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A few weeks ago we got the nice news that The Dead Gentleman had been chosen by Amazon as a Book of the Month. A very nice honor and I’m grateful.
But THIS week I learned that the American Booksellers Association is including my little book on this Winter’s Indie Next List - and that’s just totally awesome! The Indie Next List is put together by the front lines, the many, many wonderful independent bookstores across the country and therefore it has special meaning to me (it should also help sell a few books)
Here’s my favorite line from the review written by Ellen Klein of Hooray for Books!
“This fantastic time-travel tale with a scary twist is great for reading with a flashlight under your bedcovers!”
That’s exactly how I picture readers with my book!
So please, please, please – take the time to do some holiday shopping at your local independent bookstore this year.
Oh, and buy The Dead Gentleman while you’re there. It’s good.
I am remiss! But with all the traveling this week for THE DEAD GENTLEMAN’S book launch I almost forgot to post this very cool event I am doing at Books of Wonder this weekend.
Here’s the (impressive) skinny:
FANTASTIC FICTION FOR TEENS
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Sunday November 13th, 2011 1- 3PM
On Sunday, November 13th, Books of Wonder is thrilled to welcome a spellbinding cast of authors of fantastic new fiction for teens & tweens. Join us for this chance to meet these talented authors, hear their new stories, and find great gifts for all the teens on your holiday gift lists. Starting at 1pm, debut author RAE CARSON will introduce The Girl of Fire and Thorns, a breathtaking adventure; author MATTHEW CODY will present The Dead Gentleman, a wild ride between parallel New York City time-streams; New York Times bestselling author JOHN CONNOLLY returns to NYC from his native Ireland to shareThe Infernals, a not-so-typical story about a boy and his dog — and their struggle to escape the wrath of demons; author LEANNA RENNEE HIEBER will strike suspense with her new book Darker Still: A Novel of Magic Most Foul; author LAUREN McLAUGHLIN will take us to a dystopian future where everyone gets Scored; New York Times bestseller, author of over 25 novels, and fantasy genre icon TAMORA PIERCE will thrill us with Mastiff, the final volume of her hit The Legend of Becka Cooper trilogy; and author DELIA SHERMAN will share The Freedom Maze, a riveting story about an impulsive wish and a dark period in American history. Be sure to clear your calendars and make time to join us for this event full of great new books. Beginning at 1pm the authors will present their works, take questions from the audience, and then sign copies of all their wonderful novels. Ages 10 and up. Sunday, November 13th, 1-3pm
0 Comments on Books of Wonder NYC Appearance this Sunday! as of 1/1/1900
A wonderful, warm welcome from Woerther Elementary!
Showing off the new book trailer to students at Oakville Middle School
Outnumbered!
Quite a few POWERLESS fans showed up, too!
Reading and looking "authorly" at the Pudd'nhead Launch Party
Signing at Pudd'nhead for an adorable fan.
It's tradition for authors to sign the bathroom wall and draw a picture. My 3 yr-old son helped me with the artwork.
0 Comments on St. Louis Launch of THE DEAD GENTLEMAN as of 1/1/1900
This November The Dead Gentleman finally hits the shelves, and I’ll be heading back to my hometown to do the book launch! Pudd’nhead Books in St. Louis has been kind enough to host this launch party on November 9th at 7pm! I’ll be there signing, reading from the book and hopefully sharing some cool multi-media stuff that we’ve got brewing . . . intrigued? Then come out and see me!
Click for details!
Yesterday I spent the day with the young readers and writers of the Thalia Kids Book Club Camp, hosted here in NYC by Symphony Space. This is a TERRIFIC camp, where the kids get to spend their days with professional authors and illustrators, while working on their own creative writing skills in the process.
And if they are spending the day with me, they will end up in a graveyard.
