Marc Tyler Nobleman's Blog, page 48

Guess the kidlit desks: answers and winners!

Thank you to all who participated in this contest to match 36 children's authors/illustrators with their desks; those mystery desks and your guesses are here.

The desk owners revealed!

Here are the desks again, each now with a second photo identifying whose desk is whose...by books, of course. (First I show the names with the photos, then repeat the names as a list only for easier checking against the lists of guesses.)

Subcontest 1 of 2

The 18 authors/illustrators/desks:


 1 Jonathan Auxier

 2 Eliza Wheeler

 3 Samantha Berger

 4 Don Tate

 5 Lauren Castillo

 6 Nora Raleigh Baskin

 7 Chris Grabenstein

 8 Deborah Underwood

 9 Dan Yaccarino

 10 Deborah Heiligman

 11 Andrew Smith

 12 Lisa Brown

 13 Daniel Kirk

 14 Barbara Kerley

 15 Kirby Larson

 16 Matthew Cordell

 17 Lemony Snicket

18 Elizabeth Rose Stanton
Quick list:

 1 Jonathan Auxier
 2 Eliza Wheeler
 3 Samantha Berger
 4 Don Tate
 5 Lauren Castillo
 6 Nora Raleigh Baskin
 7 Chris Grabenstein
 8 Deborah Underwood
 9 Dan Yaccarino
10 Deborah Heiligman
11 Andrew Smith
12 Lisa Brown
13 Daniel Kirk
14 Barbara Kerley
15 Kirby Larson
16 Matthew Cordell
17 Lemony Snicket
18 Elizabeth Rose Stanton

Subcontest 2 of 2

The 18 authors/illustrators:


 19 David Lubar

 20 Matt Phelan

 21 Tara Lazar

 22 Tony Abbott

 23 Sue Fliess

 24 Jeff Mack

 25 Maryann Macdonald

 26 Scott Magoon

 27 Sarah Darer Littman

 28 Barney Saltzberg

 29 Neal Shusterman

 30 Debbie Ridpath Ohi

 31 Tom Angleberger

 32 Jerry Pallotta

 33 Richard Michelson

 34 Steve Sheinkin

 35 Terry Trueman

36 Liz Garton Scanlon
Quick list:

19 David Lubar
20 Matt Phelan
21 Tara Lazar
22 Tony Abbott
23 Sue Fliess 
24 Jeff Mack
25 Maryann Macdonald
26 Scott Magoon
27 Sarah Darer Littman 
28 Barney Saltzberg
29 Neal Shusterman
30 Debbie Ridpath Ohi
31 Tom Angleberger
32 Jerry Pallotta
33 Richard Michelson
34 Steve Sheinkin
35 Terry Trueman
36 Liz Garton Scanlon

The winners revealed!

These eagle eyes win a signed copy of my (desk-free) latest book, Brave Like My Brother:

subcontest 1

Kate Haskell – 11/18 (i.e. she identified 11 out of 18)Chelsea Couillard-Smith – 5/18Finnelie Hallifax – 5/18
subcontest 2

Finnelie Hallifax – 13/18Kate Haskell – 10/18Jess Stork – 7/18

Congratulations to all!  

If you liked this challenge, you will love this book:


Now…back to my desk.

A lifetime with superheroes

My earliest superhero memory is watching Superman: The Movie while eating McDonald's in the front row in my pajamas. One or possibly all three of those last details may be wrong; as I often say, memory is notoriously unreliable.

However, I know I saw the movie and I know it moved me and I know afterward I asked my dad for a Superman comic and he obliged.

And from there it all went downhall of justice. 

