Write On!

I'm very proud of my literary boys this week. Mike finished the second draft of his science fiction novel about accidental time travel. I read the first draft and was pleasantly surprised at how engrossing it was even for me, a non-sci fi nerd. He's sending copies out to friends and family now for input before he starts soliciting agents. He has started writing at least 3 novels since we've been together but this is the first that he has actually completed so I'm especially proud of him, even if it never gets published beyond the Kinko copy he is carrying around doing line by line edits as we speak.

A great inspiration for Mike's perseverance is one of his best buddies Brian Katcher. This shot is from our New Mexico Adventure last summer with he and his super sweet wife Sandy. Brian has had 2 Young Adult novels published with another on the way next year. He's also working on a sci fi series with another publisher but I'm not sure about that release date. Brian recently won the 2011 Stonewall Children’s and Young Adult Literature Award, which is given to "works of exceptional merit for children or teens relating to the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender experience."

“A young adult novel about a transgender girl—told from the perspective of the straight boy who falls for her—“Almost Perfect” is exceptional. The writing is sensitive, haunting and revelatory,” said Stonewall Children’s and Young Adult Award committee chair Lisa Johnston.

He's been getting a ton of great press since the award including this write up in the St. Louis Post Dispatch and even a mention on the Onion AV club. It really couldn't happen to a nicer guy. Brian and Sandy are probably the most easy going and non-judgemental people I've ever been fortunate to know.

If you have teenagers I would highly recommend his first two books, including Playing with Matches, which is actually my favorite by a slim margin of the two so far. Kai lists Brian as his favorite author on Facebook and has actually read Playing with Matches multiple times which is unheard of for him.

Almost Perfect Review

"Eighty percent of everything you’ll learn in high school is useless, and you’ll never use it again. Twenty percent is indispensable, and you won’t be able to get along in life without it. Unfortunately, you won’t know which is which until after you get out of school, and it’s different for every person. Study hard." Brian Katcher

Full disclosure: Brian Katcher is one of my husband's oldest friends and he and his wife Sandy are the most sincerely nice couple I've ever been lucky enough to meet. Brian is signing our copy of the book above.

Last weekend we headed to Centralia for Brian Katcher's new book launch party for Almost Perfect, just released by Random House. It was a cold early Fall day in rural Missouri much like the setting for his latest book. Here is my review of his first Young Adult novel, Playing with Matches which just came out in paperback.

I got the chance to read Almost Perfect this week. It's a really hard book to describe without giving too much away. It is for young adults and deals with some serious topics that can be tough for parents to talk about. There is a transgender young person dealing with facing the world and finding themselves in a small town. And there is young love with all of its ups and downs and mistakes and drama. There is lots of humor and some tragedy, kind of like growing up in a small town as I should know.

I would totally recommend this book for a mature 13 or 14 year old, especially if they are dealing with gender or identity issues. But really I hope that boys won't be turned off by the very feminine and provocative cover. In the lead character Logan, they will find a not perfect boy who makes a lot of mistakes but doesn't give up trying which I find heroic in a way. I'm left wondering what becomes of Sage and Logan after the book ends just like all good fiction. Is this book perfect. I would have to say no, but almost.