January, 2009 Happy New Year! Thanks so much for coming back to gordonkorman.com. The past year has been an incredibly busy one for me. I guess I never thought about it, because there's such a gap between writing a book and having it actually come out. But between September 2007 and December 2008, I published four new novels. Of course, the big news is how popular THE 39 CLUES is turning out to be – not just the books, but also the cards and web game. It's definitely popular in my house, although this could turn into a problem. According to the website, I'm a member of the Janus branch of the Cahill family, and my oldest son is a Lucian – our arch enemies. We've been keeping it in perspective so far, except that he's commandeered all our best cards for his online collection! That's the thing about this series – it sucks you in. In other news, I've finished ZOOBREAK – a sequel to SWINDLE – and I'm just about done with POP, my next teen novel. Both of these will be coming out in fall 2009. And of course, I'll be on the road a lot, meeting my readers and talking about my books. This coming season, I'll be speaking in New York, New Jersey, Ontario, Texas, Georgia, Missouri, Illinois, Minnesota, Colorado, Mississippi, and North Carolina. (It's snowing outside my window as I type this. I love the snow – but not when I have to get on a plane and fly somewhere.) Thanks again for keeping up with my website. You have all my best wishes for a fantastic 2009! Gordon Korman |
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March, 2008 Happy New Year! I guess I've turned into the kind of person who delivers his New Year's greeting at the beginning of March. But can you blame me? First of all, it's the year of SWINDLE. Doesn't it figure that a book called SWINDLE would come out two months early ? There I was, telling everybody about this March 1st release date, when kids at my school visits were showing up with copies that they found in stores in January. Oh well. The good news is people seem to love SWINDLE, and it's flying off the shelves. That's all I ask for – to get my books into readers' hands. Thanks for making SWINDLE such a hit. There's a lot more on the way, though. My next Hyperion book, THE JUVIE THREE, is scheduled for September. It's the story of three youth offenders on the loose in New York City . And I've also signed on to a new Scholastic series called THE 39 CLUES. It's a mystery/adventure series that's being written by four different authors. (Rick Riordon, of “Percy Jackson & the Olympians” fame, is writing this kickoff novel. My first contribution will be the second book, coming early next year.) So things are crazy as usual – but in a good way. It's great to be busy when that means people want to read what I write. Thanks for continuing to visit gordonkorman.com! Gordon Korman |
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September, 2007 School's in and SCHOOLED's out. That's SCHOOLED, my newest book about a home-schooled kid raised in total isolation by his grandmother – an ex-hippie from the sixties. (The peace sign on the cover was my idea – but I can't take credit for the school bus with tie-dye windows. That came from the design wizards at Hyperion.) It feels like I've been talking about SCHOOLED forever, but I've been working on other projects as well. My next book is SWINDLE, which will be coming out in early 2008. It's the story of a group of kids who pull off a robbery. No, they're not criminals. They're stealing back a valuable Babe Ruth baseball card that's been cheated from them by an unscrupulous collector. And, of course, I'm still a “road warrior,” traveling around visiting schools and libraries. So if you're in an airport, remember to wave to the people stuck in line at the security checkpoint. I might be one of them. Thanks for coming back to gordonkorman.com. I can't wait to hear how everybody likes SCHOOLED. Have a great start to the school year! Gordon Korman |
