What happens when you hear something really funny? You probably can’t wait to repeat the story to someone else so you can enjoy another laugh. (If you’re like me, you’ll probably forget the punch line in the midst of retelling.) But if you’re a novelist, everything you hear may end up as a character or scene in your next book, as author Jonathan Rogers tells about here.

There are only two more weeks until the final installment of the Wilderking trilogy hits the stores. I’ve had a sneak peek at The Way of the Wilderking, and it’s absolutely the best one yet. If you’ve missed out on the first two books in this inspirational fantasy series for kids, you can enter the Riverbottom Forest at the official Wilderking site and catch up.

Our kids have all loved the first two Wilderking books: The Bark of the Bog Owl and The Secret of the Swamp King. You can read some blogger reviews of these books here and here. Stacy of Active Christian Media wrote to tell us she plans on interviewing Jonathan Rogers this week — I’ll let you know when the link is up, or you can check her site.

Meanwhile, you can get to know this author behind the scenes through The Wilderking Weblog. I hope you can click on over and welcome someone new to the blogosphere. His children’s novels are for kids of all ages — a series parents actually ENJOY reading out loud as a family. Warning: our favorite feechie, Dobro Turtlebane, is so funny in Book 3, you may end up reading all night because your kids are going to keep begging you: Just one more chapter, please!