Ben H. Winters is the author of five novels, including the New York Times bestseller Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters and the middle-grade novel The Secret Life of Ms. Finkleman, an Edgar Award nominee and a Bank Street College Best Children’s Book of 2011. Winters’ other books include the science-fiction Tolstoy parody Android Karenina, the Finkleman sequel The Mystery of the Missing Everything, and the supernatural thriller Bedbugs, which has been optioned for the screen by Warner Brothers. Winters also wrote the book and lyrics for three musicals for young audiences: The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere, A (Tooth) Fairy Tale, and Uncle Pirate, based on the award-winning children’s book by Douglas Rees. 

Ben’s new novel, The Last Policeman, is forthcoming from Quirk Books in July of 2012; he is at work on a book of scary poems for kids, to be published by Price Stern Sloan in spring, 2013.  

The Mystery of the Missing  Everything

Bethesda Fielding and her sort-of sidekick Tenny Boyer are back! There's been a shocking crime at Mary Todd Lincoln Middle School, and there's only Bethesda can solve it. If she can. But she's having trouble. Plus, everyone is sort of mad at her. Also, there's a whole subplot about a video where a kid dressed in a bear suit falls down some stairs.

* Kirkus Reviews says, "This zany sequel offers another fast-moving middle-school puzzler, lots of pre- and early-teen humor, and one relentless sleuth who's willing to admit when she's wrong." 

(hey, check out the amazing cover art by Brett Helquist, who did the Series of Unfortunate Events art!)  

Bedbugs

A supernatural thriller in the classic vein of Rosemary's Baby or The Turn of the Screw, where everything in one family's perfect home is not quite as perfect as it seems. 

* "By turns gruesome and compelling, fueld by a slow-burn tension, and full of in-jokes about contemporary Brooklyn culture, Winters's breezy summer read will leave readers compulsively scratching." -- Publisher's Weekly

* "A diabological tale of paranoia and domestic unreast." -- Vanity Fair

The Secret Life of Ms. Finkleman

Just your average middle-school punk rock detective novel! A plucky seventh grader named Bethesda is determined to find out the hidden truth about her boring Music Fundamentals teacher. Soon the whole school is in a rock and roll frenzy, with Bethesda, Ms. Finkleman, and a pop-music obsessive named Tenny Boyer leading the charge. 

* Kirkus Reviews says "readers will rock with laughter..." 

* Publisher's Weekly, in a starred review, says it's "a fast-paced, funny, and highly original story!"

* Nominated by the Mystery Writers of America for a 2010 Edgar Award!

NOW AVAILABLE IN PAPERBACK! (with supercool bonus material!) 

The Reenactment

A short story about a history enthusiast, whose obsession with the Hamilton-Burr duel takes him to the Cliffs of Weehauken, and beyond. As produced by the great weird-tales podcast The Drabblecast. 

Android Karenina

From Quirk Books and Ben H. Winters, TImes-bestselling author of Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters. Tolstoy's beloved epic, recast in a dystopian world of robots, cyborgs, and space travel! 

(SPECIAL TO VISITORS TO THIS SITE: If you're reading Android you might be interested in this  helpful glossary, or want to peruse this list of influences.)

Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters

by Jane Austen and Ben H. Winters

A New York Times  best seller! Austen’s classic novel of love, heartache, and social distinction, except with nefarious pirates, primitive submarines, and rampaging giant mutant lobsters! 

Online incidental pieces... 

* An inside-baseball account of writing Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters, for Slate.

* a recounting of my wrestling match with the plural of "octopus", for Visual Thesaurus.  

*  a virtual mix-tape of songs about the ocean and/or monstrousness, for the great Large-Hearted Boy blog.  

* and, on Huffington Post, a how-to guide, a call-to-arms, and an obituary.  

Uncle Pirate

A new musical, with a book by me and music & lyrics by the terrific Drew Fornarola, available from the good people at Sam French. It's about a timid, shy fourth grader, whose uncle turns out to be a...well, you can probably guess.

Worst-Case Scenarios

I have worked on numerous books in the best-selling humor series published by Chronicle, including...

