David Michael Slater's Official Blog

Worth the Paper it's Printed On!

2012-01-13T18:17:00.000-08:00

Paperback coming at last! October. Movie news much sooner. I hope!

E-books!

2011-12-25T14:59:00.000-08:00

Greetings!

My 12 Magic Wagon books are now available in downloadable e-book format. Go HERE, then navigate to each individual title.

On the Radio!

2011-12-02T14:57:00.000-08:00

My first radio interview!

Sunday 12/4 @ 5 p.m., on 107.1 fm or on the web at KZME.fm.

Dms

Sunday Event

2011-12-02T14:55:00.000-08:00

If I don't see you at Hollywood Library on Saturday, maybe Sunday at the Oregon Historical Society Author Cheer event? (Coupon on flyer below). --Dms

Going Hollywood!

2011-11-28T16:01:00.000-08:00

Will be signing books at Hollywood Library at this event Saturday (1 p.m. - 4 p.m.). You can stuff books into stockings if you shove 'em hard enough : ) I'm excited to try out the Square gizmo that will let me take credit cards via my Iphone. Big time! : )

99 cent Promotional copies! For a limited time!!

2011-10-23T16:24:00.000-07:00

Go HERE to order!

Happy Hour w/ Me!

2011-10-14T11:21:00.000-07:00

The Portland Reading Council is hosting its first Literacy Happy Hour of the year on October 26 featuring yours truly. Join us for a highly entertaining event! When: Wed. Oct. 26 (4 p.m... to 6 p.m.) @ Chevy's (Lake Oswego)

Best. Feedback. Ever.

2011-10-08T20:13:00.000-07:00

Sniff! A woman read The Book of Nonsense to her estranged mother who'd suffered a stroke. After two hours her mom turned over and began talking to her about the book and the many parts she related to. They read the rest together as she got settled into a rehab home. Honored and humbled by this reader's gratitude. Back at Booth 1107 tomorrow!

Upcoming Events

2011-10-03T16:33:00.001-07:00

Greetings,

If you are feeling the need to see me, here is where I'll be this month.

Thanks and see you there?

Dms

•Oct. 8/9 @ Wordstock with Dale Basye: Booth 1107

•Oct. 12 @ Cedar Mill Elementary (4:15 - 5:30) for adults

•Oct. 15 @ OASL Conference in Seaside, OR (Session 8 - 9 a.m. / Signing 1:15-11:00)

•Oct. 20-22 @ Humbolt County Author Festival

•Oct. 26 @ Portland Reading Council Literacy Happy Hour (4:00-6:00) @ Chevy's (14991 Bangy Rd., Lake Oswego)

Cover

2011-09-23T19:46:00.000-07:00

http://www.beavertonvalleytimes.com/news/story.php?story_id=131665331901044800

Movie update

2011-09-22T10:41:00.000-07:00

Greeting!

Here's the latest news article on Sacred Books movie developments...

THE PLOT THICKENS FOR SACRED BOOKS SERIES

Final Cover!

2011-08-19T16:42:00.000-07:00

Press Release

2011-08-13T08:59:00.000-07:00

Controversial Sacred Books series Coming to Big Screen

Free E-book offer

Does latest installment go too far?

What would you get if you combined Indiana Jones, Harry Potter and Sherlock Holmes?...If you were David Michael Slater, you'd get the 13-year-old Wax twins, Dexter and Daphna. The intrepid stars of David's "Sacred Books" adventure series. These books...are starting to make waves.

—Margie Boule, Portland Oregonian

A perfect example of cultural collision—Author Eric Kimmel (more @ http://ericakimmel.com/2010/11/culture-clash/)

Austin, TX – Aug 9, 2011 - Blooming Tree Press/CBAY Books is thrilled to announce that a film combining The Book of Nonsense, Sacred Books Volume I and The Book of Knowledge, Sacred Books Volume II is being developed for film by Producer Kevin Bannerman (Lion King/Curious George) and screenwriter, Karen Janszen (named by Variety as one of the "top ten screenwriters to watch").

