My Books for Kids

I don't often mention my own books, but decided to do it once in a while. They're all available online at places like Barnes & Noble and Amazon, and local bookstores can get them through their distributors.

The Peril of the Sinister Scientist is about a kid in Middle School who thinks he was cloned from the blood on the Shroud of Turin. He needs to know What Would Jesus Do. The publisher rushed it into publication so I could have it ready for a group book signing so the kid on the cover doesn't look at all like the main character.

Secret Service Saint is about Nicholas, who discovers the fun of doing secret good deeds. It's a surprise at the end that he becomes known as Santa Claus, so this might be a good time for kids to hear the story and learn the truth about Santa Claus.

Signs of Trouble is about kids who get separated from their Special Ed class on a field trip and use what they've learned about recognizing signs and following safety rules to get reunited. It has educational information in the back that would be helpful for classes and home schooled kids.

Slime & All is about a giant, talking worm who wants a friend and a boy who helps him. It's written at second grade reading level and I hope it encourages kids to accept people who are different.

A Shadow of Fear is about a boy who must face his fears to help a friend with a special need when her "helper dog" is lost. (It's not an official Service Dog.)

It's just a coincidence that all my books for kids have the letter, S, in the titles.

My Books for Kids

    I don’t usually talk about my own books here but, since Christmas is approaching, I thought some people might like to consider them as gifts for kids. They’re all available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble and can be ordered at local bookstores.

    Signs of Trouble is about kids with learning disabilities who get separated from their class on a field trip and use what they’ve learned about safety to get reunited. Educational material for early readers is included at the end.



    Slime & All is about a giant, talking worm who wants a friend and a boy who helps him. It’s an early chapter book at Second Grade reading level.

  















The other books all have Christian content.

    Secret Service Saint is especially appropriate for this time of year. It’s about Nicholas, who

discovers the joy of doing secret good deeds and eventually becomes known as Santa Claus.

















  The last two books are for readers from 8 to 13 years old.

    The Peril of the Sinister Scientist is about a boy who thinks he was cloned from the blood on the Shroud of Turin because a scientist who worked on that experiment is stalking him. The concept is, what would Jesus do in middle school? (The kid on the cover does not look like the main character.)

    A Shadow of Fear is about a boy who needs to face his fears to prove he’s mature enough to go to camp and also to help a friend with Special Needs.

   

Tec Stuff

Back in the 1970s a friend offered a class on how to use computers. I went and we dealt with cassette tapes connected to his computer and dozens of strange letters and symbols that I knew I'd never be able to remember. The simplest by far began with http://.

Then the tapes became flattened into floppy discs and most of the long lines of letters, symbols, and numbers were shortened into simple ones.

In the early 1980s I got my first computer. It was a Macintosh with a big box-like thing that connected to a keyboard and screen. I also got my first floppy disc and was sure I'd never have enough material to fill it.

Well, things have changed quite a bit since then. Technology keeps changing and new technological things are being created all the time.

Now I'm constantly on the internet and get hundreds of messages every day. I couldn't have imagined that thirty years ago.

This weekend I'll be trying yet another new thing. I'm participating in a Facebook party. I'd never even heard of those until one of my publishers announced she was having one.

I hope people I know will sign up as guests and join me. I'll be telling about my book and holding drawings for prizes Monday evening for 15 minutes sometime between 6:00 and 7:00 p.m. Pacific time. Other authors will also participate and the publisher offers a prize of publication for someone who sends in a 100 word synopsis of a manuscript during the party.

Here's the link:
https://www.facebook.com/events/838672639586863/

My Books

I rarely mention the books I've written in my blog because I don't want to badger people with self promotion. But the holiday season is here, so I thought I'd mention my books for kids just this once in case anyone wants to order them online or request them from local bookstores to give to kids.

Secret Service Saint is especially good for Christmas because it's based on historical information about Saint Nicholas. I didn't mention the secret good deed that saint is actually supposed to have done because tossing dowry money down the chimney to save girls from prostitution when their father died isn't a suitable subject for children. Instead I made up other secret good deeds for Nicolas to do and it's a surprise at the end that he becomes known as Santa Claus.

Signs of Trouble is about kids who get separated from their Special Education class on a field trip and use what they've learned about safety rules and signs to get reunited. It includes educational information about safety, signs, and special needs at the end.

Slime & All is an early chapter book at Second Grade reading level about a giant talking worm who wants a friend and the boy who helps him. It's sort of an allegory about accepting people who are different.

The Peril of the Sinister Scientist is an amusing middle grade novel about a boy who thinks he was cloned from the blood on the Shroud of Turin. He needs to know "What would Jesus do?" in middle school and escape the scientist who is pursuing him.

A Shadow of Fear is another Christian book for middle grade kids. It's about a boy who wants to prove he's mature enough so his parents will let him go to camp, but he must face his worst fears to help a friend with Special Needs. This book is not available in bookstores, but can be ordered from Amazon.

Wonderful News!

A friend recently told me she'd given a copy of my latest book, A Shadow of Fear, to her grandson for Christmas. The boy had been having serious problems at school because he was painfully shy.

As a result of reading my book he decided to face his fears and try out for sports teams at his elementary school. He not only made it to both teams, but became a star player on both of them.

Now he has lots of friends and isn't shy anymore.

And perhaps that boy will grow up to accomplish things he never would have done, if not for reading my book.

I'll keep praying for him, and hope my book may be a positive influence on other kids who read it, too.

As an author of books for children, nothing could make me happier than knowing one of my books has made a positive difference in the life of a child.

Why I Blog

I started blogging in the Spring of 2009 Because my first book was under contract and I'd heard blogging was supposed to help publicize books. That book was Secret Service Saint about Nicholas, who discovered the joy of doing secret good deeds and eventually became known as Santa Claus.

To my surprise, another book was actually published before that one. It was The Peril of the Sinister Scientist and the publisher moved it ahead of the scheduled publication date so I'd be able to participate in a group signing with some of their other authors. That book is based on the idea, what would Jesus do in Middle School?

I had two more books published by that house, Guardian Angel Publishing and my most recent book, A Shadow of Fear, has been published by Mantle Rock Publishing.

I don't know if blogging has actually helped with the sales of any of my books, but I keep doing it  every Wednesday and Saturday because I enjoy it.

At first I wondered if I'd be able to think of things to blog about twice a week for a few months. And how could I come up with enough ideas for a whole year?

Well, it's been over five years and the ideas are still coming. The topics of words, books, and kids provide plenty of material. And I plan to keep on blogging as long as I can.

A Shadow of Fear

I'm so excited! My newest book, A Shadow of Fear was published this week.

It's about a boy named Ben who is afraid of many things, but he wants to go to camp with his older brother. His parents agree if Ben can act like Jesus they'll let him go. But will he be able to face his worst fear to help a friend with special needs?

I hope this book will encourage kids who read it to face their own fears and do what is right.