Randolph the Yellow Snowman is a quirky children's picture book that was so much fun to create. So, it's always gratifying to see how it's received by others. So far it's generating a lot of great reviews on Amazon and Goodreads. Here are a few excerpts.

• ". . . a hilariously entertaining story for children."
  
• "Weird and funny and totally ridiculous."
  
• "This delightful book with fantastic illustrations is sure to charm its way into the hearts of all snowman lovers or anyone who loves a great children's book!"
  
• "I’d recommend this humorous winter book to teachers and parents as an addition to their shelf!"
  

Get your copy today!
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Imagine my daughter's surprise when she was watching a Christmas present opening video on one of her favorite YouTube channels, the Family Fizz, and one of the daughters peeled back the wrapping paper to reveal one of my books! To see which one it was, check out the video, starting at 15:59.

I just wrote my first article for The Brave Writer on Medium.com. It's the first of a series of "how-to" articles I'm writing based on the creative writing teaching I've done over the years. Give it a read.

Due to the pandemic, I'm really going to miss the opportunity to tour across Western Canada doing author visits, but that doesn't mean I can't visit your school. I'm happy to announce that I'll be doing virtual author visits via the digital platform of your choice. The good news is, that also allows me to expand my reach well beyond Western Canada. If you're interesting in having me broadcast my smiling face to your classroom, just contact me, and we can work out the pricing and logistics. 

The Saskatoon Star-Phoenix and the Regina Leader Post just published a short article I wrote about Snowbound! and Randolph the Yellow Snowman. You can read it here. 

While the pandemic has been great for book sales, it's really cramping my style when it comes to doing author visits and writing workshops at schools, which I have done throughout Western Canada over the last five years. I'd say such things are virtually impossible right now, but "virtually" could be the only way I'll be able to do it. It's not nearly the same as spending a day at a school and interacting with hundreds of students face-to-face, but I want to at least make myself available online, so look for an update soon on how this will look. I'm thinking of a combination of live events on Zoom or a similar platform as well as short lectures on different aspects of story development that I can record and then upload to YouTube, making them available for schools as a bonus for ordering my books. If you're a teacher, and there's some specific content you'd like to see to help your creative writing and/or language arts program, just let me know. 

I have a "light horror" novel for teens (think Stranger Things) called Pumpkins that I've been planning to write for a couple of years, and I'm finally ready to pull the trigger. To help prime the pump and inspire me to keep going, it's always fun to see what the finished novel will look like. So, I spent a bit of time coming up with a new design. Check it out here, which will also allow you to read the first chapter. 

Snowbound!, book 5 in the Milligan Creek Series is now officially available for purchase in paperback and Kindle format on Amazon.com, Amazon.ca, and every other kind of Amazon. Due to COVID-19 travel restrictions, I've been unable to get copies to sell directly on my website, although you can buy the Kindle version here. With snow already falling in many parts of North America, this is the perfect time to read this winter-themed story, which takes place the week before Valentine's Day.  I hope you enjoy it, and if you do, be sure to spread the word by reviewing it on Amazon, Goodreads, or simply telling people you know!

I thought this was a great idea seeing as it sells the reaction to something rather than the thing to which the characters are reacting, which is exactly what I wanted for my book. So, rather than me creating the rough sketch, this time Hannah drew up something that I had to interpret. She mainly wanted to know which character to feature as the primary focus, so this is what she texted me prior to embarking on the actual drawing. 

I gave her a bit of feedback, and then she proceeded to a full ink drawing.

It was at this point I realized there were no women on the cover, so she made a small revision and then began coloring.

From there it was just a matter of some texturing and details. Then it was up to me to figure out what the title and credits would look like. This is what I came up with.

I'm very pleased with the result. All the files have been submitted, and I'm now awaiting a proof. I can't wait to unleash this book on the world!

I've kept this project a bit on the down low, but it's in the final stages and should be available later this month. All I'll say for now is that it's a Christmas-themed book, and the title may shock you! Here's a sneak peek at a piece of artwork.