Today we are going to celebrate one of our own. Now, you may not hear much from Sub it Club member Mark Waxman in the group, but he is definitely around. Mark is special to me because way back when, around the time I was starting up Sub It Club and feeling unsure as to whether or not I could do such an outgoing thing, he asked if he could call and talk to me about how to go about looking for an agent. No one had ever asked to call me about something like that before but I said okay, even if I was not sure I had anything to offer someone like Mark. He writes the script for the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade every year. He’s done all sorts of writing and some of his work has even won emmys. He produces Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators Master Class series!

Lucky for me, Mark is one of the nicest guys you’ll ever meet. Talking to him made me realize that yes, Sub It Club was a great thing to do, even if I was feeling unsure about doing it. He helped me know for certain that no matter where we are in our writing journey we can have questions and it can be great to have someone to talk to about them. We can help each other out. And that’s just what Sub It Club is for.

As for Mark, even with all of his success, his dream was to have a children’s novel published. It is not a surprise that Mark took the things we talked about and ran with them. He signed with an agent. He sold his first book. Mark’s debut novel The McVentures of Me, Morgan McFactoid: Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow has just been released by Sky Pony Press!

The McVentures of Me, Morgan McFactoid is about thirteen-year-old quirky MORGAN McCRACKEN, who recites random (but fascinating) facts whenever he gets flustered. As if that’s not enough to warrant getting picked on, Morgan actually has grown enough stubble to shave. And that’s too much for the whiskerless and envious Brad Buckholtz, a witless bully, who constantly beats up Morgan. As an aspiring inventor, Morgan figures if he can just come up with a product that will stop his facial hair from growing, then Buckholtz will no longer have a reason to pummel him. Besides, eliminating the need to shave will save people time, energy and money, as well as making Morgan wealthy enough to pay off his family’s debts and save them from losing their home.

With the help of Robin, the bright girl who lives across the street, as well as Morgan’s extremely outspoken pet parrot, Morgan stumbles upon something potentially much more lucrative than his Shave-No-More lotion: a hair growing formula! Hair loss is Morgan’s gain as the bald world literally beats a path to his door. Overnight, Morgan becomes an international celebrity, entertaining absurdly lavish financial offers from cosmetics companies. Suddenly everyone wants to be his friend, including Brad Buckholtz. Everyone except Robin.

She doesn’t think there is anything wrong with either having whiskers or being bald. In fact, she has always wondered whether people liked her for who she was on the inside, or what she looked like on the outside. She would never respect, and she will definitely not support, someone who sells his soul to superficiality.

After escaping formula snatchers and kidnappers, with the insights gained from some well-timed bird poop and one very smart girl, Morgan makes his choice between fame and fortune and his heart’s desire.

Sound like fun, huh? Congratulations to Mark on his new adventure as a children’s book author!

You can learn more about Mark Waxman at his website.