There were costumes after costumes...and not just for Halloween:

 2nd grade; I'm masking my frustration at being forcedto wear my winter coat over my costume.
 7th grade
 12th grade




 The only pair of Underoos I remember having: Aquaman.
 The shark tooth necklace courtesy of my mom,queen of the little touch.
 The Blue Bagel and Lox Lad appeared only once:
Halloween 1993.
 In 1993, I sent in an audition tape (and went to a casting cattle call in Boston)for Robin for the upcoming movie Batman Forever.
I also dressed superhero in my secret identity (i.e. everyday life):


 For the most part I've been a DC devotee but have occasionally mingled with Marvel.
Artistic endeavors:
 Drawn in 2nd grade.
 Shazam, Superman, and Green Lantern a la Lite Brite.
 Flash, Aquaman, and Wonder Woman.
 Batgirl (?) and Hawkman.
 Can you spot Aquaman out of his natural environment?
Speaking of Play-Doh, more toys:

 Boldly showing off a superhero birthday gift likeRafiki presenting Simba to the animal kingdom...or the high priest holding up the still-beating heart ofthe sacrifice victim in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom.
 That's my sister and my Spider-Man.I had many Mego dolls but this is the only known photo of one.
 Note the promotional booklet for an action figure linethat blew my mind: Super Powers (debuted 1985).I have no idea about the other stuff my sister and I are holding.
 Super Powers assembled. I had every figure in wave 1 and wave 2 but none in wave 3, though I wish I'dgotten Plastic Man, Shazam, Mr. Miracle, Samurai, and Cyborg.
 Super Powers Batman vs. the Joker on 6/20/89...in honor of the opening that day of Tim Burton's Batman.
The following boys and girls are not me but rather friends each forced to hold one of the first 13 Super Powers superheroes for my "photo essay." I will spare you all 13 photos just like I'm sparing them the embarrassment of including their names.
 




 Strange that comics were such a huge part of my childhood yetI have only two photos of myself holding one. Here is one: me, family, and Batman and the Outsiders #6.The other shows me with the epic Tom and Jerry #312 (Gold Key, 1978, though the photo was taken a few years later).
 There's a Batman on that there cake.
 Two of my dear friends and a gift they got me upongraduation. Yes, of college. 
Not pictured: the Flash glass they also gave me.
Sometimes my superhero passion veered into obsession. In case that wasn't already clear...
The summer of '89, when Batman seized the throat of pop culture, I apparently sent something to a localradio station in which I apparently called myself "Batman."
They wrote me back. And indulged me.

Three boroughs/four records offices in one summer’s day

On 8/17/06 (a decade ago today), I was a human pinball. I made a hot mad dash around New York City in search of various vital records of Bill Finger’s family.

It felt like I did an inhuman amount in one day, and looking back, I was surprised to see that I didn’t even get started on the intensive portion till midday. The timeline:

9 a.m. Leonard Grossman’s apartment to watch short video of a 1950s DC Comics holiday party to see if Bill made an appearance, Leonard’s father was cartoonist Rube Grossman, who amassed quite a collection of Golden Age comics art

11 a.m. short meeting at Nickelodeon (where I was freelancing at the time)

11:30 Midtown Comics

12 p.m. Manhattan City Clerk to look for the marriage certificate of Bill and his first wife Portia, but they search only three years for $15 and I have a larger range, 1940-1948, so I planned to find out more and come back

2 p.m. Queens Surrogate’s Court to look for the will of Bill’s father Louis, but it was not there; according to the Death Index, Louis died in Queens, but according to Social Security, he died in Brooklyn, so I shot over (via LIRR and subway) to…

3:15 p.m. Brooklyn Surrogate’s Court to look for the wills of both Louis and Bill’s son Fred, who died in 1992 (the most recent of all Finger deaths); however, Louis’s was not there, either; on the court’s computer, I tried “Frederic Finger”—no hits; then “Fred Finger”—no hits; finally just “Finger” (what possessed me, I don’t know)…and he finally turned up; it was not a will but rather a seemingly similar document called a settlement of estate, only two pages; the person to whom Fred bequeathed his possessions was new to me: Charles Dennis Shaheen; I was lucky that (a) Fred left this document, (b) I found this document, (c) it had a name, (d) the name was not so common, which makes it easier to search for online; more this fall on Fred’s will...

