Wimps

I just watched the Diary of a Wimpy Kid movie on DVD. Zoo-ee Mama, that was good. Rowley was so funny. I laughed so hard I cried a little bit. But only because I was laughing, not because I was sad or anything... I mean, I don't cry during movies. Right? Who does that? Not me, that's who.

Watch it for yourself if you get a chance. You won't be disappointed. I'll probably be watching it again soon...


This is ME as a wimp!

A Dream From My Self Proclaimed Biggest Fan

Here is a story from Sophie, who wrote to me about this really creepy dream she had the night she finished reading The Stone Child!

"I was sitting at home watching TV my mom and dad were talking in the kitchen, and all of a sudden the lights went off. I was so startled that I called for my mom and dad in the kitchen. The power always went out so it wasn't that scary. But when I called for my mom and dad there was no answer. At that moment the lights turned back on and started to flicker. The windows opened and slammed shut.

'Hello? Is anyone there?' I said The doors and windows opened again, but it looked like someone or something was holding it open. The wind started to howl and then I saw it in the corner of what used to be the kitchen.

The kitchen it morphed itself into a huge mess! In fact the whole house seemed to spin and dance, calling to me 'THEY'RE COMING THEY'RE COMING FOR YOU!'

'WHO'S COMING!?!?' I screamed at the darkness, thinking someone would answer me.

And then I woke up. And of course I had this dream the night I finished the stone child."

Whew! That was a good one, Sophie. Like something I would dream about.

Thanks for sharing!

Return to Books of Wonder

Hey there,

If you live in the New York City area, why don't you head on in to Books of Wonder on Thursday, November 11 @ 5 pm. I'm participating in a panel of fantasy/ adventure authors who are sharing our latest books and signing copies and saying 'hey' and stuff.

Here's a list of the awesome people you can meet there!

T.A. BARRON Merlin's Dragon: Ultimate Magic
DIANE ZAHLER The Thirteenth Princess
JAKE HALPERN World’s End
BARRY LYGA Archvillain
J.M. DeMATTEIS Imaginalis

and me... DAN POBLOCKI The Nightmarys

For more details, check out Books of Wonder's website:

http://www.booksofwonder.com/events111110.asp

18 W. 18th Street, NYC

Hope to see you!

~Dan

New Reads - The Monstrumologist

The Monstrumologist by Rick Yancey

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Much more violent than I expected... Cringingly so. This one makes me wonder what YA genre is, exactly. I compare it to the style of The Good Thief by Hannah Tinti, which was marketed as adult, albeit not horror. I actually think teens might have a difficult time with the language in this book, but they probably deserve the challenge.

And cheers to the Printz committee for awarding this book an Honor. The story is not typical awards fare (and thank goodness for that!), but it definitely stands out for the authentic voice and beautifully written, and effectively nauseating, prose.



View all my reviews

Help Me Create the Ultimate Nightmare!

Hello Everyone,

Last October, in celebration of The Stone Child's release, I presented a contest on this blog where I wrote a ghost story a day and asked you all to guess whether it was "real" or "fiction."

THIS YEAR, to say "cheers" to The NIGHTMARYS, my newest book, I'm doing something different.

I invite you to participate in my next writing project. I want to hear about your greatest fears, nightmares, and phobias.

In the comments section of this post, leave me a little story. It can be a description of your worst nightmare. It can be an experience that totally freaked you out or something you fear might happen.

At the end of the month, on Halloween, I will read through your comments, plucking elements from each to create one huge, epic Nightmare story which I will post on this site. And I will choose at random a commenter who participates to receive a signed hardcover copy of The NIGHTMARYS.

How's that for a Halloween surprise?

A couple caveats: to win, you must follow this blog. AND, if I feel like I'm not getting enough comments from you, dear readers, the game is forfeit. SO SPREAD THE WORD. If you want to help me write my next scary story... direct your friends to this site. And tell them to scare me!

Together, we can frighten the WORLD. Mwah-hah-hah!

All best nightmares,
Dan

Oh Look! A Nightmarys Giveaway!

