Cleveland, Tennessee, resident Richard M. Born, author of the book series "The Bizarre Events at Hellman Elementary," is returning to Chattanooga - where he spent his high school years - for a book signing at Barnes and Noble at Hamilton Place mall Saturday, July 7 from noon to 2 p.m.
Born released the first book in the series, "The Nexus of Strange," last September, and the Central High School alum is kicking off his summer book tour with his appearance at Barnes and Noble.
Richard M. Born, author of the book series "The Bizarre Events at Hellman Elementary," is set to sign copies of his new novel at Barnes and Noble at Hamilton Place mall July 7 from noon to 2 p.m.
Cleveland, Tennessee, resident Richard M. Born is the author of the book series "The Bizarre Events at Hellman Elementary." Born released the first book in the series, "The Nexus of Strange," last September.The series, which is directed toward readers in third through eighth grades, centers on a school where strange things happen and teachers are not what they seem to be. Creatures lurk around every corner, along with plot twists and turns.
Born knows his target age group well. He's the father of two boys ages 12 and 13, whom he adopted after serving as their foster father. The former camp counselor began fostering children after college, first as a respite provider on weekends, and then as a full-time foster parent for eight years.
The book series was inspired by real-life tales told to him by his foster children, which he would further exaggerate into stories that eventually made their way into his fantasy mystery-thrillers. For instance, a giant spider living behind a dumpster on campus in "The Nexus of Strange" sprung from a story told by one of his children, who told him that he couldn't concentrate at school because of a huge spider that lived in his classroom.
It was his children who encouraged him to get his work published, said Born.
"It's a good book to get away from things," he said of the first novel, which, while a fantasy novel, deals with real issues some children face, such as losing a brother or making friends as the new kid in school.
Born is currently working on the third book in the series. The second book, "The Jurassic Field Trip," is set to be released this September and involves a kid with an autistic brother who may or may not be turning into a dinosaur, he said.
Published by New York City-based Page Publishing, "The Nexus of Strange" is available at Barnes and Noble, Books-A-Million, and online at amazon.com.
Email Emily Crisman at ecrisman@timesfreepress.com.