names for characters

Some of you have been asking about names for characters:

One of the best sites that I know is babynames.com

It's an excellent way to find names in categories. You can find names by what was popular 20 years ago, or by country, boy/girl, lots of choices. Sometimes just seeing a name will make you think, "That's my character!"

Beyond the Mask

I've been getting emails recently from many of you asking about the third book in the trilogy, Beyond the Mask, due to come out in the United States. The word from Amulet Books is that the book is to come out in 2010, spring. I can hardly wait. The cover is stunning.

On another note, I will be at NCTE in Philadelphia at the end of this week. I have stickers and postcards of the third cover which I will gladly hand out to those who are there.

D

writing pirates, fantasy and things

For the last few days I've been working hard on "Ends" a new novel with Amulet Books. One of the things that makes this book so fun for me is the setting. I used my grandmother's house from when she lived in a small town. As a seven and eight year old, I found the house mysterious and a little creepy. There were Native masks hanging on the wall, creaky stairs leading to dark upstairs. There was a back room at one end of the house that we were not allowed to go into...of course we did! In the back room was a pair of bookend pirates made of bronze. They were so cool to look at. My mom gave them to me not long ago and now they are two of the main characters in this book.
Okay, back to writing!

D