Last year, I signed on to write a children’s time travel series for Wonder Stories. The new imprint, the brainchild of Dr. Elliott Hedman of MIT, aims to use technology to redefine stories for reluctant readers by introducing interactive questions and problem solving.

The first book in my series, The Door to Tomorrow, was supposed to debut with a dozen other Wonder Stories books at SXSW in March. Unfortunately, the pandemic cancelled the original launch and left the imprint scrambling for a new direction.

I’m happy to report that you can now read these books for free on the new Wonder Stories app (available for Android and iOS devices) or on the website. I am told the stories will remain free to families during the Covid-19 pandemic (and free to teachers indefinitely). With a kiddo of my own quarantined at home and the chance of that continuing into the new school year, I greatly appreciate the gesture to help families in this difficult time.

The Door to Tomorrow is written at a 3rd grade level. If you’ve got a reluctant reader (or a reader that just seems a tad behind his or her class), I highly recommend checking it out.

And if you’re interested in the research behind this new approach to storytelling, Elliot has done some fascinating work. He literally built a sensor to measure the subconscious emotional engagement of children as they read.

The second book in the series, The Man Time Forgot, has already been turned in, and I’ve just started work on Time Quake!

The Door to Tomorrow
Website | Android | iOS (Apple)

While I was traveling over the past month, a couple of astute fans contacted me after discovering a Breaking the World Easter egg dating all the way back to 2015.

Maurice Broaddus and I were co-editing an urban fantasy anthology, Streets of Shadows, at the time. I was working with a terrific Australian artist, Rhys Griffiths, on the wraparound cover. When Rhys pitched the idea of a rundown movie theater, I couldn’t resist having a little fun.

I directed Rhys to include Maurice’s first novel, King Maker, on the marquee alongside an unpublished first novel I was writing at the time. Maurice likened the move to a baseball player calling his shot. Three years later, that wrap-around cover sports both our first novels, which never fails to make me smile.

And, yeah, that’s us on the cover too. Maurice with his sword and me backing him up with a gun.

Read an excerpt of Breaking the World, check out the fantastic reviews, and consider picking up a copy of the book from:

Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Over the past two months, Breaking the World has picked up some phenomenal reviews and more than a few cool pictures. Many thanks to the reviewers, book groups, and fans that went out of their way to tag me in their Twitter and Instagram feeds. I’ve loved reading your reviews and seeing the book in the wild!

Check out a few “glamour shots” of Breaking the World. And if you haven’t already, think about picking up the book, now available everywhere from

Amazon | Barnes & Noble

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How did I end up writing a novel about David Koresh and the Branch Davidians? Go behind the scenes for the insane, true story behind the book. “My Road Trip with David Koresh” is available in the April issue of Apex Magazine. Grab a paper copy on Amazon or read it on the Apex Magazine website for free.

Many thanks to Indy Reads Bookstore, Nine Irish Brothers, and Apex Publications for hosting the book signing and after party. I had a few drinks with everyone, gave away some cool swag, talked about the insane story behind the book, and then signed copies for almost two hours. Thanks to everyone that came out and made it such a special night. Here are a few fun pics the event:

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Twenty-five years ago today, the fifty-one-day standoff between the Branch Davidians and the FBI came to an end. I spent two years of my life researching, writing, rewriting, and polishing a book set during the standoff.

There are plenty of excellent nonfiction books about Waco, but none of them give you a feel for what it was like to be trapped in that horrible situation. I wanted to write a book that humanized the participants, a book that could question (as I do) the actions of both the church and our government.

Today, it’s a book you can read. It’s the end of launch day, and I’m gathering up all the crazy goodness for you in one spot.

The early critical response to the book has been phenomenal. Check out the early reviews here:

http://www.jerrygordon.net/2018/04/breaking-the-world-early-reviews/

John Scalzi was cool enough to let me steal his website and talk about “The Big Idea” behind Breaking the World:

https://whatever.scalzi.com/2018/04/19/the-big-idea-jerry-gordon/

The always awesome Mary Robinette Kowal let me borrow her website to talk about one of my “Favorite Bits” writing the book, strong female characters:

http://www.jerrygordon.net/2018/04/breaking-the-world-early-reviews/

I sat down with Andrea Johnson for a relatively spoiler-free interview about the book, the 25th anniversary of Waco, and the lessons of the standoff that are still important today:

https://littleredreviewer.wordpress.com/2018/04/19/interview-with-jerry-gordon-author-of-breaking-the-world/

And I wrote a long-form essay about the crazy, real life story behind the book, “My Road Trip with David Koresh” that was published in Apex Magazine. You can snag a copy here:

https://www.apexbookcompany.com/collections/apex-magazine-all/products/apex-magazine-issue-107/

You can read an excerpt of the book:

https://read.barnesandnoble.com/book/breaking-the-world/

Better yet, pick up a copy:

Amazon | Barnes & Noble