The Ogre’s Secret! Bogerd Climbs!

My very first Bogerd story – The Ogre’s Secret – found a home in Broadswords and Blasters, issue 6. Friend and raconteur Ed McKean gave me an idea for this one long ago. John Miller and I worked together a few years back on teaching materials intended to drop students into a Minecraft world of vikings and castles. That project inspired me to look at this story again and get it up to speed.  It’s a romp and nothing more, but I hope you’ll enjoy it!

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07FJLFGDQ/

Advertisements

Chalone Peaks Middle School 2018 Civil War Reenactment

Students and teachers of Chalone Peaks Middle School once again created a great event yesterday. Helped by parents and loyal reenactors, everyone worked together to make the 2018 Civil War reenactment a learning experience without equal. History came alive before young people’s eyes and will live in their minds always.

Author at work  (Photo by Vibeke Hanneman)

Lincoln sharing his thoughts  (Photo by Vibeke Hanneman)

Harriet Tubman revealing the evils of slavery.  (Photo by Vibeke Hanneman)

Confederates advance  (Photo by Vibeke Hanneman)

Union soldiers defend.  (Photo by Vibeke Hanneman)

BOOM!  (Photo by Vibeke Hanneman)

Minecraft Stemlab is here!

Happy to announce that Chris Scott and I have written a second Unofficial Minecraft Lab book and it is now available through most of the usual booksellers. This book emphasizes STEM applications and follows the same pattern as our previous book —> 24 Minecraft activities + 24 out of game activities. We also wanted parents to see how enriching and valuable having a “Minecraft Skillset” can be, so we interviewed several amazingly talented folks about how they incorporate these skills into their lives and occupations. It includes interviews with Stephen Reid, Garrett Zimmer, Johan Kruger, Adam Clarke, and Sqaishey.

Finally, we introduce the idea of sketchnoting by asking kids to create a visual lab journal of sorts as they proceed through the activities.

For locals, I will be doing a book signing at WhizKids in SLO on Sunday, May 6th. Come on by between 11:30 and 2 and say hi!

This is what friend and colleague John Miller had to say about his new book. Here’s the Amazon link: https://www.amazon.com/Unofficial-Minecraft-STEM-Kids-Family-Friendly/dp/1631594834/

Special Price for a Special Book!

Dawn Drums received a unique honor at the end of last year: First Place in the historical fiction category of the 2017 Readers Choice Awards. Publisher Moonlight Mesa Associates is celebrating the book’s recognition by offering the ebook edition at a reduced price. It’s available on both Kindle and Smashwords for $4.95 a copy. I’ll also offer a reduced price on my inventory of the paperback edition to folks in King City and the Central Coast: $9.95 a copy. This offer will be good for the month of February. You know where I live!

Here’s the Amazon link: https://www.amazon.com/Dawn-Drums-Robert-Walton-ebook/dp/B00C4ZH1VU/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8

Dawn Drums wins Readers Choice Award

It’s official! Dawn Drums won first place in the historical fiction category! The official announcement came this morning. I greatly appreciate all the folks who took time to vote for me and will update you on further news about the prize.

Interview with Trin Carl

Pinnacles climbing on 12/10/17

Minnesota writer Trin Carl recently interviewed me for his blog. He asked thoughtful questions about my writing process and allowed me to ramble on. I even got to share my reminiscence about Tony Hillerman! I think you’d all enjoy the exchanges, so I’ve included a link below. Please do let him know you visited!

http://theglobaldig.blogspot.com

The Gettysburg Address – its power grows.

The Monterey Pops performed a great concert at Stanton Theater in King City on November 11th. I was honored to provide narration for one of their pieces – A New Birth of Freedom by Randol Bass. The text? Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address. I got a lot of help from the Pops, but Lincoln’s words needed no help at all. He made it clear forever what being an American means and requires. Thanks, Abe.