4 p.m. Manhattan Surrogate’s Court to look for the wills of Bill or his first wife Portia; I figured neither would be there and I was right

5 p.m. back to Brooklyn to go to Fred’s (and Charles’s) last known address, 388 Sackett Street in Carroll Gardens; first called information but Charles’s number was unlisted at the customer’s request; I took that as a sign that Charles was still alive and still in Brooklyn; got to the brownstone on a lovely street and could not see a name on the door; I asked two young smokers next door if they knew if a “Charles” lived here and they said yes; when I asked a couple more questions they directed me to his restaurant (another good sign—Fred was a chef), around the corner; they asked if I am with the IRS; sign at restaurant read “Gone Fishing” so I went back to the brownstone; then I learned the Charles there is not Charles Shaheen; this was pre-iPhone, so I had to wait till I was home to search online, at which point I learned that Shaheen had died in 2002

The day’s travels, in sum:

Manhattan
Queens
Brooklyn
Manhattan
Brooklyn
Manhattan

(Told you I was a pinball.)

The differences among the various offices in accessing vital records were baffling.

Related: at the Queens and Brooklyn courts, they held my voice recorder, but not at the Manhattan court.

But the important thing: learning that Shaheen was dead meant I was inadvertently on the track to helping Bill’s granddaughter receive Batman royalties. Except I did not yet know Bill had a granddaughter...

Guess the kidlit desks contest

Many of your favorite authors/illustrators of children's/YA books have…

revealed their superhero costumes (2012). read aloud bad reviews...of their own books (2014). seen their characters collide in (phony) merged sequels (2014).answered a Proust Questionnaire, kidlit-style (2015).
Now, inspired in part by a 1996 book called The Writer's Desk and in part because I've apparently got a thing for desks, you're about to see their workspaces. Actually, you're about to guess their workspaces. That's right...this time, it's a contest. And there are prizes. (Rules/deadline below.)

The 36 authors/illustrators/desks:


Tony Abbott *** Jeff Mack *** Tom Angleberger *** Scott Magoon *** Jonathan Auxier Richard Michelson *** Samantha Berger *** Jerry Pallotta * Lisa Brown Matt Phelan * Lauren Castillo * Nora Raleigh Baskin Matthew Cordell *** Debbie Ridpath Ohi * Sarah Darer Littman Barney Saltzberg * Sue Fliess Steve Sheinkin Liz Garton Scanlon *** Neal Shusterman * Chris Grabenstein Andrew Smith *** Deborah Heiligman * Lemony Snicket Barbara Kerley * Elizabeth Rose Stanton Daniel Kirk *** Don Tate Kirby Larson Terry Trueman *** Tara Lazar *** Deborah Underwood *** David Lubar *** Eliza Wheeler * Maryann Macdonald *** Dan Yaccarino *  

* = new participant in my kidlit side projects
*** = Triple Player (participated in bad reviews, Proust, and desks)

Because 36 participants would make this perhaps a bit too challenging, I have broken the contest into two subcontests, each with 18 desks to guess.

Do any desk photos contain clues to whose desks they are, such as a name on a sign or screen or an image in a framed photo? In a couple of instances, maybe…but so small, and so infrequent, I encourage you to skip that level of scrutiny. Instead take in the environment as a whole, take a guess, and take your chances.

In two cases, you are seeing the "summer desk"—the makeshift one in use where those authors/illustrators were vacationing when they received my call for entries.

To play:

In the comments section below, make two simple numbered lists (#1-18 for subcontest 1, #19-36 for subcontest 2) of your guesses by midnight EST at the start of August 26, 2016. (It'll be easier if you print both lists of authors to refer to rather than scroll up and down.) Email me those same guesses so I can contact you if you win. (If you'd like to play but not for prizes, just skip this step.)
Winners will be announced here on August 27, 2016.

The prizes (three tiers):

The three people who get the most right per subcontest (six total) each win a copy of my latest book Brave Like My Brother signed by any of the 36 participants. I'm (partially) kidding: each book will be signed, but unfortunately, only by me.Anyone who gets all 18 right in either subcontest also wins a second signed mystery book.Anyone who gets all 36 right (i.e. all 18 right in both subcontests) also wins a free school visit from me (U.S. only); if you are not affiliated with any school as either an educator or a parent, you may donate the visit to a school of your choice. (Sampling of feedback from my past school visits and other speaking engagements.)

