10/18/10 -- On the 18th of every month Debbie and I celebrate our "monthiversary." Today marks 36 years and 5 months since we tied the knot on May 18, 1974. I'm in El Paso, Texas doing author visits in schools, so a phone call was the best we coul...

10/15/10 -- Today is the official publication date for STORM MOUNTAIN, and I'm flooded with a very satisfied feeling of accomplishment. Which will last for about ten minutes. Then I'll get back to work on REVENGE OF THE MUTANT UNDERWEAR. Writing, ...

10/9/10 -- Thursday night I took part in the "Nightcapper" event at the Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association trade show. Over twenty authors of all stripes -- children's, adult, fiction, non-fiction -- sat at tables from 8:30-10:00 PM and sig...

10/4/10 -- One of the great things about being a children's book author is the interesting places I get to visit. Case in point -- LaMoure, North Dakota, population 790. It's tucked away in the southeast quadrant of the state, and the truth is I p...

9/28/10 -- Check out the book trailer for STORM MOUNTAIN on my "Home" page (select in menu bar above), or "Storm Mountain" page reached via "About Tom's Books." Also it can be viewed on YouTube by clicking here.

9/24/10 -- I'm back from Amarillo, Texas and a great school visit with a fantastic bunch of kids at Sleepy Hollow Elementary. Afterward, my wonderful host, Robyn Abbruscato, and her two daughters, Morgan and Tatum, took me out to see the famous Ca...

9/21/10 -- I just checked into a La Quinta hotel in Amarillo, Texas. Tomorrow I get to discuss writing with the kids of Sleepy Hollow Elementary. Let the literary fun begin!In the meantime, the blessed horizontal awaits. Ah . . .

9/18/10 -- I'm finally getting the hang of iMovie and making some progress on the book trailer for STORM MOUNTAIN. A friend told me I should expect to put in over an hour of editing for each minute of finished footage. Ha! Don't I wish! More like ...

9/14/10 -- Fun new pastime -- zip lining! Especially fun when done with family! Could zip lining fit into a story somehow? Absolutely! For example: a character uses a zip line to escape pursuit; or to rescue a pet that is stranded; or to impress s...

9/10/10 -- I am off to Mt. Hood this weekend with Debbie, Kelsey, Amy and Alex. Our goal is to shoot footage for a book trailer for STORM MOUNTAIN. This is a first for me, so who knows how the finished product will turn out. One thing for sure, th...

9/7/10 -- Although here in Corvallis, Oregon school doesn't start until tomorrow, most districts across the country have kids back at their desks by now. Whenever you started, here's wishing you a great year, and especially a stellar writing year!

9/2/10 -- Every now and then I slip into "the zone" and am able to write with what feels like almost no effort. It happened this afternoon, leaving me kinda giddy. Great feeling, giddy. I could get used to it.

8/31/10 -- The end of August already? Time does, as they say, fly. Next thing you know snow will be falling in the Cascades. For now, however, we're still clinging to the notion of summer, with backpacking and climbing adventures coming soon! Lots...

8/24/10 -- One of the challenges of writing a story is trying to work in plot twists that catch the reader by surprise, and yet, upon reflection, seem perfectly logical, even inevitable. You know, like life . . .This past Sunday, for example, I wa...

8/19/10 -- As a birthday present for my wife, Debbie, we squeezed in a short backpacking trip into the Goat Rocks Wilderness in Western Washington. In three days we saw over 50 mountain goats, at least that many elk, strolled through alpine meadow...

8/11/10 -- In the documentary"180 Degrees South," filmmaker Jeff Johnson quotes a friend: "The best journeys answer questions that in the beginning you didn't even think to ask." For me the same thing often proves to be true when reading a good no...

8/9/10 -- Back from a week in the Central Highlands of Mexico. What a wonderful country. We met so many friendly, kind people. Fantastic trip for the Birdseye family. A few pics of the adventure:Amy's loving host mother, Carolina. Amy's Spanish bl...

7/29/10 -- Today's itinerary: 1. Wake up at 4:00 AM and unsuccessfully try to stop brain gears from engaging. 2. Give up and go for a 9-mile dawn run. 3. Two fried eggs on toast, then Latino music to pack by. 4. Print out draft #11 of REVENGE OF T...

7/26/10 -- "The charm of fishing is that it is the pursuit of what is elusive but attainable, a perpetual series of occasions for hope." -- John Buchan Somewhere I read that this quote can easily be modified to apply to my line of work -- just sub...

7/21/10 -- Research has shown that listening to Baroque classical music -- think J.S. Bach, Pachelbel, Vivaldi -- helps you concentrate and be more creative. It could just be the power of suggestion, but I had a very fun and productive writing day...