Press

Awards

⭐️ Editor’s Pick, BookLife by Publishers Weekly
⭐️ Grand Prize Winner, Colorado Author Project
⭐️ 1st Place, Gertrude Warner Middle Grade Fiction Award
⭐️ Gold Medal, Mom’s Choice Awards Honoring Excellence
⭐️ Gold Medal, 2021 International Readers’ Favorite Awards
⭐️ Silver Medal, 2020 International Readers’ Favorite Awards
⭐️ Bronze Medal, 2022 International Readers’ Favorite Awards
⭐️ Award-winning Finalist, 2020 Next Generation Book Awards
⭐️ 1st Place in both Children’s Adventure AND Grades 4th-6th, 2020 TopShelf Awards


Critical Reviews

One Giant Leap:

Kirkus Reviews – One Giant Leap

EDITOR’S PICK, BookLife by Publishers Weekly Review – One Giant Leap

The best books about “smart” kids who save the day… in unexpected ways, Shepherd – One Giant Leap

SciFi Radio – One Giant Leap

The Eye of Ra (Book #1 in The Eye of Ra Series):

Kirkus Reviews – The Eye of Ra

BookLife by Publishers Weekly Review – The Eye of Ra

Reedsy Discovery – The Eye of Ra

Sol Invictus (Book #2 in The Eye of Ra series):

Kirkus Reviews – Sol Invictus

BookLife by Publishers Weekly Review – Sol Invictus

Institute for Classics Education – Sol Invictus

Reedsy Discovery – Sol Invictus

People of the Sun (Book #3 in The Eye of Ra series):

Kirkus Reviews – People of the Sun

Foreword Reviews, Spotlight Review Jan/Feb 2022 – People of the Sun

BookLife by Publishers Weekly Review – People of the Sun

Reedsy Discovery – People of the Sun


Podcasts (chronologically, newest at top)

NPR’s Science Friday: Science Diction

The Literacy Advocate with Timmy Bauer

Action and Handling Violence in MG with Jason Henderson, Sam Subity, and Adam Perry on Castle Horror

Society Secrets MG with Jennifer Naughton at The Bookish Society


Guest Posts (chronologically, newest at top)

Inspired by Headlines: How I Put My Spin on Real Life Events, at Westveil Publishing

Why Middle Grade?, at the Gina Rae Mitchell blog

What Keeps Me Going With Writing, at Long and Short Reviews

The Story Behind the Villain in One Giant Leap, at Sybrina’s Book Blog

My favorite scene in One Giant Leap, at FAB

Where do you get your ideas for your characters?, at All the Ups and Downs

What makes your book different from others in the genre?, at Sandra’s Book Club

Cover Reveal for One Giant Leap, at MG Book Village

Please Judge My Children’s Fantasy Series by Their Covers, at the Reedsy Discovery Blog

The Best New Action-Packed Middle Grade Books with Heart, at Shepherd

The Sun Stone, at Sybrina’s Book Blog

5 Pros and Cons of Writing Middle Grade, at Write. Read. Live.

Success Begets Success, at All the Ups and Downs

The Aztec, at Read Your Writes Book Reviews

A Space for Wonder, at Mythical Books

Why Action Adventure for Middle Grade?, at Log Cabin Library

Why Middle Grade? A Personal Answer, at WestVeil Publishing

An Interview with John and Sarah Tidewell, at Long and Short Reviews

Who or What Inspired you to Write Sol Invictus?, at All the Ups and Downs

Why Historical Fiction Intrigues Me, at Novels Alive

The Hardest Part About Writing, at Our Town Book Reviews

Cover Reveal for Sol Invictus (The Eye of Ra Book 2), at MG Book Village

Handling Conflict in Middle Grade Novels, at Unleashing Readers

Stuck in the Middle with Romans, at Kristyn Miller’s Blog

On Evolution of Reading, interview with Creator’s Roulette at Armed with a Book

** One of my personal favorites: Why MG Books (and the authors that write them!) Are So Important, at MGBookVillage

Why do facts make fiction better? (aka “Why factual accuracy in fantastical stories makes them more immersive and intriguing.”) at Haley Cavanagh Blog

Balancing life and writing, or How they are intertwined, at Long and Short Reviews

Why Middle Grade?, at Sybrina’s Book Blog


Interviews (chronologically, newest at top)

Interview at The Avid Reader

Interview at Rogue’s Angels about One Giant Leap

Interview at Literary Gold about One Giant Leap

Interview with Lisa Haselton about One Giant Leap

February 2023 Featured Author Interview at Baroness’ Book Trove

Interview with It’s Raining Books

Interview with The Avid Reader

Interview with Jazzy Book Reviews

Interview with Straight from the Library

Interview with Novels Alive

Interview with Westveil Publishing

Interview with Christine Derr of the Paw Prints in the Sink Blog

Interview with Lisa Haselton

Interview with The Fabric of Words

Interview with Kait Plus Books

Featured Author of the Day at ManyBooks

Cover Reveal for People of the Sun, including interview, at MG Book Village

About the Author: Ben Gartner, at Maddie White’s Blog

Interview with BookHounds

Interview with Two Chicks on Books

Interview with Elaine P. Cantrell

Interview with Lisa Haselton

Interview with Straight from the Library

Interview with Kate Foster, Agent and Author

Interview at Red Pillow

Interview at Armed with a Book

Interview with Books in the Hall

Interview with The Pen & Muse

Interview with Locks, Hooks, and Books

Interview with All the Ups and Downs

Interview with Kit N’ Kabookle

Interview with ACME Teen Books

Five Reasons You Should Read My Book, at Fabulous and Brunette

Interview with Our Town Book Reviews

Interview with Readeropolis

Interview with Rogue’s Angels

Interview with Lisa Haselton’s Reviews and Interviews