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Glenda and Omar (and yours truly), through the years... I dedicated my debut novel, Exit Tickets , to my students and fellow teachers. But, as you’ll note above, I singled out two former students for my novel’s Dedication. Both these wonderful young people, with whom I’ve kept in touch, were kind enough to write a little something for this blog. What, might you ask, could’ve inspired Glenda and Omar, both now in their 20s, to take time out from their busy lives to tackle this

Mr. J's First Day Here is my novel’s first chapter. Martin Jordanowski (Mr. J) is a new teacher at P.S. 961 and he has little to no idea what he’s in for. Grab a coffee – which you’d have absolutely no time for as a classroom teacher – and read on. See you on the other side… September C H A P T E R  O N E Mr. J The girl shot Martin a smile suggesting a shared secret. “Shay just messin’ with you, Mr. J.” The girl’s voice carried no edge. It was a matter-of-fact observation of

Exit Tickets Origin Story If I hadn’t been arrested on Valentine’s Day in 2014, you wouldn’t be reading this. There’d be no blog because there’d be no author website because there’d be no book. Not that I want to spoil your reading of my debut novel—I know you’re eager to get your hands on it come November—but that agonizing experience provided me with the time to start scribbling and informed the plot of Exit Tickets . Not, however, while I was in lock-up at the legendary F