Several bits of news to share today, a week and a day out from the release of my middle grade fantasy novel Hunters of the Lost City.

But the first is news about news: the best way to get updates from me about various bookish things is to subscribe to my newsletter, which is free and not very frequent, and tends to be more informative than this blog, which I rarely remember to update.

Now for the real news: Dead Space has won the 2022 Philip K. Dick Award! I am so incredibly honored and thrilled to be chosen, and so happy that the panel of judges saw something special in my dark little space murder book. The other nominees were all fabulous, and I didn’t think I had a chance, so the announcement was quite a surprise.

Hunters of the Lost City comes out in a week, on April 26, and just last week it was announced that it has been selected for the May/June 2022 Kids’ Indie Next List! This is a list of books recommended by indie booksellers around the country, and I am beyond delighted to be included.

I will be at the LA Times Festival of Books this coming Saturday, April 23, to talk middle grade books and adventure stories with Lisa McMann, Melissa de la Cruz, and Jonathan Hunt. Our panel starts at 10:30 AM on the YA Stage. There will be a chance to buy the panelists’ books and get them signed afterward! Check out the LA Times Festival of Books for event info.