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May, 2006 The Falconers are back. They couldn't make it on their own. No, not true. I'm the one who couldn't make it without the Falconers. After ON THE RUN, I couldn't escape the sense that there was more I could do with those characters. And the idea for KIDNAPPED was born. It's going to be a trilogy – I've had good luck with those (I even have three kids). Right now, the first book, THE ABDUCTION, is on the stands, with THE SEARCH due in July, and THE RESCUE in September. Nice to be writing about Aiden and Meg again. They're my all-time favorite brother-sister team. I'm also thrilled that BORN TO ROCK is finally out. I feel as if I've been talking about it for ages as an “upcoming” project. Most regular visitors to the site were probably sick of hearing about it before it was even published. But the good news is that the reviews have been great, and people really seem to love it. The even better news is that the movie rights have been sold to MTV Films. Who else could do justice to a story about a kid on tour with his long lost father's punk rock band? I'm thrilled that the kings of the music business have chosen my novel. I guess all those years in front of the mirror, windmilling air guitar to classic punk acts like the Ramones and the Clash, have finally paid off. All in all, my life is exciting, but hectic, as usual. Three kids, lots of books in the works, and school visits from coast to coast. I'm looking forward to the summer, and a chance to catch up on my writing. Thanks for coming back to gordonkorman.com! Gordon Korman |
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December, 2005 Happy Holidays – sorry it's been so long since I've posted a new letter. I've been late a lot these days, mostly because the ON THE RUN series has been taking up all my time. A six-book series is tougher to write than a trilogy. It's twice as long – duh! – but also, the planning is completely different. With ISLAND , EVEREST, and DIVE, I could map out the three stories at the very beginning. ON THE RUN has been different. It's impossible to pre-plan six novels, so I've been forced to wing it a little more – to write the series, well, on the run. But it's all worth it. Readers seem to love the series! The fifth novel, PUBLIC ENEMIES, just hit the shelves, and the finale, HUNTING THE HUNTER, will be coming in February. The response to ON THE RUN has been so great that I've already started on KIDNAPPPED, a spin-off series about the Falconers. Watch for the first book next summer. Making so many deadlines has kept me on my toes, but I haven't totally neglected the young adult side. I've finally sent in the first draft of BORN TO ROCK, my newest teen novel about a high school kid who discovers that his biological father was a punk rock star from the 1980s. And, of course, I've got plenty of traveling in the next few months, visits to schools, libraries, and teachers' conferences. So ON THE RUN is more than just my new series. It's not a bad description for my real life! Best wishes for the holidays. I hope you enjoy ON THE RUN.
All the best, Gordon Korman |
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February 18, 2005 Happy 2005 – better late than never! I've been late a lot these days, mostly because the ON THE RUN series has been taking up all my time. A six-book series is tougher to write than a trilogy. It's twice as long – duh! – but also, the planning is completely different. With ISLAND, EVEREST, and DIVE, I could map out the three stories at the very beginning. ON THE RUN has been different. It's impossible to pre-plan six novels, so I've been forced to wing it a little more – to write the series, well, on the run. But it's all worth it. CHASING THE FALCONERS, the first ON THE RUN novel, is already popping up here and there, and readers love it! Watch out for THE FUGITIVE FACTOR in a couple of months, and NOW YOU SEE THEM, NOW YOU DON'T after that. Making so many deadlines has kept me on my toes, but I haven't totally neglected the young adult side. I've finally sent in the first draft of BORN TO ROCK, my newest teen novel about a high school kid who discovers that his biological father was a punk rock star from the 1980s. And, of course, I've got plenty of traveling in the next few months, visits to schools, libraries, and teachers' conferences. So ON THE RUN is more than just my new series. It's not a bad description for my real life! Thanks for coming back to gordonkorman.com. I hope you enjoy CHASING THE FALCONERS.
