Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ

Discover 100 years of popular books on Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ
Brendan Halpin
409 ratings | 386 reviews | avg rating:3.80

Brendan Halpin’s Followers (172)

member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo

Brendan’s Bookshelves

read (416)
currently-reading (0)
to-read (79)
audio (8)
library-books (115)
mysteries-without-cops (11)
unfinished (25)

Brendan’s Friends (378)

Mitali
Mitali
1,766 books | 456 friends

Kelly
Kelly
2,559 books | 85 friends

Christina
Christina
350 books | 1,434 friends

Ben Mcl...
Ben Mclaughlin
2,616 books | 32 friends

Megan
Megan
14,097 books | 2,925 friends

E. Ande...
E. Anderson
6,328 books | 755 friends

Terry
Terry
4,786 books | 337 friends

Bluehai...
Bluehairbookwitch
1,319 books | 150 friends

More friends�

Brendan Halpin

Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ Author


Born
in The United States
Website

Genre
Literature & Fiction, Young Adult

Member Since
April 2008


I grew up in Cincinnati, went to college in Philadelphia, and also lived in Taipei and Edinburgh along the way. I've lived in Boston since 1991.

I became a professional writer in 2000, writing about my late wife Kirsten's breast cancer diagnosis and treatment. Kirsten died in 2003, leaving me and our daughter Rowen. I married Suzanne in 2005 and got her kids Casey and Kylie in the deal too. Bargain! Suzanne and I live with our three kids and dog in the shadow of Franklin Park in Jamaica Plain, best neighborhood on earth. ...more

Ask the Author

To ask Brendan Halpin questions, please sign up.

Popular Answered Questions

I really like your books because (apart from great style) you seem to write about a bunch of important issues, (mental health, queerness etc). Do you choose these things because you want to make statements about them, or are they just where you stories go? And how do you make sure you stay representative of marginalised groups you aren't necessarily a part of?
Brendan Halpin Thanks so much! I really appreciate your compliment and your questions!

I really just write the stories I'm interested in telling. There's a pretty com…m´Ç°ù±ðThanks so much! I really appreciate your compliment and your questions!

I really just write the stories I'm interested in telling. There's a pretty common idea out there that YA fiction has a responsibility to be didactic, but I think this seriously underestimates the critical thinking ability of teenagers. Teenagers are sophisticated consumers of all kinds of media, and they know (and typically reject) when they're being preached at. They can also distinguish problematic or inaccurate portrayals. So I'm pretty strongly against the idea of writing in order to send a message.

Having said that, one of the things I always try to write into my fiction is the importance of empathy, but I think this is more me atoning for being kind of a dick in high school than trying to teach anything to my readers.

As far as writing marginalized groups that I'm not a part of, I mean, you can never really be completely sure that you're portraying someone else's experience accurately. I get a lot from knowing a wide variety of people- I think it's easier for me to write about different kinds of people because I know different kinds of people. The rest is pretty much just empathy--imagining, okay, if this were my situation, how would it affect me? (less)
flag
After Jenna and Jonah's Fauxmance, would you write another novel with an author? How did you go about writing the book? Did she come to you or vice versa? Where do you get your inspiration from?
Brendan Halpin I would, and I have! Emily and I wrote Tessa Masterson Will Go to Prom after Fauxmance, and I've also written three books with Trish Cook, most recent…m´Ç°ù±ðI would, and I have! Emily and I wrote Tessa Masterson Will Go to Prom after Fauxmance, and I've also written three books with Trish Cook, most recently A Really Awesome Mess.

With both Emily and Trish, the process was pretty similar: we'd get together at the beginning to talk about what the book was going to look like,and then we'd trade chapters, with me writing the boy chapters and them writing the girl chapters. There's usually some back and forth in the middle where we figure out whether we're headed in the right direction or not.

Fauxmance actually came from an idea that an editor pitched to us. My other books with Emily all came from ideas that she originally had that we worked out the details of together; with Trish, I had the skeleton of an idea for Notes From the Blender, and she had the idea for A Really Awesome Mess, and, again, we fleshed them out together.

