My Neighbor, the Spy

A book for middle-grade readers featuring Aikido

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15-Year Old Aims to Curb Cyberbullying

15-Year Old Aims to Curb Cyberbullying

from BuzzFeed Trisha Prabhu is a fifteen-year old girl who saw a problem, and came up with a creative and ingenious way to help solve it. Trisha learned about an 11-year-old girl who committed suicide after being cyberbullied. “How can a girl younger than myself be pushed to take her own life?” she said. “I was shocked, heartbroken and angry to learn about this incident and set out to find a…

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Meet Sensei W from the Max Williams Adventure Series

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Meet Max Williams of the Max Williams Adventure Series

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Max has an admirer in My Sister, the Traitor.

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Meet Axel: The New German Kid in My Sister, the Traitor I want to introduce you to Axel Wakenbaum, Mrs. W's great-nephew. My friend, Collin Wildridge, suggested giving Mrs.

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Interview with the Author of My Sister, the Traitor

I What’s new in this second book of the Max Williams Adventure Series? Oh, there’s tons of new stuff. For one thing, Max has changed a little. Of course, he’s a year older. But most importantly, sixth grade has been a big year for him. After the big football game at the end of My Neighbor, the Spy, when Max defeated the Reedster with the Heaven and Earth Aikido technique, Max became popular.…

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Release Date for My Sister, the Traitor: May 29, 2015

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Never Underestimate the Power of a Kid

Never Underestimate the Power of a Kid

This blog often features kids who’ve achieved amazing things. But, because Max, the character in my Max Williams adventure books, is kind of nerdy, usually the achievements featured here involve science or technology. I am absolutely delighted to share the above video of 13-year old Joshua Colley hitting it out of the ballpark…

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Would You Like to Review My New Book?

Reviewers Needed

There’s nothing more gratifying to a writer than having a reader appreciate your stories. Even bad reviews are helpful, to tell the truth, because they guide you to do better the next time. As an independently published author, I depend on reviewers to get the word out about my books. So, I’d like to offer to any of my website readers the chance to receive a complimentary electronic copy of my…

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Being a Beekeeper: Disappearing Hives and Bee Rustlers

Why are the Bees Disappearing?

You probably don’t think about bees while you’re eating your dinner, but maybe you should. Like the video shows, we’d be in a world of hurt without our bees.

President Obama knows bees are important. Watch what happens when bees dive bomb some kids at the annual White House Easter Egg hunt.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zi…

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Interactive Endangered Species Exhibit: In Pieces

Poster from the In Pieces Exhibit available at Society 6

In Pieces is a beautiful, interactive website that illustrates the struggle of thirty endangered species.  You can easily lose track of time browsing through this website. There are thirty species featured. They may even include animals you’re not familiar with, like the Iberian Lynx, the Kakapo, and the Fiji Crested Iguana.

Each species…

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The Little Brown Book - An Original Modern Fable

by Becky Black Powell

Once upon a time there was a little old man who lived in a dark little house. All day long, the old man sat in a fat, old chair and looked through his little brown book. He’d had his little brown book for years, and in it, he kept a record of everything he’d ever done to help other people – his family his neighbors, even strangers. If he helped one of his neighbors cut down…

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A Zen Folktale: The Cats and the Big Rat

My new book, My Sister, the Traitor includes this old Zen folktale about a big, pesky rat and the cats who try to catch it. One of the characters in the book tells this tale to show his aikido students the connection between Zen principles and the practice of martial arts. I’ve adapted this folktale from the original version written in 1727 by Issai Chozan.

The Cats and the Big Rat

Once there…

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Atticus Finch Will Always Be My Hero

Atticus Finch Returns: Author of To Kill a Mockingbird Publishes Second Book

Harper Lee’s second book, which was actually written before To Kill a Mockingbird is coming out soon. It is called Go Set a Watchman, and features an older Atticus and Scout. It will be released this summer.

If you haven’t read To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee yet, you must. It’s one of my favorite books of all time. I read it as…

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Swashbuckler Has To Be the Best Word Ever

Swashbuckler May Be the Best Word Ever

Swashbuckler has to be the best word ever. At least it’s one of my favorites. I mean, there’s nothing like a rainy Saturday afternoon on the couch watching a breathless movie sword fight. When I first saw the video complication of sword fights, it brought back some great memories of my childhood. My dad is the one who introduced me to the word “swashbuckler.” I don’t…

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Failure Isn't the End of the World

In my new book, Max fails in kind of a big way. He chooses the wrong way to deal with his rival, Axel. But, as O Sensei says, “Failure is the key to success; each mistake teaches us something.” It’s not that Max wasn’t wrong. He was. But, he still has the chance to learn from his mistake and make better choices next time.

Everybody makes mistakes. You cannot learn anything new if you fear making…

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Rumor Bullies

I’d planned to write a post this week with featuring websites where you can find out more about Aikido. But, because of something that has happened to someone close to me, I changed my mind. I’m going to write a post about how people bully others by spreading rumors about them. I’m also going to tell you some of the plot to My Sister, the Traitorthat I had not planned on revealing before the…

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