This was my second visit to the camp, having taken the a group of campers on a tour of the Random House offices back when Powerless came out. So I was thrilled when they asked me back to talk about The Dead Gentleman. We spent the morning at Symphony Space, then I dragged them out to Trinity Cemetery, where I told them to write something mind-blowingly terrific or I’d be leaving them behind . . . bwa-ha-ha!
Truth be told, we found a lot of inspiration among those old stones, and I witnessed some really imaginative writing going on, threats notwithstanding. Here are a few pics from the day, but check out the Thalia Camp’s Blog for more:
Talking about steampunk!
A poor camper made to suffer through my writing lesson.
The campers and I pose with some of the graveyard's residents
It’s no secret that I harbor a long-time love of superhero comic books. I still remember my first number one issue – Devil Dinosaur! Something about a red tyrannosaurus and his monkey-boy sidekick. Man, that’s a killer concept!
So it was a real dream come true this week to see my name in my first honest-to-goodness funnybook
JSA 80-Page Giant 2011 is an anthology of short stories spotlighting the various members of the Justice Society of America. My story featured Citizen Steel (him on the cover!) and Jay Garrick (the golden age Flash, you whippersnapper!) with art by the super-talented Tim Seeley. (It is rated Teen-Plus, however, so don’t give it to your little brother. Tell him to go find some age-appropriate comics. Might I recommend Devil Dinosaur?)
I had a blast working on this, and I’m happy to say you’ll be seeing some more comics-related stuff coming from me this year, though I can’t announce any of it just yet. But between the novels (The Dead Gentleman, Powerless Sequel) and the comics work, it’ll be a busy 2011-2012!
ps- If any of my editors are reading this I have a Devil Dinosaur pitch ready that will knock your socks off! C’mon, the fans demand it! (or this fan at least)
It’s that time of year when caps are thrown up into the air with wild abandon and a new generation of young people are move on to a bright future in . . . high school?
Okay, in my day there was no such thing as a 8th Grade Graduation ceremony. I was shuffled along the middle school conveyor belt into freshman year with a blast helmet plopped on my head and a pat on the back. But I like this newish tradition of celebrating the move from middle school into the upper grades. It’s a turning point, a truly big deal in a age of very big deals indeed.
So I was thrilled to be asked by the Clinton School for Writers and Artists to be this year’s Keynote Speaker at their 8th Grade Graduation. I visited with the Clinton School’s Language Arts classes earlier this year and was very impressed by the caliber of these young men and women. Thoughtful, creative and bright. So I thought I’d post my words of wisdom here on the blog in case folks were curious about what I have to say to the youth of today. I’m posting the speech in its entirety, warts and all.
I did not, however, follow my friend and fellow middle grade author Aaron Starmer’s advice to rap the whole thing. Cheeky fellow, that Aaron)
So here it is my speech to the 8th Grade Class of 2011!
In my book super-powered kids wake up on their 13th birthday powerless. You don’t have to dig very deep to catch the metaphor at work, or get a glimpse into my feelings about growing up. About moving from the soft focus of childhood into the overexposed world of high school and young adulthood.
Subtle, I am not. So here I am getting giving the keynote speech to a class of bright, optimistic young people about to go through that ultimate ritual of growing up – graduating the 8th grade. Hmm. Maybe someone got their email chains crossed. Aren’t they afraid that I’ll say the wrong thing? That I’ll tell you all to run away now, to find the sign that points to adulthood and run screaming the opposite direction. Grab a spot on the tornado slide of the playground of your choice and stay there. Throw milk cartons and juice boxes at anyone over the age of 14 who comes too close.
Except that there’s a problem with that, well there are a lot of problems with that but one really scares me, and that’s this – if you all called it quits on growing up, you’d be leaving the world and all its problems to old guys like me. And we’ve seen where that’s gotten us. Oh sure, we’ve done a solid C+ on running the world, I mean it’s still there, right? Everything is more or less where we found it. But it’s nothing to brag about either. I mean those new Ipads are pretty cool, but other than that . . . Where are the jetpacks? Teleporters? Social justice and world peace. I for one am still waiting on whole laundry list of stuff that was promised me.
