Images that inspire a writer...?

When we worry about the fact that our young reader is obsessed with reading silly books and comics and "non literature", some of us must remember what it was like when the reading world was new and there was so much interesting and weird...

I would sit in my back yard or up in my tree house and obsess over comic books for hours and hours when I was a boy. There is a large box of my old comic books and Mad Magazines in my basement that I have been pouring over. When I look at these old ads it brings back memories of the mystery and the fantasy of actually having the exotic animals shown on the pages.

I ordered virtually everything in those magazines, the most disappointing the X-Ray glasses.

As I am molding the characters for the Go Ask Mom series I am able to go back in time and become a boy again for short periods, WHAT FUN!

Gabe is obsessing about some of the items you see in these pictures and I think you will like what comes from it in book 3. The Gabriel Book Of World Records will be out sometime within the next months.... Stay tuned and read whatever grabs YOUR fancy and let your imagination run wild!

A HATE CRIME THAT REQUIRES REVENGE!

A dark cloud hangs over the Matott household tonight.

A dastardly, diabolical and daring crime was committed in broad daylight during a dashing, dazzling Bronco game that Mr. Matott was inside watching with no knowledge that within just yards of his comfortable couch a horrible crime was being committed.

During the Bronco game a hate crime was committed in Mr. Matott's back and side yard.

Over fourteen hundred blades of grass were stabbed to death with simple plastic forks and due to the nature of this crime it is believed that someone is without his toilet paper tonight... adding theft to the potential list of crimes.

Trees were tied up, adding to the list including;
kidnapping,
littering,
trespassing,
illegal use of toilet paper and forks,
1451 counts of murder of Kentucky Bluegrass,
deprivation of toilet paper and a long list of other potential crimes.


The culprit is believed to be an ardent Raider fan who knows of Mr. Matott's love for the Broncos (who were beating the Raiders soundly during the crime to the tune of 23 - 3 IN THE BLACK HOLE IN CALIFORNIA, I MIGHT ADD!).

A young man of approximately ten and a half in a red shirt with strikingly blond hair and apparently quite handsome was seen sneaking around the outskirts of the Matott mansion doing the deed.

CONCEPT DRAWING--->



An eyewitness claimed the boy was humming something from either the Legos or the Bionicals and giggling with delight at his wit, stealth and conniving need to inflict pain on Mr. Matott. This evidence along with the actual owning of said toys will be further evidence when this case goes to trial.

This will not go unpunished. Fingerprints are being lifted from the forks that littered the Matott yard and when the culprit is apprehended it is likely he will receive either a toilet swirly, an atomic wedgie or BOTH, but in the extreme case he could be sentenced to a plastic fork and toilet paper factory and be forced to apologize to every blade of grass in Mr. Matott's yard for taking their dear friends so brutally.

A funeral will be held in Mr. Matott's backyard. Please withhold flowers (seen by Kentucky bluegrass as competition) but by all means do not withhold any dark chocolate, especially from the Mountain Man or from Sees. Sometimes it is these kind of gestures that helps one get through such loss.

Introducing T-Bone, a new character!

In the upcoming third book, The Gabriel Book of World Records, in this six book saga Gabe and his friends are up to their usual antics when a new friend shows up. A friend who brings new talents and humor to their group. Wait until you see how they initiate him in to the Secret Brotherhood of Boys. If you are reading this and have no idea what I am talking about, please catch up. Go Ask Mom and The World According to Gabe are available at my website: www.justinmatott.com or at www.amazon.com

Douglas County Library visits are happening!

I had my first session out in Parker with a great group of kids, librarians, parents and teachers!

Some story telling, some Q & A. Please check out my calendar at my website and stop in to one of these events! www.justinmatott.com

THE NEW STYLE FOR THE GABRIEL PETERS SERIES

Hi, book 3 in the Gabriel Peters series is well on its way. With an illustrator and designer change it is taking a bit longer than was first anticipated. I think it will be worth the wait! The third book is titled The Gabriel World Book Of Records.

The style is intended to look as though Gabriel (at this point a fifth grader) has pulled these drawings and writings directly from his journal. As though YOU are reading his journals and seeing his doodles.

In this book many adventures will occur, not the least of which is Gabriel and his buddies trying very hard to make it into the Guinness World Book of Records. Their main endeavor is to build the World's largest spit pool... ewwww...

I am writing furiously in book 4 and 5 and have 6 total planned and outlined. I would love to hear from you regarding your impressions of these rough sketches for the new book, particularly if you are used to the style in the previous two (which by the way will be completely redone to reflect the entire book series in the same light).

Click on each picture to blow it up and to read the script next to the tree house easier.

How to get a girl, starring my son!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2paLkR6KEZc

My son is a Broadcast Journalism major at CU (GO BUFFS!)
He starred, edited, produced this piece for his church group. He is in the flannel, THE CORE shirt and under his car at the beginning. My favorite scene is when he hands it to the little Basketball player on the court (must have been a CSU alum).

Anyway, it is clever, me thinks....