times Best Selling Authorness
TEMPLAR TUESDAY: Going to the Chapel
In two days The Youngest Templar: Trail of Fate goes on sale. If you haven’t yet I hope you’ll take an opportunity to visit your local bookseller and pre-order a copy. If you haven’t yet, please take a gander at the sneak peek here. And remember, it’s a sequel to The Youngest Templar: Keeper of the Grail (now available in a reasonably priced paperback edition, I’m just saying) so no spoilers if you please!
Great reviews continue to tumble in for The Youngest Templar: Trail of Fate. The reviewer at Reader Views Kids had this to say: I highly recommend “The Youngest Templar: Trail of Fate” to people who like action, adventure and historical fiction. Totally full of action and adventure, this was a real page turner that I am not going to forget. It sweeps you in from the very first page and you won’t want to put it down until you finish it.
This week Templar Tuesday takes a look at some of the mysteries surrounding Rosslyn Cathedral, the so called “Grail” Cathedral in Scotland. If you saw the movie The Da Vinci Code, you know the role played by the Cathedral in Grail Legend. Our friends at www.templarhistory.com have an interesting article surrounding some of the myths and legends of this famous building:
Recent popular books have put forth theories that the treasures this 15th century structure may contain include: the Ark of the Covenant, the Holy Grail, the lost teaching of Jesus; even one author went so far as to suggest the mummified head of Christ Himself. Very soon these speculations may finally be put to rest and a five-century-old puzzle solved.
A group of Scottish Knights Templar, led by John Ritchie, whom many Masons will be familiar with from his many television documentary appearances, is about to make a “non-invasive” survey of the land around the chapel. Using the latest ultrasound and thermal imaging technology, the group shall soon conduct tests in the hope of finding evidence of the existence of the legendary vaults so often rumored to exist under and around the chapel.
“The plan is to investigate the land around the chapel to a depth of at least 20ft,” said Mr. Ritchie, Grand Herald and spokesman for the Knights Templar in a recent interview with the Scottish press.
Ritchie informed the press that the machine they will use is the most sophisticated in the world and can take readings up to a mile beneath the surface.
Rosslyn Chapel is also known by the name of the Collegiate Chapel of St. Matthew and was built in 1446 by Sir William St. Clair, the third and last Prince of Orkney. Among the many intricate carvings found in the chapel is the depiction of cacti and sweet corn, carved decades before Columbus’ famed voyage of 1492. Indeed legend has it; and fairly well documented legend at that, that Henry St. Clair voyaged to America in 1398, a full century ahead of Columbus’ voyage, which never made it to North American soil.
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The Youngest Templar!
FIVE ON FRIDAY with Michael P. Spradlin
Our FIVE ON FRIDAY guest this week… is me. Yes, yours truly, author of the International Best-Selling The Youngest Templar. So visit my website… again. And make sure you’ve pre-ordered a copy of The Youngest Templar: Trail of Fate which goes on sale 10-29-09.
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When did you know that you first wanted to be a writer?
On some level I think I always knew. I don’t know that I ever had that bolt of lightning moment. When I was a kid I dreamed of being all the things all kids dream about. Major league third basemen, fireman, cowboy. You name it. But what I did learn at very young age was a love of reading. To learn that books were not just a source of information or knowledge but of entertainment was a very important lesson. Gradually, I think I migrated from loving to read to believing that writing books would just have to be about the coolest job in the world. Turns out I was right.
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What book or writer do you feel influenced you the most?
In terms of writers the list is probably far too long to mention. But in my mind the biggest influences on me as a writer were my Mother and Grandmother. My mother loves to read and always made sure I was surrounded by books. She encouraged and fostered my love for reading and writers. Even when money was tight, she somehow always found a way to buy me books or comics.
My grandmother Maxine Patrick was, without a doubt, the world’s greatest storyteller. As a small boy I spent many hours at her side on the farm and she would spin the most elaborate tales of her childhood. For many years I actually believed my grandmother traveled the American West by train with Sitting Bull and Custer and Wyatt Earp. I finally figured out there wasn’t an ounce of truth in any of her stories. She spinned her elaborate yarns to distract us from all the work we doing. This only made me love them more.
