Author of award-winning, adventurous realistic and historical fiction

SUMMER is here!

May 24, 2016 | , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

SUMMER_map_StickerFINALSummer of Lost and Found is on shelves today! Hip hip hooray!

I hope readers will have as much fun discovering the past and present Roanoke Island as I did while writing it. Thanks to everyone who helped get this book into the world, especially: my agent, Suzie Townsend, and her assistant Sara Stricker; and my editor, Alyson Heller, publicist, Faye Bi, and the whole team at Aladdin.

If you’d like a signed copy of Summer and you can’t make one of my events, you can order one from Books of Wonder–or send me an email, and I’ll pop a personalized bookplate for you in the mail.

If you’d like to read a little more about the book and my experiences writing it, here are some interviews, reviews, and guest posts to check out:

A conversation with author Caroline Starr Rose

An interview with author Nikki Loftin

An interview in the InkSplat newsletter

A review from Bookshelf Fantasies

A review from Word Spelunking

Interview with YA Reads

Interview with Pop! Goes the Reader

And last but not least–it’s time to announce the winner of the pre-order giveaway! Annette Burns won the beautiful bag of blurber books and school/library donation. Thanks to all who entered.

Happy Reading!

 

 

The Last Grand Adventure

May 11, 2016 | , , , , , , , , , , , ,

So you might have seen some news in Publishers Weekly this afternoon:

 

Capture

 

That’s right–I wrote another MG book! The Last Grand Adventure will be in bookstores sometime between January-April 2018. Like When Audrey Met Alice, I created a character based on a real, fascinating woman (in this case, Amelia Earhart, whom I’ve been obsessed with since childhood) and like Summer of Lost and Found, my MG protagonist unexpectedly finds herself in the middle of a history mystery. But for the first time, the whole book is historical fiction. It’s an adventure-ful road trip, a love letter to sisters, and a celebration of spunky grandmas. I loved writing this story, and I can’t wait to share it with you.

I’m thrilled to keep working with Alyson Heller and the Aladdin/Simon & Schuster team again, too! Many thanks to them for giving my books a home, to Suzie Townsend for being such a great advocate for my writing, to Sara Stricker for all her help and encouragement–and especially to readers, who keep us all going!

 

Pre-order Giveaway for SUMMER OF LOST AND FOUND

Apr 11, 2016 | , , , , , , ,

Summer of Lost and Found will be out in six weeks, and I can’t wait!

But did you know that you can buy a copy today? Pre-ordering books is a great way to support both authors and booksellers. Author Lisa Schroeder tells all the reasons why in this helpful post, but in short:
–Pre-orders can help a bookstore decide whether to stock a book
–Pre-orders can help the author get more marketing support from a publisher
–Pre-orders can help a publisher decide whether to sign up more books from an author

Basically, readers who pre-order books are helping out all the people who make and sell books! As a thank-you to those who pre-order Summer of Lost and Found, I’m doing a giveaway.

image1

Everyone who pre-orders a copy will receive Summer of Lost and Found swag:
–a signed and personalized bookplate
–stickers featuring both the beautiful cover art and the Roanoke map
–a bookmark
–a super shiny postcard
–a bonus piece of When Audrey Met Alice swag

But I know that some readers will get Summer of Lost and Found from the library (I love libraries!) or a friend (sharing books is the best!). I want to thank them, too, so one randomly selected reader* will receive a special prize:

-A beautiful bookish tote bag designed by Jen at Pop Goes the Reader, filled with books from the authors who blurbed Summer of Lost and Found, including: Blue Birds and May B. by Caroline Starr Rose and My Diary from the Edge of the World by Jodi Lynn Anderson.
-A free Skype author visit with the school or library of your choice, along with five signed hardcover copies of Summer sent to that school/library.

*Just to be super clear: This raffle is not limited to those who pre-order. No purchase is necessary, and anyone in the US or Canada can enter. If you are pre-ordering, I will enter your name when I send your swag. If you’re not pre-ordering, use the contact form at the end of this post to enter the raffle.

How to pre-order and get your thank-you swag:

1. Before 11:59 p.m. EST on May 23, order Summer of Lost and Found from the retailer of your choice. Here are links to major retailers:

If you’d like to purchase from your local indie, that is extra great! Just ask a friendly bookseller to order you a copy. In case you need it, the book’s ISBN is: 9781481458962.

2. Email me with the following info: Name, mailing address, instructions on how to personalize your bookplate, and proof-of-purchase (e.g., screenshot of an order confirmation or receipt, or forward the order in your email). Feel free to delete or blur any personal info, but I promise I will not use or save any info you send me.

Also let me know if you’d like to be added to my mailing list. I don’t currently have a newsletter, but I might start one!

3. That’s it! I will email you to confirm once I’ve put your pre-order swag in the mail.


Thank you for your support, and happy reading!

 

{The contact form is now closed}

Audrey and Alice optioned for film!

Apr 8, 2016 | , , , , , ,

I got to share some exciting news yesterday–that When Audrey Met Alice has been optioned for film!

I’m still learning the way the film industry works, but basically an option agreement is a contract that allows film producers to obtain the rights to a book. It’s the first step–of many, many steps–needed to make a book into a movie.

I’m thrilled about this, and thankful to the team at New Leaf Literary–especially Pouya Shabazian, Suzie Townsend, and Chris McEwen–helping make it happen. You can read the full announcement in The Hollywood Reporter.

Archives