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My first novel, The Ghost Cadet, was published by Henry Holt and was nominated for awards in thirteen states, winning the 1994-1995 Virginia Best Book Award. Ghost Soldier, a companion book, was nominated for the 2002 Edgar Award for Best Juvenile Mystery and won the Society of Midland Authors Award for Children's Fiction in 2002 and the Young Hoosier Book Award in 2004. My second Holt novel, The Proving Ground, was inspired by my move to the midwest in 1985, and was named a 1993 ALA Recommended Book for Reluctant Young Adult Readers. Tournament of Time was published by Bluegrass Books. This novel was the result of my research during a Watson Fellowship to study medieval history in England and Italy that I was awarded upon receiving my Bachelors of Science from Rice University. In November 2000, I received an Honorary Masters of Fine Arts degree from Indianapolis Christian University.
Dinosaur Hunter, a HarperCollins I Can Read Chapter Book about the Dinosaur Bone Wars in Wyoming, was just published in the Fall of 2003. It received the Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Gold Award. A Bear for Miguel, a HarperCollins I Can Read Book, was a Consortium of Latin American Studies Programs (CLASP) Commended Title. Recent young adult novels include Picture Perfect, a VOYA Top Shelf Fiction pick; and Simon Says and Counterfeit Son, published by Harcourt. Counterfeit Son is the winner of the 2001 Edgar Award for Best Young Adult Mystery.
My latest nonfiction books for young readers are Davy Crockett and Dwight Eisenhower in Lerner's History Makers series, and Germ Hunter: A Story About Louis Pasteur and I Have Not Yet Begun To Fight: A Story About John Paul Jones in Lerner's Creative Minds series; and Vacuum Cleaners, Toasters, Irons and Telephones in Carolrhoda's nonfiction Household History series,. My most recent nonfiction book for writers of all ages is Creating Characters Kids Will Love for Writer's Digest Books. Click here to read some of my reviews.
My short works have been included in such anthologies as But That's Another Story (Walker), The Favorites (ICL), Rainy Day/Sunny Day/Any Day Activities (Concordia), and Success Stories (ICL). I also co-authored 101 Bible Puzzles for Standard Publishing. Click here to read an excerpt from "A Time To Stand Up," an adventure story written for But That's Another Story. My historical fiction story, "New World Dreams," appears in On Her Way: Stories and Poems About Growing Up Girl, just published by Dutton in January, 2004. This anthology is a Junior Library Guild selection. Click here to read an excerpt from "New World Dreams."
Over 300 of my stories, articles, puzzles and activities have appeared in national magazines including Cricket, Spider, Ladybug, Highlights for
Children, Faces, Child Life, Children's Digest, Junior Trails, HorsePlay Junior, TeenQuest, On the Line, Guideposts for Kids, Hopscotch, Boys' Quest, Horsepower, Young & Alive, Disney Adventures, and others.
My most recent short works have been published by the National Reading Styles Institute in their Power Reading Paks.
Some of my books are also available online. Time Travel Trap is a downloadable e-book published by FictionWorks as well as being available in paperback form. Ghostwriters, Digital Lifeline and Gatekeepers are part of my Tales of the Supernatural series that you can read online at iPulp Fiction Library.
My latest books include The Perfect Shot, a young adult mystery novel published by Carolrhoda and named a VOYA Top Shelf Fiction pick, a Nebraska Golden Sower Teen Honor Book, and a ForeWard Book of the Year Gold Medal Winner. JELP, about two kids who have trouble spelling working together on a Young Author book, was published in 2008 by Wendy Pye, and will be distributed in the United States by Award Series, along with Making the Leaves Talk, about Sequoyah and his invention of the Cherokee written language.
And coming in 2010 from Carolrhoda: An Unspeakable Crime, a new nonfiction book about the murder of a 13-year-old girl in Georgia, and the trial of the man accused of killing her. Also coming in Spring 2010: a new paperback reprint of the Edgar-Award winner, Counterfeit Son, and a re-issue of the award-winning Ghost Cadet.
If you're wondering how to pronounce my name, click here. You'll also find out a little bit about the story behind my name.
