Will Hobbs and Me

As a 7th grade reading teacher, I required my students to do regular book reports each semester. Many of the boys chose Will Hobbs's books. Although I had never read him, I heard many reports on Bearstone, Beardream, Beardance, Jason's Gold, The Big Wander, Downriver, The Maze, and Ghost Canoe. Boys identified with his characters and loved the outdoor adventure stories.

Imagine my surprise when I found that Will Hobbs was only a few tables away from me when I signed books at the Indiana State Reading Conference in Indianapolis in March. I decided to buy some books for my grandsons, too young for them now, but a wonderful gift for later.

When I spoke with Will, I found that he also had been a 7th grade reading teacher before he gave it up for a writing career. He shared that he had always loved books and grew up as a middle-child in an air-force family. They lived all over the place. He told me that he fell in love with the mountains as a boy and dreamed of adventures there. His dreams turned into award-winning books. He said half of his ideas come from life's experiences and half from his reading. He has 17 novels in print and makes his home in Durango, Colorado, where some of his stories are set.

I hope when Dylan and Jackson are old enough to enjoy his books, I can share this photo and say, "Look, Gram met Will Hobbs and he was a very nice man."

You may check my other blog at http://wwwmarlisday.blogspot.com or my website
www.marlisday.com (The prologue of my new book is there!)