Great video send in by the father of Luke, a young Ballpark Mysteries reader. Stick around until the end (don’t worry, it’s a brief video) to see his request for a Mets Ballpark Mysteries book–it’s very, very cute!
Luke also followed up with another fan video. In this one, taken back in the spring, he’s waiting for Ballpark Mysteries #9 – The Philly Fake – to come out. But watch out, because he also reveals a spoiler for book #8 – The Missing Marlin!
When I write a Ballpark Mysteries book, I always try to include cool stuff about the stadium, the team, and the city. So I had a little bit of fun when I was writing Ballpark Mysteries #9, The Philly Fake, and was able to include a scene at the beginning that included a hot dog launcher (or hot dog cannon). The hot dog launcher shoots foil-wrapped hot dogs high up into the seats of the Philies’ stadium. It’s fun to watch (especially because the Philies mascot, the Phillie Phanatic does it), and it’s fun to write about.
But I was really tickled when I was researching the book and came across this documentary of the Hatfield Hot Dog Launcher. It’s a short (and VERY funny) documentary that shows the development of a major new invention for mankind–the hot dog launcher. If you’ve got a few minutes, I highly recommend watching it! (And get ready to catch some hot dogs if you go to a Philies game
Back in July, had a chance to visit the Duxbury Free Library in Duxbury, MA as part of an author visit that Westwinds Bookshop put together. Even though it was a beautiful summer day, I had a great turnout for the event (I think there were 30 people or more). In addition to doing a reading, I took the audience through the process of writing a mystery and told them how I got started with the Ballpark Mysteries. I had a lot of fun, and it was nice to meet some of the readers afterwards for a book signing.
But what was really nice was the email that I received from the head of children’s services:
Hi David,
Just wanted to thank you again for the outstanding visit to our library last week. You are a terrific presenter! You gave the audience a simple yet complete understanding of the writing process and I know at least one of the attendees has been inspired to try creating a story.
I hope we can have you back another time. Maybe with a new book?
Nancy
Head of Children’s Services
Duxbury Free Library
Duxbury, Ma 02332
One of the great things about being a writer is hearing from readers and fans. It never fails to make my day when I receive an email or letter from kids or parents who have read one of my books (usually it’s a Ballpark Mysteries book or Miracle Mud, but sometimes I hear from fans of my non-fiction chapter book, Babe Ruth and Baseball Curse).
Here’s one of the latest letters that I received, from an eight-year-old boy here in Newton. Hopefully he found the Ballpark Mysteries at our great local bookstore, Newtonville Books.
If it’s too hard to read, Joey is suggesting that I create a new mystery called “The Freezing Tiger” where someone (his emphasis) is freezing the players in the clubhouse and then they unfreeze in the night and don’t swing the bat very well in the next game. (Perhaps Joey has been watching some Red Sox games?).
Miracle Mud: Lena Blackburne and the Secret Mud that Changed Baseball has just won a Maryland However, it’s nice to know that Lady Luck can visit you as many times she wants to during your gaming experience. Blue Crab Young Readers Award for the Transitional Non-fiction Category.
Here”s their brochure with all the winners and honorable mentions: Blue Crab brochure 2014.
I stopped by the Framingham, Massachusetts Barnes and Noble a few days ago to sign some books and see if they’re ready for my author visit/event next Saturday. If you’re in the Boston area and want to get a signed copy of the Ballpark Mysteries (including #8 – The Missing Marlin), stop by at 2pm on Saturday, March 15th. From the looks of it, they’re all set for the visit!
Looking for a good mystery for your son or daughter?
Check out this great list of mysteries (including, of course, one of the Ballpark Mysteries) for kids.
Ballpark Mysteries or Red Sox fans will want to check out the latest addition to the Ballpark Mysteries website. It’s a missing chapter from the first Ballpark Mysteries book, The Fenway Foul-Up.
In the book, Kate and I had a great time visiting Boston and helping Big D find his missing bat. But even if you read the book, you didn’t catch all the action. Check out the missing chapter from The Fenway Foul-Up to see what happened after the book ended.
Okay, well, maybe our book THE WRIGLEY RIDDLE about Kate and my visit to the Chicago Cubs didn’t really win the World Series (and neither did the Cubs!), but Amazon.com did name THE WRIGLEY RIDDLE as one of its Best Books of the Year 2013!
When Kate and I travel to different ballpark, we know that we’ll see a baseball game. But when we went to San Francisco last year, we never thought we’d go kayaking in San Francisco bay! Turns out the bay is right next to the San Francisco Giants’ ballpark! It’s really cool, since home runs get hit over the stadium wall and fly into the bay! They’re called Splash Hits!If you’re out there in a kayak or boat, you can actually catch one!
So Kate and I were kayaking in the bay when our San Francisco Splash mystery started. We heard a splash nearby, and before we knew it, we were investigating a missing World Series ring and chasing the thief all over San Francisco!