One last update for 2013: – Very sad to hear of Ned Vizzini’s passing. Feel bad for everyone: Ned, his wife, his new baby, his parents and friends, and his fans. I only met the guy a few times, but he was funny as hell and I could tell right away he was crazy

When I heard I was going to be interviewed on NPR’s Weekend Edition I immediately started sweating. And unconsciously gritting my teeth. National radio? Me? What if I sounded like an idiot or stumbled over my words or accidentally referred to Scott Simon as “Bob” Simon? What if I dropped a series of accidental

The Living is out in the world now, and I’m truly humbled by all the folks who have agreed to help spread the word. Here’s an interview I did with Kirkus, written by Jessie Grearson (an excellent writer out of the Iowa Writers Workshop). I was also lucky enough to do a guest post

I’ve never had a book reviewed in Entertainment Weekly . . . until now. Here’s a link to the online version. There’s been some chatter online about the review (specifically the use of the word “worthy” in conjunction with John Green), which I sort of understand to a point. But it’s pretty great that

The Living came out yesterday!! I wasn’t able to announce it on the actual on-sale day because I was speaking at a middle school in Ohio, and a high school in Ohio, and the Youngstown chapter of IRA. This is the first time I’ve ever done a speaking engagement on the day a book

I’m in Seattle this whole week, visiting a couple schools per day. The visit is sponsored by Seattle Public Library. Here’s a shot of their architecturally famous (infamous?) downtown branch (talk amongst yourselves): Sometimes I get to hang with the big bad high schoolers, like these guys from Chief Sealth High: Other times I’m

On November 12th, The Living hits bookstores. This is very exciting to me. I’ve never spent so much time working on a novel, and I’m very proud of the way it turned out. The protagonist, Shy Espinoza, is my guy. If you’d like to get a sneak peek of Shy and The Living, Random

I’m super excited to be participating in my first-ever National Book Festival in Washington DC this weekend. I’ll be speaking on Saturday, September 21 from 1:20pm – 1:50pm, followed by a signing. Can’t wait to check out presentations by Paolo Bacigalupi, Matthew Quick, Margaret Atwood, Don DeLilo, Lisa McMann and Juan Felipe Herrera. More information

When the reviews start rolling in, a book begins to feel like a real thing to me. It’s moving out into the world. Folks I don’t even know are turning the pages — it’s nerve wracking and exciting and alive. Here are the first two reviews for The Living (thanks for the kind words

I’m back in the Brooklyn Writers Space today, eating a four-day old Parisian almond croissant. It tastes goddamn amazing. I bet it’d be even better in a week. Did you know Paris baked goods age like wine? It’s true! Okay, maybe that’s nostalgia talking. The point is, I just got back from a seven