Move Over Broadway

The big show is coming to town!

I don't know what gets anybody else all excited, but I've had just about the biggest thrill ever. A middle school class has requested permission to make Boathouse Mouse into a play!

How's that for cool?

The teacher asked the students for a favorite children's book to make into a class play. One of the students recommended A New Adventure, A New Name, and the teacher liked it, and … I am ecstatic.

Naturally, I'm holding out for more money.
I'm just kidding there. Of course I have given them permission to make the play. This is the coolest thing ever!

Here's a shout out to Ms. Lori and her 7th grade class. Thank You! This really made my day.

Quote of the Day

“Preparing for anything, even inescapable calamity, is by far easier on the mind than awaiting it.” - Excerpted from Wrath of the Falcon

It's a dreary winter weekend, such that we have, here in North Carolina. Today I have been working on Wrath of the Falcon, the fourth book in the Kingdom of the Falcon series. Sometimes my fingers surprise me. They type out words that are so profoundly true that I wonder if I should take up writing fiction.

Oh, wait, I am writing fiction. But the truths of life tend to sneak in. In fact, often as not, they are at the foundation of the story.

Well, this was a brief but fun diversion from writing. Now, I'd best get back to my featured presentation. After all, June is coming soon.

Boathouse Mouse Has an Announcement to Make

Boathouse Mouse Book 2, Concept Sketch 1

Book 2 in the Adventures of Boathouse Mouse is planned to be released in a few months! Drum roll! May I have the envelope, please? And the title is …

Sorry, that's too corny of an introduction for me. There has to be a better way to make a book title announcement.

Maybe I should put the name inside a cake and cut it at a revealing party. I bet that would get a lot of people worked up. Especially at my grand-parental age. Now that I think of it, maybe that would be a good one for April first. Or, maybe not.

I'm not a big fan of doing things the same way everyone else does. It seems like there should be a fresh way for me to introduce my next book.
Um, excuse me. What's that? Speak up there, little fella. Ahh, yes. Of course!

My friend, Boathouse Mouse, would like to invite you to join him for a spot of tea, and naturally some scones, in his next adventure: The Cat and the River Thames.

Please stay tuned for further announcements.

Reason Number 5 of Why I Write

To be perfectly honest, I'm not sure what reasons One through Four would be. I just don't like to make unmitigated absolute statements that may paint me into a corner. So, this could actually be reason Number 1. Anyway, no matter how I count it, this is wonderful.

As a writer, I love it when people like my books. And here we have a mom reading Boathouse Mouse to kids at a daycare. Combine all that with my soft spot for kids, and everything about this is a win.

A huge Thank You to Angela for investing in children, and also for sending me these pictures! You have made this author's day.

When the Treasure Hunt Goes Awry

I don't think I'm a Grinch. At least not in the sense that I want to steal anyone's Christmas joy or gifts. That claim being made, I do like to hide the gifts from my kids and leave a trail of cryptic clues for them to decode, decipher, and solve to find said presents.

This year it was the newlyweds' turn. When I say newlyweds, I mean my youngest-daughter-and-her-husband-who-have-been-married-for-seven-days newlyweds. And they took to it like hounds on a scent.

Each year I try to “level up” the difficulty rating, which is a challenge for me as well as for the kids. This year's model took about three hours and spanned something like forty-two miles. I think that's not too bad. Eventually I hope to get to the international travel level.

Anyway, back to the story.

In the middle of the hunt, one of the online clues malfunctioned. Actually, I botched it. It seems that in my caution to keep said clue invisible from random browsers, I inadvertently obscured it from everyone else in the world. Maybe the FBI or IRS could have found it with their special cyber-sleuthing stuff. But not so for my kids who were futilely trying to decipher a blank web page.

After they had exhausted every trick they knew or could invent, they finally called for a dad lifeline. Now in our world, the dad lifeline is not permissible. My reason is, they have all the resources in the world at their disposal, so I expect my kids to use them. From the kids' perspective: they want to win the game, so they don't call for help. Thus far they always have won. So that's how I knew something was awry.

The cure was simple enough. I clicked a few things that said stuff like “POST” and “MAKE VISIBLE,” then they reloaded their clue and voilà! An hour and a half later … they returned in victory!

The moral of the story is, always check those tech clues on someone else's computer to make sure they show up properly.

I think the kids enjoyed the challenge. They certainly can process multiple types of codes and cryptic messages. That's a good thing. Otherwise, their Christmas presents would still be out there somewhere awaiting discovery.