Time sure flies when you're working your butt off. The Boiled Cat book is out. Touch, my new book from Lorimer SideStreets is also out (both in the same month) and now it's time to party. The Boiled Cat book launch will be held on April 25, 7:00 PM at the New Black Centre in Calgary, Alberta (Doors at 6:00 and entrance at the back of the building). MJDiva (rock and blues) and Thrashadactyl (thrash metal) will be performing. Boiled Cat books (and all my SideStreets books)will be available for purchase and I will be there reading and signing. It will be a fun night - so head on down. I will also be announcing a really fun Boiled Cat contest. You could win your own Boiled Cat t-shirt from the Boiled Cat shop. So stay tuned for that announcement.

I've gone through so much working on Boiled Cat. I've had learn a lot, worked like I've never worked before, and done things I didn't think I had the ability to accomplish. But it's been worth it. I've never had as much fun as I've had this past half year. From building the HUGE www.boiledcat.com site - to learning how to create a Kindle e-book I've really grown as a writer.
I had two books come out this spring - both I'm super proud of. Touch is one of the best books I've written to date. It's about a hacker who, in the first chapter, takes down the schools system with a cute electronic sheep hack. Boiled Cat came out shortly after. It's about a punk rock singer trying to run from his past but learning that to keep the family he's worked so hard to get - he has to stand and fight. Both very different books, but similar in that they both have strong male teen characters and have a lower level of reading. I always try to make my books accessible by youth who have difficulty reading. After all I did when I was a teen and dyslexia isn't something you can concentrate your way out of.
Anyway, I hope my books go over well. But really, I write what I want to read. That way, at least I enjoy the results.

I'm finally almost done the Boiled Cat website - and just in time. The book should be out within weeks. I have a t-shirt shop set up. I've read proofs, both hard copy and online. I've made numerous phone calls and dealt with a multitude of interruptions. I've read 15 pages of legalize to understand all the things I was signing. I think I get it. I think I've made good decisions - but sometimes I wish I could peek forward to see if I've done everything right.
Then again, maybe not.

After over thirty or more hours of editing, long days, and bleary eyes, I have finally uploaded the final draft of Boiled Cat to the publisher, Createspace. It's a print on demand publisher run out of Amazon. So far Boiled Cat seems to be on schedule for a big launch some time in late March or early April along with its huge and interactive website and Boiled Cat store full of t-shirts and books.
On the other hand, in less than two weeks my other book Touch will be hitting the shelves and virtual shelves of the online book stores - put there by Lorimer Sidestreets. It's due out March first and can be pre-ordered right now. http://www.lorimer.ca/childrens/Book/S/32/2491/Touch.html
Both, though different books, have teen characters willing to fight for what they believe in. And while one does it through hacking (Touch) and the other does it through punk rock (Boiled Cat). Both boys aren't the type to back down from a fight.
You can check out more about each book by visiting their pages on this site - Boiled Cat and Touch.

I'm having so much fun creating the website for Boiled Cat - my self-published book due out this spring. It's a good thing I like what I'm doing, I've been working on it for about two months with another one or two to go. The site is over thirty pages and none of the pages are short. Each page has a good five to twenty links leading to bands, games, videos, articles, and pictures. Yesterday I wrote thirty band notes. You know, those little scraps of paper you find between the seats after a trip with a really random phrases on them. The kind that makes you laugh - or raise your eyebrow. Anyway, my bed was covered with them after I scanned them all in. I've been writing articles too. Not to mention doing the final edit on the novel itself. I used up all my black dalek sticky notes doing that and had to use some blue ones too - but I want this book to be perfect. That said, I'm pretty sure I'll miss stuff and there will be one or two little mistakes. It probably wouldn't matter how many times I went over it. But back to the website - I think the best thing about creating this site is listening to the music. For every place the band visits in the book I've linked to local punk bands. Some of these guys and girls are amazing. I discovered that Houston has the most incredible music scene. I think I'm going to be buying a lot of new punk rock when this is all said and done. I hope I make some fans for the bands too. I mean this is really what the Boiled Cat website is all about - sharing things that interest me and exploring all the great things in the world that are related to punk rock.

Ahh! The cover of my new, self published book Boiled Cat came in today. I was asked which draft I liked (there were two) and what changes I wanted (I get to make changes twice and then it's set in stone - unless I pay more money). This is so stressful! I toyed with the cover. Tried to make it as best I could. I tried to make it appealing. Made notes. Felt sick to my stomach. Second guessed myself. Then finally sent everything back to the publisher. Now I have to wait five days to find out if I made the right choices. This self publishing thing is hard. I wish I had a crystal ball to see how it all ends. Then again... maybe not.

Have a non-reader on your Christmas list? Not a problem. Lorimer SideStreets has a whole list of books for that kid who has trouble reading, doesn't like reading, or just doesn't have the time. These short books with great stories and low vocabulary make reading easy and fun.
I have published three books through them - Schizo, Hook Up, and coming out this spring - Touch. Also coming out this spring Boiled Cat - a self published punk rock book with low vocabulary and a great interactive website. 
Books, they could be the solution you were looking for.