For World Read Aloud Day, here is my clue to finish the mystery scavenger hunt...

It's World Read Aloud Day! This is one of those holidays I can get behind, because I read aloud every day. It's easy, like national pizza eating day, or national chocolate day...

As part of a fun mystery scavenger hunt, I'm participating in a linked blog contest for kids run by LitWorld and BonbonBreak.com. Since I love codes (as those of you who've read the Double Vision books know), I wrote my secret word in a number code below.

To decode, simply substitute each number by the corresponding letter in the alphabet: so 1 is the letter A, 2 the letter B, and so on....

Here's your number code, kids:

20 - 8 - 5 - 13

Isn't this fun? Now you can head over to BonbonBreak to finish the puzzle...

COVER REVEAL: Double Vision: The Alias Men (!!!) #mglitchat #mglit

I finally get to reveal the cover of Double Vision: The Alias Men...! It's Linc's third (and final, since it's a trilogy) adventure, set in Hollywood.... The book is out October 14th; I'm grateful for those of you who continue to wait patiently for this book :-)

Check it out over at Sleuths, Spies and Alibis, and let me know what you think!

The power of the paperback: reports from the road (plus, a #giveaway)

I've been a bit quiet around here lately--apologies for that. After the release of Double Vision: Code Name 711, I spent a lot of time doing school visits, book signings, and telling everyone who would listen about the book, and how cool George Washington is.

It's been fun. I'm happy to say that the world has a few more Linc readers. And I learned lots of new things while on the road, like that should always bring extra books, a sweater (that airconditioning can be crankin', y'all), and a lot of bookmarks.

One surprise was how fast the paperback of the first book sold! And it makes sense: you want to start a series at the beginning, plus paperbacks are easy on the wallet. I had a lot of people buy Double Vision as a stockingstuffer (how cool, huh?).

Which made me think it might be fun to do one last giveaway for the year. I like to play Santa...

a Rafflecopter giveaway

U.S. only, please, because of postage.

Happy reading, all!

The last ARC giveaway--version 2.0

**This giveaway has ended... I drew the winner from my hat: Akossiwa Ketoglo! Congrats. For those of you who didn't win, check in next month for lots of Double Vision: Code Name 711 giveaways in conjunction with my blog tour. Stay tuned...**

Okay, so the Rafflecopter doohickey doesn't work so well... My dinosaur status must be rubbing off on the blog. So I'm rebooting the giveaway of the last ARC of Double Vision: Code Name 711, Linc's second adventure, out in October.

We're going old-school. I'll take all your entries that the Rafflecopter did record, plus your comments are entries. Then I write your names on a piece of paper, and put them in a hat. No glitches possible there.

U.S. only (sorry, international friends), because postage beyond out borders is wicked expensive.

I'll run the giveaway until Sunday. If you want to enter, just say howdy below! Or tell me what your favorite snack is; I'm always looking to expand my food repertoire...

I'll draw and announce the winner Sunday evening...

Goodreads giveaway of Code Name 711 ARCs!

It's just six weeks until Linc's second adventure, Double Vision: Code Name 711, comes out! Which is why I've been a bit quiet here on the blog for the past week: I've been planning launch events and other promotional stuff.

Stay tuned for more cool news on that over the next few weeks...

But for those of you who like to read a book before it hits the shelves: the awesome people at Harper Children's are running a Goodreads giveaway of advanced copies of Double Vision: Code Name 711. So enter if you feel lucky...

Thanks for the support, as always, YA Sleutheri. It's nice to have good friends in my corner.

Why 6th grader Nathan gets a big thank you from me today

I don't like to toot my own horn, because... Well, it's sort of tacky. And if you read this blog, you know I wrote a book. Nuf said.

But the best part about writing for kids is when I get a good review--from a kid.

Like sixth grader Nathan, who gave Double Vision five stars, and said, "What I really like about this book is that it is humorous. For example, in the prologue, it talks about how the story isn't about Percy Jackson or Spiderman in a really funny way."

Nathan, you made my day. So here's a big thank you.

Summer reading giveaway of DOUBLE VISION!

All that talk about summer fun and reading got me inspired to do one last giveaway of Double Vision over at Goodreads. So enter if you dare, over here, or at the nifty widget to the right.

Happy reading, all!

Hope to see you at the Fay B. Kaigler Children's Book Festival!

I went to this festival last year, and had such a blast. It's in Hattiesburg, MS--hope to see you there! I'll be signing Double Vision at the USM Barnes & Noble.

And they're actually letting me host a session on reluctant readers on Friday, so come say hi if you're attending...

DOUBLE VISION French Cover Reveal! How cool is this? (Tres Cool, I say)

And here it is! Very cool, right?

I owe all my thanks to the amazing people at Foundry (my agency) and Seuil (the French publisher), and of course Harper Children's, since there wouldn't be much to translate without them. So merci beaucoup. It's so exciting to know that Linc's Paris adventure will be available in French this June...

The title means "beware of your double." I won't subject to any of my high school French, since it largely involves me ordering dinner or finding the bathroom. But I wanted to share this great cover with you, since you've stuck around this long.

Happy Monday!

COVER REVEAL of Double Vision: Code Name 711

Well, not here, but over at Sleuths Spies and Alibis, where I hang out with my fellow middle-grade and YA mystery writers.

Go check it out, and let me know what you think!

Kickin' Off The New Year With Good News

It's 2013!

