Really, really in the works (at the top of the pile)!:

"Summer on the Moon" is set in this instant in America. The economy is tanking… People are scared… But for Socko, and his mother, Delia, being worried about money is just business as usual—they’ve never had any. While the rest of America suffers, this mother and son will get their big break. They are living in a cramped city apartment, when Socko’s great grandfather, a man Socko has never met, makes them an offer. “The General” will buy them a house if they agree to take care of him so he won’t have to go into a nursing home. “The General,” turns out to be a crotchety, bossy old man, who thinks it is a great joke to “play dead” to shake up his great-grandson—and that isn’t the only surprise when the mother and son start their new life.

The house Delia buys seems like a great bargain. What she doesn't know is that “Moon Ridge Estates,” the half-finished subdivision the house is in, is going bankrupt. When Delia, Socko and The General move in, they are the only people who live there.

So, what is it like to be the only kid in a sprawling subdivision of unfinished houses? For Socko it is like having a kingdom of his own. And then Livvy and her family move in and Socko finds out what it is like to be the only boy in a sprawling subdivision of unfinished houses with a stuck up girl for company.

It’s not easy being the only boy on the moon.

A New YA Novel!
I am working on a book called, “The Original.” Like “The Real Question,” it is intended for older readers. It is about Ron Hansen and his way-cooler identical twin brother Riley. Ron thinks of Riley as “the original” and himself as the copy. If Riley is Coca Cola then Ron is the cheap store brand imitation. If Riley is butter, Ron is margarine. Although they are “identical” Riley is taller, better at sports, and he always gets the girl.

What happens to the copy when the original disappears? Oh, maybe I should mention that this is a ghost story.

Another one from the neighborhood:
This is the book I should be working on right now, and I’ll get to it soon—I promise!

So many readers have written to me about the ending of “The Big Nothing,” asking, “What does Jemmie say to Justin when he tells her that he wrote that song for her?” Just for the record, I didn’t include it because I don’t think readers would have liked what she had to say. She appreciated the song, but she hasn’t yet figured out that she LIKES Justin. It will take her another book to realize that she does. I’ve also got to bring Duane home from Iraq. And what’s up with Ben and Cass and Anna and Mica? I hope to get all of that in too so stay tuned.

Also on the drawing board...
Every chapter book writer wants to try their hand at a picture book. Why should I be any different? I have two picture-books-in-the-works.

The Dog at the Door is about a stray dog that shows up at a boy’s house one morning and won’t go away. The boy’s father says, “We don’t need a dog.” And I guess he’s right. Nobody needs a dog. But as the boy points out, “Sometimes a dog needs you.”

The Hat is about what happens when Eddie Cooper—an ordinary kid—finds an old fedora in the closet: “The hat’s been waiting—most of the time in the dark—waiting for someone to put it on.” And what happens when Eddie puts it on? Plenty. I’ll hurry up and finish writing it so you can read it.