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What book or books are you currently reading or have recently read that you’d recommend to others?
Right now I’m reading Iron River by T. Jefferson Parker. Parker is, in my mind, the best thriller writer working in America today. This book is about the flow of firearms across the US Mexico border. Like all of his best books it’s peopled with incredibly rich, diverse, flawed yet heroic characters. I just don’t know how he does it. It’s a phenomenal work and he’s an incredible talent. I fell in love with Parker’s work when I first read Laguna Heat and I count the hours until he has a new book available.
I’ve also just finished reading Bite Me by Christopher Moore. Again, one of America’s finest novelists in my mind. I first discovered Moore when I read Coyote Blue many years ago. He has a rare ability to make me laugh, cry, and think all within the space of a single sentence. And I don’t take lightly the skills of a novelist who can make me laugh out loud on every single page.
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If you could offer one piece of advice to aspiring writers (or illustrators), what would it be?
I would say treat writing the way you would treat any craft. Practice and nurture it and your writing will improve. The key to success in almost any endeavor is practice. The more you do it, the better you get at it.
My second piece of advice would be to embrace revision. Rewrite and rewrite until every word on the page had justified its existence.
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Can you share with us your next project or any information about the next book you’re working on?
I sure can, it’s a novel called The Raven’s Shadow. It takes place in Washington, DC in 1825. It features a teenage Edgar Allan Poe, Abraham Lincoln and Charles Darwin who must defend the world from a horrible and ancient evil the world will come to know as Count Dracula. It will be published in spring 2011 by G.P. Putnam’s Son.
I’m also putting the finishing touches the third Youngest Templar novel. It’s called The Youngest Templar: Orphan of Destiny and it will be published in fall 2010.
TEMPLAR TUESDAY: The Rise of the Templars
October 29, 2009 is the day! The Youngest Templar: Trail of Fate is officially on sale wherever books are sold. This week at Team Spradlin we’re celebrating the completion of a new deal with Tick Tock Books of the United Kingdom who will be publishing The Youngest Templar trilogy in England.
Reviewers continue to rave about The Youngest Templar: Trail of Fate.
Roundtable Reviews for Kids says: Trail of Fate is another intriguing novel that should appeal to advancing readers who like a lot of adventure. The ties to historical facts will help educate some readers to that era making it useful for school too.
There is plenty to talk about with this novel and it could make for exciting classroom discussions. I definitely recommend it!
And Fantasy Book Critic says: One of the hardest parts when writing a historical fiction book for younger readers is making sure that if you are using historical facts that they be presented but not preachy and make the children feel as though they are reading a factual book. Michael Spradlin did a great job of having fictional characters but also tossing in a lot of facts that might not be otherwise known to readers. As I don’t remember a lot about the Crusades I found it enlightening and little informative.
This week, we answer a question asked via email by reader Mitch, from Dayton, Ohio.
Dear Mr. Spradlin—I read and enjoyed your book The Youngest Templar: Keeper of the Grail and am anxiously awaiting The Youngest Templar: Trail of Fate. I am working on a school project and would like to know more about the history of the Knights Templar and how they were founded…
Mitch, your best source for Templar history and info is www.templarhistory.com. Here is a brief excerpt of a larger article on the founding of the Knights Templar:
Within two decades of the victory of the First Crusade (1095-1099) a group of knights led by Hugues (Hugh) de Payens offered themselves to the Patriarch of Jerusalem to serve as a military force. This group – often said to be nine in number – had the mandate of protecting Christian pilgrims who were en route to the Holy Land to visit the shrines sacred to their faith.
Somewhere between the years of AD 1118 – 1120, King Baldwin II granted the group quarters in a wing of the Royal Palace on the Temple Mount (the Al Aqsa Mosque). It has been generally accepted that, for the first nine years of their existence, the Templars – as they came to be known – consisted of nine members.