Worst-Case Scenario Pocket Guide: New York City

The Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbook: Middle School 

Worst-Case Scenario Pocket Guide: Cars

Worst-Case Scenario Pocket Guide: San Francisco

Worst-Case Scenario Pocket Guide: Cats

Worst-Case Scenario Pocket Guide: Technology

Worst-Case Scenario Pocket Guide: Meetings

and

Worst-Case Scenario Pocket Guide: Sex

The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere

A musical for children about the silversmith turned patriot. Book and lyrics by me, music and more lyrics by Stephen Sislen. Touring forTheatreworksUSA since spring of 2006, and now available for licensefrom Samuel French. Check out the patriotic (yet goofy) anthem sung by the "Sons of Liberty."

A Tooth Fairy Tale

A musical for kids about a bored boy named Oliver who changes places with the Tooth Fairy. Mayhem and considerable silliness ensue. Book by me, music & lyrics by Rick Hip-Flores. Here's a swell review from the New York Times, and a sample (from the cast recording) , in which the Tooth Fairy longs for the life of a normal lady.

Breaking Up Is Hard to Do

Slut

Book and lyrics by me, music by Stephen Sislen. Off-color title notwithstanding, the show is a goofy, romantic, heartfelt musical comedy, A smash hit at the 2004 New York International Fringe Festival; Off-Broadway, fall of 2005; regional premiere at the Actors Theater of Charlotte in 2008.  Here you can listen to the opening number, “I’m Probably Not Gonna Call.”

Journalistic potpourri

In which I attend anarchist training camp (for In These Times),  join a cult (for NewCity Chicago), and cover the UN Conference on AIDS (for The Nation) by talking to a security guard in the cafe. 

I was honored to appear on this lovely talk-radio blog called LiteraryNewEngland, speaking—hopefully intelligibly—about The Mystery of the Missing Everything and other books.  

(Feb. 28)

Guest blog post! Here I am talking about myself in the pleasant confines of The Book Smugglers blog. I bet I'm the only person who picked Middlemarch as his favorite book of 2011.

The Los Angeles Times felt my psychological thriller,Bedbugs, is "harrowing," and that "the idea of supernatural bedbugs is a stroke of horror genius." 

A nice news artice about my stint as Author in Residence. According to one  5th grader, I have a big imagination. 

And now, a summary of some of the critical comment on Bedbugs:

"A solid read, a good thriller, and I guarantee you will have the creepy ‘I need to bleach my pillowcases in hot water’ crawlies for days after." -- Daemon Books

"After reading Bedbugs you might want to fumigate any apartment you rent. You also might want to call in an exorcist.”— McClatchy Newspapers

"A grand B movie-style psychological thriller complete with some genuinely creepy moments. Read it with the lights on." -- Library Journal

"A creepy little gem of psychological horror." -- the Barnes and Noble blog.

(Sept 15)

An interview with me, on the occasion of the publication of Bedbugs. Boy, do I need a new author photo.

(Sept 5)

Here is Kirkus Reviews on The Mystery of the Missing Everything, my new middle-grade novel:

"this zany sequel offers another fast-moving middle-school puzzler, lots of pre- and early teen humor and one relentless sleuth who’s willing to admit when she’s wrong. Fans will cheer more mystery and mayhem at Mary Todd Lincoln Middle School."

(August 15) 

Early reviews are coming in for Bedbugs, and they are very good, indeed.

Vanity Fair includes the book in their September "hot type" column, calling it "a diabolical tale of paranoia and domestic unrest." 

Publishers Weekly says  the book is " by turns gruesome and compelling, fueled by a slow-burn tension, and full of in-jokes about contemporary Brooklyn culture, Winters's breezy summer read will leave readers compulsively scratching."

The Booklist review (not available online, alas), says "The author of the monster mash-up hit Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters offers up a chilling tale of life in the perfect New York abode gone horribly wrong…Winters expertly builds suspense in this chilling thriller.”

And Penthouse Magazine (of all places) says "This creepy story is expertly told, and will having you scratching imaginary itches long after you finish reading."

(August 15)

I am very proud to say that The Secret Life of Ms. Finkleman has landed on Bank Street College of Education’s Best Children’s Books of the Year list for 2011! 

A couple more lovely reviews for the (Edgar-nominated!) Secret Life of Ms. Finkleman. 

The blog over at Seattle Mystery Bookshop, in a lovely roundup of the Edgar nominees, says "the ending was so heart-warming and happy it made me tear up a little bit." 

Chris at  BookDads.Com says "Ben Winters rocks the house," and thinks the book "a great read for a middle-school classroom because it affords opportunities for some good discussions about identity, teacher-student relationships and family pressures."  