Thus far, the Sacred Books series has inspired many (and enraged some) readers nationwide with a provocative Da Vinci Code-like blend of action and intellectual thrills, ultimately turning the conventional reading of The Garden of Eden story on its head.

On Oct. 16^th, 2011, The Book of All Things, Sacred Books Vol. IV, will be released. The book promises to continue exploding traditional notions of acceptable content for mainstream “Teen Lit.” In this installment, Dexter and Daphna, after an incredible escape from the gender-bending monster, Lilit (Adam’s original wife), find a deadly plague spreading around the country and themselves wanted by authorities. On the run, they must discover how to end the plague, kill Lilit once and for all, and recover some semblance of a life with no parents. Their search for the truth attracts new and powerful adversaries seeking to prevent them from discovering the greatest secret the world has ever known, even at the cost of the world itself: the true explanation for the birth of Christ.

Sacred Books continues in 2012 with The Book of Names and concludes in 2013 with The Book of All Books.

Free E-book offer:

Reviewers may request E-books of any/all of the Sacred Books series, including an advanced e-book of The Book of All Things, by emailing a request to david@davidmichaelslater.com

About the book:

The Book of All Things: Sacred Books, Vol. IV by David Michael Slater

ISBN: 978-1933767048

Publisher: Blooming Tree Press/CBAY

Publishing Date: Oct. 16, 2011

Pages: 256

S.R.P.: $16.95

About the author:

David Michael Slater has won many honors for his popular picture books, including Cheese Louise!, The Ring Bear, and Flour Girl. His books for adults include Selfless and The Book of Letters. David teaches high school in Portland, Oregon, where he lives with his wife and son. Learn more at: http://www.davidmichaelslater.com

Rise of the Ring Bear!

2011-08-10T19:27:00.000-07:00

Drumroll.....Here is the new cover and title of the re-born Ring Bear, to be released, well, very soon for Kindle, etc. and POD. So happy to see it get a new lease on life. Hope you think it's as great as I do.

Movie News

2011-08-06T08:10:00.000-07:00

Movie news: The film in development is a combination of THE BOOK OF NONSENSE and THE BOOK OF KNOWLEDGE!

THE BOOK OF ALL THINGS on Amazon now!

2011-05-30T15:30:00.000-07:00

Greetings!

Just got the final ms. of THE BOOK OF THINGS to proof. It's up on Amazon for pre-ordering now.

KINDLE!

2011-03-22T16:02:00.000-07:00

At last! THE BOOK OF NONSENSE is available on Kindle ($6.39!!).

Da Bear!

2011-03-19T15:30:00.000-07:00

Great news! Puddletown, Portland's major new e-book publisher, will be launching tomorrow. I'm thrilled to announce that one of my favorite picture books, THE RING BEAR (sadly out of print), will be among their first releases. Stay tuned for more and see you there...

New Cover!

2011-01-28T15:28:00.001-08:00

Ta da!

Drumroll Please...

2011-01-06T19:03:00.000-08:00

Greetings!

Here is the jacket copy for THE BOOK OF ALL THINGS (Sacred Books IV). Cover coming soon...

It's a vampire. But not just a vampire. It's the original vampire. Even the most appalling legends fail to convey how deadly it really is. After a miraculous escape, Dex and Daphna are running for their lives, desperately racing the clock as a plague spreads across the country and news of murderous organ thieves terrifies an already panicking population. The twins must find what the monster really wants in order to stop it once and for all. What they discover about the thing—and what they discover about themselves—will launch the already controversial Sacred Books Series to positively incendiary heights.

New SB Review

2010-12-29T20:39:00.000-08:00

David Michael Slater's The Sacred Books Trilogy is multi-leveled. For some it's a 'fun' read, for others it's a 'thrilling' read, and yet for others it goes beyond all of that. As I read through all three volumes, I found myself re-thinking lots of things I had learned and taken for granted as 'gospel' - things that one doesn't often question. DMS skillfully made me look at our existence from another perspective, he made me ask those questions: What if? Why not? I look forward to the next books in the series, but I would change the reading level to ages 7 to 70 and 7 times that!