I don't really know where inspiration comes from. In my case, mostly from being nosy and curious--I'm just interested in people and their lives and how they deal with situations. But I also often find something from my own life that connects to the characters.

(less)
flag
See all 6 answers from Brendan Halpin�

Combine Editions

Average rating: 3.6 · 10,890 ratings · 1,762 reviews · 21 distinct works â€� Similar authors
Donorboy
3.67 avg rating — 592 ratings — published 2004 — 8 editions
Rate this book
Clear rating
1 of 5 stars2 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars
Forever Changes
3.85 avg rating — 560 ratings — published 2008 — 7 editions
Rate this book
Clear rating
1 of 5 stars2 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars
Shutout
3.84 avg rating — 438 ratings — published 2010 — 5 editions
Rate this book
Clear rating
1 of 5 stars2 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars
Losing My Faculties: A Teac...
3.84 avg rating — 391 ratings — published 2003 — 7 editions
Rate this book
Clear rating
1 of 5 stars2 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars
It Takes a Worried Man
4.19 avg rating — 227 ratings — published 2002 — 15 editions
Rate this book
Clear rating
1 of 5 stars2 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars
Dear Catastrophe Waitress
3.62 avg rating — 255 ratings — published 2007 — 7 editions
Rate this book
Clear rating
1 of 5 stars2 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars
Long Way Back
3.85 avg rating — 106 ratings — published 2007 — 9 editions
Rate this book
Clear rating
1 of 5 stars2 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars
How Ya Like Me Now
3.68 avg rating — 110 ratings — published 2007 — 5 editions
Rate this book
Clear rating
1 of 5 stars2 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars
I Can See Clearly Now
liked it 3.00 avg rating — 78 ratings — published 2009 — 10 editions
Rate this book
Clear rating
1 of 5 stars2 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars
Enter the Bluebird
4.10 avg rating — 29 ratings — published 2013 — 4 editions
Rate this book
Clear rating
1 of 5 stars2 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars
More books by Brendan Halpin…

277 posts
Brendan Halpin's Blog

Where to find my new books!

Hello, my brave, wonderful Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ followers! You may have noticed a...dearth of published work by me in the last few years.

Well, I've been continuing to write, but publishers, for whatever reason, haven't seen fit to pay me for it.

But fear not! You can get all of my recent work for free! It's all up at You'll find 3 YA books, a mystery, (though actually 2 of the YA books are Read more of this blog post »
1 like ·   •  0 comments  •  flag
Published on February 04, 2022 14:29
View all 277 posts »