Although it has been widely speculated that the Templars wished to keep it this way to cover their secret mission of digging for buried treasure on the Temple Mount, the simple fact remains that the lifestyle adopted by the Order was not to everyone’s taste. As such, the Templars had difficulty in recruiting members to their cause in the early years.
In the year 1127 the Cistercian abbot, Bernard of Clairvaux, wrote a rule of order for the Templars that was based on his own Cistercian Order’s rule of conduct. Additionally, Bernard did a great deal to promote the Templars.
Perhaps Bernard’s greatest contribution to the Order was a letter that he wrote to Hugues de Payens, entitled De laude novae militae (In praise of the new knighthood.)
This letter swept throughout Christendom drawing many men, of noble birth, who joined the ranks of the Templar Order. Those who were unable to join often gifted the Templars with land and other valuables.
While it is true that the Templars were not permitted, by their rule, to own much of anything personally, there was no such restriction on the Order as a whole. As such, the gifts of land were accepted and put to immediate use by the Templars, who farmed the land generating additional wealth.
Over the years the Templars rose from their humble beginnings to become the wealthiest of the Crusading Orders – eventually garnering the favour of the Church and the collective European monarchs.
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FIVE ON FRIDAY with Joan Holub
This week’s FIVE ON FRIDAY guest is celebrated author Joan Holub. Joan is the author of so many books it makes me tired just looking at all of them. Seriously, go to her website www.joanholub.com and look at all of her books. I’ll wait….. see? Doesn’t it make you sleepy just thinking of how hard she works? Great. Now I feel like a slacker… thanks a lot Joan.
Joan Holub is the author of Shampoodle, Groundhog Weather School, Twinkle, Star of the Week, and Athena the Brain (Goddess Girls series). Joan is the author and/or illustrator of over 125 books for children and writes board/novelty books, early readers, picture books, and chapter books.
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When did you know that you first wanted to be a writer/illustrator?
Probably in college. I made some attempts back then, but I wasn’t going into bookstores and sitting down with children’s books to see what they were all about. I was writing in a vacuum. My work took off when I began critically studying children’s books to figure out what I liked and what I had to say. In my twenties, I moved to New York City to work at Scholastic, where I learned how books are put together and got to work with some great people. Grace Maccarone, Claire Counihan, and Jean Feiwel were in the department and were all lovely, amazing, and inspiring!
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What book or writer/artist do you feel influenced you the most?
Eloise by Kay Thompson, illustrated by Hilary Knight was one of my early inspirations. I loved that quirky, precocious girl Eloise. When I was a girl, a friend and I memorized the lines in the book and used them all the time. I tried to copy some of the drawings to hang on my wall. Since then, I’ve found many other authors and artists to admire—Lucy Cousins, Brian Karas, Laurie Keller–the list goes on and on. It’s both daunting and fabulous that there are so many greats working out there today!
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What book or books are you currently reading or have recently read that you’d recommend to others?
Leslie Patricelli’s Higher, Higher; Jane O’Connor’s Fancy Nancy; Sally Lloyd-Jones’ How To Get Married; and Anna Dewdney’s Llama Llama Red Pajama. I love quirky books with humor and universal appeal.
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If you could offer one piece of advice to aspiring writers (or illustrators), what would it be?
Don’t give up, keep writing, and don’t rewrite the same book over and over—keep writing new stories. That’s three pieces for the price of one!
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Can you share with us your next project or any information about the next book you’re working on?
I have three books pubbing soon: Shampoodle (Random House, pre-K to grade 1 early reader) just released in October with adorable art by Tim Bowers. The gray poodle with the bubbles on his head on the cover is just so great. (Thank you, Tim!) Groundhog Weather School (Putnam picture book) releases in December. Twinkle, Star of the Week (Albert Whitman & Co picture book) pubs this spring with glitter on the cover! I’ve never had a picture book with glitter on the cover before, and the art in this book is sooo cute!