This fall, I was lucky enough to have dinner with booksellers and other children’s book advocates in Chicago. After dinner, a lovely woman named Rose set up a camera and asked me to give my very first Maybe a Mermaid interview! Here I am, talking about my book (and, yes, I’ll admit it, I was super nervous).
Bookmail from Kids!
I had so much fun on World Read Aloud Day this year. Thanks to the magic of technology, I was able to visit six schools in TX, CT, MA, and ME. I read a chapter of Maybe a Mermaid, answered questions about writing, and spent some time recommending some of my favorite recent books. It was a blast. And the cherry on top? These amazing cards I received from students! Do you see those details? The Beemobile! Anthoni’s cabin! The Showboat! I may have read them all several times. 🙂
2019 Debut Author Interview
Thanks to Jessica at Just Another Teen Reading Books for posting my very first blog interview about Maybe a Mermaid! She asked all the good questions like, “Why Middle Grade?” and “Do you listen to music while you write” (spoiler alert: Never!). We also got to chat about 2019 books I’m looking forward to…there are so many! This interview was part of a week-long series of interviews with 2019 debut authors. I’m so glad I got to be part of the mix!
Highlights Magazine Author of the Month
On Christmas Eve, I got an unexpected treat in the mail. My story, “The Sun Stands Still,” won the Highlights Magazine Author of the Month Award for December 2018, and they sent me an engraved pewter plate to prove it! Seriously. When I was a kid dreaming of being an author, the idea that I would someday have a pewter plate from Highlights with my name on it would have Blown. My. Mind. Thanks, Highlights, for the mind-blowing honor!
The Sun Stands Still
I wrote a Winter Solstice story about a girl and her grandpa’s fiddle, and it’s in the December 2018 issue of Highlights Magazine! Not only that, but “The Sun Stands Still” is illustrated with joy and wonder by the talented Elisa Paganelli (check out her website…you’ll be transported!) I *loved* Highlights as a kid, so this feels like a huge honor that my younger self would be doing cartwheels over!
Staff Pick!
Guess what? MAYBE A MERMAID is included on Macmillan’s Staff Picks video for Winter 2019. With seven other books I can’t wait to get my hands on! How cool is that? You can watch the whole video here…