The Big Summer Book Covers Reveal

It's time! I've had all of these covers ready for a while now, but I've been waiting to share them with you. As you see, I've got a lot going on this summer. Two new books and two audiobooks are all coming out one right after the other. 

And to think, I auditioned to be in a musical this summer. So glad that didn't work out. Sometimes my desire to sing makes me abandon my common sense. I mean, I can always sing in the car or the shower, right? Do people really have to hear me?

I'm a teacher, but I work at the kind of school that doesn't shut down for summer break. So, I've taken this coming week off to get all of my plans for these releases in order. I hope you will join me in reading or listening to these books, leaving reviews, and encouraging your friends to read them too. 

BTW, I'm on the lookout for early readers who are willing to leave a review at Amazon and/or Goodreads the day the books are released. If you'd like to be one of those people, shoot me an email and let me know which book you're interested in reading. I'll put you on my list and let you know when the ARCs are ready.

I'll start off with the biggest project first! If you're a fan of the movie Stand By Me (based on Stephen King's short story "The Body") or you're looking for a good campfire read this summer, you'll enjoy my YA novel Lost on the Water, A Ghost Story. It's scheduled to release on July 17th!

This story is about a girl from California who has to spend a couple weeks with her grandma near a lake in rural Tennessee. She sneaks out to try to join an 'all boys' campout on an island in the middle of the lake (where legend says a ghost shows up every summer) and soon gets horribly lost.

You'll enjoy this adventurous and sometimes spooky tale. Learn more and read an excerpt. 

Lost on the Water is published by Fire and Ice Young Adult Books (an imprint of Melange Books). They also published my Juniper Sawfeather Trilogy and Passing Notes. The cover design was by Caroline Andrus. My last blog post features an interview with her about her work at F&I and as an author. 

In keeping with my revision theme of this blog, I'll share with you that this book has been through so many rewrites since its original draft in November, 2009 that the only thing that has never changed in the story is that there is a grandma, a lake, and a rowboat. Ha ha! I hope you like the way it finally turned out. I've worked very hard on it, and I think it's a lot of fun.

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It's been a fairy tale year for me. Well, in real life not so much. But in my imagination, yes. 

In January I published The Royal Deal, which was the first book of my series of original fairy tales called Chasing the Romantics. In April, I had another fairy tale "The Hallway of Three Doors" published in the Fellowship of Fantasy anthology Mythical Doorways. And now, finally, I plan to release my second fairy tale novelette The Tomato Quest this summer. (I'm aiming for late June). 

I've had to put it on the back burner a few times to work on other projects, and the revision from its original short story version was a little more extensive than I had planned.
I think the end result is worth it.

This story is about Dash and Lillian who are forbidden to marry because he is the son of a gardener and not of the noble class. Dash is given a ridiculous and impossible challenge by Lillian's father, and even though he can't possibly succeed, he is going to try. Lillian plays her part by striving to stall her engagement to someone else in order to give Dash time. There is some adventure, romance, and a fair bit of magic in this sweet story. I hope you'll enjoy it. Learn more about my fairy tales here.

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​Getting a book published is a feeling unlike any other. Holding a finished print copy in your hands for the first time is a joy that never fades. I have to admit, I have now found an experience with publishing that has brought me a new thrill - hearing my book read to me by a talented voice-over narrator. Wow. Getting audiobooks produced is so much fun!

This summer I'm releasing audiobooks of two of my novels.

​*5/29/18 update - this audiobook is now live at Audible.com
​The first is my award-winning middle grade novel No One Needed to Know about autism acceptance and school bullying. The narrator/producer is Allie James. The recording is complete and approved. It should be releasing within the next week or so. This book is targeted toward 8-13 year old readers. You can learn more about No One Needed to Know here. 

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The other audiobook I'm having recorded this year is Cry of the Sea, the first book of the Juniper Sawfeather Trilogy. The book is being narrated/produced by Courtney Parker. I've heard the first chapter so far, and it's terrific. The audiobook is scheduled to be released in August, so we have a bit of a wait still. Courtney is a popular voice over artist, so I had to wait my turn to have access to her talent. If you're interested in learning more about this novel and the Juniper Sawfeather series, visit this page.

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So, that's what's going on with me this summer. I'd love to know what you think of these cover designs and if they get you excited about reading (or listening) to these books. Leave a comment below.

Please take a minute to sign up for my newsletter or follow me on facebook or twitter to stay up to date as the books get released and find out what other projects I'm working on. If you do, and you leave a message that you read my summer cover reveal post, I'll send you a free ebook copy of Passing Notes.