I am the author of four novels for young readers: Mudville (2009), Mamba Point (2010), The Tanglewood Terror (2011), and The Winter of the Robots (2013). All are published by Knopf Books for Young Readers. I am also the author of the Topps League series published by Abrams Amulet and illustrated by Eric Wight and Ethen Beavers. More about those books under My Books.
I was born in Louisiana, but moved a lot as a kid — I lived in five states and three foreign countries before I graduated from high school! The most interesting place I lived was Monrovia, Liberia, which inspired my second novel. Moving made me an avid reader, because books were the friends I could take with me from place to place.
I started writing when I was six years old. My first story was entitled “The Toad Who Told Lies,” which I’ve recreated here. I have been writing ever since.
I got my B.A. in English at the University of North Dakota, and my M.A. in English Literature with an emphasis in creative writing at the University of Maine. My master’s project was a near-future science fiction novel for grown-ups that was never published. I later got a second M.A. in Learning Technologies at the University of Minnesota. My master’s project was a detailed look at how college students used blogs. Though the work was quickly made obsolete by newer social networking tools, that work was published as an academic article.
I now live in Minneapolis with my wife, Angela; my son, Byron, and five cats. In addition to writing I teach and manage online classes for the Loft Literary Center. I am a die-hard Twins fan, a fair-weather Vikings fan, an avid reader across multiple genres, a crossword enthusiast, an occasional roller-skater, a clumsy but determined drawer, and a world-class player of Angry Birds.
You can find out more about me in the Q&A section, and consider asking a question yourself.
Here is how to contact me.