Head over to Books and Literature for Teens if you want to win a free copy of The Nightmarys...

AND there's a great fat interview with moi, if you're into that sort of thing.

Click here:

http://booksandliteratureforteens.blogspot.com/2010/09/interview-with-dan-poblocki-and.html

My New News...

So after long last, I can officially make this announcement.

Actually, this is from Publishers Lunch:

"Dan Poblocki's HAUNTINGS AND HEISTS (The Mysterious Four #1), [is] about four kids in the oddball community of Moon Hollow who come together to solve crimes and puzzles big and small: debunking sea monsters, thwarting bullies, or revealing who threw out mom's asparagus; they will figure out the truth in six clues or less, and readers are invited to guess alongside them each step of the way..."

What this means is I have THREE books coming out next year! The Mysterious Four will be a lot of fun. I can't wait to share them with you...

xo Dan

Mom and the Nightmarys

So my sister forwarded me this pic from my mother and Bruce who had to go searching throughout Massachusetts to find a copy of my new book because she didn't want to order it online!


She found a bunch of copies in Framingham! Go Framingham! Go Mom and Bruce!

Ha!

xo

Wait Wait This One is So Much Cooler!

Arcade Fire and Local Natives

I got some new music! I recommend you get it too.

Scary Movies?

Yesterday, I saw The Last Exorcism with my friend Nico. While I enjoyed what the film makers were trying to do with the mockumentary style story-telling, the movie left me wanting more. Specifically, more scares, more intense moments... more cohesion? I guess in the end, the big twist came out of nowhere and the story ultimately fell flat.

Nico and I left the theater a little bit confused... a little bit disappointed. Afterward, we chatted about how we longed for a good scary movie... and realized how rare they are. We tried to come up with a list of TRULY scary movies, and the list was small. My top choice is a Spanish movie called [REC]. Basic premise: zombies, a quarantined apartment building in Madrid, a camera crew... and... stir.



I also liked The Orphanage, another Spanish movie about children and ghosts and a very creepy building. Some horror movies can actually make you feel something other than scared -- and this was one of the more emotional spook movies I've seen.



But we were having a difficult time coming up with more -- I'm not into the slasher, gorefest, torture movies that had their heyday about three years ago. I don't even consider those to be scary movies... But they are what the studios think will sell tickets nowadays, I guess. I told Nico that REC is the one film in recent years that (as I watched it by myself, in my living room, in the dark) made me scream out loud, clutch at my hair, and leap off the couch in shock... We also decided that The Blair Witch Project was a truly scary movie...

I long for a truly scary movie -- a story that won't necessarily give me nightmares, but that is intense, and taut, and well-built, and makes sense. A movie that mixes a little humor in with the horror... because really, what nightmare isn't completely ridiculous on some level? I have some hope for Don't Be Afraid of the Dark... mostly because it was also produced by Guillermo Del Toro (who totally gets it). Check out the trailer here... http://youtu.be/0WCaXfiO8hk

Can anyone think of a movie that truly frightened you recently? I need to get ready for Halloween... which is coming more quickly than we all realize... Do you have a list of recommendations or favorites?

In the Mood for Zombies

A couple friends sent me the trailer yesterday for the new Walking Dead show that premiers on AMC on Halloween. I'm so excited about this! I love zombie movies (and I don't care that others may think they've jumped the shark). But the idea of a continuing story about survivors of a zombie plague... I have no words. Wait, yes I do... HOORAY!

Check it out here...



So last night, I was looking around in my old DVD's to see if I had anything zombie themed and I came up short... I've seen Shaun of the Dead and 28 Days later too many times to care at this point. And everything streaming on Netflix just seemed lame... Who knows... Maybe this means I'm leaning towards writing my own story???

That being said, I'm also really excited about this new book coming out in a month called Zombies vs. Unicorns. Clearly you can tell which side I'm on.

http://promo.simonandschuster.com/zombiesvsunicorns/

Anyway, it is Thursday and the sun is finally shining... but everyone knows that doesn't stop a zombie. Watch yourself!

How I Spent The Nightmarys Release Day

Creating a book from idea to tangible product is a long, bizarre process.

