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