AMAZON REVIEWS

LAUNCH PARTY!!

2010-11-27T08:10:00.000-08:00

Next Sunday!!

Launch party for THE BOOK OF MAPS.

(Central Library @ 2 p.m.). Please come!

First Review for THE BOOK OF MAPS !!!

2010-11-09T17:42:00.000-08:00

Amy Lignor

Reviewer Amy Lignor: Amy is the author of a historical fiction novel entitled The Heart of a Legend, and Mind Made, a work of science fiction. Presently, she is writing an adventure series set in the New York Public Library, as well as a teen fiction series, The Angel Chronicles. She is an avid traveler and has been fortunate to have journeyed across the USA, where she has met the most amazing people, who truly bring life and soul to her books. She lives in the Land of Enchantment (for now) with her gorgeous daughter, Shelby, her wonderful Mom, Mary, and the greatest friend and critic in the entire world - her dog, Reuben

From www.bookpleasures.com (REVIEW)

The first two books in this series “Had me at Hello.” However, the most intriguing and wonderfully exciting part about that statement is the fact that the third book in this series…is even BETTER. When you review a great deal of books, you sit down in an easy chair to begin, and you only get through a few chapters before life intervenes once again (kid screaming, dog barking, cell phone ringing, etc.). It is very rare to sit down with book in hand and not bother with anything or anybody until you’ve turned the last page. That’s what happened last night, folks. Couldn’t put it down!

To bring you up to speed, this series focuses on the Wax twins – Dex and Daphna. Let’s just say that through finding the Book of Nonsense and then the Book of Knowledge, and getting wrapped up in a story that’s as big as Adam and Eve…they were happy to have had a year off. When we meet up with them in this third volume, they are very excited about their new bookstore opening the next day called Paradise Bookshop. They’ve been living with Evelyn – their guardian, best friend, and a woman who has lived an EXTREMELY long time. They’ve been going to school, working on the grand opening of the shop and, basically, feeling about as normal as they’ve been able to feel in a long time. They have heard of the somewhat violent break-ins in libraries and research centers outside of the United States, but they’ve been trying not to think about it. They are simply living a quiet, peaceful life and they want it to stay that way.

Unfortunately, peace was never a staple in these children’s lives. As they look out the window of the shop and watch a man dressed as a monk hurrying through the streets and directly at them, the kids can feel the well of dread, panic, and fear begin to expand in their souls. As the frightened man runs in, tells the kids to hide, and proceeds to race out of the store and be attacked by a white-robed apparition, the small amount of peace that Dex and Daphna had shatters. Soon, their beloved Evelyn is being rushed to the hospital with some form of ancient disease; and between a steel knife, strange winds, disappearing monks, men who wear animal masks, and an eccentric billionaire, Dex and Daphna are thrown into yet another adventure that centers around the great mystery of the Book of Maps.

Not only is this story extremely well-written, but the twins are great characters. They’re not the “perfect” hero and heroine that so many writers create. Dex and Daphna have very real issues and hardships in their lives – from physical anomalies to mental idiosyncrasies. They’re also a “team” that you will cheer for in every book. What’s the only downside? The book was over, I turned the last page, and I still wanted more. My only request is that David Michael Slater put his nose to the grindstone and crank out the next one so I can have this much fun again.

As always, I want to tell each and every one of you every aspect of this story because it was SO good! But I’m not going to tell you because it was SO good that you have to go out and get this series. This is a perfect Christmas gift for children and young adults in your household. I’m telling you, the amount of “buzz” that’s building around this series is getting “louder” and “louder,” and I’m telling you now…jump on board this train. You’ll be extremely happy that you did.

Pushcart Prize!

2010-11-02T10:41:00.000-07:00

Greetings!