And  Bragging Mommy says "it's a great book that both kids and parents will enjoy." 

The Los Angeles Times raves about The Secret Life of Ms. Finkleman!

"Winters... applies a light touch that fuses youthful, scholarly exuberance with the inspirational power of rock and roll. Together, they're a potent force for bringing together kids of disparate skills and temperaments in a fast paced and unjaded book that is sure to delight."

Similar enthusiasm is on display in this blog: "These kids are perfectly characterized...the pacing is also excellent. Winters wrote this one for kids, but there's enough to keep adults interested too."

More wonderful reviews for The Secret Life of Ms. Finkleman!

There's this, from Booklist: "[T]ouches on intriguing issues about identity, the way teachers connect with their students, and second chances...also a just-plain-fun read that culminates in a wholly satisfying ending..will easily appeal to fans of Andrew Clements and Gordon Korman."

And this from The School Library Journal: This story is part mystery, part friendship novel, part school story...what is most enjoyable is the effect that learning and playing rock music has on the students."

Oh, and this, from the Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books: "Witty narration and entertaining characters enliven this already intriguing premise—who knows what kind of secret life teachers have, and wouldn’t it be cool if your teacher turned out to have really been someone in a former life?"

This steampunk fan says Android Karenina is "jolly good fun, even while it explores class struggle and cultural politic through the lens of a robot servant class."  

"Winters excels at capturing middle-school society and maintaining a light-hearted and witty tone throughout this quick mystery," says the blog Read It Again, mom!, about The Secret Life of Ms. Finkleman.

Meanwhile, the nice folks at  Boswell and Books say it's like "Chasing Vermeer meets School of Rock."

The blog  HappyNappyBookseller agrees, saying "this book is some serious fun...Winters' writing is fun and clever."

The Secret Life of Ms. Finkleman has earned a starred review from Publishers Weekly!

PW writes that "Winters builds a fast-paced, funny, and highly original story on the premise that a drab music teacher - 'so unremarkable as to be essentially invisible' - might have a secret past as a famous punk rock star...Winters moves with facility from one point of view to another, providing just enough background and detail on each to keep readers informed and engaged." 

Some very kind words for  The Secret Life of Ms. Finkleman, and four out of five stars, from a books blog called Three Turtles and their Pet Librarian.

"We lost track of the number of times we laughed out loud," quoth the turtles.

The estimable Kirkus Reviews offered high praise for  The Secret Life of Ms. Finkleman:

"Liberally laced with humor and featuring an upbeat heroine, unexpected friendship and rock-music trivia, this witty middle-school drama offers a lighthearted lesson in the importance of getting the facts straight."

And my favorite part: "Readers will rock with laughter." 

Publishers Weekly and Booklist have both weighed in on Android Karenina, and both are in Russo-robot love...

Here's the gist of the  Publishers Weekly review: "These futuristic additions are more than background filler, though; Winters incorporates an entire action-packed sci-fi subplot. The sci-fi elements are carefully accomplished, sometimes brilliantly extrapolated from the original...Tolstoy's text is more than strong enough to stand up to this sort of treatment, its force attenuated just enough to allow Winters to integrate his additions - a feat he manages with aplomb."

And here, from  Booklist: "Somehow Winters manages to pay homage to Tolstoy's pragmatic tone while investing this timeless, ill-fated love story with robots, cyborgs, androids, and a host of other familiar SF elements. ... Although Tolstoy purists may sniff, the parallels to nineteenth-century Russia remain surprisingly true in this futuristic version of his timeless classic."

I'm delighted to share more of the great reviews coming in for  Android Karenina... 

Like  this one from The Seattle Post-Intelligencer, which says the book "connects all of Tolstoy's dots in the cleverly bizarre world he has created and he transforms a Russian novel into a delightfully demented work of science fiction." 

[Well, hey! That's what I was trying to do!]

And a blog called Masterswarm thinks the book: "...makes the reader think about what it truly means to be a person, to be human, and to be a functioning member of society." 

And another blog, called Running Bowline, says "it would have been enough for Winters to modify and emulate the Russian master's style, turning those skills to pure entertainment. Throughout the novel, however, he uses the modified Victorian Russia to level delicate criticisms of modern society." 

Android Karenina has earned...

...four stars from the  Florida State University newspaper!

...a big fat recommendation from this "guys-can-read-too" website!

...a very positive review from this puppet who works for a college bookstore!

