I started writing children's fiction in 1998. I reworked some of this material into a full-length chunk of not-quite-non-fiction, which was published by HarperCollins as Still Life With Children. Humorous short pieces about my life as an at-home dad with four small children used to appear regularly in the Globe & Mail and Chatelaine, and can still be found fairly regularly on the back page of Today's Parent. In 1996 I published my first novel, Crosstown (Toronto: The Riverbank Press), which was short-listed for the City of Toronto Book Award.

(My editor and I are arguing about certain scenes right now.) And I am writing a semi-graphic novel about kids who fall into a comic book.ĭo you want more details? Really? Okay, then. Zomboy – an undead story – is due out next year. My most recent offering is Ink Me, a tragicomedy about a tattoo gone wrong, told in supercool phonetic speak by our learning-disabled hero. You can read more about them somewhere else on this site. Since 1996 I've published fifteen books for adults and children. I wrote for years before that, but no one cared. How much more do you need to know about anybody? I like black licorice and rice pudding and ratatouille and coffee. The motto of South Carolina is Dum spiro spero.- success comes by breathing. I’m right handed, my car has a dent in the passenger side door, and my blood type is A. I write and teach and talk about writing and other things. I do not have four children - they have me and we all know it. They all grew together and I still have them, together with all my organs except tonsils. I was born with very little hair and very little feet and hands. Renowned author Richard Scrimger draws on his powerful ability to tell a story that can truly make you laugh until you cry. Urban blight and rural beauty, Into the Ravine is a journey where the geography mirrors the contradictions of the human heart. By accident, they crash a funeral, and, by design, they crash a pool party - with tragic results. They are bombarded by bicycles, hoodwinked by hobos, and bewitched by bikinis. They rescue a diabolical dog, confront a hydrophobic gang, and survive a waterfall. On their way, the boys meet with a series of adventures that are funny at first glance but resonate deeply. After all, at thirteen they are old enough to take a day trip by themselves. When a tornado brings down a big maple tree, the boys make a raft of the branches and set off downstream. This familiar territory is by turns comforting and terrifying.

Behind their backyards is a ravine through which flows a modest river. In the tar-melting heat of a suburban summer, everyboy Jules, athletic and handsome Chris, and oddball Corey (he laughs at gravel and anticipates zombie attacks) have lived side by side for most of their lives.

Into the Ravine by Richard Scrimger