Blog

When I visit schools, I often receive coffee mugs and tee shirts as thank you gifts. And it’s a great way for me to remember past events. On a cold winter morning in Minnesota I enjoy sipping tea from my Assumption Orthodox School mug and recall the week that I spent working with students in Houston, Texas. And it’s fun to wear my bright orange HMS Spuds tee shirt in the summer and watch people’s faces as they try to figure out what the HMS stands for. “Her Majesty’s something,” folks guess, and I shake my head, knowing the odds aren’t great that they’ll identify Horizon Middle School in Moorhead, Minnesota. But of all the mugs, posters, and shirts that I’ve received, a piece of artwork from last February’s trip to Otte Blair Middle School in Blair, Nebraska, clearly stands out. This giant cover of my novel, The Winter War, was hand-painted by a retired industrial arts teacher, and it provided a impressive backdrop during my assembly presentation.