Also! Here's  an interview with a Russian newspaper, which I remember giving, but can't understand!

Lots of great feedback from the blogosphere on  Android Karenina, 

GalleyCat notes that it's a "quick, light, and funny read," adding that "the true marvel of this mash-up is the way the author flips the events thoroughly and seamlessly from Czarist Russia to something more akin to   1984."

Popular Fidelity says "it's a credit to Winters that his additions work with and enhance Tolstoy's underlying themes, rather than detract from them."

And don't forget  Geeks of Doom, who report that "Android Karenina can definitely stand on its own as a great science fiction story."

The Library Journal has delivered a glowing review of  Android Karenina: "Winters...does a spectacular job, adding robots and mechanical terrorism to the misery, adultery, and philosophical introspection of Tolstoy's masterpiece. Verdict: Creepy, thrilling, and highly enjoyable!"

According to the  Detroit News, the production of Breaking Up Is Hard to Do at the Meadowbrook Playhouse is "hard to resist." Wish I was there to see it! 

And if you want to bring the show to your town,  click here!!

In this interview with the Washington City Paper -- my alternative newspaper of choice ages 11 through 18, by the way -- I express my hope that, with Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters, I've "done justice to the original," and, tangentially, note that "the book would be incomplete without pirates." Like so many books.  

On Slate, I discuss how I got the gig writing Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters, and how I went about it...

...while over in Independence, Missouri, the Examiner finds the book " weird,, horrifying, irreverent, and really funny." 

The world-famous  New York magazine weighs in on Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters, and finds it "hard to say, in the end, if this is a homage, an exploitation, a deconstruction, or just a 300-page parlor trick." 

Oh, now, can't it be a little bit of each?

The AV Club dives into Sea Monsters and comes back up with a rave review: 

"There's no denying the page-turning satisfaction of this welcome sequel, which exceeds Pride and Prejudice and Zombies in cleverness and wit while continuing to pay proper homage to the deep emotions underlying the original text." 

Fandomania hearts Sea Monsters!

The New York Times says my kids musical, Uncle Pirate, with a book by me and music and lyrics by Drew Fornarola, "diverting and funny." 

Big news today; my novel Bedbugs has been aquired for a film version, with a script by beloved horror writer/director Ti West.

-- April 10

Uncle Pirate, the musical I co-wrote with composer/lyrcist Andrew Fornarola back in 2009, has been nominated for an AATE Distinguished Play award by the publisher, Samuel French. They announce the winners in June, so, fingers crossed! 

(March 22)

I just finished my new book, The Last Policeman, and when I say I just finished it, I mean I finished it last night at 9:30. It's a murder mystery with a sci-fi twist, set in the great state of New Hampshire, and you can read it as of July 10, 2012. Although you can pre-order it right now, if you want.   

This morning I taped an interview with LiteraryNewEngland, which will air on Monday night, Feb. 28, at 8:00pm.

(Feb. 21)

Random and cool: The Christian Science Monitor runs a quick feature about great book trailers, with a shoutout to the Ransom-Riggs-directed trailer for my book Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters.

(Jan 12)

-- Jan 5

A quick holiday roundup:

* I have contributed a bit of holiday zaniness to USA Today, recasting Dickens' A Christmas Carol as a wild action-adventure, very much like my mash-up novels Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters and Android Karenina.  (There's a bonus audio-only bit, recorded by yours truly, which can be found on the USA Today website.)

* This weekend, my Hanukkah play for the whole family, A Great Big Miracle, is appearing for one performance only in the heart of beautiful New Jersey. You should go.

* And if you're still looking for a gift for that special someone who has everything, except a chilling novel of horror and suspense that Vanity Fair calls "a diabolical tale of paranoia and domestic unrest," why not get them a copy of my latest novel, Bedbugs? 

(Dec. 16)

I have been massively derelict about keeping this site up to date, and I apologize. Life -- in particular the birth of our new daughter -- got in the way. Mea culpa.

* During the break, I spent eight great weeks as Author in Residence at the marvelous Hardy School in Wellesley, Mass. Will shortly post some pictures of me ranting to incredulous third graders about adjectives and/or Charles Dickens.

* I also celebrated the publication of my new middle-grade novel, The Mystery of the Missing Everything, a sequel (of sorts) to my first middle-grade novel, The Secret Life of Ms. Finkleman. 

