Monique Polak

So I've got what's called an "advance reading copy" of Junkyard Dog -- one of my two new books coming out this fall. An advance reading copy means it is an uncorrected proofwhich is being sent out to newspapers and other reviewing organizations.

The book is geared for kids aged about 11 to 14... well my first "review" comes from a reader who is just a little older than that! In fact, he's 64 years older. The reader, in case you haven't guessed, is MY DAD MAX. He's 78 and still working as an arbitrating judge for the federal court here in Canada. And something else that is interesting is that my dad has never been interested in novels. Newspapers, yes, and magazines, yes... but novels... no way! Except for novels written by his daughter!! 

Anyway, my mum and dad dropped by today and I showed them the advance reading copy... which my dad asked to borrow. Well, he just called me to say he'd gone home and read the whole thing in one sitting and guess what? He really liked it! He gave me his opinions about the characters who include a lonely boy, a n'er do well dad and a neighbour who is hard of hearing. And let me tell you something about being a writer -- IT'S REALLY FUN WHEN SOMEONE TALKS ABOUT YOUR CHARACTERS AS IF THEY ARE REAL PEOPLE. Tomorrow morning early I head back to my computer to get back to work on my new project. Thanks Pa (that's more Dutch than "Dad") for reading the book and for giving me a boost at just the right time!  Love from "Mo-Mo" (hey blog readers, now you know my childhood nickname!)