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:
I’ve officially moved up to working 30 hours a week at Barnes & Noble, which means I’m a lot busier, but I think it’s a good thing overall. Keeps me from vegging out on the couch (even though I should be writing!).
Speaking of writing, I’ve been working on going further with the revise and resubmit that I did for my editor. Since I submitted that one as a proposal and not a full manuscript, I only had it completed up to page 50. My goal (as recommended by my agent) is to finish it all in the next month or two, and then we can go out on sub with it. Wish me luck!
I promised you guys last week that I’d share the other color map with you from the preorder campaign. This is Brob’s hand-drawn map from his journal (actually drawn and then hand-colored for the preorder campaign by my daughter Danielle). Of course, it looks WAY better at full size, but this gives you a little sneak-peek!
Also yesterday, I went to see my cousin, Brian “BMAN” Babendererde, at a mini-con at our local library, which was fun. He did video game storylines and art for years, and now he has a couple of comic book series. He gave a presentation on making comics, and I learned a lot about how it works! You should check him out on his website: Twilight Tangents.
What I Read:
- I read Cruzita and the Mariacheros by Ashley Granillo, a wonderful MG contemporary debut! This book was both a fun story about following your dreams and an exploration of Latino culture in its many forms. Loved it! Watch for my bite-sized review tomorrow.
- Next I read Nura and the Immortal Palace by M.T. Khan, a MG fantasy that addresses the very real issue of child labor while being set in a Muslim fantastical world. This one is B&N’s current MG monthly-pick, so you should definitely go buy it!
- I received an email with a digital review copy of Nancy Spector, Monster Detective 1: The Case of the Missing Spot by Stephen W Martin, illustrated by Linh Pham, and I was so taken with the cover illustration that I dove right in and read it! This graphic novel mixes adorable with gross-out (in the form of a very snotty, allergic dog-detective), which will probably hit all the right notes for the MG crowd. (Gross-out isn’t my favorite, but I am well-aware that the average MG reader loves it. And the story and cuteness of the non-gross illustrations still won me over!)
- Finally I read Willodeen by Katherine Applegate. I actually got this one from my editor a long time ago, when I signed with Feiwel & Friends, but for some reason I hadn’t gotten to it yet. It’s going to be next month’s B&N MG monthly-pick, so I decided to finally pick it up. Wow, did I love it!! I read it in one sitting – watch for a bite-sized review coming tomorrow!
- I listened to Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross. Danielle had listened to this one on her commute and she said I had to listen too so we could talk about it! (I’m on the second book in the duology now–have to catch up with her so we can talk about book 2!)
Here’s what you may have missed on the blog since my last Sunday Post:
- Nothing! Oops!
Book Haul:
I did get some new books, but I haven’t taken pictures yet! I’ll do it soon!
NEW Pre-order Campaigns
Head over to my Pre-Order Campaigns Page to see ALL 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:
I didn’t have time to update this section this week, but I’ll try to update preorder campaigns during the week!
Lots of good stuff! Have any news? Feel free to share in the comments!
Good like with your revise and submit. And it’ll be a lot to juggle working so much and debuting as an author but being connected to B&N could be really good for your author career.
Yeah, honestly things have been rough at work lately with the new manager. This used to be a job I absolutely adored, and it’s turned into one I tolerate, which is so very sad. I do think that me working at B&N is helpful when it comes to possibly getting my own book in stores, so I’m trying to stick it out and give things time to settle in. I’m not sure how long I’ll last, though–I might try to transfer to another store if I can.
Good luck with the new work schedule and I hope your muses come and help you get your manuscript written. Danielle did a beautiful job on the map. So pretty!
I do miss working at B&N a little, but then I know how things have changed compared to when I was there, and most of the people I worked with are gone, and I’m okay with just one job again. Good luck with all your writing you have to do! Do you feel like a real author for sure now? 🙂
Best of luck with all the work hours and the writing, such an exciting journey!! Crossing my fingers for you <3