Pen Pals
They sleep in the back of my writer’s mind,
on bunk beds, no doubt,
so they can stay up and talk late into the night.
Sometimes I hear them
bumbling around in the dark,
fixing a cup of tea
or sipping a glass of wine.
They only exist in my imagination,
but they come out on lonely walks.
We chat, confusing my neighbors.
I ask what they’re up to
and what’s coming next.
They’re good people, most of them,
the kind you’d enjoy
spending time making plans
or sitting quietly at the creek
where I skip stones.
I wonder if they ever go fishing –
maybe with Tom and Huck.
I write for the same reason I taught for over 35 years - to make a an impact on my students' lives.
If you want to know more about me, then talk to my characters because you'll find bits of me in all of them.
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When I was completing my first novel, Wendy Weller stepped out of the manuscript and chastised me. "You're doing it all wrong."
"What do you mean?" I asked.
"You've got the adults swooping in and saving the day. We can save ourselves, thank you very much." She said this with her arms crossed, challenging me to find another ending, which I did.
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I wasn't sure if I needed a shrink at that point because I was having a conversation with someone who doesn't really exist except in my head. So, I sought counsel from a group of professionals. I asked about this at a writers conference. "Does anyone else here talk to their characters?"
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The room filled with laughter - not at me - but because "Of course, we talk to our characters. They're the ones writing the stories."
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The Academy
They were given a second chance. But someone’s trying to snuff it out.
Bryan, Billy, and Adam never expected to end up at Cumberland Academy—the elite private school where legacy matters most. Handpicked for full-ride scholarships, each brings something unique to the table: Bryan's raw strength on the football field, Billy's baseball ability, and Adam's brilliant mind. But each one’s unique contribution is overshadowed by buried secrets.
And being outsiders in a school built for the rich and powerful isn’t just uncomfortable—it’s dangerous.
When anonymous threats and whispered rumors start surfacing, the trio realizes someone is digging into their pasts... and is determined to see them gone. With the Cavaliers losing football season casting a long shadow and tensions rising both on and off the field, Bryan, Billy, and Adam must decide who they can trust—before they lose not just their futures, but their only shot at redemption.​
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RockBridge
They were never meant to be friends until forced to fight for their own survival. Three outcasts find themselves at RockBridge, an Outward Bound school for guys learning to overcome the mistakes of their past. But tragedy leaves them stranded during a Wilderness Trek. With no map, no food, and no idea where they were, the boys must choose to work together or die trying.​
BackStories
Over the course of her sophomore year, Wendy Weller must reconcile her perceptions of three classmates in light of the realities they secret away. She grapples with Tonya Yelenik, a teammate out to prove herself while undercutting Wendy’s attempts to fit in. Jenna, a classmate comfortable with who she is helps Wendy redefine her understanding of what “normal” means. And finally, Billy Murdock, a troubled young man with a hidden tender spot who teaches Wendy that every saint has a past, and every sinner has a future. The turmoil she experiences is reflected in a backdrop that involves her favorite teacher and mentor who faces a community up in arms over the reading of the controversial novel Annie on My Mind.
Bad Signs
Life doesn’t give you a roadmap for growing up. You discover it as you go.
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Adam Ackerman finds himself on a fledgling baseball team where his clumsy attempts at playing right field and finding romance create an honest portrayal of what it’s like to be 14 year-old klutz. He must overcome the taunts literally thrown at him from Billy Murdock, a troubled teen who uses cheating as a short cut to winning. And he must set aside his insecurities that hinder him while crushing on a girl who, in many ways, is out of his league.
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Even though he would prefer to watch life from the sidelines, he learns that you can only defeat an opponent you’re willing to face.
The Things We Didn't Catch
Finding true love requires venturing into uncharted territory for Wendy Weller. Her bumbling attempts to get the attention of an attractive newcomer are soon complicated by a life-changing commitment she never signed up for. An unexpected turn of events forces her to set aside her fantasies and embrace what truly matters. The Things We Didn’t Catch is a tender coming-of-age story about friendship and learning to recognize love in its many forms.
Book Trailers
Teacher Resources
For students of every ability and background, it is the simply miraculous act of reading a good book that turns them into readers. The job of adults who care about reading is to move heaven and earth to put that book into a child's hands.
- Nancie Atwell
Addled Lessons -
What's Really Going On In English Classrooms & What Needs to Change
by Robert Hankes and Dean R. Smith, Ph.D.
Einstein aptly defined insanity as doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. Addled Lessons pokes holes in a lot of the things going on in English classrooms that we've convinced ourselves are essential but that don't produce results. However, there is one approach that really helps kids read more and write better.
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For more information, go to
https://addledlessons.blogspot.com/
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