And now for the nonfiction part of this website. Somehow I'm far more comfortable telling the story of my characters' fictional lives than my real one, but here goes.

I started writing a few essays in my spare time when my son was a baby.  It wasn't until he was older and introduced me to some excellent young adult fantasy literature that I became really interested in the genre. I got much more serious about writing as the story for Stones of Abraxas took shape in my mind. Now I can't get through most days without picking up a pen and scribbling a couple of pages or editing something that's already written.

I've been working on not only young adult novels, but also humorous essays, middle grade novels, picture books, a little short fiction, an adult novel, and two nonfiction books. I'm pleased to report that I completed my first middle grade novel, a funny story called Full to Bursting, and I'm now in search of a publisher for it. My next book is a nonfiction title about Muammar Qaddafi's Libya, which will be out in fall 2008 through Lerner Publishing. I've also written one for Lerner about Slobodan Milosevic in Yugoslavia. The sequel to Stones of Abraxas is signed with Tiger Publications, and will hopefully be out in early 2009.