"The Last Lottery" from THE BOOK OF LETTERS has just been nominated for the Pushcart Prize! Here's the beginning of it...

THE LAST LOTTERY

To the Editor:

Enclosed is an account of my struggle to learn the truth about an ancestor of mine who was grievously wronged by the Catholic Church. After completing this investigation, I sent a copy of the finished document to the Vatican, promising to destroy the original if the Church was willing to redress some of the damage done to my family. As they have refused even to acknowledge my discoveries, I am carrying out my threat to share what I have learned with the world. As you will see, the story is quite a bit larger than one man.

Sincerely,

Walter Williamson

***

Many men have been betrayed by powerful institutions. This is the story of one such man: my great ancestor, William Williamson, who in 1738 was unjustly threatened with excommunication by the Catholic Church during the papacy of Pope Clement XII. The unwarranted threat, exemplifying the basest ingratitude, led to William’s disappearance and ultimately to an enduring void in my family’s genealogy.

William Williamson’s seemingly minor role on the stage of history was first documented by the Reverend John Wesley in his “Georgia Diary,” (The Diary of John Wesley, Standard Edition, Vol. 1. Epworth Press, London, 1938—originally published in 1909). The diary, a chronicle of that peculiar episode of Wesley’s life in the then Georgia colony, details the Reverend’s involvement in a singular episode of unrequited love, lust, and confusion that, in a period spanning just over two years, ensnared Mr. Wesley, an eighteen-year-old girl named Sophia Hopkey, and her estranged fiancé, Thomas Mellichamp. Though the events described in the diary are fascinating in their own right, they acquire far greater significance given the profound effect upon English, Christian, and World History Wesley had following his return to England in 1740 when, as the founding father of Methodism, he became the leader of the greatest religious revival of all time.

Gotta read more, right?

Best, Dms

It's out! It's out!

2010-10-28T06:28:00.000-07:00

Greetings,

THE BOOK OF LETTERS (a collection of literary "fictions" is out)!

David Michael Slater's extraordinary short fiction has been described as equal parts Borges and Woody Allen. The Book of Letters defies simple description. Its stories range from the silly to the sublime, veering expertly between philosophy and farce. Slater's debut collection is both profound and profoundly moving, and it marks the emergence of a remarkable new talent.

Best,

Dms

Win Free (Sacred) Books!

2010-10-19T18:29:00.001-07:00

Greetings!

Check out this new interview at Suburban Vampire re: THE BOOK OF MAPS and see the end for details on how to win free copies...

Best,

Dms

Movie News

2010-10-11T16:39:00.000-07:00

Greetings!

Here is the team working to bring Sacred Books to the big screen. So exciting...

Kevin Bannerman produced "Forever Plaid: The Movie" and "Curious George." As Sr. V.P. of Fox Animation he developed and oversaw production for "Ice Age," "Anastasia," and "Ever After." As Director of Development for Walt Disney Feature Animation he worked on "Lion King," "Pocahontas," and "Hunchback of Notre Dame."

Karen Janszen was named by Variety as one of 1999’s Top Ten Screenwriters to Watch. She is currently finishing A DOLPHIN’S TALE for Alcon Entertainment and adapting the best-selling young adult novel, SAVVY, at Walden Media. Her Duma (Warner Bros.) was named the number one film of 2005 in the Los Angeles Times’ Top-Ten Picks of 2005. Gracie, an indie released by Picturehouse, is her most recent produced feature. Janszen also wrote A Walk to Remember (2002, Warner Brothers), theindie Digging to China, which premiered at Sundance (1998), and Working Title’s The Matchmaker (1997). For the small screen she wrote "The Original Wives Club" episode of HBO's From the Earth to the Moon (1998).

Cross your fingers!
Dms

Name Game

2010-08-23T21:49:00.001-07:00

I do believe we have a title change, folks! Sacred Books VI (Oct. 2013 if all goes according to my evil plan) is now called THE BOOK OF ALL BOOKS. (Was The Holy Book). We'll see if it sticks. I'm 6,000 words in. Great day today!

