August 2007 (cont.)

Stan and I plan to do another book for Adventure, which will, no doubt, also be ignored by reviewers.

Does that matter? Probably not. Stan’s incredible photos make the book leap off the shelf, and the word that has come back to us is that both kids and adults love it.

As to Mount Rushmore, all of my Wonders of America books have been received well by reviewers. They are small books, and long experience in this field has taught me that small books, those that don’t reach too far or attempt too much, are usually received well by reviewers.

Then there is Killing Miss Kitty and Other Sins. Ah...that one!

I can tell you something about my collection of young-adult short stories. It’s the best work I’ve ever done. I knew it was my best at the end of the two-year process it took to complete the stories. The various writer friends who read and critiqued it for me along the way said the same. As did my long-time editor. It’s also, not coincidentally, the most autobiographical fiction I have ever written and the closest to my heart.