rss
Brendan’s Recent Updates

Brendan entered a giveaway
Nimona by N.D. Stevenson
Nimona: A Graphic Novel
by N.D. Stevenson
5 copies available, ends on May 19, 2025 Enter to win »
Apr 21, 2025 06:19AM  ·   · see giveaway · 
Brendan has read
Little Green Men by Peter Cawdron
Little Green Men
by Peter Cawdron (Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ Author)
Rate this book
Clear rating
1 of 5 stars2 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars
Sep 21, 2024 08:53AM  ·   · 
Brendan made a comment on Anna Serra i Vidal’s review of Scarlet (Scarlet Revolution #1)
Scarlet by Genevieve Cogman
" Interesting! I loved the Invisible Library too, but I saw this in the library and was worried it might be too pro-artistocrat. But it doesn't sound li ...more "
Oct 03, 2023 09:57AM  · see review
Brendan rated a book it was amazing
A Wizard’s Guide to Defensive Baking by T. Kingfisher
A Wizard’s Guide to Defensive Baking
by T. Kingfisher
Rate this book
Clear rating
1 of 5 stars2 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars
Absolutely delightful from start to finish. I cannot make any critical comments because my critical faculties were completely overwhelmed by the charm of this book. Highest recommendation.
Sep 06, 2023 04:06PM  · 1 like ·   · see review · 
Brendan rated a book it was amazing
The Merry Dredgers by Jeremy C. Shipp
The Merry Dredgers
by Jeremy C. Shipp (Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ Author)
Rate this book
Clear rating
1 of 5 stars2 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars
Atmospheric mystery with an abandoned amusement park based on the incoherent, 10-thousand-page fantasy novel of the previous owner at its heart. I cared about the characters and the mystery, but what really impressed me was (view spoiler) ...more
Aug 31, 2023 09:42AM  · 1 like ·   · see review
Brendan rated a book liked it
The Only One Left by Riley Sager
The Only One Left
by Riley Sager (Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ Author)
Rate this book
Clear rating
1 of 5 stars2 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars
It’s a pretty engaging read, but…well, there are many pleasures to be had from reading, and, in the mystery genre, I realize that what I really like is spending time with a cool protagonist while they try to unravel the mystery. I’m less interested i ...more
Aug 26, 2023 11:50AM  ·   · see review · 
Brendan is currently reading
The Merry Dredgers by Jeremy C. Shipp
The Merry Dredgers
by Jeremy C. Shipp (Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ Author)
Rate this book
Clear rating
1 of 5 stars2 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars
Aug 26, 2023 11:50AM  · 
Brendan rated a book liked it
The Only One Left by Riley Sager
The Only One Left
by Riley Sager (Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ Author)
Rate this book
Clear rating
1 of 5 stars2 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars
It’s a pretty engaging read, but…well, there are many pleasures to be had from reading, and, in the mystery genre, I realize that what I really like is spending time with a cool protagonist while they try to unravel the mystery. I’m less interested i ...more
Aug 26, 2023 11:49AM  ·   · see review · 
Brendan rated a book liked it
A Thousand Steps by T. Jefferson Parker
A Thousand Steps
by T. Jefferson Parker (Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ Author)
Rate this book
Clear rating
1 of 5 stars2 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars
I was sucked in by the setup—in 1968, a teenage boy searches for his missing sister. He knows she was kidnapped, but the cops think she’s just another hippie who dropped out, so he has to find her. For the most part, the novel delivers on the premise ...more
Aug 11, 2023 04:02PM  ·   · see review · 
Brendan has read
Monstress, Volume 1 by Marjorie M. Liu
Monstress, Volume 1: Awakening
by Marjorie M. Liu (Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ Author)
Rate this book
Clear rating
1 of 5 stars2 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars
Jul 13, 2023 08:00AM  ·   · 
More of Brendan's books…
Quotes by Brendan Halpin  (?)
Quotes are added by the Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ community and are not verified by Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ.

“Yeah, well. You're my best friend, you know, and I love you.”
― Brendan Halpin, Forever Changes
17 likes
Like

“if you wait for everyone else to do the right thing before you do the right thing, then you'll never do what's right. You have to do what's right even if other people aren't. Maybe even especially if other people aren't.”
― Brendan Halpin, Shutout
tags: inspirational
10 likes
Like

“I feel like our whole friendship was a lie. She's probably the only person I've ever really opened up to, and the whole time she was hiding stuff from me. I just don't feel like I can trust somebody like that.”
― Brendan Halpin, Tessa Masterson Will Go to Prom
tags: friends, trust
7 likes
Like

Topics Mentioning This Author

topics posts views last activity  
Mid-Continent Pub...: Nov. '11 - YA Reads 34 31 Nov 30, 2011 02:29PM  
Kindle Book Club ...: Suggestions For The August 2012 Selection of The Month 22 57 Jul 20, 2012 05:18PM  
The Seasonal Read...: This topic has been closed to new comments. Fall Challenge 2012: Completed Tasks - DO NOT DELETE ANY POSTS IN THIS TOPIC 2291 753 Dec 28, 2012 03:29PM  
The Next Best Boo...: This topic has been closed to new comments. Author Alphabet 3703 3095 Mar 14, 2013 03:16PM  
The Seasonal Read...: This topic has been closed to new comments. Winter Challenge 2013: Completed Tasks (Do Not Delete Posts) 2478 648 Feb 28, 2014 09:00PM  
2025 Reading Chal...: Jackie B's 2015 Challenge 160 166 Dec 18, 2015 11:14AM  

Brendan’s Friend Comments




No comments have been added yet.