So I’m sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but you all have to grow up. I need my jetpack. Sure I’ll be seventy, but I’ll be a jet-packing seventy year old, flying around Florida in my Bermuda shorts and sandals with black socks. That will be awesome.
Truth is, I have no problem with the concept of growing up – in the abstract. Theoretically, it’s a pretty sweet deal. You get bigger, stronger. You get a line of credit other than your parents. My problem is that growing up is a lot like dancing, everyone can do it, but hardly anyone does it well.
It’s a tough job, growing up, and just when you think you have the hang of it, its over. You look in the mirror and you find yo
I love doing school visits. It’s one of the perks of writing for young people that folks don’t really think about that often. Most people picture writers sitting in book shops signing books and greeting fans with a polite handshake or two. And that’s all fine and good – nothing at all wrong with a gentile afternoon in a bookstore, after all.
But it does not, and never will, compare to a gymnasium of screaming kids who are excited, no thrilled, to be meeting an author and talk about his book. A book! That quaint little low tech bundle of tree pulp and ink!
This past week I had the absolute pleasure of visiting with the fourth and fifth graders of the Holland Brook School. Holland Brooke chose Powerless for this year’s One School One Book Program, which means that 500 students, plus teachers, staff and parents were reading the same book all at once.
I have to say, from the moment I walked into the school, I was amazed. The students transformed their school and I had the thrill of actually walking past Witch Fire mountain, I got to see the Comet streaking across the sky, and peek into the Tree Fort and Clay and Bud’s Junkyard Hideout. But best of all, I met hundreds of intelligent, proud, excited kids who had insightful and challenging questions about my book. And several ambitious young men who wanted a part in the movie. I told them to have their people call my people.
Below are just some pictures of the awesome decorations they prepared, but make sure you follow the Holland Brook School link to see a terrific slide show of the kids at work.
Witch Fire Mountain! Whose class is down that unlucky hall?
The Comet. An excuse to get out of Math Class?
The Tree House!
Plunkett's Mansion. I hear it was a popular reading spot . . .
Wrong way, buddy!
A very big
I was happy, and honestly a bit stunned to see that in the midst of all the worlds Problems (notice the big ‘P’), today’s headlines included a story on Obama’s Anti-Bullying Summit at the White House. After all, with budget battles raging here and middle east battles raging over there, isn’t bullying a bit childish for the leader of the free world to be spending his precious time on? Isn’t bullying just a rite of passage, a normal part of growing up?
No, it’s not. Or at least, it doesn’t have to be.
Since Powerless came out I’ve been struck by the passionate response I’ve gotten from both anti-bullying groups and from kids who’ve had to deal with bullying in their own lives. I knew it was a serious topic when I wrote about it but I wasn’t aware of just how desperate kids were for some kind of escape – even if it was a fantasy book where kids could fly away from the pain.
I endured my fair share of bullying as a kid (ask me to throw from the three-point line and just watch as I perform a clowning routine that would make Barnum and Bailey proud). And I look at my small son, and I wonder what advice I could give him if he ever gets targeted? What will I say?
There’s the old chestnut – “If you get bullied, stand up to him. Fight back once and he’ll leave you alone.” That’s great parent logic and as any kid knows, total junk. The truth is when the small kid faces down the playground bully the bully always wins. Kids are smart.
Now I won’t tell my son to run away. I won’t tell him to let the bully be a bully. But I also won’t put the responsibility all on him. Bullying is not a problem between kids. It’s an adult problem that we have to get involved in. We are our children’s protectors and role models. We have to intervene. As teachers and as parents. Whether our kids are being bullied or doing the bullying, we have to get involved. We have to let them know that they are not alone in it. That It Gets Better.
Obama’s getting involved, because he knows that our kids can’t just fly away.
