James Howe & Mark Davis

[reviews_and_ramblings]

James Howe (born August 2, 1946, Oneida, New York) is the American author of over 80 juvenile and young adult books, including the Bunnicula series, about a vampire rabbit that sucks the juice out of vegetables. On September 17th, 2011, Howe married Mark Davis, a partner in the New York law firm Engel and Davis, and his partner since 2001, at a home in Dorset, Vermont.

At the age of nine or ten, Howe wrote a play based on the "Blondie" comic strip as well as a variety of short stories and self-published newspapers, his favorite being "the Gory Gazette," made for a self-founded club: Vampire Legion.

Howe would continue to write plays during his theater studies at Boston University, and eventually move to New York City to pursue a career as an actor and model while directing plays and working as a literary agent.

In the mid-1970s, Howe's mother-in-law encouraged him and his wife, Deborah Howe, to create a children's story based on a character the two had created while watching older Dracula movies, which at the time were played late at night on TV in the 1970s. With his wife, he created Bunnicula: A Rabbit Tale of Mystery, about a pet rabbit suspected of being a vampire. The book would go on to win more than ten Children's Choice awards, including the Dorothy Canfield Fisher Award and the Nene Award, and eventually evolve into a series. Shortly after Bunnicula was published Deborah fell victim to cancer and died, inspiring the creation of The Hospital Book.


(c) leslie j. yerman photography
James Howe (born August 2, 1946) is the American author of over 80 juvenile and young adult books, including the Bunnicula series, about a vampire rabbit that sucks the juice out of vegetables. On September 17th, 2011, Howe married Mark Davis, a partner in the New York law firm Engel and Davis, and his partner since 2001, at a home in Dorset, Vermont. After the death of his first wife, Howe remarried and fathered a daughter, Zoey. Howe and his second wife divorced after Howe came out as gay.

After the death of his first wife, Howe remarried and fathered a daughter, Zoey. Howe and his second wife divorced after Howe came out as gay.

In 1981, Howe began writing full-time. In addition to the Bunnicula series, Howe has written picture books, children's novels, nonfiction, adaptations of classic stories, and screenplays for movies and television. Over ten years ago, he published his first two young adult novels, The Watcher and The Misfits. The Misfits, itself inspired by his daughter Zoey's difficult experiences in middle school, was the inspiration behind GLSEN's annual No Name-Calling Week.

In 2007, James Howe was the recipient of The E.B. White Read Aloud Award for Picture Books for his book Houndsley and Catina, illustrated by Marie-Louise Gay, and published by Candlewick Press.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Howe

Further Readings:

Totally Joe by James Howe
Age Range: 9 and up
Paperback: 208 pages
Publisher: Atheneum Books for Young Readers (April 24, 2007)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0689839588
ISBN-13: 978-0689839580
Amazon: Totally Joe
Amazon Kindle: Totally Joe

"Everybody says you and Colin were kissing."

"What? That's ridiculous!"

"For heaven's sake, Joe, if you and Colin want to kiss, you have every right to."

"We did not kiss," I told her.

Addie shrugged. "Whatever."

What was it with my friends?

From the creator of The Misfits, the book that inspired NATIONAL NO NAME-CALLING WEEK, comes the story of Joe Bunch....

Gr. 6-9. Joe, one of the characters in The Misfits (2001), has his say, in a voice uniquely his own. Twelve-year-old Joe knows he is gay. He played with Barbies as a young child, prefers cooking to sports, and has a crush on a male classmate. Written in the form of an assignment--an "alphabiography"--the story takes readers through the school year, one letter at a time: G is for the Gang of Five, Joe's misfit friends, who are utterly loyal when he falls for Colin. But Colin is less secure about his sexuality than Joe is, and when the rumor goes around that the boys have been seen kissing, he quashes the relationship. Joe survives the crush, and the book has an upbeat ending. Actually, despite a few worries, the whole book is cheerful and optimistic. Joe's family is supportive, and the kids from the nasty (Christian) family that wants to stop the Gay-Straight Alliance are removed to a different school. In other words, there's nothing terribly realistic about the scenario; in many ways, the book is reminiscent of David Levithan's Boy Meets Boy (2003), which was for a slightly older audience. Obviously, the novel will be problematic for some--not only because of the gay theme and Joe's age but also the stereotypic portrayal of the bullying Christian family. Joe himself often comes off as a cross between Niles Crane and Harvey Fierstein. But he also reacts like a kid, and readers in his situation will wish for the love and support he receives from friends and family, as well as the happy life he so clearly envisions. (Ilene Cooper)

"A character that lives and breathes with all the inconsistencies, fears, and longings of your normal, average seventh-grade homosexual." -- Kirkus Reviews

More Spotlights at my website: http://www.elisarolle.com/, My Lists/Gay Novels

More LGBT Couples at my website: http://www.elisarolle.com/, My Ramblings/Real Life Romance

Comments

Photo on your post on Jim Howe and Mark Davis

[(Anonymous)]

Hi Elisa:

It seems as if you used the NY Times wedding photo of Jim and Mark without including my photo credit.

Could you please add it? leslie j. yerman photography.

Thank you.

leslie j. yerman

Re: Photo on your post on Jim Howe and Mark Davis

[reviews_and_ramblings]

thank you Leslie, I think I found it on Mr Howe's website, and of course I included your (c) but if you prefer that I remove it, I will provide.