(Dec. 4) 

Another call to Boston-area writers and would-be writers...I am teaching a class on honing your novel in progress, fittingly titled Novel in Progress, at Boston's great writers' center, Grub Street, starting on Monday, Sept. 19.

Come and write and play! 

(Sept 15)

Bedbugs comes out tomorrow (Tues. Sept. 6), and I will be on the radio in New Hampshire between 12 and 1, on the program Word of Mouth, to talk up the book. I'll also be on the air in Canada, on the CBC radio show CBCQ, which airs on CBC Radio One between 10 a.m.

I'll post audio of both interviews when they're all done!

(Sept 5)

To celebrate the immanent publication of my supernatural thriller, Bedbugs, I'm running a little contest...  

It seems like everyone you talk to these days has some horrible tale of bedbugs that refused to die; of landlords that refused to act; of love affairs that ended in a storm of scratching; of lovely sofa beds that had to dragged out to the curb or burned. 

Send YOUR catastrophic tale of bedbug infestation to BedbugsTheBook@gmail.com. I’ll pick the three best (by which I mean the worst, the most horrifying, shocking, devastating tales of bedbugs) and award the winners with signed copies of Bedbugs. We’ll accept entries until September 1! 

Please spread the word, and look for Bedbugs at your favorite bookstore on September 6! 

Everyone in the Boston area should come take my weeklong "crash course" on writing for kids, at Grub Street, in August. It is going to be fun, inspiring, and exciting, or your money back. Actually, I don't know if I'm authorized to give you your money back. How about, "or I'll buy you an ice cream cone"? 

I am deeply in love with the cover for the paperback edition of The Secret Life of Ms. Finkleman, and for its follow-up, The Mystery of the Missing Everything. Both are by the incredible  Brett Helquist, known and admired for his work on the Series of Unfortunate Events. 

Federal writer-marketing law requires me to say the following: Read my  blog, and follow me on  Twitter!

On Thursday night I'm at the Edgar Awards in New York, which should be a huge amount of fun.

Then, on Sunday, I'll be appearing at The Muse and the Marketplace, Grub Street's annual conference, giving a seminar/workshop/hang-out session onWriting Funny for Young Readers. 

Looking ahead, I'll be back in New York on Weds, May 25 to hang out at the Book Expo America, where I'll be doing not one but two book signings. Check back for details, or email me.

(April 26) 

I had a blast this morning at the Cabot School in Newton Massachussetts, talking about the writing process and reading aloud from The Secret Life of Ms. Finkleman to a smart and savvy group of third graders. School visits like this one have become my favorite part of being a writer -- well, maybe tied with writing. 

I'll have a fun announcement soon about a brand new book I'm just finishing for my insane friends at Quirk Books. 

(Feb. 15)

Here's something that doesn't happen every day: Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters was featured as an answer on Jeopardy! last night. Check out the attached pic, or go to YouTube to see the whole episode -- it pops up at around 15:30 on the clip. 

(Jan. 26)

Very happy to see The Secret Life of Ms. Finkleman featured on the website ReadKiddoRead.com, a get-kids-to-read initiative started by the author James Patterson. 

Thanks also to the Christian Science Monitor for their kind words, in this piece about the Edgar nominees. 

(Jan. 24) 

The Mystery Writers of America have nominated The Secret Life of Ms. Finkleman for a 2011 Edgar Award! You can read about it, and find out the other nominees, here. I am so excited, and so proud of this novel. 

(Jan 19)

Thanks (as always) to my website guru, Drew Dallet at Boom Creative, for adding a blog feature to the site. I will try to update it once a week, or so. 

(Jan 12. 2011)

Room 16, the musical I co-created with the brilliant composer-lyricist Stephen Sislen -- which Steve is now working on in collaboration with playwright/librettist Andrea Lepcio -- will be presented a reading at the illustrious Goodspeed Theater next Friday, January 14 at 7:30.

(Jan 6)

The first ever BenHWinters.com contest is over, and I was so happy that we got close to 100 entries. To read about the winners -- including our grand-prize winner, The Mario Brothers Karamazov -- please click here!  

Thanks, everyone!

**

Now I've got two upcoming events in New York on the calendar: a reading at KGB Bar on Nov. 17 and a night of "Genre Busters" at the 92nd Street Y in Tribeca, on December 1.   

At the urging of various people whose job it is to help me sell books, I have joined Twitter. You can "Follow" me at twitter/BenHWinters.com.

