This is the last in a three-part series featuring the research that went into my newest book, Taylor Davis and the Clash of Kingdoms. (Part 1: Elmina Slave Fortress; Part 2: African Tricksters.) One of my favorite characters from my Taylor Davis novel is Q, an agent (angel) with a passion for WWI relics. Since […]
The Magician's Nephew (Chronicles of Narnia), 1955
I published this post on my self-hosted blog last spring. Since the first five Narnia books are on this blog, I wanted to put this one here, too. I’m nearly done working my way through the Chronicles of Narnia with my son. This is the sixth and second-to-last book in the series. Oddly enough, it tells of […]
Taylor Davis: African Tricksters
This is the second in a three-part series featuring the research that went into my newest book, Taylor Davis and the Clash of Kingdoms. (Part 1: Elmina Slave Fortress.) One of the subjects I tackled in Clash of Kingdoms was the trickster. This is a figure in mythology who accomplishes his goals through the use […]
Bailey's One Year Ampuversary
For those of you who were following Bookworm Blather a year ago, you’ll probably remember the angst I went through when my then five-year-old lab-mix, Bailey, was diagnosed with cancer and underwent the amputation of her right hind leg. If not, you can read about it here. Bailey made an amazing recover. Today marks the one year […]
New from D. Robert Pease in the Noah Zarc Trilogy
Good news! Good news I wanted to share! I love this series and can’t wait to read the final book that releases TODAY! Today the Noah Zarc middle grade, science fiction adventure is complete with the release of the third book: Noah Zarc: Declaration. At the same time the Noah Zarc Special Omnibus Edition is […]
A Measure of Disorder (Mother Earth Series, book 1), by Alan Tucker
Who knew a simple science field trip could turn into such a whale of an adventure? Jenni Kershaw and her classmates can’t seem to find the bus for the return trip to school. Then they notice the landscape has changed, the vegetation is unfamiliar, not to mention the peculiar talking wildlife. They’ve been brought to […]
Taylor Davis: Elmina Slave Fortress
This is the first in a three-part series featuring the research that went into my newest book, Taylor Davis and the Clash of Kingdoms. Every time I write a new book, I enter the world in which my characters reside. Sometimes they bring me to places and events I’m not very familiar with. Sometimes I […]
Seymour Finney Barn
Seymour Finney was a Detroit innkeeper and a “conductor” on the Underground Railroad. He hid runaways in his barn, pictured at left and below–often while housing the slavecatchers in his hotel! The barn stood on the NE corner of State and Griswold Streets. There is a historical marker placed at that site that reads: “Seymour […]
Holes, by Louis Sachar, 1998
Want a nicely wrapped package with a few twists and turns? Try Holes, by Louis Sachar. This one won the Newberry back in 1999, and for good reason. Why haven’t I read this one before now?? Stanley Yelnats (love that!) isn’t very lucky. He was arrested for something he didn’t do and sent to Camp Green […]
The Dreamkeeper, by Mikey Brooks, 2013
Never fear to dream… Parker just wants to master his video games and maintain a degree of coolness at school. He never asked to be sucked into Dreams. He didn’t want to be paired with a “loser” or discover a plot with the potential to destroy both the world of Dreams and the world of […]