I'm Back, and I Have Videos

It's been two months since my last post, but I swear, I have a good reason for dropping away for so long:

 Her name is Hazel, and she was born at the beginning of August. We love her very much!

But I'm recovered and settling into a new routine, so I can post again (she's napping). I'm here to do three things:

1. Show you pictures of my sweet baby girl (mission accomplished).

2. Tell you about the YouTube videos I've made.

So, I'm about 4 weeks into a 7-week YouTube video "season" about codes and ciphers. You know, if you read this blog, that I love puzzles and mysteries. Since my next book deals heavily with codes and ciphers, I wanted to make some videos explaining, briefly, how some common ciphers work and how they've been used in the past. Here's my first video:

I made them partially as an education tool---if you have or know kids who are kept at home from school due to COVID and you're looking for a way to teach math/logic/critical thinking, codes and ciphers can be good tools.

But they're also advertising and preparing for my new book, THE EXPLORER'S CODE, which comes out September 29.

Which is #3 in the list of things I need to do right now.

3. Tell you about this book coming out.

Yeah, so THE EXPLORER'S CODE is released on September 29. Here's the summary:

Three kids have everything they need to solve the decades-old mystery of Idlewood Manor, in this middle grade novel full of real ciphers, puzzles, riddles, and codes that Kirkus Reviews calls "a worthy call to unravel a mystery.”

Idlewood Manor has been uninhabited for decades, until now . . .

Math whiz Charlie won admission in a puzzle contest―and he’s intrigued by the strange numbers he finds on Idlewood’s walls. His restless sister Anna had to be dragged to the house―but then she discovers its hidden floor. Emily’s parents brought her to the mansion on a secret mission―and she’s determined to prove herself to them.

All three kids soon unlock clues to Idlewood’s mysterious past and the famous female explorer who’s connected to it―and the secret treasure she left behind. But the adults around them are also hunting for the treasure. Charlie, Anna, and Emily will have to overcome their differences and work as a team to solve Idlewood’s puzzles before it’s too late, in Allison K. Hymas's The Explorer's Code.

You can preorder the book from Amazon or other vendors like Barnes and Noble or my favorite local bookstore, The King's English.

That's it from me today. I'll be back as soon as I can (I have a new baby, after all!), with more posts. Trust me, I have lots of ideas of things to talk about. And, I'll definitely post when I have news about a launch for THE EXPLORER'S CODE!