About Me

Why I started writing Minecraft Novels

I’ve come to love playing Minecraft with my son. I didn’t get here easily though, in fact, my son had to drag me there kicking and screaming. But now…I love it. You see, he saw a video about Minecraft on Youtube and of course said he had to have it. I looked at the video and said, “you don’t want that game.” Well, he did want it and was persistent in reminding my wife and I that Minecraft was great.

So finally, we caved. We bought Minecraft, and soon, we had a server running for my son and his friends. Well, one sad day, a couple of kids came onto the server and destroyed everything. They made a video of their destruction and said terrible, disgusting things about my son. When they finished flattening the world with TNT and lava, then sent my son a video link to YouTube . . . wasn’t that thoughtful.

My son rebuilt everything . . . and they came back again and again and again. They changed their user names and used a VPN to get onto the server and continue with their reign of destruction. We finally just shut down the server.

This was the ultimate ‘teachable moment’, to talk about cyber-bullying. I tried to answer my son’s questions about why someone would do this, and what kind of person would take pride in destroying someone else’s creation, but my answers just fell flat. That was when I came up with the idea of teaching my son through his favorite thing—Minecraft. I wrote the first book called Invasion of the Overworld, and it taught kids about cyber-bullying and how it affects others as well as hammering away at the importance of friendships, using Minecraft as the tapestry on which the lesson was written. I’ve had great responses to this, getting emails through my website, www.markchverton.com, and hearing from kids that loved the book and parents that loved the message. It’s been very rewarding.

My success with Invasion of the Overworld has led to the publishing 24 novels with Skyhorse Publishing. They can be found in 32 countries they’ve been published in 22 languages, and there are over 2 million copies in print. Here’s a map to the right, showing where my Minecraft novels can be found around the world. 

I have a new book coming out soon called FACING THE BEAST WITHIN. This book has nothing to do with Minecraft, but it has all the action and suspense you’ve come to expect in my novels. 

What would you do if demons, gremlins, gargoyles, and all the mythical creatures you’ve heard about in fairy tales suddenly invaded your town? Cameron Poole, a bully magnet and the smallest sixth grader at Campchartrain, must answer that question. For he is the only person that can stop the Malphas, the Demon Lord of Agartha, from bringing his monster army to Earth and destroy everything. 

You’ll see magic, monsters, and an epic battle in FACING THE BEAST WITHING. 

Buckle up and get ready for a thrilling ride. 

My Background

I was born and grew up in Southern California, about 15 minutes from Disneyland. I attended California State University at Fullerton after High School, earning a Bachelor’s degree in Physics. After college, I started teaching Physics and Math at Cerritos High School in So. Cal. While teaching, I attended California State University at Long Beach, where I earned a Master’s degree in Physics. After teaching for 10 years in So Cal. I moved to the East Coast of the US, relocating to New York State. There I taught for another 5 years, again teaching Physics. I eventually left teaching and went into industry. I worked as a Research Physicist for General Electric for almost 15 years, conducting research in many topics such as Machine Vision, Laser Welding, System Automation and Control, Advanced Sensors, Holography . . . in fact, you can see a hologram I made of myself below:
 
There’s also another hologram of me on Youtube, but I think I was a little sick that day because I look funny for some reason. 
These holograms were recorded into a solid piece of plastic. What you’re seeing is the image as I’m turning the plastic back and forth. 
Now I write full-time. I probably write maybe 8-10 hours a day during the week and more on weekends. 

Favorite Books

Here’s a list of some of my favorite books I’ve have read over the years. I can remember reading many of them under the covers late at night with a flashlight, after bedtime, when I was your age. Shhh . . . don’t tell my parents, I might get in trouble.

Read the descriptions online and be sure to look at the age range to make sure it is appropriate for you. I hope some of you try them on for size. Nothing like a great books that makes you want to read it again and again.

“Reading a good book is like hanging out with an old friend. You’re sad to see them leave on the last page, but you can’t wait for the next friend to stop by for a visit.”  — Monkeypants_271

Here are some of my old friends, and a few new ones . . .

FANTASY

Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien (age 13+) – Who doesn’t love LofR, a classic to which all fantasy books are compared.

The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien (age 9+) – Where LotR started. A fantastic book!

The Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan (age 11+) – This is probably one of my favorite series. Robert Jordan created a fantasy masterpiece. This series has 15 books, counting the prequel; totally worth it!

Queen Bee by Elizabeth Weigandt (age 7 – 13) – from a new author and a friend, you’ll love seeing what it’s like to be a bee in Elizabeth’s debut novel.

Sword of Shannara Trilogy by Terry Brooks (age 12+) – One of the first fantasy books I ever read, the Shannara series is a rich story of action and adventure, with a deep lore that creates many possibilities. With 11 volumes in this series, there’s lots to love here.

Watership Down by Richard Adams (age 11+) – You’ll love Hazel after reading this. Watership Down takes you inside the rabbet warren, where power struggles and adventure are at every turn. I love this book!

Sassafrass and the Queen by Sandra L. Vasher (age 7 – 13) – from an new author, you’ll love this world of magic, murder and intrigue.

The Belgariad by David Eddings (age 12+)

The Dragon Riders of Pern by Anna McCaffrey (age 13)

SCIENCE FICTION

Dune series by Frank Herbert (ages 14+)

Ender’s Game series by Orson Scott Card (ages 12+)

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury (age 13+)

The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury (age 12+)

Rendezvous with Rama series by Arthur C. Clark (age 12+)

The Moon is a Harsh Mistress by Robert Heinlein (age 13+)

All H.G. Wells Novels!!! by H.G. Wells, of course (ages 12+)