Once the book is complete and is sent off to production by your editor, it is pretty much out of your hands. For The Nightmarys, this happened in fall of 2009. You have to just let it go... and then wait... and wait... and wait... And in the mean time, your editor sends you the preliminary cover art, and the final cover art, and eventually Advanced Copies of the book... Which is REALLY cool.

Then, if you're lucky, you start to hear from people who are interested in reading the book. Bloggers. Fans of other books you've written. Your best friends who want to pump up your ego... (thank you all!). This pretty much carries you along for the last few months as you continue to WAIT for the book to come out.

Last year, when The Stone Child was released, I was so overwhelmed, I didn't even know what to do with myself. There were so many ups and downs (mostly in my head) that by the release date, I felt like I was floating through life. David Levithan and I decided to share a book party at Books of Wonder (who were kind enough to host us). And it was a blast... But still, I was totally freaked out. It was surreal to finally see the book sitting on shelves around New York City.

This year, my prep for The Nightmarys release was more conceptual. I was connecting with people on line. I'd done a few events over the summer (a writing camp for kids, and a school visit) to help start getting the word out that the book was coming soon. I decided to wait for any sort of release date event - I've got some things in the works and will share as soon as they're finalized. So I decided to lay low.

I woke up, checked facebook, reminded everyone I know that the book is now available. Then I went to work and begged everyone there to go buy a copy! Ha. My friend Ethan met me for lunch to celebrate. We ate burritos and had a piece of cake. Then I met another friend in the evening for drinks and a trip to Barnes and Noble in Union Square. To my surprise, the store had quite a few copies prominently displayed! It was so fun to see it up there on the shelf. I grabbed all of them and asked the girl at the info counter if I could sign them. Before we left, I picked up a copy of Mockingjay (of course).

Down the street, I realized I forgot to take a picture in the store. So we ended up in the subway -- and he was kind enough to share the copy he bought for my modeling shot. We said goodnight and I came home.

It's weird... after such a long build-up and all the waiting... it's just another day. Which is nice in a way... Everything that comes next is unknown... and uncontrollable.

Anyway, I hope you're all able to find a copy of The Nightmarys. I'm really happy with the work we all did to make it happen. Let me know what you think!

All best (nightmarys),
Dan

The Most Important Day of the Year Has Come

That's right... after a LONG wait, The Nightmarys is finally available in stores and online today! Also, The Stone Child is being released in a beautiful paperback version from Yearling.

Get ready for the chill of fall and overcast skies by picking up copies of these books... or ask your library to stock them!

Wishing you all the best (nightmares),

Dan

Great Site for All Things Spooky

D. M. Cunningham is a writer and blogger, and his extraordinary taste is on display at his blog http://literaryasylum.blogspot.com/

He interviews writers and artists about all things monsters and genre fiction: two of my favorite subjects in the world. Plus he has these amazing photos of Halloweens past on his most recent post. Totally just put me in the mood for fall.

If you're looking for other books like mine, he's got lots of recommendations... so head on over there and follow him... He's also on twitter. Very cool! You won't be sorry!

NIGHTMARYS ARC TOUR

Are you a YA lit/ Children's lit blogger? Want a chance to review an advanced copy of my next book, The Nightmarys? Check out Good Golly Miss Holly's site to sign up! Hurry, first come, first served...

http://goodgollymisshollybooks.blogspot.com/2010/07/arc-tours-nightmarys.html

Inspiration Everywhere

I'm sharing this video with you because I love it... I find it inspiring, and maybe you will too.

Cheers,
Dan

Signed Nightmarys Giveaway

Goodreads Book Giveaway

The Nightmarys

by Dan Poblocki

Giveaway ends at August 24, 2010.

See the giveaway details
at Goodreads.

Enter to win

The Busiest Year Yet

Hi there,

So this is being a writer... I've got a book out there in the world, another coming out in August, and three due to the publisher before the end of the year. I've been working full-time at Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York City for the past almost ten years, while trying to have some semblance of a social life.

I must say, it's all very exciting, but MAN it's hard...