All the best, Gordon Korman |
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July 21, 2004 I hope your summer has been fun. Things have been busy for me, mixing writing time and beach time. So far, this summer has been about connections. Mob connections, actually. SON OF THE MOB: HOLLYWOOD HUSTLE will be coming out this fall, and I've been scrambling to get ready for the September release. So while you've been thinking about sun, surf, and mini-golf, my mind has been focused on Vince, Kendra, Alex, and the mobsters of Brothers Vending Machines Inc. Cashing in on Vince's
promise to go to college as far from his family's business as possible
without falling off the edge of the earth, I sent him to film school
in California at the fictional University of Santa Monica. For this,
I drew on some of my own non-mob experience. I started my college
career as an NYU film major -- a very bad one. It took me three semesters The other main reason things have been hectic around here is ON THE RUN, my new adventure series. It's about two kids who become fugitives, chased by the police, the juvenile authorities, and the FBI. It's a blast to write, but here's the thing: ON THE RUN is a six-book series, and I've been in trilogy mode lately. So this new project is twice as long, and twenty times harder to plan. It's fun, though, despite the pressure. So what if I'm slaving over my laptop while everybody else is out there enjoying the weather? I may show up at my first school visit in September looking like I've just served a long prison sentence, but at least I'll have some exciting books to show for it. The first novel in the ON THE RUN series, CHASING THE FALCONERS, comes out in February, 2005. One last piece of news: Jon, our gordonkorman.com web guru, will be heading out to sea this fall, so let's all wish him anchors aweigh and favorable winds. Thanks to him, this site has always enjoyed clear sailing. All the best, Gordon Korman |
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May 26, 2003 Happy summer! Summer is usually kind of a down time for me, but not this year. I have two new books that just came out, MAXX COMEDY, THE FUNNIEST KID IN AMERICA and the first book in the DIVE trilogy, THE DISCOVERY. You’d think I’d be spending the summer scuba diving, but the truth is I don’t dive myself. I researched all that – except for the shark stuff. I’m a bit of a shark nut. Don’t forget, I grew up in the age of “Jaws.” I can’t wait for readers to meet my personal favorite character in the new series – an eighteen-foot tiger shark with the unlikely name Clarence. And don’t forget about JAKE, REINVENTED, my next young adult novel inspired by the classic “The Great Gatsby.” It’s being developed for a movie by Lance Bass of ‘NSYNC, who wants to play Jake. The book comes out in October, which is an important month for me. My birthday is in October, and this year I’ll be turning – gasp – forty! So that’s the real big thing about this summer. It’s my last one before middle age. In just a few months, I’ll be the only forty-year-old who is still working at his summer job from seventh grade. Then again, Rolling Stones front man Mick Jagger once promised that no way would he still be singing “Satisfaction” at forty, and he’s still doing it well into his sixties. So I have no problem writing about teen divers and a middle-school standup comedian at my age. Enjoy the new books, and thanks for coming back to gordonkorman.com. Have a great summer, whatever your milestones may be. Gordon Korman |
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January 1, 2003 Thanks for checking
in with gordonkorman.com in 2003. |
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July 22, 2002 Thanks for sticking
with my website through the broiling hot dog days of summer. It's
ninety-six degrees outside, with humidity to spare. But to me, this
summer is all about ice and snow and glaciers and avalanches. EVEREST,
my new trilogy about an expedition to put the youngest climber on
the summit of the world's highest mountain, is in stores now. |
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March 30, 2002 Happy 2002! I'm thrilled that my official web site is attracting so many visitors. I guess one of the main reasons is also the big story of this winter for me -- how much people seem to love the ISLAND trilogy. To be honest, I'm blown away. For my first non-humorous project to go over this well is beyond anything I could have hoped for. The numbers aren't all in yet, but right now the first book, SHIPWRECK, has sold over 400,000 copies and has been reprinted nine times. That makes it my fastest selling book ever! For ISLAND fans, I'm already hard at work on a follow-up action/adventure trilogy. EVEREST tells the story of a teenage expedition to conquer the world's tallest mountain -- a treacherous climb to an altitude so high that it has been nicknamed the Death Zone. EVEREST will come out this summer -- if I get it finished in time. It's the tightest writing schedule I've ever worked on. But don't worry, SON OF THE MOB, my first young adult novel in a while, is still in the picture. It's done, slated for September release. Last but definitely not least, my wife and I just had a new baby. So add diaper changing to my long list of jobs. Suddenly, surviving on a deserted island doesn't seem so daunting after all! All the best,
