12/13/10 -- Tough times can push people apart, or bring them together. I'm lucky to have a family that all rallied unfailingly around my youngest daughter, Amy, as she went through hip surgery. Her cat, Joon, is the lone exception. While we were a...

12/7/10 -- If my story is a car, the engine that powers it forward is the main character. If I do a good enough job of developing that character, I'm sitting behind the wheel with a big grin on my face. Varoom!

11/30/10 -- Five days after Thanksgiving and I'm doing my best to be grateful every day, not just on the last Thursday of November. Sometimes, I admit, I slip and start seeing the glass as half empty instead of half full. Most of the time, though,...

11/22/10 -- I was once again reminded that the two most helpful words in the writing world are . . . "What if?" Used them today to unlock my imagination, get the possibilities flowing, and solve a plotting puzzle. Try them out. It works!

11/19/10 -- Another good week of writing. I'm loving being home and having the time to dive deep into my story and keep my focus there. But enough of living inside my head. It's Friday night and time for some socializing!

11/17/10 -- Irish hearth note: "Tell a good story, tell a good lie, or get out." It may sound a bit harsh and uncompromising, but for a writer it's good advice.

11/12/10 -- Isn't it great when life feels balanced? This week I was able to write a bunch, go for three runs, visit Brush College Elementary School in Salem, OR for a day of presentations on the writing process, conduct a writer's workshop with n...

11/9/10 -- The question has come up among group of my writing buddies who have made a pledge to write every day: If you are doing something besides writing -- working in the garden, for example, or going for a run -- and you find yourself thinking...

11/8/10 -- I'm excited to report that I'm getting lots of positive feedback on STORM MOUNTAIN. Teachers and librarians are saying nice things, which is great. But, most importantly, kids -- whom I consider to be the most important readers on the p...

11/3/10 -- Two weeks is a long time to be away from home. But the school visits in El Paso, TX were worth it -- lots of great kids! As was the retreat with children's book writer friends on the California coast -- lots of work done on ATTACK OF TH...

10/22/10 -- I'm packed and ready for the last author visit here in El Paso, TX. I am a lucky man; I get to spend this day with kids and educators, talking about books and writing. Life is good!

10/18/10 -- On the 18th of every month Debbie and I celebrate our "monthiversary." Today marks 36 years and 5 months since we tied the knot on May 18, 1974. I'm in El Paso, Texas doing author visits in schools, so a phone call was the best we coul...

10/15/10 -- Today is the official publication date for STORM MOUNTAIN, and I'm flooded with a very satisfied feeling of accomplishment. Which will last for about ten minutes. Then I'll get back to work on REVENGE OF THE MUTANT UNDERWEAR. Writing, ...

10/9/10 -- Thursday night I took part in the "Nightcapper" event at the Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association trade show. Over twenty authors of all stripes -- children's, adult, fiction, non-fiction -- sat at tables from 8:30-10:00 PM and sig...

10/4/10 -- One of the great things about being a children's book author is the interesting places I get to visit. Case in point -- LaMoure, North Dakota, population 790. It's tucked away in the southeast quadrant of the state, and the truth is I p...

9/28/10 -- Check out the book trailer for STORM MOUNTAIN on my "Home" page (select in menu bar above), or "Storm Mountain" page reached via "About Tom's Books." Also it can be viewed on YouTube by clicking here.

9/24/10 -- I'm back from Amarillo, Texas and a great school visit with a fantastic bunch of kids at Sleepy Hollow Elementary. Afterward, my wonderful host, Robyn Abbruscato, and her two daughters, Morgan and Tatum, took me out to see the famous Ca...

9/21/10 -- I just checked into a La Quinta hotel in Amarillo, Texas. Tomorrow I get to discuss writing with the kids of Sleepy Hollow Elementary. Let the literary fun begin!In the meantime, the blessed horizontal awaits. Ah . . .

9/18/10 -- I'm finally getting the hang of iMovie and making some progress on the book trailer for STORM MOUNTAIN. A friend told me I should expect to put in over an hour of editing for each minute of finished footage. Ha! Don't I wish! More like ...

9/14/10 -- Fun new pastime -- zip lining! Especially fun when done with family! Could zip lining fit into a story somehow? Absolutely! For example: a character uses a zip line to escape pursuit; or to rescue a pet that is stranded; or to impress s...