Best,

Dms

On the Bride Side...

2010-08-23T21:48:00.004-07:00

"I just wanted you to know that I LOVE the Book of Nonsense series!!! Cheese Louise is on my shelf and I love that also. THANK YOU SOO MUCH FOR BEING AN AWESOME AUTHOR! I have been telling my friends all about your books, they want to borrow the copy of the Book of Nonsense. from a big fan

And...

2010-08-23T21:48:00.002-07:00

Person at WW Conf: "The problem with The Book of Knowledge is that your version of Eden is too believable. People might think it's actually true." Me: "So if the book was worse, it would be better?" Person: "What?"

Sigh...

2010-08-23T21:48:00.000-07:00

"He's satanically mentally graduated from Potter, which seems almost innocuous by comparison, to Golden Compass, which is blatantly Luciferian, and has now become enough of a Vessel of Lies to write a series for kids to destroy the truth in their minds. His bit about a "secret language" used to create is all part of Jewish Kaballah, a very serious form of mystical magick. He knows his stuff I think."

Talk Amongst Yourselves...

2010-08-04T10:50:00.000-07:00

This just in...my question is: Is there room for genuine discussion?

Dear David...I do love fantasy...but wow...I mean, people can and do rewrite true historical accounts all the time, adding their own flair to Napoleon Bonaparte or kings or the Wright brothers or Joan of Arc. BUT...when you start tweaking the Bible (like the Da Vinci Code did) and biblical historical events, people get upset...

For the rest and to discuss with me and others, go HERE.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Sacred-Books-Series/154026288138?ref=mf

Best and thanks,

Dms

VAMPIRES FROM EDEN!

2010-07-29T05:11:00.000-07:00

The Book of Nonsense and The Book of Knowledge's retelling of the Garden of Eden story stirred up some interesting debate.

The Book of Maps (Sacred Books III) extends this new version to include the controversial figure of Lilith, often a feminist symbol of independence, but casts her as an intersex vampire. CBAY Books is looking for folks who'd feel strongly enough to go on record (possible interviews) about either a) this vision of Lilith or b) the use of revisionist Biblical interpretations in teen fiction.

Do you know anyone who would? PDF's of the books may be made available, including of Vol. III (Oct. 16).

New Cover!

2010-07-02T19:07:00.000-07:00

And check this out. THE BOOK OF LETTERS, at long last, is moving toward publication. (It's a collection of short fictions for adults). The cover on my website has been changed (will be updated soon). This is the new one. Simple. Good.

—DMS

Mark Your Calendars!

2010-07-01T18:59:00.000-07:00

Hope you'll be there!

SBIII Release Party Date Set!

2010-06-24T09:37:00.000-07:00

For those who like to plan early: the release party for THE BOOK OF MAPS (Sacred Books III) will be December 5th @ 2 p.m. @ Central Library! (Book's official release is Oct. 16th.) We'll be giving away lots of all my books.

Word Up! Free Presentation

2010-06-22T10:12:00.001-07:00

Portland folks: I'm booked to test out my new presentation: "Word Up: Writing Dialogue That Soars." It's free! July 12th (6 p.m. - 7:45 p.m.) at Hillsdale Library. Come one, come all—did I mention it's free?

This is a test-run for Willamette Writer's Conference in August. If you'd like a sneak peak and the chance to give me some feedback, come on down.

Best and thanks,

DMS

SBIII on Amazon now!

2010-06-08T20:48:00.001-07:00

Sorry to be away so long. I find myself posting on Facebook mostly. Feel free to join me there.

Meanwhile, THE BOOK OF MAPS (Sacred Books Volume III) is now up on Amazon!

Dms

Kidfest!

2010-04-24T08:01:00.000-07:00

Greetings!

I'll be signing books at the Portland Kidfest (Portland Expo Center) all day today and tomorrow. If you'd like one, hunt me down!

Best,

DMS

Finished!

2010-04-17T18:21:00.000-07:00

Greetings!

