My newest novel, Prisoner of War, is on sale now. It is another based on a true story, of a young boy who joined the service in 1941 at the age of 15. His home life was not so good. But he was big for his age and in those days, if you could get … Continue reading America’s Youngest Prisoner of War in World War II
Writers are asked all the time ‘what inspired you to write this book?’ Into the Killing Seas, my newest novel, is told through the eyes of a young boy who, along with his brother, stows away about the USS Indianapolis. Almost two days out of port, the ship was sunk by a Japanese submarine. Two … Continue reading The USS Indianapolis and Writing About History for Kids
Dear Readers, This week is the annual Banned Books Week, sponsored by the Association of American Publishers, the American Library Association and many other organizations. As you may know, as a writer, I welcome all opinions and all incarnations of free speech. For our democracy to work, everyone has to have a voice. Even morons … Continue reading Eight Ways To Get You Started In Getting My Books Banned!
It’s the hap-happiest season of all! No I’m not talking about Christmas, I’m talking about Shark Week on the Discovery Channel. It’s must see TV! While researching my new novel Into the Killing Seas I needed to learn about shark behavior. Into the Killing Seas tells the story of two boys, Patrick and Teddy O’Donnell who stow away … Continue reading 5 Things You Might Not Know About Sharks!
Writing a book is messy. There are lots of blind alleys, false starts and horrible cliches in your early drafts. (You see what I did there?) One of the biggest distractions to getting your book finished is what we writerly types call ‘research’. Research is vital to your work. It makes your writing stronger and … Continue reading Julia Child Was A Spy…And Other Things You Learn Researching Novels.