Show vs. Tell.
  It's a rule any good writer knows well and, hopefully, any of the students I met with during these past couple weeks of school visits now realize.
​  An example I give in my presentation is a famous quote by Chekov - "Don't tell me the moon was shining. Show me the glint of light off the shards of broken glass."
  Because knowing the moon is shining isn't nearly so interesting as picturing the moonlight glinting off the shards of broken glass, right? Just like a magician pulling a rabbit from a hat is cooler than one who tells you he can.
   Telling is easy.
   Showing takes effort. Dedication.

  Holy schnikes you guys and gals. What a trip this has been already - and it's only just beginning!
  I've visited three schools already and the students and staff have been amazing. Also, who doesn't love it when a horde of students say to you: 'Dude, you look and act just like Tony Stark."  #bestcomplimentever
   I also love the questions they ask and the energy they have. Speaking of energy - how about the awesome young man in this picture to the right?
  I was signing his books after the presentation and this is how our conversation went down:
  "Dude, can I jump on your back and take a picture?"
   Me: "Absolutely you can."
  Love this little guy...probably because I would've (and have) done the same thing when I was his age.

“People mourn in all sorts of different ways.”
  My newest release, The Grave of Lainey Grace, is certainly proof of that.
  The idea for this story came to me this past March. 
  I woke from a nap to the sound of my wife and our oldest daughter laughing outside our home with a family friend. The sun was shining through our bedroom window, the breeze blowing the pink blooms of our crepe myrtle against the glass, and I was mad at myself for having fallen asleep rather than spending time with my family.
  And then a thought popped into my head.
   Every year, when the last leaf of summer falls, the roses are laid at the grave of Lainey Grace.
 Continuing my horrible charade at a work/life balance, I grabbed my computer and off I went into the garden to chase this elusive roses concept. But what I first believed to be a story dedicated to my wife quickly morphed into a different story about family, grief, and, above all things, love.