Take a look at all of the fun things the New Classics authors have been up to this past year. Homeschool conventions, new books, winning awards, and more!
Mark L. Redmond
Mark is the author of our New Classics featured book, Arty Goes West, along with the free study guide that accompanies it.
Susie and I had a wonderful year! On our way to spend the summer with our family in Indiana, we took a historic train ride in Abilene, Kansas. Our last stop before leaving Indiana was Hebron Christian Academy, where we spoke to the elementary students and visited with the pastor’s wife, our friend and one of my former students. I narrated two more books in the Bounty Hunter Nate Landry series. I also wrote and published the third book in the Box M Gang series, The Box M Gang and the Apaches.
Kandi Wyatt
Kandi is the author of our New Classics featured book, An Unexpected Adventure, as well as the free study guide that accompanies it.
2026 was a year for me to stretch as an author. I expanded my homeschool events to travel with Realm Makers Mobile bookstore to Great Homeschool Convention in Cincinnati and Teach Them Diligently at Pigeon Forge. Later in the year, I was at Realm Makers Conference and Expo, selling books, but also learning–a lot! I was part of their Mastermind group, where I was challenged to “do the thing!” So I’ve been publishing more steadily.
I’ve added three new books, and I’m going back and re-doing one. Journey from Skioria originally was for those who loved The Secret Garden, The Little Princess, Little Women, Anne of Green Gables, and those older, slower stories. But my editor told me there wasn’t an audience for that. So we changed the story. I’m re-editing this one–haven’t decided on a title yet. It’ll be available as a classic-looking special edition on Kickstarter first, then through my website.
I also recovered To Save a Race, my steampunkish Biblical retelling of Esther. It’s now available with the new cover, so hopefully more readers will pick it up.
Marie Sontag
Marie is the author of our New Classics featured book, The Bronze Dagger & the Stolen Jewels, as well as the free study guide that accompanies it.
A heart-warming event occurred for me this year at an outdoor market. An eleven-year-old came to our booth with his little brother, Liam. They noticed my prizes and asked how to get one. I said they were for those who watched a 1-minute trailer of my book, The Bronze Dagger & the Stolen Jewels.
They watched the video and each chose a disk launcher. Liam came back four times, showing me a broken disk. Each time, I reluctantly gave him a new one. The fourth time, I asked to see how he launched it. I saw he couldn’t push the launcher fast enough to send the disk flying. Sensing his frustration, I opened a bottle of bubbles and blew on the wand, then had him try. He filled the air with bubbles, and his smile warmed my heart.
I later reflected on my time with Liam. I realized I write stories because I love helping kids become self-assured. Writing adventurous stories pulls them in. Cliff-hanger chapter endings keep them reading. Ultimately, they become more confident, much like Liam did when he swapped his broken disk for the bubbles.
Milico Mathers
Milico Mathers is Nancy E. Head’s pen name. She is the author of our New Classics featured books Wandering Swallow and The Broken Harp, along with the free study guides that accompany them.