The Slip Hups — Ken Robbins

Meet Koa and Kobrette-two friendly teenage cobras with a knack for technology, a love of snakeboarding, and a tendency to attract trouble

Kobra, AKA Koa, was a pet in a cage in Japan for the first four years of his life, where he absorbed the English language while listening to a mom homeschooling her son...and by watching closed-captioned TV. Freed from captivity by a tsunami, he escaped to the American Midwest, where he met Kobrette, an attractive young English-speaking cobra.

Together the pair strive to live normal teenage lives. Koa and Kobrette are much like human teenagers. They travel by skateboard, er, snakeboard, use smartphones, and even hold down part-time jobs. Their first year in America is anything but normal, however, as they find themselves in one bizarre and harrowing situation after another.

Fearing man will put their species to work, the snakes vow to protect themselves from scientists and others who would exploit their unusual talents. But one unscrupulous human teen, seeking his own fame and fortune, desperately wants to find out how they learned English. Just how far will the snakes go to protect their secret...and their species?

The Slip Hups is a hilarious tale of two cobras whose only desire is to be "plain snakes on the plains." It's pro-fang-ity free and full of adventure

About the Author: Like the two cobras in the story, Ken Robbins transplanted himself to the Midwest and settled near the Illinois Prairie Path, in the west suburbs of Chicago. Known as "The Kobra" in his table tennis community, he took to blogging on his table tennis website, www.lombatts.com, eventually launching the characters of Koa and Kobrette into the pages of his debut novel. Find out more at www.thesliphups.com.