David Neilsen's Blog, page 3

DOORS open in less than 7 weeks!

Beyond the Doors hits the brick and mortar bookshelves on August 1! You can, of course, already pre-order it on Amazon should you feel the need. School Library Journal says of it: “the characters are well developed, the plot intriguing, and the pace well suited to middle grade readers. Minor characters add realism as well … Continue reading "DOORS open in less than 7 weeks!"

Beyond the Doors News!

My second book, Beyond the Doors, comes out in less than five months! (Have you pre-ordered your copy yet?) Five months may seem like a long time, but in the world of publishing, it’s the blink of an eye. A slow blink, but a blink. So even while I shove copies of Dr. Fell in … Continue reading "Beyond the Doors News!"

Dr. Fell the Musical?

I recently saw my kids in a production of Mary Poppins Jr. at our local middle school. The director is a long-time friend with whom I’ve worked a few times. Each summer, he runs a ‘camp’ which is really a large musical production with a massive cast (including my kids) and live band and what … Continue reading "Dr. Fell the Musical?"

Books I’ve Read Recently

Aloha! I read a lot of Middle Grade speculative fiction. This is not because I have difficulty with big words, mind you, but rather because I happen to write Middle Grade speculative fiction and it’s always good to keep an eye on what the competition is doing. Right now I’m reading Trenton Lee Stewart’s The … Continue reading "Books I’ve Read Recently"

Fantastic Beasts and Where it Goes

Thanksgiving weekend is the unofficial start of the holiday movie season. So I have done my duty and seen two films this weekend, Moana and Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. Moana was awesome. Just really, really great. Go see it. It’s funny, visually stunning, uplifting, empowering, moving, you name it. Fantastic Beasts was … Continue reading "Fantastic Beasts and Where it Goes"

Introducing: Beyond the Doors

My second book is officially available for pre-order on Amazon! Here is the cover of Beyond the Doors! “When a family disaster forces the four Rothbaum children to live with their Aunt Gladys–a relative they’d never met–they immediately know there is something strange about their new home. The crazy, circular house looks like it stepped out … Continue reading "Introducing: Beyond the Doors"

Dealing With Ghosts

I recently finished Claire Legrand’s The Year of Shadows, and it got me thinking about ghosts. The book deals with a little girl who meets a bunch of ghosts (obviously) who live in an old symphony hall. There’s quite a bit more to it than that, of course, and I recommend the book for MG … Continue reading "Dealing With Ghosts"

Feeling Loopy

Time travel is tricky. Writing a story that allows characters to move through time opens up all sorts of nasty paradox doors and ‘what ifs?’ and plot holes and it can be a bear to get it right. This week, I saw the film Miss Peregrine’s Home For Peculiar Children. I read the book when … Continue reading "Feeling Loopy"

Also By…

This week marked another milestone for me; the ARCs (Advance Reader’s Copy) for my next book, Beyond the Doors, arrived on my doorstep! I’ve been so heavily focused on spreading the word about Dr. Fell, that I completely forgot these were coming. I’m actually not allowed to share images of them with the public yet … Continue reading "Also By…"

Movie Adaptations Can Be Better Than the Book

Yesterday, it was announced the Nickelodeon has started production on a new TV movie based on Chris Grabenstien’s best-selling MG book, Escape From Mr. Lemoncello’s Library. I congratulated Chris (a prince of an author who deserves all the success he can get his grubby little hands on and more), and managed to do so even … Continue reading "Movie Adaptations Can Be Better Than the Book"