I’m in the thick of pushing my very first middle grades novel out into the world. If Found Please Return To: Norbert M. Finkelstein is truly near and dear to my heart. I wrote it as a form of healing, as way of distracting myself from the utter hopelessness of losing my best friend (my dog, Mike) prematurely to cancer. The story offers a perspective shift on the traditional diary novel, much like smash hits The Dork Diaries and Diary of a Wimpy Kid.  Follow the journal entries of Norbie Finkelstein, a middle school English teacher who moonlights as a semi-professional wrestler when he’s not lecturing on classic literature and stopping bullies from taking over his classroom. When the journal is uncovered by one of his students, Norbie’s journey up the wrestling stepladder is revealed and the reader is given a front row seat to Norbie’s outlandish matches and his epic training sessions with the brutal Sensei Clement.

I’m excited to announce my partnership with INtense Publications, a relatively new indie press based in Texas that specializes in publishing materials intended to be consumed by the educational marketplace. As we speak, I’m in the thick of developmental edits and have secured an illustrator (stay tuned for an official announcement to follow) that I know will bring the hyperbole-rich moments of this novel to the surface. I can’t wait to see how the finished product of this book turns out. I hope you’ll keep it in mind for all the middle grade readers in your life! Release date to come!

Check my MIDDLE GRADE BOOKS page for more information and updates.