But I'm not complaining! I'm so grateful to have been given the opportunity to be this busy.

What makes it worth it:

• getting letters from readers telling me how much they've enjoyed my books and how they can't wait for the next one.
• seeing the work out there in stores and on shelves.
• watching work take on life all around the globe.
• visiting with readers at schools and libraries and answering amazing questions.

Just a tease: I haven't officially announced my next project, but I'm having a lot of fun working on it. New books are coming out next year. I'll be sure to tell you all about them when I'm allowed to.

Hope your summer is not as sticky as mine, or if it is, that at least you have a nice fan. I do.

Cheers,
Dan

June is News

Long time no speak...!

That's because I've been busy writing... Just not on here...

I'm so psyched about visiting PS 107, in Brooklyn this Friday. I'm going to read a little, and talk a little, and share some very new, very secret writings... Ooh yeah!

Anyway, my Sprummer is going well so far. (That's Spring/ Summer... sort of like how brunch is breakfast/ lunch.) Hope yours is too!

If you're in Poland, or if you read Polish, you must be excited that the Polish edition of The Stone Child is coming out this month. I cannot wait to get my copy... The publisher changed the title to Key to the Underworld and also gave the book a different cover. The new title makes sense, if you've read the book... don't you think? But I'm still partial to The Stone Child... ;^)

~dan

Library Visit In Montclair, NJ

Hey All -

Just putting the word out there... I'll be in Montclair, NJ on Tuesday April 20, at the public library.

http://www.montclairlibrary.org/content1862

I'll be reading from The Stone Child and discussing the book from conception to publication--answering questions and such. I'll also be giving a preview of my next book, The Nightmarys, which comes out this August.

Spread the word, if you will... It would be great to see lots of faces from my one of my home states!

Cheers,
Dan

Best Response Ever

I should preface this story by mentioning that I let my father borrow one of the advanced copies of The Nightmarys last weekend. Halfway through the week, he called me up to tell me how much he was loving it... which I thought was great. And then... tonight...

As I was making dinner I got a phone call. The caller ID told me it was my dad. I picked up and said hello.

This is what I heard: "You've got to be freaking kidding me!" Nothing else... No hi, howareya... just, "You've got to be freaking kidding me!"

I was like, "What did I do?"

"I'm totally freaking out right now..."

"Why?"

"Your book! I just got off the train and I'm walking home and there's this old man in front of me and he turned around and stared at me and then this streetlight just went out as I walked under it, and... it's the curse, isn't it?"

At this point, I had to laugh. "You're kidding, right?"

"No! There were so many scary scenes right after the next, and then, just when I thought it was over, it got scarier! I can barely breathe. And now I have to go home to an empty, haunted house."

Eek. I certainly didn't mean to do that to him! I apologized profusely.

He told me people are going to sue me for putting them through that...

Now, I really hope no one sues me when they read The Nightmarys, but I suppose if you like scary stories, you might like this one. At least, my dad thinks so!

Just getting excited for everyone else to read it starting in August! It still seems so far away...

Cheers,
Dan

Advanced Copies!

So excited! I got home last night to find a package from my editor. I was expecting page proofs (loose pages with all the mark-ups from copy-editing), and to my surprise, there was a little bonus.

You've probably already guessed what that was (see, I included a hint in the title of this post... also, there's that big picture right there). They sent me a couple advanced copies. Let me tell you, it's so much fun after all the work to finally see your words in actual bound-book form.

The cover illustration is still so creepy. The interior design echoes The Stone Child, but adds something new. I can't wait to share this one with everyone!

Cheers,
Dan

And here they are... The Girls.

Nightmarys Cover Art

Came home through the blizzard tonight to find a package from Random House waiting for me. My editor and designer sent me the final cover proof for my new book, The Nightmarys, which comes out this August. It's the first time I've gotten to see the back of the book, read the cover copy, and see my author photo (by my friend Nic).

Wow, is the image scary! It's the kind of scary that makes you want to hold it at a distance... or maybe put it in the freezer. I'm sort of shocked that this thing actually came out of my brain...

Can't wait until August!