A.J. Vanderhorst's Blog, page 2

Where in the Woods is Casey Grimes (#2)?

People keep asking me when hard copies of Trickery School (Casey Grimes #2) will be available. The answer is any day now...but since that's been the answer for a week, thought I'd write a quick note.

Where is Casey Grimes #2? The simple answer is, working with a small press in 2020 is kind of a chaotic dance. You make your move, then you wait for your partner to make theirs, and the result does not resemble ballet or any other dance form known to man.

That's what we're doing now...my press,...

Casey Grimes #2—TRICKERY SCHOOL

DECEMBER FIRST. That's it. That's the date.

CASEY GRIMES at TRICKERY SCHOOL from INtense Publications is due to be published in a week!

Are you surprised?

It's only fitting that in a weird year full of uncertainty, advance planning turned out to be a challenge, but it's starting to look like nothing will stop me from achieving my life-long goal—not one but two books published during a pandemic!

Crazy, right?

Here's the teaser:

Twelve-year-old Casey Grimes almost died fighting the Butcher...

Casey #2 Update and a Big Award

It’s almost fall, ya’ll. I just got back from an extended-family vacation in Colorado. We hiked, climbed waterfalls and scrambled up boulders, and no one got seriously hurt. Recommended.

As always, stuff is happening in the Casey Grimes world. First off, The Mostly Invisible Boy won its first major award!

Casey earned bronze in the Readers’ Favorite International Awards Contest, a competition that attracts thousands of entries annually. Is it a big deal? Yeah, kind of. Major publishers enter the...

Casey Grimes Slow-Burning Summer Update

Hi all!

Hope your summer is off to a bright, hot start. We’ve been finding creative ways to stay cool that involve watermelon-sized water balloons, slippery slide obstacle courses, and a whole lot of wet footprints winding through the house. It’s a trade-off.

Here’s what’s going on in the Casey Grimes world.

Five-star reviews have started to show up from folks I don’t know, which is pretty cool, and a sign that the book’s reach is slowly widening. People ask how sales are going, and while I w...

Casey Grimes Author Interview for Wild + Free

Here's an extended clip from an author interview I recently filmed for the national homeschool group,

Many thanks to my sister-in-law, Kimberly, for making this happen. Her creative talents and interview skills are on point!

In the video we chat about Sylvan Woods, my creative background, writing process, monsters, and some not-so-subtle hints about a current work-in-progress. If you happen to be looking for details on the Casey Grimes kid art gallery we mention in the unabridged interview, y...

A Call for Casey Grimes Kid Art

When I started reading The Mostly Invisible Boy to my kids, they all went scrambling for their art supplies. Drawings of Bog Creeps, Razor Wings, and Sentry Trees covered all available surfaces. Architectural sketches of tree fortresses plastered the fridge. We got still lives with oaks, epic battle scenes with Gloria, and Sylvan locations with my kids making cameos.

Speculative monster art continues to be a very popular genre. “Here’s one for your next book, Dad. It’s called ‘The Bloody Monst...

Mostly Invisible Boy is Book of the Month!

...for June, over on the Great Middle Grade Reads group. This is Goodreads' largest, most active MG group. Can we consider this a minor award? Yes, I think I will. ;)

Casey Grimes beat out a dozen other titles in a hotly contested race decided by member voting. If you'd like to share your thoughts on the book, head on over to

Currently my publisher, INtense, has a .99 ebook deal available in conjunction with the BOTM event, ahem, award. Not sure when that will change, but as of today (June 8)...

The Book is Out There!

Hi everyone!

We did it.

At last, the Mostly Invisible Boy is out there. It doesnt just belong to me and my family anymore. Its traveling through the world, ,wide-eyed and feisty, climbing trees and taking names.

A few people have asked me how I feel about finally being published. The answer is...not straightforward. Happy, for sure. I'm proud of this story and these characters. They're my best work to date and more than that...a lot of heart went into their creation. I'm not going to say...

The Book Debut Post

Hey friends, I'll keep this short and sweet. My publisher and I have been working hard behind the scenes. The time has come. Casey Grimes book one, THE MOSTLY INVISIBLE BOY, is about to enter the world! Publication date: April 25 Wow, that's this Saturday. Seriously, I'm having a little trouble getting my mind around that. The book's available on Amazon, B&N, and from my publisher, INtense. During a pandemic is a crazy time to do a lot of things...having a book debut is definitely one of...

Here's One Book Who Will Debut As Planned

The Book Speaks Up About Its Decision to Leave Quarantine I think the book had its mind made up from the beginning. Not the beginningwhen it first entered my life as a cute little concept. Not that special moment when it flipped its first few, shaky pages. Certainly not those angsty tween months when we irritated each other constantly and revised all the time. I mean the beginning of our discussion about release dates, when the book had finally grown to the age of its main character...