(Nov. 11)

The theatrical publisher Samuel French is bringing out an acting edition of Uncle Pirate, the extremely silly musical I wrote for VItal Theater with composer/lyricist Drew Fornarola.  

(Nov. 10) 

I have a guest post today about Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters on a terrific blog called Austen Authors. 

And I hope New Yorkers can come join me on November 17th for a reading at  KGB Bar's Fantastic Fiction series.

(Oct. 29)

Very excited to announce that "A Great Big Miracle," my fun-for-the-whole-family play about Hanukkah, will be presented at SOPAC, in New Jersey, by Midtown Direct, under the direction of the amazing Jeremy Dobrish. 

(Oct. 13)

I'll be popping up doing interviews a bit this month about monster-related literature, Halloween apparently being a busy season for that topic. On October 14, for example, I'll be on the Minnesota Public Radio program "Midmorning" at 10:00  (11:00 Eastern time). Check it out, and I'll post the link after. 

(Oct. 10)

The Secret Life of Ms. Finkleman is out today!  Buy it now at the book's page on the HarperCollins website, or your favorite bookstore! Or dip in right now using the "browse inside" feature on the HarperCollins website. 

(You could also, oddly enough, play this Secret Life  video game!)

(Sept. 21) 

My very own personal author page is up on the HarperCollins website! Come pay me a virtual visit! 

You can read all about The Secret Life of Ms. Finkleman, my 'tween novel, right here, or just go ahead and buy it today! 

(August 20) 

I'll be appearing (virtually) at the Steampunk Festival in Lincolnshire, England, October 9 through 11. Not sure exactly what that means yet, but it will involve some technology I barely understand. 

(August 18) 

I wrote a science-fiction short story, The Food Taster's Boy, that will be included  in this anthology, to be published by Tor Books in 2011. 

(August 17)

This is the cover for The Secret Life of Ms. Finkleman, my first middle-grade novel, due out on September 21 from the good folks at HarperCollins! 

(August 16) 

What would Leo think? Defending and celebrating Android Karenina on Huffington Post. 

(June 15)

Behold, the weird and cool "trailer" for Android Karenina... 

It's official! Android Karenina is in stores! Pick up your copy today! (June 8)

Here I am on the CBC, talking about love and monsters:

Here I am talking up the audiobook version of Android Karenina on Suvudu.com.

(June 1)  

On June 8, the day Android Karenina hits the shelves, I'll be doing a reading and signing at the legendary Strand Books here in New York, where I'll be joined by Russophile extraordinaire Elif Batuman, author of The Possessed.

This will be an enormous amount of fun; if you're in New York, please come join us!

(May 28)

Spoke on Galleycat's Morning Media Menu today about Android Karenina and the art of the literary remix. 

And here's my contribution to their massive, multi-writer remake of Horatio Alger's Joe's Luck. 

(May 20) 

The nice people at the CBC asked me to give this short and informative talk on sea monsters and heartache. And in this clip from the Smithsonian Residents Associate book talk, I talk about why S&S&SM is so fun, and gesticulate a lot.

 (May 14)

Getting very close to pub. day for Android Karenina. I'll be reading and signing at the Steampunk World's Fair on Saturday, May 15th, at 9pm, signing at the Book Expo of America at 2:00pm on the afternoon of May 26, and hosting an online discussion group at Goodreads.com from June 14 through July 9.

Come join the Russo-Robotic fun! 

(May 10)

Update: Here I am at the Steampunk World's Fair. Man, that was some futuristic/historical fun.  

An excerpt from my play, Benjamin, appears in the new issue of The Dramatist. Warning, it contains the cursiest curse word in the English language, not once, but twice. (April 23)  

I added a bunch of stuff to the Calendar, including my upcoming appearance at C2E2, the massive Chicago comic/sci-fi convention, alongside the other Quirk Classics authors, Seth Grahame-Smith and Steve Hockensmith. (March 18)  

I hear (from my sci-fi digging Aunt Ann) the very cool news that Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters is an official Sci-Fi Book Club selection. (March 3) 

The cover of Android Karenina was unveiled today... (Feb 19). 

* Well, I revamped the website a bit, with the always-able assistance of Drew at Boom Creative.

(Feb. 17) 

* A very nice review for Uncle Pirate appears in this week's Time Out New York. Arrrr!  

(Jan. 29) 

* And another one in the New York Times. Double-arrrr!

