Nice WISH YOU WERE DEAD Review

http://princessoflit.blogspot.com/2011/12/wish-you-were-dead-by-todd-strasser.html

My Review: I loved this book! Which is funny, because I hated the first Todd Strasser book I read, Famous...but whatever. It was exciting and fun to read, and I really liked the main character, Madison. She was sweet and simple---not too complicated and annoying. The plot was really intriguing and it even started to creep me out as it went on, which is good, because "creepy" books RARELY creep me out. It was a quick, fast read, and cut straight to the point. The short POVs from the killer were actually pretty scary! I'll admit, the end kind of let me down a LITTLE, because it wasn't as freaky as I thought it'd be...but it was freaky enough, for a teen thriller, and so I'm good.

Garrison School Visit 11/15/11

 Novelist Todd Strasser led energetic, engaging writing workshops with all of our Middle School English Language Arts classes today.  His presentations today were described as "beyond fabulous!"

Now Available! Book #3 in the Thrillogy!

Shelby never imagined that her family would be the subject of a police investigation, but that's what happens when three teenage clients of her fashion photographer father go missing. Shelby's seemingly perfect life of hot sports cars, travel, and unlimited shopping trips crumbles when her dad is named a prime suspect in the girls' disappearance.

What's the connection between the missing girls and her father? Is he as innocent as he claims? Does the great-looking guy who works with her dad have anything to do with the threatening e-mails she's been receiving?

If I Grow Up on 2012 Louisiana Teen Reader List

Unlike some state lists, this one only has ten books.

http://www.state.lib.la.us/ltrc2012/books.php?booknum=10

Sports, Muscles, and Body Hair

http://www.amazon.com/Sports-Muscles-Body-Hair-ebook/dp/B005SFPZZC/ref=sr_1_58?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1317764072&sr=1-58

With the passage of time, what seemed so important in sixth grade became less so.

Nice British review of Blood on My Hands

http://carlybennett.blogspot.com/2011/09/review-blood-on-my-hands-todd-strasser.html

Nice review of Wish You Were Dead

http://www.karinsbooknook.com/2011/09/18/wish-you-were-dead-by-todd-strasser-review/

Winter Outdoor Popcorn Vendor

The True Story of How I Met Bill Cosby, Joe Nameth, and Ali McGraw in One Winter Week While Selling Popcorn

It was the winter of 1970 and I had a week to kill in New York City. I spent it selling popcorn from a cart near the Plaza Hotel. It was a truly memorable experience.

On Kindle and Nook

A Heavy Lady to Dance With

After spending several months hitchhiking around Europe in the early 1970s, I lived for a time on an abandoned sailing ship in a Copenhagen harbor while supporting myself as a street musician.

The memoir is now on Kindle and Nook.

Three Stories From My College Years

I wrote these three pieces while I was a student at Beloit College in Wisconsin. They were the first three to be “professionally” published. The first two pieces are fiction. The third is non-fiction.

Looking for Tornadoes, and Inspiration was originally published in Spectrum, a literary magazine published by the University of Massachusetts.

Clap Trap was published in New Writers, a literary magazine published in New York City. Please note: this piece addresses a ‘mature subject,’ and is probably not appropriate for readers under the age of fourteen.

Encounter: ‘I Must Have Looked Frightened’ was published in a well-known newspaper nicknamed ‘The Gray Lady’ and sometimes referred to as ‘the newspaper of record.’

Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/Three-from-College-ebook/dp/B005MGTW1K/ref=sr_1_47?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1316007687&sr=1-47

Nook: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/three-from-college-todd-strasser/1105605831?ean=2940013344617&itm=16&usri=todd%2bstrasser

Blood on My Hands Nominated for 2012 Texas Tayshas List

I believe this list is used by school libraries throughout Texas, so it involves a lot of schools.

The Return of Wordsworth

Wordsworth, the lazy, loveable, talking Basset hound has come back to life in digital form!

These beginning chapter books for grades 1 - 3 are great bedtime read-alouds.

