July the 11th happens to be a benchmark date because it was Ethan Sparks’ 14th birthday. In Books One, Two and Three in the series, Ethan was 13. In Books Four and Five, he will be 14. Book Six, the last book, Ethan will turn 15 years old.

With the publication of Book Three (scheduled for November 2010), I will be halfway through the series. At this point in my career, Ethan Sparks Adventures is reaching its critical mass stage. By this, I mean that the series is really starting to catch on.

On July the 1st, my interview in the Kernersville News came out. It was featured on the first page of the Lifestyles section, complete with a photo of me and a prominent picture of Book One, Escape of the Terra-Cotta Soldiers.

When I first saw this published interview in my local paper, I realized that critical mass had begun. It was gratifying to see that my writer’s journey had reached this benchmark.

On August the 28th, I will be performing my 40th book signing at one of my local Barnes & Noble bookstores. This one is in Burlington, NC.

I am so grateful to Becky Carnigan, the Community Relations Manager at the Greensboro Barnes & Noble for her continuous support in scheduling book fairs and book signings. Also, Renee Johnson in High Point, Susan Ellington in Burlington, and Jane Derian in Winston-Salem.

I was also privileged to perform a “China presentation” at the Northwest Middle School in Greensboro on June the 9th.

My presentation, which I gave to 300 7th graders, was a lot of fun for both the kids and myself. I told the kids stories about my China experience with a Powerpoint that featured actual photographs of my China trip. Afterwards, the 300 7th graders and I had an invigorating Q&A. What a rush that was!

My heartfelt thanks go out to Ms. Tammy Balser, who is in charge of Social Studies for the 7th grade at Northwest Middle. My presentation was part of her seventh grade curriculum about Asia.

I would also like to thank my publicist, Ellen Berry, for all of her insight and expertise in putting together such a phenomenal Powerpoint presentation. Thanks to her, it was a major success!

My next step in my writer’s journey is for Book Three to go through its editorial process. I anticipate that this round will go much more smoothly than Book One and Two, now that I’m in my groove. I’ll let you know!

The Back Cover Synopsis is:

From the moment Ethan Sparks lands on the Greek Island of Santorini, he thinks his assignment for The Young Explorer Magazine is a bad joke. The thirteen-year-old reporter is covering his dad’s latest archaeological dig—and it’s a weird one.  A modern-day oracle in Delphi has uttered that Poseidon’s Trident really exists. Now Ethan’s father believes the Trident is buried in a volcanic ledge under the Aegean Sea.  Dr. Sparks wants to use the latest underwater archaeology equipment to find the Trident, but his usual backers refused to fund such a ridiculous expedition.  When Spiros, a wacko billionaire comes up with the cash, Ethan wants to know why.  In his investigation with his new friend, Nico, the junior spies uncover a secret organization that would sooner kill the boys than let them reveal the truth.  It will take a lot more than spy-guy skills to escape being shark bait.

The series website can be found at: www.ethansparksadventures.com. The website will also go “live” before the end of January, 2010. Ethan can be emailed at spyguyethan@gmail.com. He will answer all emails.

The Third Book in the Juvenile Action / Adventure Series is currently being written. This time Ethan’s adventure is in Cairo, Egypt. The publication date we are striving towards will be June 15, 2010. It’s title is: Uncovering the Buried Pyramid.

Book Four is already on the drafting table. Unhinging the Secrets of Stonehenge will hopefully come out in time for the 2010 holiday season.

At this time, a location for Book Five is still not known. An E.S.L. teacher I met while doing a book signing at a Teacher’s Appreciation Reception at the Greensboro, NC Barnes & Noble suggested that Ethan go on one of his adventures at a Latino locale. Great idea! Does anyone know of an exciting archaeological site in a country where Spanish is spoken? Please comment on this blog, or e-mail spyguyethan@gmail.com with any suggestions.

Book Number Six will show Ethan at home in Chapel Hill, NC. Readers will get to meet his mom and older brother, Carter, and Ethan’s best friend Drew.  We will also visit the Research Laboratories of Archaeology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. And then it’s off to a Native American dig on the grounds of an old plantation. This great example of a grand North Carolina plantation built in 1860 becomes much more than a routine dig. Ethan discovers that a murder occurred there 150 years ago, and in his last investigation as a reporter for The Young Explorer magazine, he solves it. The last book in the series is eerie with spirit photography, a chilling motive for murder, and some cool forensics. It’s a real period piece, and very spooky.

Can you tell that I’m having fun writing this series? Kids find the stories a blast to read, and they’re learning about a foreign culture, embracing diversity, history, and the inner-workings of an archaeological dig.

What a journey this has been for me as well! Since the age of thirteen I have wanted to be a writer, and it took Ethan to drive me there. And he doesn’t even have a driver’s license yet!

Hope you enjoy reading about it on this blog, the website and the book series itself!

Finally, I would like to thank my publicist, Ellen Berry (no relation). Ellen has kept this 55-year-old young and in touch with technology. Who would have ever thought I’d be blogging? Honestly, I didn’t even know what a blog was until recently. The wonderful thing about Ellen is the way she can juggle all the support system that I need. She’s great at revision, website creation, logo design, and marketing — she’s turned Ethan Sparks Adventures into Ethan Sparks Enterprises.  Thank you, Ellen. I also want to sincerely thank Aric Johnson for his editorial genius, Sara Drake for her incredible contributions to the development of this series, and Russ Palmer for his wonderful insight into Greece and very clever and promising ideas. Last, and most importantly of them all, my supportive wife Jenn who pretends not to notice when I converse in all my different characters’ voices.