An interview on audio.
I recently was interviewed for WritersCast. We talked about how I got started writing, where the idea for The Books of Umber came from, the writing and editing process, and more. If that stuff interests you, or if you want to know what I sound like, check it out here. 

Meet "Casualidad."
That's what Happenstance will be called in the Spanish translation of The Books of Umber.  The new series is getting foreign translations in Spanish and Catalan, German and Turkish.

The next Books of Umber book has a title.
Book One was Happenstance Found. Want to know what Book Two will be called? The name has turned up on online sites, so I might as well tell you that the title is... Dragon Games.

Blog stuff.
In my latest blog entries (here on MySpace - click on the blog entries to read), I talk about the experience of my first audiobook... and offer some suggestions for writers that involve your search function.

Pictures from Nevada.
Got back recently from a visit to a great school in Nevada. See them here on my MySpace page. 

Listen to audio excerpts from The Books of Umber.
A few ways to hear this:  On my Myspace page; at the P.W. Catanese Facebook fan page, and at the Books of Umber web site. (May not work with all web browsers, but definitely with Internet Explorer. Listen here. )

The Books of Umber named to ALAN's Picks and the Indie Next list.
Along with all the other great reviews, The Books of Umber: Happenstance Found has been named to ALAN’s Picks, April 2009.  ALAN’s Picks is a monthly book review column from the Assembly on Literature for Adolescents that highlights the latest and greatest in YA Lit. Happenstance Found was also named to the Indie Next list ("Inspired recommendations for kids from Indie booksellers").  Look for it at your local independent bookstore.

Audio books are here!
The Books of Umber series will be available as audio books from Recorded Books - you can get the first book now, in fact. The reader is Richard Poe, the actor who has read Dan Brown's Angels and Demons and Cormac McCarthy's Blood Meridian, among other great titles. He was a great choice to read Happenstance Found! The rest of my books -- every one of them, from The Thief and the Beanstalk on -- will follow at a date to be determined. It doesn't sound like it will be long, though. Stay tuned.

Author visits.
I've been to schools in Connecticut, Nevada, Virginia, New York, Florida, Michigan and Kentucky... where to next? Click here to learn more.

Awards and honors.
The Mirror's Tale has been nominated for the Maud Hart Lovelace Award,  sponsored by the Minnesota Youth Book Award organization. Winners will be announced in April 2009. This happily follows on the heels of the Boston Author's Club honor for the same title.

The Thief and the Beanstalk has been named to the New Mexico Battle of the Books list for 2009.  Hello, New Mexico readers!

Now over 500,000 books in print.
My first five books are known collectively as Further Tales. These action-packed novels from Simon & Schuster/Aladdin Paperbacks pick up the loose threads of famous fairy tales and use them to weave exciting new adventures. Each book has its own story and characters; it doesn't matter which you read first. Young readers like them -- even reluctant readers. Adult readers like them. And teachers have discovered that they make a sensational read-aloud in the classroom.  Dive in! 

The Further Tales reviews say:
"ACTION-PACKED... ROLLICKING ADVENTURE... COMPLEX CHARACTERS... FAST-PACED...VIVID DESCRIPTIONS...IMPORTANT THEMES... PERILOUS BATTLES... NARROW ESCAPES... GREAT HEART... EXCITING... CHARMING... CREEPY... SENSITIVE...THRILLING!"
(Click on the book titles for more.)

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Also of interest: 
I'm happy to report that The Thief and the Beanstalk is part of the Library of Congress' Talking Books for the Blind Program, featuring the voice talent of actor/narrator Erik Synnestvedt. This is part of a free program of braille and audio materials circulated to eligible borrowers in the United States by postage-free mail, using a national network of cooperating libraries. You can learn more here. 

The back story: 
These are novels, not picture books, between 240 and350 pages long. The Further Tales books are each a sequel (of sorts) to a famous fairy tale.  These are separate stories with different characters, so it doesn't matter what order you read them in. The Books of Umber will be a trilogy. These books fall into the category of books for middle-school readers, but I wrote them for anyone who likes a story with lots of adventure, action and thrills. I seem to be picking up more and more grown-up fans.