Kindle:

http://www.amazon.com/Wordsworth-Cold-Cut-Catastrophe-ebook/dp/B005D9JKXQ/ref=sr_1_49?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1315825624&sr=1-49

Nook:

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/wordsworth-and-the-cold-cut-catastrophe-todd-strasser/1003225922?ean=2940012779793&itm=6&usri=todd%2bstrasser

The Joy of Surfing

I don't know him, but I'm told he lives around here. Long Beach is one of our closest breaks. This was shot as Irene approached. Please watch until the end.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A1-KOej8gwU

Variety International Runs Story on German Give A Boy A Gun Movie

Posted: Tue., Aug. 16, 2011, 8:47am PT

Gansel to adapt 'Give a Boy a Gun'

Pic based on Todd Strasser novel

By Ed Meza

Exclusive: BERLIN -- Dennis Gansel, who directed 2008 hit drama ''The Wave,'' is again turning to author Todd Strasser for his next film, ''Ich knall euch ab!''
Pic is based on Strasser's 2000 novel ''Give a Boy a Gun,'' about two troubled and heavily armed students who hold their classmates hostage at a high-school dance and target the jocks and teachers who tormented them. Pic is to be set in Germany.

Gansel's adaptation of Strasser's ''The Wave,'' which was also set in a German high school, became a major international hit for Constantin Film. With its exploration of teen violence, ''Ich knall euch ab!'' is seen as a thematic follow-up to that film.

Jan Berger, who penned Gansel's 2010 vampire thriller ''We Are the Night,'' also wrote the ''Give a Boy a Gun'' adaptation.

Christian Becker of Munich-based Rat Pack Filmproduktion is producing the pic, which is set to shoot in the second quarter of next year. Constantin Film will distribute domestically.

Gansel's recently finished ''The Year of the Snake'' for UFA Cinema. The political thriller, which stars Moritz Bleibtreu, Kasia Smutniak and Max Riemelt, follows a Berlin tabloid journalist who travels to Moscow and gets caught up in a web of intrigue and terrorism.

Universal is set to release ''The Year of the Snake'' in Germany later this year.

Contact Ed Meza at staff@variety.com

Blood on My Hands Nominated for Wyoming Award

The 2011-2012 Wyoming Soaring Eagle Book Award for students in grades 7 - 12.

http://www.ccpls.org/html/soaringeagle.html

Short Interview With Todd: re Famous

Todd Strasser talks to us about the insightful inspiration behind his latest novel, Famous. Read more at his website, www.toddstrasser.com.

What is your latest book about?

Famous is about several teenagers’ desire for fame at whatever cost is necessary. The central character, Jamie, is a teenage paparazzo who secretly wishes she was the one being photographed. When her dream comes true she sees a side of fame she never knew existed.

What inspired you to write it?

For many years, when I spoke at schools kids would ask how much money I earned and what kind of car I drove. Starting about ten years ago, the question, “Are you famous?” began to pop up just as often. When I spoke to kids, many said they wanted to be famous, but when I asked why, they didn’t actually know. Fame had become a goal the way previous generations wanted to be presidents, or actors, or sports stars.

How is eBook technology changing things for you as an author?

I’m thrilled with this technology because it has affored me the opportunity to revive many older out-of-print books which otherwise would have been lost to new readers. Now these books sell everyday on Kindle and Nook. Talk about a dream come true!

What advice do you have for other aspiring authors?

I think new authorshave an opportunity I never had. They can write a book, price it cheaply, and issue it as an eBook. It the democratization of book publishing because now the readers, not editors and sales people, can decide what should be read.

Todd Finally Gets the Last Laugh ... er, Chuckle

New York City's local weekly paper runs a story on writers using the Upper East Side in their books. I'm pretty much last, but hopefully not least.


http://ourtownny.com/2011/07/06/reading-upper-east-side/#more-13570

Off to Montauk for July

Lots of Todd's books now available on Nook and Kindle for $.99 to $2.99

Help! I'm Trapped books now on Nook and Kindle

The first two books in the 17 - book Help! I'm Trapped in ... series

are now available digitally.