So that’s one political issue we can all get behind, right? Whether you like the President’s insurance-this or hate his budget-that, we can all salute his effort to help our kids. I certainly do.
Even if I am totally jealous of his mad basketball skillz. The big jerk.
0 Comments on On Bullying. as of 3/10/2011 3:54:00 PM
Okay, maybe Hugh Laurie's a bit old for Daniel . . .
Okay, I can now officially spill the beans which I have been leaking all over the place for the last few months – POWERLESS has been optioned by David Foster, writer/producer on a little television show called House MD. (Kids, if you haven’t seen it, ask your folks first. Mr. House can be little . . . blunt.)
I’m just thrilled with this news, not only because, well, I like having my little book-that-could get some glittery tinsel town attention, but because House is one of the smartest shows on television. I like to think it was Daniel’s Sherlock Holmes obsession that caught their attention (after all, House is really the best American Holmes played by a British actor ever. Think about it.) Or perhaps, it’s just as simple as everyone dreams of flying, even in Hollywood.
Whatever the case may be, I’m as pleased as punch.
Of course, the road between here and POWERLESS THE BIG TIME MOVIE is still long, winding and full of precarious boulders perched atop crumbling ledges over spike-filled pitfalls (you get the idea, yes?) but that doesn’t dampen the good news.
Hooray for Hooooollywood! (now you are going to be humming that tune all day, aren’t you?)
And more importantly, it looks good for comics. I’ll explain what I mean further down, but first a little about the book:
Takio is a new all-ages comic from the creative team of Brian Michael Bendis and Michael Avon Oeming (that’s a whole lotta names). Due out in February, here’s the preview blurb:
Takio tells the story of two sisters in a multiracial, adoptive family who are driving each other insane!!! Their overprotective mother makes them walk to school together, eat lunch together, and play together. They can’t get away from each other!! But when a one-of-a-kind, once-in-a-lifetime accident gives them real-life superpowers, these two sisters become the first actual superheroes in the entire world.
Sounds good, yes? But here’s why I really excited: Brian Michael Bendis is writing an all-ages book. That my friends, is huge. Both he and Oeming are superstar talents, but as far as writers go there is no one quite like Bendis. He’s not just a fine writer, but Bendis is one of those creators who influences the comic book industry. In his ten-plus years in the business, his naturalistic style of writing has changed the way most books are scripted. And I don’t think that’s an exaggeration, I think it’s an objective fact. He moved the medium.
There are of course fanboy debates on whether or not this was a good thing (I believe it was), but regardless of your point of view, his influence is undeniable. He’s big time.
So back to Takio, and all-ages books and Bendis. As I’ve said elsewhere , the one area where I think the comics industry is dropping the ball is the kids. There are fantastic all-ages books out there from both big name publishers, smart books that are truly aimed at kids and parents – the Pixar model, if you will. Plus great stuff from smaller presses as well. But they should be best-sellers. All ages should be a growth industry in comics as it is in prose fiction. If a three-hundred page book can get the kids to put down the gameboy for a bit, surely a 22-page comic can do the same.
So when a creator like Bendis gets on board and publishes a creator-owned all-ages book, I see that as a hopeful sign of things to come. Bendis isn’t going to save kids’ comics, but he’s at least putting his money where his mouth is, and both he and Oeming are making an effort to reach out to a new audience.
Now, will they find that audience? I dearly hope so. I know I’ll be buying a copy. Or two. And I encourage you to do the same.
0 Comments on TAKIO Looks Good! as of 12/31/2010 9:19:00 AM
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[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Tony Keefer, Matthew Cody. Matthew Cody said: Okay , cat's out of the bag! Some Powerless movie news announced on the blog! http://bit.ly/g0YiXd [...]
Great news! Congratulations!
brenda
Awesome and Congratulations! all of those extra copies I enthusiatically bought when your book was published may become my retirement fund on ebay!
Congrats Matt! That is fabulous. I predict I will be watching your trailer in 2-3 years.