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When I write stories for young people, my goal is to deliver an experience, an experience I hope will delight the reader and give them something to identify with. There's no better feeling than when a reader connects with your book.

Yesterday, book review blogger Liz Burns reviewed The Summer of Moonlight Secrets. I could tell by her review that she had entered the world of Allie Jo and Chase; when they ran up the secret staircases, she was right behind them. I felt like a happy balloon, floating up to the clouds after seeing her take on the book.

My agent liked this part of her review: "Haworth does a terrific job of balancing Allie Jo's independence and autonomy with caring parents, including how that family relationship impacts Allie Jo's friendship with Tara."

I liked the whole thing! But I really liked reading, "It is also funny!"

To read Liz Burns' review of The Summer of Moonlight Secrets, click here.

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B&N and other stuff

I'm signing books tonight 6:00-7:30 at the Barnes and Noble Colonial Plaza as part of St. James Cathedral School's book fair. Stop by and say hi!

Also, contests: Today is the due date for all entries for the student writing contest I'm sponsoring. Eight area schools are participating. The prompt for the young writers was to describe what it feels like to be new or to be challenged by a new person (and relate this to Violet Raines). Winners receive the new Violet Raines paperback, and one grand prize winner receives the hardcover for The Summer of Moonlight Secrets, which no one in Orlando has yet!

Tomorrow is the last day to enter the Goodreads giveaway for SOMS. I'm pretty excited by that, too! More than 1100 people have entered.

It's cappuccino time. Have a great day!

Hope you're having a good weekend! Please stop by this Tuesday when I feature a new author. He's written a story for middle-grade readers, and here's the first line:

I've always thought I was dead.

I love that line! If you want to read more, come back on Tuesday!


Also, St. James Cathedral School of Orlando put on a great book fair this month at Barnes & Noble. My bb, Sandy Nawrot arranged for me to come and sign books, and the pleasure was all mine! Such talented students! Chimers, guitar players, and more!





A few days ago, I traveled deep into the jungle and held an alligator. Okay, it wasn't that deep but it was Jungle Adventures, a twenty-two acre spread that includes a natural wetland, a spring, and a beautiful stream covered by duckweed. The facility houses lots of exotic animals, including Goliath, a 1700 pound male alligator. Though I didn't know that male alligators clamp their jaws shut with 3000 pounds of pressure or that females clamp with 1500 pounds of pressure, I did shout the correct answer for how many teeth alligators have--eighty. Ha! I knew that from my research for Violet Raines. But there was more about the teeth I didn't know: Alligators' teeth are like stacked cups; there's always another tooth growing under the visible tooth. The jaw produces teeth for every socket (unless the socket suffer infection or injury) for the duration of the alligator's life. So you'll never see a pumpkin smile on an alligator.

Here is Safari Todd with some of Jungle Adventures' toothy residents:

Don't try this at home!