My daughter, Robin, has now established me on Twitter. If you’re interested in trailing me around and listening to me chirp, feel free to join me at http://twitter.com/duncanauthor.
 

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Welcome!

Big news!  On August 29, a made-for-TV movie based on STRANGER WITH MY FACE will air on the Lifetime Movie Network. That book has always been a  favorite of my suspense novels, because the subject -- astral projection (out-of-body travel) -- is such an intriguing concept. When I wrote that book, I thought I was writing fantasy.  However, since then, at a time in my life when I was under great stress, I experienced the phenomenon myself and am now much more open minded about what is and isn't possible.

Speaking of exciting events, the spring of this year brought the release of a theatrical movie based on my children's book, HOTEL FOR DOGS.  I wrote that book over thirty years ago, and it had been out of print for ages, but one of the producers remembered it as his favorite book when he was a little boy and convinced the other producers that it would make a great movie. 

As always happens, the film script wasn't quite like the book.  In my book, the sister and brother, Andi, 10, and Bruce, 12, turn a vacant house into a haven for unwanted dogs.  In the movie, Andi is 16, (that change in age was so Emma Roberts could star), and the kids are orphans, (that change was so Lisa Kudrow could be their foster mother and Don Cheadle could adopt them.)  The vacant house became a deserted luxury hotel. And, instead of the twelve dogs in my original story, there were nine "star dogs," all of whom had two understudies who looked just like them, plus fifty extras for the crowd scenes. Each dog had its personal trainer to direct it on the set.  My husband and I got to go to the Hollywood premiere, and I "walked the red carpet" behind the dogs, except that the carpet was green, because dogs prefer to walk on turf.  I even got to work as an extra myself!  In one of the  scenes, for just a fraction of a second, my face appears between two dog catchers.. 

Scholastic republished HOTEL FOR DOGS in January, and I've written two sequels -- (they are sequels to the book, not to the film script) -- NEWS FOR DOGS, which is in book stores now, and MOVIE FOR DOGS, which will be published in the spring of next year.  I hope you enjoy them.  I had a lot of fun writing them.

Lois autographs her book Hotel for Dogs!

Other exciting things have been happening as well.  The Catholic Library Association, a branch of the American Library Association, has honored me with the Katharine Drexel Award "to recognize an outstanding contribution by an individual to the growth of high school and young adult librarianship and literature."

So, you see, a writer's life is not as dull as you might think.  Once in a while I get to come out from behind the computer and enjoy the fruits of my labor.

Keep reading.  Not just my books, but those by other authors as well.  There are so many wonderful books out there that you'll miss a lot if you don't keep looking for new "favorite authors."

Warm wishes,

Lois Duncan