T-Minus +1…It’s Here!

Okay, I was going to post last night. I was going to talk about all the stuff I had going on. But my publisher graciously threw me a launch party in Ann Arbor for the book, which was a fun and fabulous evening. So fabulous that when I got home I was too pooped to blog. I just couldn’t do it.

But it’s official. The Youngest Templar: Keeper of the Grail is on sale everywhere! So make sure you rush out to the bookstore or click on your favorite online retailer and order your copy! Preferably this weekend. Everyone wants a first edition! Right?

We also got some more great reviews. The Bulletin for the Center of Children’s Books said “the twelfth-century setting and the complex war wherein both sides believe they are fighting holy battles are carefully described from the viewpoint of the inexperienced protagonist, thus ensuring a complete picture that never feels like exposition or a history lesson. Tristan(s)…memorable narration will certainly please readers who like their squires as compelling as the knights they serve.”

And VOYA had this to say: “…readers are likely to be swept up by the realistic, yet not especially graphic battle scenes. The bantering antagonism between Robard Hode and maiden Maryam is meant to provide comic relief while hinting at a revision of the Robin Hood legend.”

Watch for the full reviews to be posted on the website soon!

So I’m feeling pretty good about things. Also, I mentioned in earlier posts but you can find interviews and guest blogs at these locations.

www.bookclubgirl.com

http://blog.chrismoore.com/

www.elizabethboyle.com

Thanks for your support and Happy Reading!

I’m just sayin!

Your authorness

T-Minus 1 Day and counting….

Hello Faithful Readers!

Tomorrow it’s finally here! The Youngest Templar: Keeper of the Grail is on sale everywhere books are sold! I’m so excited. And I just can’t hide it. I’m about to lose control and I think I like it.

This is what my day was like.

7:32 Get up

7:33 Check Amazon rankings for The Youngest Templar. Rejoice that it is #17 on their list of the top 100 Medieval Books for Children. Does that make me a best-seller? I need a ruling.

7:34 Check rankings on other websites.

7:38 Check Amazon rankings.

7:45-10:11 Refresh Amazon page continuously.

11:00-3pm Lunch

3:01 Check Amazon rankings.

3:02-3:04 Work on revisions of Book 2

3:05-7:58 Check Amazon rankings.

As you can see I have had a very hectic day

I’ve been busily guest blogging and being interviewed on a variety of websites today. So here are some links: Chris Moore & Mike Spradlin

Go to www.chrismoore.com and click on his blog to see a hilarious interview that the world’s funniest author guy did with me.

Tomorrow visit www.elizabethboyle.com for an interview about The Youngest Templar. You can also win a signed first edition of SPY GODDESS: Live and Let Shop.

Visit www.bookclubgirl.com for a guest blog I wrote on why boys need book club love too! You can also win a signed first edition of SPY GODDESS: Live and Let Shop.

So that’s it for now. See you in the bookstores!

Your authorness

Kids Do The Darndest Things and T-Minus Three Days and Counting…

My children surprise me every day. My son and daughter are both bright, loving and wonderful kids. I’m sure every parent would say the same thing. Yet each day they say or do something which leaves me shaking my head in wonderment at how I got so lucky. I will say right now, most it has to do with my wife. She is the best mother in the entire history of mothers. I’m not discounting the role of fathers. Don’t misunderstand me. I’ve rocked my kids to sleep and changed their diapers and kissed their boo boos and helped them with their science fair projects and all the many things good parents do. I’m no different than anyone else. But for many years my job required me to travel a great deal and the burden of primary caregiver fell to my wife. Lucky for them she was an expert at it. And I’ve got two wonderful children to show for all of her hard work.

So I’ve known how lucky I am kidswise, but then my birthday rolls around and both my kids just rock me.

First, my son and I attended San Diego Comic-Con together this summer. We had a blast. We found our people. We bought stupid t-shirts. We saw stuff you won’t see anywhere else. It was special for me because my son is an adult now, living on his own in another state. Time together is rare, and the fact we were together doing something we both love just made the weekend that much better.

