Aha, this must be the leak!  Well, it’s just a screenshot of a Wordpress editing page I sent to my designer in 2011 because the entry numbers were lining up vertically instead of horizontally.  That’s why those numbers are circled in red.  For the designer’s convenience, I posted the image to a URL in my domain, and your friend must have found the address somehow.  It’s no big deal, but I’m not publishing the URL because other people’s names are included in the image.  I wonder how your friend found the URL?  I’d be interested to know.

Hi again, Peyton!  I admire your determination.  Go for it!  But keep in mind it can be a long slog, and always interpret a “No” as a “Not yet.” It will help keep you sane. You are fourteen, and not being a Select, you have plenty of time. So keep being determined and never stop trying. I don’t have much to offer with tales of rejection and query letters.  I began publishing in a strange, kind of backward way.  I was a working musical-theater actor in NYC and I began copyediting books in between acting jobs.  So, because I was already working in a publishing company, it wasn’t so hard to get writing assignments.  I wrote some educational books and movie novelizations, and then I began ghost-writing for some popular series.  Before long I knew plenty of editors who liked my writing style, and I was able to shift into writing my own books full-time.  So I never really went through that stage of sending letters and writing books on spec.  But what I can tell you is that it’s a heck of lot easier when you have a literary agent working for you.  Publishers are much more likely to read a book that is submitted by an agent.  And an agent will make sure your book gets to the right publisher for the material.  A quick search will lead you to the names of some good ones.  Try to shoot for the best, and under no circumstances use an agent that wants to charge you money for anything.  Agents work on commissions.  Good luck!

Hi, Breanna! As I just wrote to Dawn, try the links on this page. Thanks!

Hi, Caroline!  So sorry it took such a long time to get back to you.  But let me predict … um, wait a minute … DUKE!   😎 

Yia sou to you too, dear cousin!  Meeting you was such a moving experience for me, too.  I was touched that you brought along the photo of Nick L., and I wish you could have seen the expression on my dad’s face when I showed him the photo of us (with you holding up the photo of Nick).  So glad we have connected, and delighted you are enjoying the books.  Till next time!

Hello, Karen!  So sorry it’s taken a while to get back to you.  Here’s some advice I usually give people who are serious about writing books:
1. You have to want it more than anything else in the world. You have to be the kind of person who doesn’t settle for no.2. Reading voraciously — all the time — is the single best training to become a writer.3. It helps to be intensely curious about how your favorite authors make their work so good. What kind of words do they use? What kind of words do they leave out?4. You need to practice. Like a musical instrument or a sport, writing gets better with constant work. Write some things for yourself, pieces that no one else sees. Also write stories that you show to people you respect — teachers, librarians, parents, siblings, other authors, etc. Listen to their feedback. Learn to recognize useful and useless feedback. Useful feedback is your best friend, even though it may feel painful.5. You must collect ideas. Write them down. A pad or a writer’s notebook is great, but anything will do, even a receipt or a scrap of paper. Collect your ideas from conversations, things you observe in everyday life, dreams, other books and movies, etc. When you have a bunch of them, read them over and decide which is the best. Which one makes you the most excited? Start working on that one. If you like it, chances are your readers will too.6. You need to recognize that the stakes in your story must be super-high. Even in stories about everyday life, there must be some dilemma that seems impossible to solve, something the readers will hang on to until the very end.7. Regarding step 6, think hard about what you want to leave out of your story. That’s the thing that will pull your readers in.8. Live life to the fullest. It’s easier to write compelling stories if you’ve experienced compelling events in your life.9. Don’t worry about getting published right away. Almost no one is published at a super-young age, and that’s OK.10. Did I say practice?11. Practice.
OK, as for traveling: well, I’ve been to 42 states and six countries (Germany, the Philippines, Russia, Malaysia, Singapore, and Canada) to talk about my books.  I was a guest of the White House for my trip to Russia and I flew on Air Force One, along with R. L. Stine, Marc Brown, and Jim Billington (the Librarian of Congress).  We had dinner with the President of Russia in the Kremlin, which was very cool.  I’ve been flipped in the air by Tim Green at a presentation in the Chicago area; sung an impromptu song before an audience full of librarians in Fort Worth, Texas; flown into Manila at 3 AM (my time) to give four sit-down interviews followed by several live TV interviews followed by a presentation and signing with a flock of fans, followed by a dinner without any sleep; and met countless wonderful kids and amazing parents and teachers everywhere, with their own great life stories.  Nothing compares to being in Memphis, of course, but there’s a little sample for you!

Danke sehr, Dario! I continue to be delighted that you are enjoying the series and that it’s helping strengthen your love of the English language. Yes, it will be a rather long wait till 2016, but I promise it will be worth the wait!

Well, hi! I sure do know where you can find Book 4. Try the links on this page! As for Doctor Who … yes, we’re old friends.  We met at Comic Con:

Hello, Laura! You can feel free to ask me a question right here, because I really don’t know when I’ll be back. Soon, I hope, because I love the weather in Florida — and the amazing people!