Danny in a Newfangled World

Thanks Scarborough… Looking Forward to Guelph

// September 18th, 2011 // No Comments » // Books

This past Saturday afternoon, I was at the Chapters Store in Scarborough signing my book.  I met lots of wonderful kids and their parents.  Kudos to the ambitious kids who worked hard to complete my scavenger hunt… Way to go!

This weekend, I will be signing books at the Guelph Chapters Bookstore alongside my author pals — all authors of adult books.  The scavenger hunt will again be offered to curious kiddos (with a fun little giveaway), as well customers who drop by to say hello can help themselves to a free Starbucks coffee and a delectable treat by the chef extroardinaire, Carla Johnson, author of Cooking with Sin.

Drop by to meet us all:

• Steve Liddell, author of the humorous fiction novel, Honest Lee
• Carla Johnson, author of Cooking with Sin — recipes dipped in alcohol
• Mark Loeffler, Real Estate guru and author Investing in Rent-to-Own Property
• Steve Wilson, co-author (with Steve Ludzik) of sports memoir, Been There Done That

There will a bit of something for everyone. Hope to see you there.

My Most Important Critics are Kids.

// November 5th, 2010 // No Comments » // Books

The one goal I set out to achieve when I began writing Danny in a Newfangled World was to write a book for kids.  That is, I tried to ignore my internal warnings to write a book that would appeal to publishers and literary agents.  I saw in my own three boys a preference for digital technology over good ol’ fashioned books and decided to make that the basis for the story – a book for kids who’d rather be playing video games.  After all, I had three boys of my own who, if given the choice, would stare at screen animations for hours over reading words for even fifteen minutes.  And I figured, I couldn’t be the only mom out there with similarly minded children.

At the same time, I knew the story had to be bursting with adventure, humour, suspense, and yes, video game images (using words and some illustration) to engage a kid used to the thrills and easy stimulation of animation.  While many parents may cringe at the tagline “For kids who’d rather be playing video games,” the book itself is, hopefully, a testament to the power of the word to entertain modern day kids … even in our digital age. 

Today, I am so pleased to see a wonderful blog post by Posy, an articulate and well-read nine year old.  Her mother, Mabel’s Labels co-founder & Vice-President Julie Cole, interviewed Posy to learn her thoughts about Danny in a Newfangled World.  And the result is as good a review as any adult could possibly write.  A personal thank you to you, Posy.  Read it here at PTPA’s Blogoholics site