I just now finished SACRED BOOKS Volume V, THE BOOK OF NAMES! Awful to think that, if published, it won't be until Oct. 2012.

DMS

Bored?

2010-03-26T07:45:00.001-07:00

Greetings!

Signing THE BORED BOOK today at the Portland Library Association Convention (Portland Convention Center: 9:30-10:30). If you want to get "bored," come on down!

NYT!

2010-02-13T18:58:00.000-08:00

Check it out! This will be in tomorrow's New York Times:

THE BORED BOOK

By David Michael Slater. Illustrated by Doug Keith.
Simply Read. $16.95. (Ages 5 and up)

This wordless book begins perfectly, with an image of two bored siblings fighting on the sofa in Grandfather’s study while he looks on morosely. Then he opens a secret door leading to a cobwebby attic where a mysterious tome awaits: like characters in a wittier version of the Magic Tree House series, the brother and sister fall through the pages and into perilous adventures involving snow monsters and pirates. We get the message, and so do they.

I'm so happy I'm—I'm—wordless!

Dms

Got My Back?

2010-02-07T08:02:00.000-08:00

Greetings!

Ta da! The back of THE BOOK OF MAPS (coming in Oct.):

It's been nearly a year, but Dex and Daphna are still not over what happened in Turkey. What they gained and what they lost there is almost too much to conceive. They've done their best to put the whole nightmare behind them, to start a new life with their new mother—but their dreams won't let them move on: dreams of falling into the void through that noxious wind; dreams of wings, millions of black wings, flapping in the dark; dreams of that awful, bone-chilling laughter. And now, the night before they were to officially open a new chapter in their lives, they find their fears are not only in their heads. They find that when they came back from those dreadful caves, something came with them.

New York Times!

2010-02-05T02:22:00.000-08:00

Greetings!

Reading: Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

Three words: NEW YORK TIMES!! "The Bored Book" will be reviewed therein sometime this month! I'll keep ya posted!

Best and thanks,

Dms

Teens Read Too Today (Free Books!)

2010-01-30T09:31:00.001-08:00

Greetings!

I'm at Teens Read Too all day today answering questions on their blog. Stop by and ask me something if you have the notion.

You can win free books, too!

http://trtbookclub.blogspot.com/2010/01/visit-with-david-michael-slater.html

See ya there!

Dms

SBIII!

2010-01-29T15:28:00.001-08:00

Check it out! This just in...What do you think?

Mill City Rocks!

2010-01-14T17:42:00.001-08:00

One to remember: asking the 200 or so middle schoolers in the auditorium how many had read Book of Nonsense to see 200 or so hands go up. Teachers read it to every kid in the school. That's what I'm talking about Mill City Middle School. Thanks for a great day.

Dms

Brazil!

2010-01-14T09:18:00.000-08:00

Some exciting news: got an enquiry about foreign rights from a Brazilian publisher. Time to brush up on my Portuguese! Hopefully more news on that front soon. Neat coincidence, just met a teacher here in Mill City Oregon (school visit today) from Portugal a moment after I first posted this. So the stars are lining up!

Best,

Dms

So I Think I Can Dance!

2009-12-18T15:05:00.001-08:00

Proof that I can dance if I want to..

(Evidence only until 1/15.)

http://elfyourself.jibjab.com/view/1K7FatbgL0wPq6ZPYQSc

--Dms

Beliefnet

2009-12-17T14:55:00.000-08:00

Greetings!

And for my next trick, I will become fictional myself! Who are these people talking about? Things you say don't appear; things you didn't, do...

Surreal is the word, I guess.

http://blog.beliefnet.com/idolchatter/2009/12/one-mans-sacred-books-is-anoth.html

Best,

Dms

Associated Content!

2009-12-16T17:48:00.000-08:00

A 2'fer today:

An interview I did was featured for the week on the Associated Content prose section! http://www.associatedcontent.com/prose/?cat=10

Dms

Publishers Weekly!!!

