This Tuesday, I’ll be taking the Max Finder Mystery Tour on the road once again as I visit with the students of Ramer Wood Public School, in Markham. I’ve been cooped up trying to be funny for the past few weeks, so it’ll be a blast to get out, meet the kids and show them how comics are made with my “Between the Panels” comic talk. I’m pretty sure I’ll still be funny, but it definitely won’t be on purpose.
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Archive for February, 2007
I always love seeing the cover of one of my new books, and this cover for Max Finder Collected Casebook Volume 2 is no exception.
This cover really captures Max and Alison in all their sneaky, investigative glory (see larger image).
The second book in the Max Finder Mystery graphic novel series is due out in March and it features ten more classic cases for Max, Alison and readers to solve. There’s also 10 more puzzles and a cool look at Michael Cho’s sketch book of the characters.
Here’s the blurb from the Owlkids website:
Crack the case with a collection of graphic mystery stories starring popular amateur detectives Max Finder and Alison Santos. The second book in the series features ten solve-it-yourself stories originally published in OWL Magazine as well as new puzzles and an illustrated artist sketchbook. The stunning comic illustrations and witty dialogue will have readers on the edge of their seats.
You’ll find both Max Finder Collected Casebooks at your local bookstore. If they don’t have it, get them to order it! By the dozen. Tell them I said so. If you’re too scared to step outside your house, you can also order both books directly from Owlkids.
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We’re buried under snow here in Toronto and I’m digging in and finishing up some really fun projects. All this week I’ve been working on WiP #2, a fun gag-filled comic book about democracy for Capstone Press.
Normally the biggest challenge when writing a non-fiction book for younger readers is to fit all the facts into just a few hundred words per page. This project is no different, but I also have to make it irreverent and funny as well as make sense. It’s an added challenge to the writing, but I find these challenges are what make the writing a lot more rewarding.
At first, I tried to fit the facts and make it funny at the same time, but that didn’t work. I either got carried away and ran out of space or the text just didn’t make sense.
Finally, I stopped trying to be funny and just worked on getting the facts into the manuscript on the first draft. That’s where I’m at right now. I’ve got a completed ms that reads like a standard book on democracy, which is fine with most non-fiction assignments. But not this one. This one needs humour!
So, this weekend, I’ll sharpen my funny bone take another pass at the draft and play with the language to make it more fun and more funny. I hope. There’s nothing worse than someone saying: “Be funny, now!”
But I’m up for the challenge. Think I better rent some Mel Brooks movies.
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Before last year, I hadn’t really given pirates too much of a thought (not counting the year I wore an eye-patch when I was eight) but they seem to be taking over my life and I have long since given up trying to fight it.
It all started when I wrote a book series on pirates, then there was a piratey idea for one of my current works in progress. Since then, I’ve received pirate-themed spam and now I have just received a copy of my latest book, Blackbeard’s Sword, which is all about, well, Blackbeard the pirate. (Check out this bigger cover image.)
Continue reading ‘Another piratey tale for your bookshelf’
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This just landed in my inbox: “The Chronicles of the Rogue Pirate Ninjas: Act One.” Really. Do these spammers know about my ongoing pirate fixation? They’re getting good. I’m really tempted to click the link on this one. But, I’m no slave to temptation. Into the trash it goes.
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Friday’s Super Conference was great. The Metro Convention Centre was packed with publishers, librarians, and fellow authors all eager to buy, sell and talk about books. What can be better than that?
Being on time for your own signing, for one thing. Troubles on the TTC meant I missed my slotted time (yikes!) However, despite my tardiness there was soon a good crowd of folks at the table and I had a lot of fun meeting them all and signing copies of Max Finder Mystery Collected Casebook Vol. 1. Thanks to everyone who came out and waited.
Continue reading ‘Super time at Super Conference’
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Before I rush off to the OLA Super Conference tomorrow, I wanted to mention the new French translation of the first Oxford and Pearl mystery I wrote a few years ago. The Missing Snowball, appears in the Jan/Feb 2007 issue of Les Explorateurs magazine.
In the translated version, Oxford and Pearl become Oxford and Pauline and the mystery is called Flocon de Neige a disparu, but the detective duo get up to their usual crime-busting, clue-hunting tricks.
Continue reading ‘Oxford and Pearl go exploring’
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