There it is, What Can't Wait, my first-born, looking sweet on a Houston book shelf. It's also the focus of attention--after being elbowed aside by her loud and proud little brother, The Knife and the Butterfly, who has been getting a lot of attention lately.

 Here's a bit:

Writing for my students gave me a sense of urgency when I first began. I wasn’t just telling a story for myself; I was writing it because it mattered to them. And one of the best parts of writing with a very specific audience in mind was that they told me what they thought. I had a stack of manuscripts in my classroom, and students would write me notes about what they liked, what they didn’t, what I should change, and so on. 

Most of the time, I knew who was reading my novel. I’d see the pages turning and get excited. But I also had a few clandestine readers. Like Anthony...

You should check the whole post out here. I tell one of my favorite stories about Anthony, a clandestine (guy) reader... and thanks to one of his recent Facebook posts, I was even able to include a photo of the goofy end-of-year certificate I awarded to him.

Don't forget to enter the giveaway! What Can't Wait could be yours.