Ghost stories and Monster tales this Fall.

I hope all of you enjoy the books as much as I enjoy writing them! With Monsters of Camp Erehwon's success in the Nautilus Book Awards it will be interesting for me to see responses from all of you on Ghosts of Camp Erehwon!

With Halloween around the corner, and tales of spookiness and fright all around, I hope to see a renewed interest in my stories. Who knows? Of course, these books are less about a good scare and more about the issues young adults face in these troubling times. They are also about overcoming and empowering those who have suffered silently. The truth is that even those of us who faced bullying, and poverty, and fear in decades past have no clue how much harder it is for the youth of today. Physical, verbal, and emotional abuse may not have changed much, but in generations now grown we could at least find sanctuary at home. Not true for today's targets. Their bullies attack relentlessly on the internet, in the chat rooms, and on social media with devastating effectiveness. Even worse, they are denied opportunities to stand up for themselves and defend themselves against such aggression by a system that has little concern for the well-being of an individual outlier.

That is where Erehwon comes in. In answer to the WHY certain children face such unrelenting torment, it is simple. Bullied kids are different, but not in a bad way. They are different because they believe in something bigger than themselves and that makes them stand out. Maybe they are compassionate or empathetic. Maybe they are spiritual or introspective. Perhaps they are very attuned to the natural world around them. It could be that they think in a way that is different from the claw and grab rat race of popularity. No matter what the difference is, these kids ARE different. They have the abilities and the tools to become larger than anything they can imagine, and that scares the ones who prey on them. Yes, the different ones, the outcasts and misfits, can be heroes. No one wants to believe it, but all real heroes are outcasts. They do things differently. They think and act differently. They are the ones who face danger to protect others. They are selfless and are capable of great things. They approach problems from a different direction and create the cures, make the discoveries, and change the world. Anyone can be a bully, but bullies don't change the world for the better.