It’s the Fourth of July. That means fireworks to celebrate U.S. independence, and the Mustard Belt to celebrate the winner of the Nathan’s Famous International Hot Dog Eating Contest. And what a winner it was today: Joey Chestnut, now 12-time winner, just ate 71 hot dogs & buns in 10 minutes! My middle grade novel […]
Hot Dogs, Fireworks, and BIG MOUTH
A human being just age 74 hot dogs—and buns—in ten minutes. Why? Because he could. That’s the challenge of competitive eating, to see how much of a food you can chow down, as fast as possible, mostly to beat the eaters lined up next to you but also because you thrive on the self-competition. This […]
Me and My Big Mouth: Hot Facts About Hot Dogs
July is National Hot Dog Month, today is the Fourth of July (arguably the most hot-dog-centric day of the year), and my novel BIG MOUTH is chock full of hot dogs. Sounds to me like a great time for a closer look at this fine American cuisine… HOT DOGS, TUBE MEAT, WEINIES, FRANKS. Whatever you […]
Me and My Big Mouth: A Sweet, Rubbery Chew
Writing a novel that celebrates the best and worst of food is pretty easy, just figure out the foods you love and hate the most, then go at it. Okay, maybe that simplifies things a bit, but not all that much, really. My novel BIG MOUTH is filled with my food likes and dislikes, with […]
Me and My Big Mouth: Does This Book Cover Make You Hungry?
It’s probably the hot dog that makes me hungry when I see the cover of BIG MOUTH. Then again, maybe it’s the tomatoes, or the bowl of mustard, or the onions, or the long squishy line of mustard, all items that turn a plain old frank into a full-fledged meal. Or maybe, quite simply, it’s […]
Me and My Big Mouth: The World’s Biggest Food Fight
There’s a Mustard Rebellion in my new novel BIG MOUTH: The students of Del Heiny Junior High #13 tag their school with mustard to rebel against the school’s tomato-obsessed sponsor, Del Heiny Ketchup Company. (Hey, if your mascot were changed from the Mighty Marauders to the Proud Plum Tomatoes, you’d have angst, too. At least […]
Me and My Big Mouth: A Word from Our Sponsor
With my novel BIG MOUTH debuting in stores, the time has come to launch the “Me and My Big Mouth” behind-the-book blog series. And I figured the most appropriate way to launch this sneak-peek series would be to interrupt it with a commercial break before it even gets started. After all, BIG MOUTH is full […]