I know, this is sort of old news, but I've been a bit slow joining the new year. Blame it on the leftover snacks in the fridge.

But then I got some good news: Seattle Mystery Bookshop's Amber listed Double Vision as one of the best middle-grade mysteries of 2012. And I got fanmail (how cool is that?) from an awesome 7th grader who chose to do his English project on the book. So I'm honored, and inspired to get to work.

Now all I need is some New Year's resolutions....

How 'bout you? Any plans for lucky 2013?

My (Strange) Path To Publication, And Win A Signed Copy Of DOUBLE VISION

Fellow writerly people always want to know: how did you get published? It's an unusual saga for me and Linc, and I talk about it over at the awesome Smack Dab In The Middle Blog.

Come on over, comment, and enter to win a signed copy of Double Vision...

Fun in Birmingham, And My First Signing

I had a blast in Birmingham this weekend. Partied with my SCBWI Southern Breeze peeps, hosted a workshop on writing YA and MG mysteries to a packed room, and had my first official book signing.

See, that's me. Behind me is not a prison, but just a closed high school cafeteria, since that's where the convention was. I was a little worried when I got there, because the bookseller had two huge stacks of Double Vision in the mini-store. Did they think I was famous or something?

But the store sold out, and I had to bring in my box-o-books from the car. So hurrah for Linc!

Cool story: the volunteer assigned to help me out had read the e-book of Double Vision before coming to Birmingham, and from the writing, he thought I was a guy. A compliment, in my opinion, since the book is for boys, sort of. But you can imagine his surprise...

Talking Writer Friends And Birmingham

As I'm celebrating my book launch this week, I really miss my Colorado writer friends. They were there for me when I was collecting rejection letters, and high-fived me when I finally found a home for my writing. They're awesome...

But I made a few new friends, even if they are kind of scattered around the expansive South. Here's a picture of a few Southern Breeze members (my SCBWI chapter--from left to right: Jo Kittinger, Claudia Pearson, and Hester Bass)--they really made this Colorado transplant feel like home.

And I'm off to catch up with them in Birmingham this weekend! I'm teaching a workshop on writing MG and YA mysteries at their Fall Conference. It'll be fun.

Hope to see you there....!

Join Me For My Book Birthday! There's Cake...

If you've been hanging around here a while, you probably know: it's launch day for Double Vision! Seems like it took forever for this day to come, and then suddenly, here we are.

Pass the cake (I'm all about the cake, you know)...

And for more partying, come on over to Sleuths, Spies, and Alibis for an Interrogation Room interview with yours truly. You can enter to win a signed copy of the book!

And if you've followed me this far, I hope you'll consider buying a copy of Double Vision--it makes a great present... Easy buy buttons are to the right, see?

That's it for the hard sell from me. Have some more cake, and let's celebrate!

Want A Free Kid Spy Giveaway Package?

Of course you do--who doesn't love spy stuff and freebies?

There's a nice review of Double Vision up at Criminal Element, and you can win a signed copy, spy gadgets and the latest Spy Kids movie.

Go over there if you're feeling lucky...

Are You Going To Bouchercon?

If you are, come say hi! I looked at the attendee list, and realized I know about four people out of the 1200+ attending...

I'm going to try not to be such a fangirl, but some of my favorite authors are attending! Must act like a professional... Hope to see you there.

Oh, and in case you're interested: there's a nice article on me and Double Vision in the ITW Big Thrill monthly newsletter.

October's Must Have Book Is...

...Double Vision. Well, at least it is over at the ThinkBannedThoughts blog, where you can read an interview with me. Come say hi, take a load off, and join us for virtual drinks and snacks.

And I'm all about equal opportunity reading, so tell me: what book are you excited about this fall?

I would love some recommendations for my shrinking TBR pile...

Good News To Share, So Drinks Are On Me

Writerhood can be hard--you fellow writers know this. There's editing, writing, more editing, and stupid chores that piled up while you were doing all that hard work.

But I didn't write this post to be a Negative Nellie. I love my job, and domestic perfection isn't for me anyway. Yesterday, I got some good news, so I thought I'd share. Since you've been along for the ride.

The Horn Book Magazine, the people in the know about all things kidlit, gave Double Vision a really nice review. Here's a little snippet:

Bradley gives Linc a great voice, with a good heart, some self-awareness, and a funny style: “I should probably mention right now that I qualify for the Guinness Book of World Records as the slowest, most out-of-shape twelve-year-old in history.” It’s entertaining if not deep, with a fast pace, snappy narration, and an epilogue that promises a new adventure.

Good news, so pass the drinks, all!

Oh, and if you're still on the hunt for a free ARC of Double Vision, you can sign up for the Goodreads giveaway the kind people of Harper are running...

What's Your Favorite Series, And Why?

As much as I love a good standalone novel, sometimes all I want is my favorite series. There's just something comforting about opening up a book or turning on the TV, and finding a familiar face. Even if it is fictional.

I love Michael Connelly's books for this reason. Tess Gerritsen is another favorite. On TV--well, that's pretty easy. There's Bones, Leverage, and the new Perception (boy, did that series find its groove toward the end!).

From the writer's perspective, I love writing series characters. As I start thinking of the next book in Linc's adventure, I already look forward to hanging out with Henry and Ben, and Linc's family. It's like meeting old friends, and finding out what's new.

What's your favorite series? Why do you love those characters so much?