Steve Cotler Writes-
Why does a California author who had only been to Gloucester one time when he was 11 years old decide to place his series of novels in your town?
My children’s book, Cheesie Mack Is Not a Genius or Anything, the first in a series from Random House, chronicles the adventures of Ronald “Cheesie” Mack, a smart, funny, outgoing fifth grader who attends Rocky Neck Elementary School, my fictional stand-in for a Gloucester public school. I picked Gloucester as the setting for my novels because I wanted something quintessentially American, but not chain-stored and fast-fooded into looking just like every other town from North Dakota to Texas. I wanted a town with a unique personality…and Gloucester surely has that!
Last week I came back to Gloucester at the beginning of my book tour, spending one full day at East Gloucester School and another at Beeman Memorial School. I read selections, autographed books, and introduced hundreds of third- through fifth-graders to a new friend, Cheesie Mack.
So what’s my book about? It’s a story told by a kid who may not be a genius or anything, but he remembers everything that happened before, during, and after fifth-grade graduation, and he’s written it all down in his own unique and hilarious way—with lots of lists, drawings, and splenderful (that’s splendid plus wonderful) made-up words.
Cheesie’s tale is about more than his boring graduation ceremony and the not-so-boring party afterward; it’s also about his ongoing battle with his evil older sister, a Mouse Plot gone wrong, sow bugs, a haunted house, and his best friend Georgie’s discovery of a mysterious old coin that just might change their summer completely.
Cheesie—with a little help from me—writes about family, friendship, and tough choices in an authentically 11-year-old voice. I bet you’ll laugh out loud and end up making your own BLART sandwiches.
Check it out at http://www.stevecotler.com…or meet Cheesie himself on his own website: www.cheesiemack.com
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Steve Cotler is a retired Little League catcher who’s also been a shoe salesman, telecom scientist, singer-songwriter, Apollo 1 computer programmer, Hollywood screenwriter, Harvard Business School MBA, investment banker, and door-to-door eggman. He lives with his wife and writes in Sonoma County in Northern California’s wine country. He thinks he is and always will be eleven years old.
Good Morning Gloucester 