Okay, I know, I know, we’re Penguin Teen up in here, but first of all, the defining boundaries of YA are blurry and ever-shifting, and second of all, we always have room in our hearts (and our bandwidth) on Penguin Teen to showcase some of our favorite books and series for the younger set, from picture books to chapter books to middle grade—we love all of it!

Take it from us, Deadweather and Sunrise (The Chronicles of Egg, Book 1), is the sort of special middle grade novel that can appeal to adults and teens as well as middle graders, because it’s a funny, clever page-turner with whip-smart writing and heart-pounding adventure. Rick Riordan (of Percy Jackson fame) called it “a rip-roaring debut. It is Lemony Snicket meets Pirates of the Caribbean, with a sprinkling of Tom Sawyer for good measure.” Author Geoff Rodkey joins us in the Penguin Teen Author Spotlight to give us a little peek into his head (and his office).

(And if you can beat me at the Ugly Fruit picking game on ChroniclesofEgg.com, I will eat my hat.)

Name: Geoff Rodkey

Novel: DEADWEATHER AND SUNRISE (Book 1 of The Chronicles of Egg)

Available: right now!

Who’s your favorite author, living or dead? There are way too many to list. This week, it’s Gillian Flynn and John Scalzi.

What’s your favorite thing about your book? It’s got everything I ever wanted in a book: humor, mystery, a lot of thrills, and a little romance.

If you could spend one year on a deserted island with one character from literature, who would you choose? Robinson Crusoe. He’d know the ropes, so we’d be less likely to starve to death.

Where do you write? A communal writers’ space. I try to get in early so I can lay claim to my favorite cubicle [Ed: photo of writing space above!].

Who is your favorite hero or heroine of history? Ben Franklin. He came from nothing, had a dozen different careers, and seemed to enjoy them all.

Do you tweet? What’s the funniest thing you’ve ever tweeted? My tweets aren’t that funny, because I don’t work hard enough at them. Here’s one from last week:

@GeoffRodkey: You know that point in a Ben&Jerry’s pint where you feel ill, but there’s not enough left to put back in the freezer, so you just finish it?

What is your favorite season? Autumn, at least in New York.

If you could teleport anywhere in the known universe right now, where would you go? Telluride.

Do you have any writing rituals? Not really, other than a mildly obsessive-compulsive preference for Sarasa pens in blue ink with a 0.5mm point.

What is your idea of earthly happiness? A large stockpile of Sarasa pens in blue ink with a 0.5mm point.

What is the best concert you’ve ever been to? Drivin ‘n Cryin, who I listened to growing up but had never seen live until last year. I’ve seen other bands at that stage of their careers, and it’s usually kind of sad…but they were amazing. They played in front of maybe a hundred people, and just burned the place down.

What are you currently working on? NEW LANDS, the second book in the Chronicles of Egg trilogy.

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Thank you so much for stopping by to chat with us, Geoff! We’re very excited to read the next Chronicles of Egg book, aren’t we, mateys? (I went there.)

You can find Geoff online on Twitter and Facebook. And I’m going to take this moment to officially challenge everyone to beat my Ugly Fruit score of 83 on the Chronicles of Egg website. 

Add DEADWEATHER AND SUNRISE to your “to-read” shelf on Goodreads!

Purchase DEADWEATHER AND SUNRISE from Amazon, Barnes and Noble, or your local independent bookseller.