(Feb. 5)

* My second novel, Android Karenina, will be published on June 8 by Quirk Classics. More info here, here, and here.

(Jan. 26)  

 * Don't forget to go see Uncle Pirate at Vital Theater, running through the end of February!

* Don't forget to come see me be pseudo-erudite at a Jane Austen panel at the famous Morgan Library! (If you can't make it, get the gist in this piece I did for Time Out, or the accompanying interview! 

(Jan. 23)

* Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters jumps back on the Times list; we also made our first appearance on the Publishers Weekly list, and (to my great delight) this list of campus best-sellers. The list of colleges surveyed includes my dear alma mater. Thank you, and go Bears.  (Dec. 4)

* Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters, which is busily blitzing movie theaters even as we speak, got a great shout-out in this week's New York Magazine. 

Brilliant and borderline highbrow! I'll take it.

* Also, two new theatrical events on the calendar: A Great Big Miracle at Orlando Theater Project in December; and Uncle Pirate at Vital in January.

(Dec. 1)

Two exciting upcoming appearances to report: On November 14th at 1:00 pm I will be appearing at the Miami Book Fair, and on November  17th at the National Press Club author night! (Nov. 3)

Meanwhile, in the great alternative universe of the internet, I made my debut on the Huffington Post and did a little guest-blogging at Largehearted Boy. (Nov. 6)

After an exciting couple weeks in print, Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters just hit the New York Times best-seller list. Thanks to everyone who bought a copy -- enjoy!

(Sept. 25)

I'll be appearing on Fangoria Radio (on Sirius XM) tonight, September 18th, to plug Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters. Tune in around 11 to hear me talk monsters with the host, Dee Snider of Twisted Sister.

In other radio news, I just taped an interview for Morning Edition on NPR, and that will appear on Monday (September 21).

Update: You can listen to the NPR piece here. (September 23)

We had a terrific "launch" party for Sea Monsters at Idlewild Books in Chelsea, on September 15 at 7.  You can see some great pictures at the site of novelist Hannah Tinti, who stood in for Jane at the event. (Sept. 

A couple non-Sea Monster related updates for a change...

Number one is that Breaking Up is Hard to Do has been slated for the Coverdale Theater in Cincannati next spring.

Number two is that the musical version of the swell kids book Uncle Pirate, with music and lyrics by Drew Fornarola, and script by me, has officially been announced by Vital Theatre for their March/April 2010 slot. (August 10)

Amidst all the fun press greeting Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters -- including in Entertainment Weekly, a lot of cool blogs, and this awesome European paper that taught me the French word for sea monsters ("les calamars") -- it's important to note this wonderfully timely (and, I swear to God, coincidental) little news item, in which "jumbo squid invade San Diego shores, spook divers." (July 17

Lots of excitement about Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters, including from the Wall Street Journal, Entertainment Weekly, and the Guardian UK.

And the good ole New York Times!

Hey, maybe you should be a fan of the book on Facebook!

Fun news: I'm the author -- er, co-author, with Jane Austen -- of Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters, the follow-up to the international best-seller, Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. The release date is September 15, but copies are available today (July 15) for advance order.

Check out the delightful "trailer" on the Quirk Classics youtube page.(7/15/09)

I am so excited and delighted and elated (and many other enthusiastic adjectives) to announce that HarperCollins Children's Books will be publishing my middle-grade novel, The Secret Life of Ms. Finkleman, in the fall of next year. (6/22/09)

Here's the announcement from Publisher's Weekly. (7/6/09)

The Orlando Theater Project will be presenting A Great Big Miracle, my Hanukkah play, this December. (6/10/09)

Four (whew) new Worst-Case "pocket guides" are coming out in September: Meetings, San Francisco, Cats, and (the one that was the most fun to write), Cars. If you want to know how to drive down stairs, here's the answer: you just do it. (5/24/09).

It looks like I'll be working on another show for Vital Theatre, this one adapted from the charming new novel  for kids by Douglas Rees, Uncle Pirate. (4/30/09)

Ben Allen H. Winters is a writer who lives in the Boston area, though not for long. 

I am represented as a playwright & librettist by Ron Gwiazda at the Abrams Agency; I am represented as a prose writer by Joelle Delbourgo at her epoynmous agency.

I am represented at the United Nations, like all Americans, by Susan Rice.

Please send me an email, follow me on Twitter, or be my friend on Facebook.

Pictures!

Ben's pictures

The H stands for "homicide."