There is now a Facebook page for The Tanglewood Terror. So if you’re a fun guy or fun gal, and have a Facebook account anyway, just “like” that page. It’s also on Goodreads, where you can mark it as “to read.” I guess you should read it before you say you like it, but that’s the social networking world we live in.
I love this cover, and thank the talented Peter Ferguson for doing such an excellent illustration. It’s exactly what I imagined and hoped for… only twenty times better, because, you know, my brain is a terrible artist. And I am so glad we went with this title, because it looks so great in this lettering.
1. This is the happiest baby in the world, and the luckiest dad:
2. I credit the former for our picture being selected as the banner for the FathersRead site, which launched yesterday. If you’re a dad who reads, or happen to know one, please submit your own photo. Remember that while dads reading to kids is fine, the real point is for dads to just be seen reading themselves.
3. Here’s a kid who read Mamba Point. And here’s a kid reading Mamba Point. (Thanks to Nancy, a schoolteacher in Buffalo, NY, for sharing this with me.)
4. Based on site tracking software, a lot of people are finding this site by googling for information about Mudville. Kids cheating on their book reports, or teachers verifying those book reports? Either way, I hate to see you googling for nothing, so here are the answers: The characters are Roy and Sturgis, the setting is Moundville, Minnesota, and the plot is that after 22 years of rain finally end, some kids organize a baseball team and replay the game that was called all those years ago. If you discover the theme somewhere by googling, let me know. I’ve been wondering about that myself.
5. I expect to have some fun & interesting things to share in the near future, including the fantastic cover to my third book, info about another book I’m a small part of, and some upcoming local events. Check back with chronic frequency, or subscribe by email.
6. Speaking of local, Minnesotans raked in the gold and silver at yesterday’s ALA awards. I’ve really come to appreciate how much talent there is in this state… and raking is a nice change from all the shoveling we’ve been doing.
Mamba Point is, among other things, “a delight” says Mary Ann Grossmann of The St. Paul Pioneer Press. Thanks for the kind words, Ms. Grossmann. And I’m looking forward to that Hautman book myself.