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August 15, 2001 Thanks for coming back to gordonkorman.com. This has been a relaxing summer for me and my family -- I almost feel guilty for that after the ordeal I put the characters through in the ISLAND trilogy. I'm still getting used to the whole action/adventure thing, having been a humor guy for so long. Check out HOMICIDE MEETS MR. GOLD MEDAL, a short reader's theater play I wrote for SCOPE magazine a few years ago. It was something I thought had disappeared forever until Jon, our webmaster, came up with the idea of posting it on the site. It was a fun little project, and I'm glad that people will have the chance to read it again. I'm gearing up for the fall -- lots of school visits to coincide with the release of ISLAND in book clubs and book fairs. Keep on reading, Gordon Korman |
May 29,
2001 Welcome to gordonkorman.com! Some of
you might remember this as my “semi-official web site.” It
was promoted to official status because I realized that this is where
my real fans are. I don't write the kind of novels that win big awards
and broad critical acclaim. I leave that to the very sad and serious
books where the dog dies at the end. (And if you've read No More
Dead Dogs, you know this drives me crazy.) My best publicity comes
from word of mouth -- readers telling their friends about the stuff
they've read and liked. This is a very exciting
time for me. Island, my very first non-funny trilogy,
comes out this summer. (Okay, it's a little bit funny,
but mostly it's an action/adventure series about six
kids who get shipwrecked on a tropical island.) But, no, I
haven't deserted humor. I've got two new projects
in the works, Son Of The Mob, a young adult novel
about a high school senior whose dad is involved in
organized crime, and Maxx Comedy: The Funniest Kid In
America, about a sixth grader who is a professional
stand-up comedian. In my spare time, I
struggle to keep pace with my family. My wife is a teacher,
presiding over a third-grade class of twenty
fans-in-training, and my two-and-a-half-year-old has been
blessed with the raw energy of Hoover Dam. The last time we
were in a restaurant, he spent half an hour signaling the
waiter, calling, “Check, please!” So enjoy my new and improved, fully
official web site. Thanks for your interest in me and my books. See you
online, Gordon Korman
November
12,1999 Welcome to my semi-official web site.!
It's semi-official because it's not run by a publishing company, but
it's the one I enjoy checking out. A lot of you probably
were first attracted to my stuff because you heard that I
was only twelve when I wrote This Can't Be Happening
at Macdonald Hall. That's true, but it was also a
long time ago. I'm hardly the teenage author anymore.
I'm in my mid-thirties now, married, with a baby son. I
live in Long Island, New York. Yeah, I know. It's
not as cool as when I used to be able to say, “I'm
seventeen, with five books out, and next year I'm going
to New York University in downtown Manhattan to be a film
major.” Yet my life is just as exciting. Well, maybe
not. I change a lot of diapers these days. But I'm
still writing. In fact, I've been writing more lately
than ever before in my career. My current projects are
Nose Pickers From Outer Space and a hockey series
called Slapshots. Although it didn't start out
this way, there are going to be four books each in both
series. But don't worry, I'll be working on new
novels too. The next will be coming out in Fall 2000.
Unfortunately, one of the many things about it that
isn't certain just yet is the title. But look for the
words “dead dog” in there somewhere. More on this
later. Thanks for your interest in me and
my books. Enjoy the web site. I love hearing what my readers think. Gordon
Korman Incidentally, Jon, the mastermind behind
all this, asked me to contribute my prediction as to Artie's next money-making
scheme when he got to L. A. Well, I don't know if I can top any of the
stuff in No Coins, Please, but wouldn't it be cool if Artie found
an old abandoned building and set up a really overpriced valet parking
station outside it? People would be so convinced there was something
cool going on that they'd flock to it. And then, when they couldn't
figure out what was supposed to be going on, they'd be afraid to admit
they didn't have a clue what it was all about. All these people would
rave about the great time they had, causing even bigger crowds to flock
to this non-event. And Artie would clean up on valet parking fees. What do you
think?