So he sends me my birthday gift and I open it up and what do I find? That he’s taken hours and hours of his time and put together a Comic Con scrapbook. All of the giveaways, the bumper-stickers and other paraphernalia put together in a memory book for me. I’m not ashamed to say I cried. It was one of the best birthday gifts he’s ever given me.

Then my sixteen year old daughter cooks up a scheme. She takes a cover image of my newest book The Youngest Templar: Keeper of the Grail. (On sale September 18, wherever books are sold, I’m just sayin’) and has about 15 t-shirts made up. She gives them out to all of her friends and they will all be wearing them to school on Thursday, the official on sale day. What a kid. They all show up at my house wearing the t-shirts to pose for pictures. Only my daughter could pull this off. That’s all I could really say over and over. When I wasn’t busy crying buckets. What a kid. Only she could pull this off.

(in the photo above on the right you can see the gang, back row left to right, Lesia, Bristol, Ana, Gabe, Kayla, my daughter, and Jackie. I believe the children are our future).

Whenever I mention to my wife how our kids are always surprising me with something like this, she just smiles and says: “apple meet tree”. Wise woman.

More Templar news…

The countdown continues. Don’t forget that I’ll be guest blogging at www.bookclubgirl.com tomorrow. New York Times Best-selling Author Elizabeth Boyle will post an interview with me at her site on Thursday September 18th www.elizabethboyle.com

Also my local paper, The Flint Journal will run an interview in the Wednesday September 17, 2008 edition but it’s already posted on their website so you can read it here.

Now back to trying to breathe normally.

Your authorness.

T-minus 4 Days And Counting…

Hello readers!

I’m on pins and needles. Thursday, September 18th THE YOUNGEST TEMPLAR: Keeper of the Grail will finally go on sale! I’ll be doing a lot in the next couple of weeks to publicize and promote it. However, if you’re a regular reader of this blog, you’ve probably already ordered your copies. So right now, all you need do is order more copies for friends and family, settle in with a warm cup of joe, and read THE YOUNGEST TEMPLAR. After that, I’m sure you’re next move will be to log onto all the Internet book review sites and give it five star reviews!

I’m just sayin’

Speaking of reviews, one of my favorite websites www.templarhistory.com is run by author Stephen Dafoe who wrote many of the books I used in researching THE YOUNGEST TEMPLAR. He is currently reading my novel, and he’s going to post a full review soon, but in the meantime he had this to say to me in an email about what he’d read so far: THE YOUNGEST TEMPLAR is “better written than most Templar fiction and more accurate than most Templar nonfiction.” Needless to say I was thrilled! If you’re interested in anything having to do with the Knights Templar I would definitely check out his website and his newest beautiful book, NOBLY BORN: An Illustrated History of the Knights Templar.

Keep checking back to this space for updates this week. On Wednesday, September 17th I’ll be guest blogging at www.bookclubgirl.com and on September 18th, my friend and fellow author Christopher Moore will be posting his hilarious interview of me at www.chrismoore.com or if you’re a myspace user, www.myspace.com/theauthorguy. Also, if you haven’t visited www.theyoungesttemplar.com for more exciting details about the book, what are you waiting for?

I’ve also added a whole slew of new events to the events page!

Hope to see you somewhere out there! And thanks again for your continued support.

My best,

Your authorness.

We Are Officially Counting Down…

Only 12 days to go.

I find myself pacing. Sitting on my hands. Trying to write, trying to focus on anything but the calendar. 12 days until The Youngest Templar: Keeper of the Grail goes on sale.

Reviews are coming in. Booklist praises it for “deadly action” and “uncompromising descriptions” and says “the stirring saga ends with a true cliff-hanger, priming fans for the next installment.” So yay! I’ll have the full review posted on the site soon.

Also, if you haven’t yet, please visit The Youngest Templar website at www.theyoungesttemplar.com and check out all the reviews and praise and keep an eye on the countdown clock.

September 18th. It’s almost here.

Back to pacing. (Um…unless my agent and editor are reading this post in which case I meant to say back to writing!)

Ciao!

Your authorness