So sorry my post is late this week. I had the MOST AMAZING time talking about What Makes A Great Story with the kids of Mrs. Howell’s 6th grade class. What a fun class and an awesome group of writers! We talked about what we like about the stories we are reading now and what makes them so darn good. At the end of class we did a fabulous writing exercise and a lot of kids volunteered to read what they wrote. The stories are SO fascinating I’m really hoping you all keep writing to “the end.” Some were about the undead. Some were about aliens. Some were about dark shadows following them. And all of them had the best ingredients for a good story….high stakes and questions that leave the reader [or listener] NEEDING MORE! Well done Safety Harbor Middle School! Squeeee:) Thank you so much for inviting me to share my stories with you!
Earlier today I was at Curlew Creek Elementary where my dad gave an amazing talk about rocks and the Earth’s place in space. It was fabulous. One boy even gave my dad a hug at the end of the presentation. I think there’s a geotechnical engineer in the making there! I hope when I’m 88 years old I can inspire children like my dad does. Here’s a pic of the class:
On to the Carnival!
Villain is such a great word. So much more fun than antagonist. Less clinical. You HATE villains. But what if the bad guys are the ones you trust? Maybe even your own family or friends? Not so easy to call them villains now, is it? So I thought I’d introduce you to the villain in my upcoming novel Transfer Student, which will will be released March 20th. [I’m designing the cover now and am SOOOO excited about it:)]
Here’s a blurb about Transfer Student:
Transfer Student is a Freaky-Friday story of two normal teenagers struggling to survive high school and deal with their parents… typical rites of passage. The twist? One teen is an alien from the planet Retha. In a galactic teleporting experiment gone wrong, Ashley, a Beverly Hills High surfing fashionista, and Rhoe, the biggest geek on planet Retha, discover their dreams by surviving their worst nightmares––each other’s lives. How far would you go for someone you love?
Sometimes the role of a villain includes an entire group of people. That’s the case in Transfer Student. Rhoe’s villain is a group of people who don’t believe in starjumping, teleporting across the universe. Not that many on Retha are aware of Rhoe’s teleporting telescope, an invention he’s due to unveil  at The Rethan New Invention Competition. But, Rhoe’s having problems. Like, two years worth of problems! His biggest supporter, his dad, has disappeared in a bizarre airboarding accident after which his mother, an investigator with the RRP [Retha Reclamation Police], insists Rhoe stops working on his teleporting telescope. Even Rhoe’s best friend Yuke abandons the project at the last minute, opting to qualify for The Airboard Finals. So Rhoe is left alone in a desperate quest to starjump in order to save his brother, Ziggy.
Will you be in Deltona, FL on 1/30 & 1/31? I’m touring with these amazing authors and would love to see you at our events! Click here for the details:) Hope to see you there!
Visit my other carnis to discover their villains!
Kids are so fun! I had the pleasure of talking to a class last year about one of my books–the most interesting and thought provoking questions! Actually gave me ideas for the sequels :)Thanks for reminding me I need to do it again…
Patti,
That’s SO COOL! Thanks so much for stopping by. I literally have hade 4 hours of sleep @ night since 1/25:) I LOVE IT! So much fun to listen to the stories of the 6th graders and hear about the novels they are reading. The Cay is a story that the kids LOVE! Hope you have a FABULOUS WEEKEND! *waves* from Florida!