2009-12-16T15:29:00.000-08:00

Greetings!

Snowball still rolling...When's the avalanche?

Feel free to shout!

YA Novels Take Heat for Biblical Reinterpretation

http://www.publishersweekly.com/article/CA6711890.html?nid=2287&source=title&rid=17188199

--Dms

Sex, Drugs and Violence? Fine. But Don't You Dare Give My Child a Book About God!

2009-12-14T16:45:00.001-08:00

I was recently at an author event where I overheard some folks talking about the Twilightseries—you know, the one about the vapid girl who can't decide which Creature of the Night's love should give her life meaning? The girl who gets pregnant by one or the other in the end—both? (Can you tell I haven't read them? Okay, I read the first.)

I realize I may have just alienated a billion more people, but stay with me…

These folks were waxing poetic about the books, but when they inquired about my Sacred Books series and learned that Dex and Daphna discover an origin of the world at odds with the traditional Genesis story, they seemed appalled. They dashed off as if I'd told them the pages were infused with a certain piggish flu.

Huh.

At the library recently I spied a father reading the back of a book his daughter had picked up, the controversial classic about a young girl whose drug abuse leads to her death, Go Ask Alice. The book was approved. I heard the girl ask about The Golden Compass as well, but that was flatly refused on the grounds that it was blasphemous.

Double huh.

Some folks have some splainin' to do.

As previously posted, I've found the vitriolic reactions to The Book of Nonsense and The Book of Knowledge mostly amusing, and I couldn't deny appreciating the attention they've helped get the books so far (sold out at Powells, repeatedly seeling out at Amazon). It has been surprisingly painless being called an evil Satanist who uses his all-powerful position as a public school teacher to brainwash students (oops, they've given away their ignorance already!).

Shoot, I can't help myself: The "evil" the books could more accurately be accused of espousing is called Deism. Someone wasn't paying attention in class, it seems. I don't think the dictionary has been banned!

Yet.

2009-12-13T18:25:00.000-08:00

Greetings!

Finished final editing of THE BOOK OF MAPS today while foam darts whizzed by my head. Did Raymond Carver have to put up with this? 'Course I picked out that gift. Now back to reading those Compare/Contrast essay drafts. After that...revenge : )

Dms

This Weeked

2009-12-11T18:34:00.000-08:00

Greetings!

Currently reading: NETHERLAND by Joseph O'Neill

Weekend looks like this: 1) Chanukah; 2) Read rough drafts of Compare/Contrast essays; 3) Work through final edits of THE BOOK OF MAPS (Sacred Books Volume III).

Don't worry, it's book 4 that'll really make 'em mad : )

Enjoy your weekend!

Dms

AUTHOR STATEMENT on the Sacred Books Controversy

2009-12-10T19:25:00.000-08:00

STATEMENT:

I've been asked numerous times in the last few days how I feel about the exponentially increasing attention being paid to the "The Sacred Books Controversy" (cue the Heretic Theme Song). I'm not sure how to give an honest response. I certainly never dreamed of getting my books noticed because people want to burn them. They were supposed to be celebrated for their unique combination of wit and wisdom and clever, thought-provoking plots. Stop smirking. But now, after publishing nearly 20 small press books (picture books, teen and adult novels) in the last nine years--not one of which garnered any attention remotely close to this--what I can say? I'm thrilled. I'm handing out cans of lighter fluid and asking only that folks buy them before they burn them. This is the real measure of how far I've fallen. But hark: in the span of two weeks they've gone from Beaverton to Boulé, and now requests have come in for copies from The Jim Lehrer Show, The Progressive, Publishers Weekly, and the AP. Soon the chains might even notice them (gasp!). Taking umbrage at this point would be disingenuous. So, I'm not taking it. 'Tis the season anyway to remember that it's better to give than to receive.

-- DMS (www.davidmichaelslater.com)

Hello!

2009-12-10T19:24:00.000-08:00

Here I am! Thanks for following me over from Amazon, which I've left because they only keep three posts now.

Dms