Derrick Barnes saw himself as a poet when he was in college, and tried his hand at writing a sex column while he was there. He later moved back to Kansas City, his hometown, and began writing for Hallmark. All of these experiences came together in his most recent book. By Sylvia Maria Gross
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Kansas City, MO – The Making of Dr. Truelove was published late last year by Simon and Schuster's young adult division, Simon Pulse. Derrick Barnes tells KCUR's Sylvia Maria Gross about how his writing pushes the boundaries for children's literature. First, he reads a passage from near the end of the book - when two teenage characters are reunited.
Derrick Barnes has published two other children's books. He's now working on a four-book series for younger children, called Ruby and the Booker Boys, for Scholastic. The first two books of the series are scheduled to come out in June 2008. "Dr. Truelove" is still answering relationship and sex questions on his myspace page.
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