Subcontest 1 of 2

The 18 authors/illustrators included here:

Dan Yaccarino
Lauren Castillo
Don Tate
Chris Grabenstein
Nora Raleigh Baskin
Eliza Wheeler
Jonathan Auxier
Lemony Snicket
Samantha Berger
Daniel Kirk
Matthew Cordell
Barbara Kerley
Kirby Larson
Lisa Brown
Andrew Smith
Elizabeth Rose Stanton
Deborah Heiligman
Deborah Underwood

The desks:

 1
 2
 3
 4
 5
 6
 7
 8
 9
 10
 11
 12
 13
 14
 15
 16
 17
18
Subcontest 2 of 2

The 18 authors/illustrators included here:

Matt Phelan
Debbie Ridpath Ohi
Neal Shusterman
David Lubar
Tony Abbott
Liz Garton Scanlon
Tom Angleberger
Sarah Darer Littman
Richard Michelson
Barney Saltzberg
Sue Fliess
Tara Lazar
Terry Trueman
Jeff Mack
Steve Sheinkin
Maryann Macdonald
Scott Magoon
Jerry Pallotta

The desks:

 19
 20
 21
 22
 23
 24
 25
 26
 27
 28
 29
 30
 31
 32
 33
 34
 35
36
Good luck!

Bill Finger: The Secret Documentary on the Secret Co-Creator! *

* not the official title

When it comes to Bill Finger, nothing comes easy.

The following news has been eight years in the revealing.

In 2008, two years before I sold a spec manuscript called Bill the Boy Wonder: The Secret Co-Creator of Batman, a documentary about my efforts to honor Bill began shooting. This was with the now-defunct new media division of Time (as in the magazine).

In 2009, this attempt was scrapped for legal reasons.

In 2011, I revived the project with different filmmakers (Don Argott and Sheena Joyce of 9.14 Pictures) and a different corporate partner—A&E Indie Films.

In 2011, this attempt was scrapped, and again for legal reasons—but different legal reasons than the last time. (You'll have to wait for that story.)

After the 9/18/15 credit announcement, we resumed filming, now with Hulu—and this time's for keeps.

 TV Guide broke the news.
Under Hulu, filming kicked off in February and wrapped in July.

Bill lived most of his life in New York and never flew on a plane. Counting both the 2011 and 2016 iterations, the first film about him was shot in nine states:

with me: FL, CA, NY, MD, VAsans me: CT, PA, MA, SC
Glimpses of filming:


in my office

  in my office, from the opposite angle

 

 Note the name in magnets.
 



 
 Interviewing Joel Pollack, the gracious owner of my comic shop,
Big Planet Comics.

  My wardrobe changes in one day.(A light day.)
    Batman producer Michael Uslan being interviewed in his limo en route
to the 3/20/16 NYC premiere ofBatman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.

   Flyer posted in the Alamo Drafthouse in
Winchester, VA (1.5 hours from me),
where I watched the film on preview night,
Thursday 3/24/16.

 

    Don watching the pre-trailers content.
The observer becomes the observed.
 

 Before the trailers, the theater ran a innovative
montage of the times Batman's origin has been
depicted in film or animation; the scenes did not
appear one after the other but rather simultaneously.  
 Filming with Bill's longtime friend and sometime
writing partner Charles Sinclair (age 92) in Brooklyn.



  Charles inherited this from Bill.

 Cheekily named garage near Poe Park in the Bronx.


More—much more—to come.

Interview: Harry Waters, Jr. (singer Marvin Berry in "Back to the Future")

What were you doing professionally prior to Back to the Future?

I was still sort of new to Los Angeles; I was a journeyman actor who had moved from New York. My first week in LA, I did an episode of Laverne & Shirley. Then a PBS show, then commercials. There is a theater scene so I was also doing workshops at the Mark Taper Forum, the major regional theater. George Wolfe of Angels in America was directing a production of The Me Nobody Knows, a 1970s musical about inner-city kids. I was in the musical when I got the call for BTTF.


How did you get the role in BTTF?

For our first audition, we had to sing (a capella, which I liked most). About 10-12 guys were called. I was in pretty good shape because I was already in rehearsals for the musical.

