The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted by Kimba @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer ~ It’s a chance to share news ~ A post to recap the past week on my blog and share news about what’s coming up in the week ahead.
What’s been happening since my last Sunday Post:
Maps for THE SONG OF ORPHAN’S GARDEN: So, my daughter Danielle is illustrating two maps for the book. This is a bit unusual, but it’s actually working out really well because there are some complicated aspects to the world that I’ve had to think through in order to make sure the maps make sense. For instance, this world isn’t made up of natural landmasses, but of magic-made, walled-in gardens that are surrounded by what’s called the Winter Blight. It took us a bit to figure out how to show this, and I was honestly happy to be able to talk it through with my daughter instead of having to present all the information to an illustrator and go back and forth with them. I’ve always known I don’t think visually, and this was just one more example of that – it took me a long time to get it all worked out in my head. I’ll have to ask if I can share a sneak-peek of the maps with you guys!
Anyway, we’ve been working on this for a lot more than just the past week, but I sent a nearly-finished draft of one of them to my editor this week and she was really happy with it!!
Writing proposals for future projects: Also, my editor has said she wants to hear ideas for future projects, so I’ve been working on proposals. (Again, I’ve been doing this for more than just the past week, but I made really good progress this week.) This is both exciting and very daunting!!
Lots of movie-watching: My husband, my mom, and I got AMC A-List subscriptions for Christmas (activated after we got back from our trip and then recovered from our illnesses), so we’ve been watching ALL the movies! I’m sure this will wear off a bit as time goes on, but we’re making good use of the subscriptions for now. In the last couple of weeks, I’ve seen Mean Girls, Anyone But You, Wonka, I.S.S., and Barbie. (And my husband’s even seen a few others I didn’t go to!)
What I Read:
- I read No Matter the Distance by Cindy Baldwin for the Cybils Awards. I’m not allowed to review the Cybils’ books yet, so I’ll just say I loved this one!
- I listened to The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith. This one is on a table a coworker and I created for romance reads for MG and younger YA readers (at Barnes & Noble), so I wanted to listen to it so I could recommend as many as possible more personally. I often get parents who will come up to me and say something along the lines of “Is this random adult romance appropriate for a 12-year-old,” and I have to say, “Um, no.” (And I know that it’s certainly not my job to police what anyone’s reading, but if I have parents or kids who are specifically asking, I like to have options I can confidently point them to.)
- I’m now listening to The Other Side of the River by Alda P. Dobbs. I’m loving this book – even better than the first book in the series, in my opinion.
- I ordered the special wood edition of The Eyes & the Impossible by Dave Eggers, illustrated by Shawn Harris just before it won the Newbery, and it’s a very good thing I did because it’s very hard to get now (B&N’s warehouse was completely out of them by the next day). I just started reading this one, but I adore the dog-MC’s voice!
Here’s what you may have missed on the blog since my last Sunday Post:
- Nothing. I haven’t posted since then. (But at least that was just last week! And I have updated the preorder page quite a bit this week, so make sure you check that out.)
NEW Pre-order Campaigns
Head over to my Pre-Order Campaigns Page to see ALL of the pre-order deals, including pictures!!
Here’s a list of the pre-order campaigns I added to the list since my last Sunday Post:
Pre-order OLIVETTI by Allie Millingtonto recieve a 4×6 quote print, a pin featuring the cover art, and a homemade bookmark with a typewriter key from the 1920s! Pre-orders from Little Shop will be entered to win a FREE Olivetti typewriter! (US/CAN) (Ends 3/25) CLICK FOR DETAILS
Pre-order DEAR WENDY by Ann Zhao OR request it from your local libraryto recieve an art print, a signed bookplate, and Sophie and Jo’s instagram accounts! Pre-orders from indie bookstores will get an extra character art print! (INT) (Ends 4/15) CLICK FOR DETAILS
Pre-order THE LAST RHEE WITCH by Jenna Lee-Yunto recieve a signed bookplate, bookmark, stickers, a friendship bracelet, a Camp Foster metal button and a Camp Foster postcard! (US/CAN only) (Ends 5/13) CLICK FOR DETAILS
Pre-order THE SOMEDAY DAUGHTER by Ellen O’Clover OR request it from your local libraryto recieve a character art print and signed bookplate! (INT) (Ends 2/19) CLICK FOR DETAILS
Pre-order FREE PERIOD by Ali Terese OR request it from your local library to recieve a bookmark plus another bookish goody (and a signed bookplate for hardcovers). Pre-orders from The Curious Reader will receive a glitter cuterus uterus sticker! (US only) (Ends 3/4) CLICK FOR DETAILS
Pre-order DARKER BY FOUR by June C.L. Tanto recieve double-sided character art prints, a signed bookplate, a metal bookmark, and digital swag. Pre-orders from Books of Wonder & Mysterious Galaxy aill also receive an art print illustrating a scene, and a bookmark with ensemble cast! (INT) (Ends 4/10) CLICK FOR DETAILS
Pre-order A DEADLY ENDEAVOR by Jenny Adams OR request it from your local libraryto recieve a signed bookplate, a special sticker, and bookmark. Pre-orders placed via One More Page will also receive an exclusive foil art print! (US only) (Ends 3/4) CLICK FOR DETAILS
Pre-order CONVERGENCE PROBLEMS by Wole Talabito recieve a holographic sticker and signed bookplate! (US only) (Ends 2/12) CLICK FOR DETAILS
Pre-order TO CAGE A GOD by Elizabeth Mayto recieve an exclusive (extra spicy) secret scene plus character art by the author! (Printed cards are US only, digital cards and scene are INT.) (Ends 2/19) CLICK FOR DETAILS
Pre-order FLOATING HOTEL by Grace Curtisto recieve a Do Not Disturb hotel room door hanger! (US only) (Ends 3/18) CLICK FOR DETAILS
Pre-order SOMEONE YOU CAN BUILD A NEST IN by John Wiswell to enter for a chance to win a full gift box including a bear trap coaster, a bone pen plus more creepy bookish goodies! (US only) (Ends 4/1) CLICK FOR DETAILS
Pre-order A TEMPEST OF TEA by Hafsah Faizal to receive a character art card and a digital bonus end chapter! (US/CAN) (Ends 2/4) CLICK FOR DETAILS
Lots of good stuff! Have any news? Feel free to share in the comments!
How fun working with your daughter, and you know readers love maps. Young adult can be tricky when it comes to romance, but I feel JES and Kasie West always keep it rated G/PG.
It’s cool that your daughter gets to be involved with the book. Good luck with all your projects! Have a great week.
Wow! A map and proposals! That’s exciting! That’s cool that Danielle is helping with the map too! Will that be the one they put in the book then or will an illustrator draw something from the concept? I haven’t been to the movie theater in years. Covid kind of wrecked that experience there! I would usually just go the early shows when it was cheap, but there really hasn’t been a movie I was eager to see that I needed before checking it out at Red Box! Lol. But that’s cool about the passes!
Hope you have a great week ahead!
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Have a GREAT day!
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I love that your daughter is getting to do your maps for your book! That is so neat! All the book stuff is getting closer, and you are getting to put out more of your ideas for future titles, it’s so exciting! Hope you have another good week!
That’s awesome that your daughter is helping you with your maps. I would need help with that too. I really enjoyed The Other Side of the River too.
Your world sounds really cool! I can’t wait to see the illustrations. And if I haven’t said it yet, Happy New Year! 🙂
Nicole, sorry if I missed some announcements: you no longer do the monthly wrap-up link?
It’s so neat that your daughter is illustrating the maps! And proposals! Good luck with your editor’s feedback 🤞.