The Diving Bell is now on Kindle

Culca wants to be a diver like her brother and the other young men in her village, but it's not proper for young women in her tribe to dive. When the Spanish kidnap the village's divers and take them to dive for gold at impossible depths, Culca knows she must try to save them. She'll find a way to help her brother, or die trying.

"Here is history, adventure, excitement, and a strong heroine all in one setting. What more can a reader ask for?" -- VOYA

http://www.amazon.com/The-Diving-Bell-ebook/dp/B0055WY6H6/ref=sr_1_26?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1308137046&sr=1-26

Kill You Last ..... UK Cover

This UK covers have been great. Here are the other two:

The Great Digital Opportunity

Some writers see the Kindle and the other reading tablets as a place to dust off and sell out-of-print books. But to me one unexpected opportunity offered by the new digital book universe is the chance to go back and rewrite and revise an older book. Before now it would not have made sense to rewrite an out-of-print book. After all, who would read it? But now I feel like I can give these works a new life. It's really exciting.

Cool New Trailer for Drift-X

Kids are doing cool trailers as school projects. This one comes from Texas with lots of tire smoke and music.

http://animoto.com/play/ori51j1jU3sGlosg3o5adA?utm_content=main_link

Abe Lincoln is in My Bathroom

In a way, this is a little dream come true. I wrote this book nearly 20 years ago and wanted to use this title, but certain editors thought it inappropriate -- for reasons I couldn't fathom -- and published it with a different title. Thanks to the wonders of scanning and Kindle, here is a revised and updated version with the title it should have had in the first place.

http://www.amazon.com/Abe-Lincoln-My-Bathroom-ebook/dp/B0050ITKDK/ref=sr_1_24?ie=UTF8&m=AG56TWVU5XWC2&s=digital-text&qid=1305227083&sr=1-24

The Accident Is Now Available on Kindle

Todd's first mystery, an award-winning who-done-it about a drunk driving accident.


http://www.amazon.com/The-Accident-ebook/dp/B004XWJ9C6/ref=sr_1_21?ie=UTF8&m=AG56TWVU5XWC2&s=digital-text&qid=1304181387&sr=1-21

Two New Interviews

Two book sites have posted interviews with me today.

http://wordswimmer.blogspot.com/2011/04/one-writers-process-todd-strasser.html

http://childrenspublishing.blogspot.com/2011/04/in-stores-this-week-with-interviews_25.html

ANGEL DUST BLUES is now available on Kindle

My first novel, published in 1979, is now available on Kindle.

http://www.amazon.com/Angel-Dust-Blues-ebook/dp/B004X8EKS8/ref=sr_1_21?ie=UTF8&m=AG56TWVU5XWC2&s=digital-text&qid=1303301664&sr=1-21

FAMOUS gets a good School Library Journal review!

Gr 8-11–At 14, Jamie Gordon took some photos of a model’s embarrassing moment and sold them to a tabloid, which led to her own first taste of fame. Now 16 and a professional paparazzo, she is in LA to document a week in the life of starlet Willow Twine. Jamie feels as if she and Willow are friends, and she considers staying there to focus her energy on becoming the “Annie Leibovitz of the LA young actor scene.” Her boyfriend, Nasim, is a complicating factor, and so is the mysterious lack of communication from Avy, a close friend and aspiring actor who ran away to LA eight months earlier. Then Jamie discovers six photos on her camera that could ruin Willow’s career–and send Jamie’s to new heights. Suspense about a man who is stalking Willow, what’s in those pictures, and who took them drives this fast-paced narrative. Chapters jump between various episodes in Jamie’s freshman and sophomore years, interwoven with emails to Nasim and dispatches from Avy’s ill-fated trip to Tijuana for plastic surgery. Paying attention to chapter headings is essential to track each thread of the story. Strasser is a serious name-dropper, but the underlying message about the cost of fame is a sobering one. The author, best known for grittier novels, shows impressive range here, though a subplot about Jamie’s disabled brother feels tacked on. Nonetheless, this book is likely to be snapped up and make a lasting impression on readers.–Amy Pickett, Ridley High School, Folsom, PA

My only quibble with the review (aside from the tacked on line about Jamie's brother) is that she calls be a serious name dropper. After all, it's a book about people thirsting for fame. Wouldn't it be out of character for them NOT to drop names?