At the same time, I had an audition for a network TV series called He's the Mayor. After that, I had a callback with [BTTF director] Bob Zemeckis. It was a 20-minute conversation—I didn't read a thing. We talked about theater, about making performance. Then I left, and it felt really good. I went home and got the call the day before New Year's Eve that they were going to offer me the role. At the same time, I got the offer from I think ABC for the lead of this TV series. My agent said it has to be one or the other and said "You've got to take this series!" I said "But it's a Spielberg movie!" [Steven Spielberg was a producer on the film.] I didn't get the series because I didn't have a "TV name," but I got the movie.

Tell me about the shoot.

January-February 1985, we were shooting the movie. Our scene in the gym was the first new thing they shot after they replaced Eric Stoltz with Michael J. Fox. It was shot at a gym inside a church (which is still there) at Franklin and Highland. It was me on stage with a live band, real musicians. When we were there but not shooting, the band and I just jammed. We had a party the entire time; the extras would dance and the crew was being entertained. When we were shooting the actual scenes, it was a wonderful feeling across the board.

The last shot of the [first] day was the phone call that I make to my cousin Chuck [Berry]. We're setting up in the wings of the gym stage. They got the bandage in the right place, makeup's done, they say action, I do the line—"Chuck! Chuck, it's Marvin. Your cousin, Marvin Berry. You know that new sound you're looking for? Well listen to this!" Did it in one take. The crew cheered. Everybody was able to go home early! That scene has its own history.


While working on the film, did it seem like just another script to you, or did it feel like something special?

I never saw the whole script, only my scenes. I had no idea what the whole story was. All we knew was this kid was coming back to 1955 to a dance and we're the entertainment at the dance.

How long was shooting for you?

About two weeks. They had to do the inserts, like the fight on the dance floor and, as we called it in 1985, the "$10,000 shots" of his hand disappearing.

How was the shoot?

It was "what another great gig." We all hung out in Michael's trailer. We had some beers and cigarettes. He was very friendly.

The outside scene where my hand is cut [trying to open the locked car trunk] was at the high school in Whittier, CA where Richard Nixon went.

The cinematographer said we need to have six girls [dancing in a certain spot in the audience] the whole time so I would have a focus of where I was singing to. I chose the six. (laughs)

Then Alan Silvestri [the composer of the film] asked if I wanted to lay down the song ["Earth Angel (Will You Be Mine)"]. I figured they'd hire someone else. I thought I'd just be lip syncing. Went into the studio in Hollywood in March or April. We did 14 takes. I remember because my little brother came to visit. This was without knowing how the song would be used in the movie.

So you were not actually singing during the shoot?

I was lip syncing during the shoot. I had to lip sync to myself. So when they did the studio recording, that's what got put into the movie.

How often have you sung the song since?

I just was at a wedding and as a surprise, one of the bridesmaids asked if I would sing "Earth Angel." The groom was a big BTTF fan and he was crying.

Have you sung it other times?

Lots of times. All last fall we toured seven countries—in addition to the 10/24 events in LA—Buenos Aires, Argentina; Haiti; France; England; Jamaica, Cozumel, Mexico; Alabama. That's another country. (laughs) It was amazing.

Do you know how they chose those countries?

There were celebrations going over the world but these were people who got in touch with me [directly], not through Universal. They paid my way. My son came to France, my partner to Argentina, one of my former students was my handler in Cincinnati.

Had you been asked to sing the song any other time between the film and that tour?

My students have asked. I tell them it depends on how they all act. If they behave, then I will sing—at the end of the semester.

What about at other private events like the wedding?

Oh yes—a fundraiser where if someone donated a certain amount I would sing. I also sang at a graduation party.

How many of your students know BTTF?

I would say 85% know it—well.

Does someone come in every first day of class and know who you are?

Students google teachers before class starts. It's part of their ritual. They may not tell me right away because they don't know if they should. I say I know you know.

It never comes up on the first day. Usually within the second week. Someone will say "I hope it's not rude, but were you in a movie?"

What was your impression of Michael J. Fox?

Friendliest guy in the world. Very easygoing. Obviously tired all the time because he was doing Family Ties at the same time. He was smart about saving his energy.

How would he do that?

He'd say he have to go rest. He wasn't haughty, he wouldn't just leave—he'd let us know.

Did you get a chance to get to know Christopher Lloyd, Lea Thompson, or Crispin Glover? If so, what were they like?

Never saw Christopher Lloyd. 

