And remember, I would really appreciate it if you could post a review online after you finish it on Amazon or Barnes & Noble.    The book is doing very well thanks to all of you!  But I would really like to get the word out about the I,Q Series, both books 1 and 2.  Let’s see if we can get the books on the NYT Bestseller List.

Okay, the winners are (and please excuse the typos in your names if I made any)…

Teresa Evans, Megan McDonald, Tricia Rathke, Belinda Vose, Katie Johnson, Brenda Young, Amy Fetterman, Trang McGillivary, Cayla Armatti, Rachel Kissinger, Stacie Sharp, Dawn Bardo, Vicki Herndon, Heather Moate, Joann Elder, Jessica Deon, Heidi Grant, Melissa Biehl, Barbara Bollingger, Anne Kalkowski, Kira Smith, Stephanie Stahl, Mindi Crook, Janette King, Amy Louthan, Donna Sweeny, Alyson Harkins, Nancy Albritton, Terri Moore, Donna Smith, Melanie Gentzler, Jennifer Boling, Sean Capelle, Barbara Scheuter, Susan Stanley, Jodi Frye, Anita Ballester, Belinda Vose, Tammy Brightwell, Marcie Odum, Sanydlee Singletary, Helen Cologne, Teresa Garrett, Kim Nelson, Kim Hornkohl, Marge Cox.

As you can see by the photo above the books are lined up, signed, mailing labels finished, now all we have to do is figure the best way to mail them out.

Again, for those who missed out.  Stay tuned!

Kids if you want a free signed copy of one of my books go to my webpage and enter a contest. I’m running a contest right now. The address is: http://rolandsmith.com

Good luck!

When I got home our daughter Niki showed up with a couple bags of Moroccan  food, which we gobbled down like hungry camels.  This might account for me waking up this morning with a bellyache, a condition so rare for me I can count the times I’ve been afflicted with it on one hand (and I’m old).  This slowed the work down on Storm Runner, but I pushed ahead anyway, and I’m glad I did.  I got an email this afternoon from my editor telling me that she has a meeting with the art department tomorrow to go over the cover for the second book in the series.  She wanted to know if I had any ideas for it.

I had  a lot of ideas that I didn’t share with her because they were unrelated to the cover. I didn’t bellyache even though I had a bellyache.  They are designing the cover for the second book while I’m working on the final edits for the first book, which I only got back from them last week.  I haven’t even started writing the second Storm Runner book, but I do have a pretty good idea of what’s going to happen.  I was able to give her a few ideas.  I’m sure they will come up with something great.  They usually do.

Oh…one other bit of Storm Runner news.  Scholastic audio is putting out a recorded version simultaneously with the print edition.  They have the narrators narrowed down to two people and I was told that they were going to ask me which narrator I prefer.  That’s never happened before. I’m usually the last person to know who narrates my books.

Book Discussion Group with Author Roland Smith

Monday, July 12 at 4:30-5:30 p.m

Children in grades 4-6 are invited to read Roland Smith’s Peak and then discuss with the author.  The story features exciting adventures of a boy who wants to be the youngest person to reach the top of Mt. Everest.  Sign up is required.  Please call 503-697-6580 to register.

I actually enjoying being edited.  And my editor has done a fabulous job.  Every revision makes the story better.  The photo above is a shot of a typical page.  Some people might find these markups  horrifying.  I find comfort in all the revisions.  It’s like slashing fat and replacing it with muscle.  In the end it creates a stronger and healthier story.

I hope to have the revisions finished by next weekend, then it will be onto Storm Runners #2.  When that’s finished I’ll get back to the third Cryptid Hunter novel.

If you get a chance to read it let me know what you think on my blog, Roland’s Journal, or on my Face Book Fan Page.

I’m looking forward to hearing from you.

And if you haven’t read I,Q Book One: Independence Hall you can find it at your library, bookstore, or online @ amazon.com, barnesandnoble.com, powellsbooks.com.

Happy Fourth of July!

I’ve gotten a lot of emails asking when the third CH book is coming out.  In fact, I got at least a dozen emails about this the DAY AFTER it came out.  I know this means you like the book, and the characters, for which I’m very grateful.  But keep in mind that it takes a lot longer to write a book, than it does to read a book.

I usually don’t read my books again.  The only exception are sequels.  I read (actually kind of skim) the previous book looking for details that I might have forgotten during the various drafts before it was published.  The skimming takes a lot time, because as I’m reading I’m thinking about the current story, madly scratching down notes and ideas that I might use as I write the draft.

I’m not posting this to tease you.  I’m just letting you know what I’m working on.  I’m also working on the 3rd I,Q novel (the second I,Q should be out by the end of the week), and two other books.