The smart-alec troublemaker in middle grade lit

"Rhonda Zymler, will you please take your seat?"

This sort of warning comes at sixth-grader Rhonda many times during my tween paranormal mystery novel, Ebenezer's Locker. Rhonda always seems to be teetering on the edge of trouble, and often lands squarely in it. As I've been preparing this book for publication, I've been thinking about the appeal of troublemaker characters.

There is something appealing about troublemakers in fiction that is quite different from dealing with them in real life. As a teacher, I expect discipline, respect, and hard work from my students. But as an author, I am very happy to let my student-age characters disrupt the classroom and question authority.

A classic example of lovable hellions in children's literature is Pippi Longstocking. In Astrid Lindgren's enchanting books, the main character is the ultimate iconoclast. She simply can't behave the way people expect her to. She's not mean-spirited, just free-thinking. Adults in the story are appalled or baffled, but readers of all ages are completely charmed.

And it's significant that Pippi Longstocking is a girl. Boys who misbehave (like Huck Finn) are considered normal, but even today, rambunctiously clever girls are an exceptional breed.

Maybe that's why I made Rhonda Zymler into a troublemaker. I was a perfectly-behaved child, and I think part of me longed to be Pippi Longstocking.

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Purchase Ebenezer's Locker in all e-book formats at MuseItUp Publishing and Amazon.

Aliens & Weird Stuff 2 Now on Kindle! (Smashwords next week)

Look out! There are aliens in your town! Or there will be, once you get the new Aliens & Weird Stuff 2, another trio of oddball stories I wrote for kids.


- An alien lands on Earth in "The Crusty-Hearted Man," and he has a better weapon than a laser gun for melting an icy personality.
- The mountain behind Lisa Winkles' house is red, and it's not for the reason anyone in her town thinks. Lisa discovers the secret of "Red Mountain".
- A kid finds a "Gumwad" on the sidewalk. How weird can that be...?


You can get it on Kindle here! Coming to Smashwords next week, for all you Nookers and PDF fans.

Closing Out the Green Light Delivery Blog Tour

Want more? There's more!

I answer the burning question, "Why Did You Write That?"

Angelia Almos invites me to consider why I write sci-fi.

Bryan Thomas Schmidt lets me muse about the challenges that face the sci-fi novelist.

Would you like to buy the novel after reading all those interviews? You can get it from the publisher, on Amazon, or on Barnes&Noble.

Oh, and there's a Green Light Delivery public event coming up in a few weeks: I'll be reading and signing at Modern Myths Comic Shop in Northampton, MA, on July 21. More info here.

So far, on the GREEN LIGHT DELIVERY blog tour...

The tour bus has made several stops already. If you'd like to catch up, here's a scooter and guidebook to help you out:

I was interviewed about the Green Light Delivery on The Qwillery. (And don't miss the giveaway for commenters!)

I was a guest of Matt Adams, discussing rogues and rascals.

I mused about fate and science fiction on Scalzi's Big Idea.

I cartwheeled Across the Plain of Shining Books, just to be funny.

GREEN LIGHT DELIVERY Launch Day is Here!

I'm officially a science fiction novelist! Green Light Delivery was released today by Candlemark & Gleam.
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Webrid is a carter, like his mother and grandfather before him. It's not glamorous work, but it pays the bills, and it gives him time to ogle the sexy women on the streets of Bexilla's capital. Mostly, he buys and sells small goods and does the occasional transport run for a client.

Then he gets mugged by a robot.

Now, with a strange green laser implanted in his skull and a small fortune deposited in his bank account, Webrid has to make the most difficult delivery of his life. He doesn't know who his client is, or what he's carrying, but he knows that a whole lot of very dangerous people are extremely interested in what's in his head. Literally. And they'll do whatever it takes to get it.

With the help of some truly alien friends, a simple carter will journey across worlds to deliver his cargo. And hopefully keep his head in the process. 

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You can purchase Green Light Delivery directly from the publisher, on Amazon, or Barnes and Noble.

Final Video for Green Light Delivery Launch Countdown!!

Tomorrow is launch day, so this is the end of the countdown! I thought we should finish with an actual alien. Klaus Nomi truly believed he was from Mars. (His mom thought he was from Austria.) Here's a nice little apocalyptic ditty to close things out.

Video #1. Klaus Nomi. Total Eclipse (1981)

New Video for Green Light Delivery Launch Countdown. 2 Days to Go!

Going back a bit (ooh, time travel!) for our penultimate video. Julie London transports us to our favorite satellite. Webrid would like this.

Video #2. Julie London. Fly Me to the Moon. (TV appearance, 1964)