Why I Write for Children, Too
Most people who know my detective novels expect danger, secrets, and a difficult search for the truth. But another part of my writing life belongs to young readers.
That matters to me.
As a father of five, I know that getting a child’s attention and holding it are two different things. A book has to give them a reason to care. Something to wonder about. Someone to root for. A question they want answered badly enough to turn the page.
That’s part of what I hope to offer through Marvelous Martin.
A mystery invites a child to participate. They can notice a clue, question a character, or figure something out before the answer appears. They get to trust their own thinking.
And sometimes, reading becomes something a family shares. A few pages together. A conversation about what might happen next. A child asking for another chapter when it’s already bedtime.
Those moments deserve good stories, too.
My work with literacy has always been about helping people find their way into reading. For some, that begins with a detective novel. For others, it begins with a curious young character and a mystery small enough to enter, but interesting enough to stay with.
What was the first book that made you want to keep reading?