Cool new trailer for Blood On My Hands

The trailer is for the British version with a different cover, but the story remains the same.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OS20AY7YQtk&feature=player_embedded

Another Good Review for FAMOUS

Jamie Gordon, recently dubbed “New York’s youngest paparazzo,” wants to become a professional celebrity photographer. When she lands the opportunity to spend a week living with teen megastar Willow Twine in L.A., photographing her and documenting her life, it’s a dream come true. Willow, recently out of rehab, is trying to salvage her damaged career, but is still partying. When Jamie finds photos that could make her career and ruin Willow’s, she is faced with the biggest decision of her life. Strasser has written a novel that exposes the magical lure of celebrity. He shows how even the most sought after truths often hide the darkest lies. Jamie is a fully believable character with whom readers will identify. Strasser presents a story about a young girl who wants to find fame, but the reader can see that she is sacrificing personal relationships to do so. The message is clear, but in a thoughtful rather than preachy way, as Jamie reflects on what she has learned. This is a good read that is taken from today’s celebrity headlines; it should surely hook teens looking for a good story that they can identify with. --Library Media Connection, May/June 2011

School Vists Update

Hi Todd, Thanks so much for an amazing visit. I have heard great feedback from many students. I also want to thank you for the book reccommendations. My son Ty is nose deep in Holes. Thanks again for everything! Kendra Kendra Griffin, District 64 Elementary Learning Foundation, PO Box 114, Park Ridge, IL 60068 e-mail: griffins421@gmail.com

FAMOUS -- Five Star Review from Teen Reads

http://www.teensreadtoo.com/FamousStrasser.html

Wish You Were Dead Nominated for 2012 Abraham Lincoln Illinois H.S. Book Award

The award is sponsored by the Illinois School Library Media Association and was nominated by the students of Illinois.

Trailers for Give A Boy A Gun

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WfGH7I2ayDA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xWiIMoMJRys&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BajebVtXD6g&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fyt3JiRmd3U&feature=related

Todd's First 3-Cent Joke Book -- Critter Kidders

The least you can pay for a book on Amazon Kindle is 99 cents so I created this joke book with 33 jokes. These are some of my favorite jokes about four-legged and two-legged creatures because they make kids think as well as laugh.

http://www.amazon.com/Critter-Kidders-Todds-3-Cent-ebook/dp/B004UAZ042/ref=sr_1_20?ie=UTF8&m=AG56TWVU5XWC2&s=digital-text&qid=1301573747&sr=1-20

Trailers for BOOT CAMP

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SJwY10mvMX8&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=07IWWY5IDag&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AWjKrBjzP7A&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8qJqDt5UuSg&feature=related

A New Documentary Movie about The Wave

A documentary about The Wave is being shown at film festivals around the country. Here's the trailer:

www.lessonplanmovie.com

Don't Get Caught in the Teachers' Lounge is now available on Kindle

Kyle, Dusty and Wilson are at it again. This time they've discovered that the soda machine in the teachers' lounge has the WORLD'S CHEAPEST SODA! All they want to do is get their hands on some of it. But there's a rule that students are strictly forbidden from entering the teachers' lounge. Not that rules have ever stopped Kyle and his friends before.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004T5W550

Trailers For WISH YOU WERE DEAD

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aUgS86Nw1D0&feature=player_embedded

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-TJg_6GHMc8&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OGqzizmvmFI

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bCRXJ5nPboM

Don't Get Caught Driving the School Bus is now available on Kindle

http://www.amazon.com/Dont-Caught-Driving-School-ebook/dp/B004SJF87E/ref=sr_1_16?ie=UTF8&m=AG56TWVU5XWC2&s=digital-text&qid=1300625427&sr=1-16