Talking it to a New Level Bob Jonas has been a school librarian for twenty-four years—four in Beaverton, Oregon, seven in China — Shanghai, Beijing, and Hong Kong. In South America he worked for three years in Santiago, Chile, and then three years in the Middle East, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. After completing his final […]
On June 16, 2016 I was ecstatic to announce completion of the first draft of Death Brew, sequel to Imposter. It always takes me so much longer to get the revisions done and this book was no exception. Nine months later, with the help four editors, a couple of extraordinary middle school classes, and my own […]
Sometimes you’ve just got to laugh—at Facebook. Hell bent they are on squeezing every last drop from Page features that used to be free. But hey, that’s biz. So I signed up to use this image, my new Page banner, to promote my forthcoming book, Death Brew. In designing the ad you are allowed to […]
Once again, I sit looking out over Colvos Passage, tears dripping onto my keyboard, blood dripping off the knife. Once again, I killed them, the darlings in my new book. Just like in all previous books, they had to go. I think William Falkner is given credit for the term, “kill your darlings,” advising writers to […]
I had such fears, none of them justified. Susan said my snoring blew the tiles off the ceiling. I said, meh. She said I stopped breathing off and on all night long. I said. I’m still here. She dealt with my lackadaisical attitude by buying a noise machine that masked my snoring and other wretched […]
Shouldn’t this guy look happier? Please, having a moment. Saying good-bye to my trusty ten year old Macbook. Another moment, please. Okay, better. When I ordered it over the phone from my local Mac store in Seattle, the woman dutifully asked many qualifying questions. “No, just the MacBook Pro, the 1099.00 one, please.” “Sir, you […]
Yesterday was my last day of one-day-a-week subbing on the island this school year. Grade six, six periods, hot outside, no air conditioning, blue sky, only two weeks left. Thought I had skills, but with not much control of expectations or consequences, sometimes skills don’t count for jack. Sixth and final period, fingernails digging deeper […]
Like all authors I have received more than my fair share of rejection letters. I’m not sure if others who have been rejected multiple times–being illustrators, musicians, or anyone who creates and starts out tender but develops a tough skin–have kept their rejection notices as faithfully as I have. Only now has my librarian/pack rat […]
Two and a half years after ChinAlive was published, Imposter is finally ready to go. With the generous and talented help of former students, colleagues, and cold hearted, blood thirsty (but invaluable) editors , the book is ready for its marketing phase. Book bloggers and review agenices are being lined up, virtual blog tour arranged, a space for the launch(s) readied, […]