Lea Thompson we spent some time with. She's also from Minnesota. She'd worked in the Twin Cities before she went to LA but I didn't know her then. She was very friendly. They were taking care of her. She was surrounded by production people all the time. Michael was much more accessible.

Crispin Glover—as weird as he is in the movie, he's that weird in real life. "We'll just let you be who you are and we'll be over here." He would be standing at the edge of the stage staring at things. He wasn't really approachable. He was in character, I guess.

What did you think of the Chuck Berry joke?

They did not have permission to do "Johnny B. Goode" till literally the day before we shot the scene because Chuck Berry had not said yes. There was a moment when they said we don't know if we can do this.

Did they have a Plan B?

Not that I know of.

What did you think of your now-famous line?

I thought I'm going get a whole lot of shit for this—[suggesting that] Chuck Berry music came from a little white boy! (laughs) But I've done more outrageous things on stage.

Was there pushback on the line?

Yes, lots of people wrote articles saying it was disrespectful, etc. It didn't come at me, came at the producers. It was 1985 so it was a different kind of scrutiny then. Now there'd be even more backlash.

Did you attend the premiere, and if so, what was that like?

Yes. It was phenomenal. I did not know what they were going to do with the song. I was like "Is that my voice?" Silvestri did an amazing job. It was the first time I saw the completed film. It was so cool! Best movie ever! When it opened [in theaters], it was so amazing that people cheered and that it generated huge laughs.

How did you feel the summer of 1985 when the film was heading toward legendary pop culture status at 88 mph?

I was still an actor. I auditioned for a TV show called What a Country! with Yakov Smirnoff and got it. It was about an American citizen class. Being in BTTF was a great negotiation tool. This was 1986—before Fox—so it aired on an independent channel [syndication]. I couldn't compete with Don Knotts, our principal in the series. It lasted only 26 episodes.

Are you still in touch with anyone from the BTTF cast?

Most everybody else is still in LA. Donald Fullilove, who played Goldie, got me started going to the comicons and BTTF events. He's been doing it for years. Claudia Wells has also been around [the BTTF circuit]. She has a men's clothing store in Burbank. Jeffrey Weissman who played George McFly in 2 and 3—he's the host of a lot of BTTF events. Some of the bigger connections come through DeLorean car shows—they invite BTTF people to those shows.

Meet and greet?

Yes. They can bring their own pictures for us to autograph. Sometimes there's a car from the Fox Foundation as a way to raise money. They have two. People can put in money instead of garbage [which is what fueled the time machine after Doc Brown's first trip to the future].

Are you related to the singing Waters family (Julia, Maxine, etc.) who appear in the documentary 20 Feet from Stardom?

Yes I am! My grandfather and their father were brothers. There were nine brothers! It happened out of the blue that we're all in the business. I have not met them face to face.

Do you have any photos from the BTTF set, wrap party, premiere, etc.?

No. No cell phones then!

What are you doing these days?

I teach at Macalester College, a small liberal arts college in St. Paul. I'm a tenured professor in the theater/dance department. I'm the chair as of this moment. It's a small department. Our fine arts is pretty burgeoning. It's been a great last 12 years. I am also active in the Twins Cities—acting/directing and working with community artists. Minneapolis is #2 behind NYC in per capita performance for dance, music, and theater.


Where do you live?

Minneapolis. I left California for the Twin Cities after '96, then I went back to grad school in 2000, then got hired at Macalester.

Tell me about your kids.

I have two sons, one is almost 22 and the other is 25. The younger one is a visual artist. He likes making comics/graphic novels. The older one is an actor/dancer/videographer. He and I have made a couple of theater pieces together, one of which was funded by the National Endowment for the Arts. It's called "AKA Fathers/Sons" and it's about fathers and sons talking about sexuality and masculinity, [a conversation you don't often hear about]. It's a performance piece. We call it performative conversations, the two of us and a friend who is a rapper. We take it to groups of young men. We've had an amazing response. With permission, we then use some of those responses in future performances.

What kind of groups?

We go to schools, rec centers, coffee shops.

What is your sons' take on your role in BTTF?

