I’ve been trying to finalize a cover for Saving Sam and would love to have some feedback. Which of these covers appeals most to you? Thanks for your help!
Many thanks to everybody who participated in the Best of Summer 2013 Kid Lit Giveaway Hop. The hop was hosted by Mother Daughter Book Reviews and Youth Literature Reviews. My winner was Michelle Willms as noted on the Rafflecopter below. Congrats, Michelle!
Stay tuned for exciting news on Saving Sam, the next book in the Simms Siblings Series. I came close to missing the Tween the Weekends post. Many thanks to Michelle Isenhoff who reminded me that today was posting day.
The writers at Emblazon have started a monthly hop, which is 'an opportunity for everybody to promote tween literature, that age bracket squashed between middle grade and young adult. You can review a great tween book, post about writing for kids, connect with others who love the genre, support and encourage one another, relate news, share links, or just about anything else tween related.' I wrote up a nifty discussion piece on the characters in my book and their age as it pertains to the blurry lines between MG and YA fiction. Didn't save, had a power cut and that post is history. My big point of discussion was that although the subject of my YA books are heavy, I'm so invested in these stories that I won't shy away from telling them. I have tried to write them with as much sensitivity as I can. There is enough negativity in this world, so although my stories are hard to digest, I do leave the reader with a sense of hope and that justice has prevailed at the end. What about you readers and writers? Do you shy away from books that deal with disturbing subject matters? Visit the other bloggers in this hop here. This week, I'm participating in the Best of Summer 2013 Kid Lit Giveaway Hop. The hop is being hosted by Mother Daughter Book Reviews and Youth Literature Reviews The aim of the hop is 'to share copies of a fabulous book that you have read or are planning to read over July and August 2013...' The children's fiction book I've read most recently is This War We're In by Renée Pawlish. It's set in the US in 1943, during World War 2. It's told from the perspective of a ten-year-old boy, who cannot understand why his Japanese-American friend is treated differently from him. The story has important lessons about tolerance and forgiveness. It's a good book for those who enjoy middle-grade fiction. My review is here. You may enter for a chance to win a $10 Amazon Gift Voucher on the Rafflecopter below. Remember to visit the other participants. I've been immersed in editing the next book in the Simms Siblings Series. Got a bit carried away with formatting and such, but it's all winding down soon.
The cover hasn't been finalized as yet, but with any luck that will be done this week. I'm working out the promotional angle in my mind and hope to do something exciting and a bit different to get the word out effectively. I'd love some help with that, but I'll say more about that later. For now, I've tweaked the book blurb and hope it will do an effective job. I do know that I need to do some more work on it as I'm not 100% satisfied. I did a post on keywords and Amazon searches on the blog at the Character Depot and need to apply the same principle to the blurb below. Saving Samuel A deadly domestic dispute between his parents lands eleven-year-old Samuel Simms and his siblings in the Downswell Place of Safety. When he’s left behind in the children’s home with no hope of adoption, Sam's disappointment turns to anger and disillusionment. An opportunity comes his way, and Sam is placed in a foster home, but all is not what it seems in the Miller household. Sam now has a secret that guarantees he will remain a ward of the Jamaican government until he's eighteen. Faced with unrelenting pressure, Sam reveals what happened to him while in the care of his foster parents. With his shocking secret exposed, Sam has to choose a path for his future. He can continue to accept what his abuser wants him to believe about himself or find the courage to stop a predator from harming other children. Mock up cover is above. The days can and do go by swiftly for a writer who’s intent on getting edits completed. I’m almost there, just making sure all plot points are tied up. Then it’ll be time to put that book away for a while and concentrate on book three in my young adult series.
I’m always late with announcing winners, but here goes. The lucky winner of the Lazy Days of Summer Giveaway in on the Rafflecopter below. Congrats! An email is on the way. I’ve been hunkered down editing the second in a series of middle grade novels set in Jamaica. It’s time to take a break and have some fun in the Lazy Days of Summer Hop being hosted by Burgundy Ice and Kathy atI am a Reader Not a Writer. My giveaway will be a $5.00 Amazon Gift Card. Have fun and choose what you want to do on the Rafflecopter below. Remember to visit the other bloggers on the linky list. So I’ve been working on the second book in the MG series that tells the stories of a set of siblings who lose their parents. The editing has been interesting and today I did some research regarding the local justice system. Turns out I’ll have to make some minor adjustments, but I suspected that would be the case. Meantime, I’ve been distracting myself by working on a cover or two. I wanted the look to be similar to that of the first book Christine’s Odyssey and I think I’ve achieved that. These covers are dark considering that the stories are for kids, but they reflect the essence of the stories. I’ve added the blurbs with the covers so you can see what the novels are about. Let me know what you think. Raised in a hotbed of arguments and fights, eleven-year-old Christine Simms is the victim of her mother's temper and cruelty. A domestic dispute ends in tragedy, sending the family into a tailspin. A shocking discovery sends Christine on a quest to find the stranger who left her behind in Jamaica. Determined to unravel the mystery of her birth, Christine uses every tool at her disposal and treads with courage where no child should. After losing both parents in a domestic dispute, eleven-year-old Samuel Simms becomes a ward of the Jamaican government. His siblings are adopted, but he’s left behind in a children’s home, longing for a family of his own.
Angry and disillusioned, Sam becomes a source of disruption. Faced with unrelenting pressure, he reveals what happened while he was placed with foster parents. With his secret exposed, Sam has to choose a path for his future. He can continue to accept what his abuser wants him to believe about himself or find the courage to stop a sexual predator from harming other boys. Today is launch day for the Emblazon web site. The focus of the blog is on tween literature, which according to Michelle Isenhoff’s post is ‘the unique subgenre that falls between middle grade and young adult and can lean either way.’
One interesting feature I’m looking forward to on the Emblazon site is Tween the Weekends which will take place on the fourth Wednesday of each month. Have a look at what they have to offer here. The Emblazon group is hosting a great launch giveaway, so hop on over to their site and have a look around. I’ll be following their posts and so should you. It’s been a busy week, hence the delay in posting the winner of the Midsummer’s Eve Giveaway Hop.
Many thanks to all of you who stopped in to enter the competition. Please see the winner on the Rafflecopter below. Congratulations to Donna! Stop in again soon. There are more exciting giveaways to come! |