It's just what dad does. (laughs) Their friends say "Your dad was in BTTF?" It's a plus and a minus. I'm going to leave [the reasons why] to the imagination because they're young people.

How often do you participate in a BTTF-related event (convention, documentary, etc.)?

The first time was five years ago. They invited me to the 25th anniversary in Los Angeles. At that time Donald said you could be going all over the world. I had no idea!

We were in London last summer—40-50,000 people at a comicon. I did the Cincinnati comicon. I've been invited to several, but because I'm a chair and teaching, I couldn't just take off for all of them.

Do you enjoy conventions?

Yes, so much fun. People have an emotional connection to BTTF. People told me "Earth Angel" was the song they got engaged to, or played at their wedding, and some said it was my version. People would hand me their cell phones, hit record (or call a friend), and ask me to sing. They were crying. It's priceless. This one thing I did 30 years ago is so meaningful to people.

Do strangers ever recognize you from BTTF?

Not so much.


Do you have any mementos from the shoot, such as the script?

There may be some things in storage in California, 15 years ago. I didn't keep the bow ties, the microphone, and like I said, I didn't get the whole script.

Have you been interviewed before about this specifically?

Oh yes. It's come up quite a number of times, especially the last year. And I've been interviewed for a couple of books.

How do you look back on your BTTF experience?

One of the most positive experiences that I've had in my career. Really thankful.

Anything you'd like to add?

I'm looking forward to the 40th anniversary. I'm hoping I'll be still around and can still sing the song.

Elliot S! Maggin and Bill Finger

As a person who turned superhero geek in the '70s (right around the time I was born), onetime Superman writer Elliot S! Maggin is part of my DNA (DC nerd algorithm). He is also a graduate of Brandeis University, as I went on to be. We've never met in person but we've been in touch online and I consider him a friend.

Elliot was the living recipient of the 2016 Bill Finger Award for Excellence in Comic Book Writing. Regrettably, I was not there to see him accept the honor but found his remarks inspiring. I was especially touched to see that Elliot referred to Bill as "Bill the Boy Wonder."


More importantly, Elliot used the platform to call for an end to work-for-hire arrangements (in which creators get a one-time fee for their creativity, no matter how successful their work becomes). This, of course, is an issue often at the heart of the Bill Finger story, though not always properly so. (At the time of Batman's creation in 1939, Bob Kane was freelancing for National Periodicals, the company that would become DC Comics, but he and Bill created Batman on spec. Earlier, I touched on possible implications of this.)

Congrats on the award, Elliot. Thank you for your contributions to superhero culture...and now, for your contribution to creators' rights.

Telling stories through letters

Brave Like My Brother, my WWII novel for upper elementary, is told exclusively via letters between 20-year-old Joe, stationed in England, and his 10-year-old brother Charlie. 


I don't want to spoil a key detail so I will be vague: the exchange pattern is not what most will be expecting.

On a similar note, a few years ago I stumbled upon a haunting song called "Kilkelly," which also comprises a series of letters and tells the story of a struggling 19th century Irish family separated by the Atlantic Ocean.


To call the song haunting is an understatement. Not only is the story utterly heartbreaking, but the the lyrics are so deftly written. Musically, narratively, and linguistically, it's an absolute pleasure—in a devastating way—to listen to.
Brave Like My Brother released a month ago today, and as I predicted, I've been asked why I made the choice to construct it the way I did. Without revealing any twists, I can say that I did it for the following reasons:
to differentiate from other epistolary fictionto give the reader room to fill in gapsto lend an authentic feel to war correspondence
If "Kilkelly" influenced the unconventional structure of Brave Like My Brother, it was subconscious. If you read the book and/or listen to the song, I hope you feel the power of what is not said...

Cover reveal: "The Chupacabra Ate the Candelabra"

Be afraid. Be very afraid. (If you're a goat.) 

The Chupacabra Ate the Candelabra, invitingly illustrated by the incomparable Ana Aranda, releases 3/7/17. Check it out...before someone (hint hint) eats it...

"Especially good for classroom use" - Children's War on "Brave Like My Brother"

Review of Brave Like My Brother from The Children's War.


I especially appreciated that the review asks "Which brother is the hero, or are they both?" That is a central question I am hoping the book will generate in young people's minds.