Tag: Books

Out now! GO VOTE, BABY

Go Vote, Baby is out in the world and IT IS ADORABLE. Anne Passchier’s illustrations are charming and joyful, and the sliding “vote” windows are lots of fun to play with, even if you’re not a tot. I’m thrilled that Book Riot recently included Go Vote, Baby in its recent round-up of “10 Great Children’s Books About Voting and Elections.”

In 2020, maybe you’re wondering why we didn’t call it, DEAR GOD BABY, GO VOTE LIKE YOUR LIFE AND THE LIVES OF ALL YOUR NEIGHBORS AND LOVED ONES DEPEND ON IT! But that doesn’t exactly roll of the tongue and besides, this is not a book about the election per se, but an introduction to decision making for little kids. But as for you, my (presumably) voting-age reader, you truly must DEAR GOD, BABY, GO VOTE LIKE YOUR LIFE AND THE LIVES OF ALL YOUR NEIGHBORS AND LOVED ONES DEPEND ON IT!

So, right now please do one or more of the following:
Register to vote.
Check that you are registered to vote.
Request an absentee ballot.
Help encourage others to vote. Volunteer here or here or here, or do a little googling to find other volunteer opportunities at the national level and/or for your local elections.

Please, please, PLEASE vote.

[Also, probably of note only to me, Go Vote, Baby is the last work-for-hire book under my real name. I’ve started using a pen name for my freelance, ghostwriting, and work-for-hire books. My reasoning: As I publish more widely in SFF and horror for adult readers, I want to be sure my work is as siloed as possible for younger readers, teachers, and librarians. Also, as I move toward publishing original children’s work, I want to clearly delineate my those publications from my work-for-hire writing. It’s probably more info than most (any?) people need to know, but I’m getting it out there now to avoid confusion later. I’ll also do a separate post about it for transparency’s sake. So hold on to your hats, I know this is thrilling stuff.]

Go Vote, Baby is available now at bookstores and online. Please consider supporting your local bookstore! If you prefer Amazon, be sure to use Amazon Smile!
B&N
IndieBound
Kew & Willow Books
Astoria Bookshop
Bookshop

VOTE!

Up Next: My Nebula Schedule

A super quick post (that I should have published weeks ago, but deadlines, you know…) to say
how excited I am to be participating in SFWA’s Nebula Conference this weekend. My schedule is as follows:

Flash Talks
Thursday, 5/18
3:30 p.m.
Marquis A
Marvel, as I double triple my heart rate speaking in the company of Pablo Defendini, K.M. Szpara, Diane Turnshek, Shanna Swendson, Ken Chiacchia, Jessi Cole Jackson, Bishop O’Connell, Sally Wiener Grotta, and David D. Levine.

Office Hours
Friday, 5/19
11:00 a.m.
Grand Ballroom
My listed topics are “Copywriting, Freelancing, and Cats.” But someone else also listed “Cats” as a discussion topic, so be prepared for this to rapidly spiral out into a #catsofSFWA slideshow.

Panel: Work-for-Hire
Sunday, 5/21
10:00 a.m.
Marquis C
Liz Argall, Ken Chiacchia, Jody Lynn Nye and I discuss work-for-hire writing.

If you’re at the Nebula Conference this weekend, please stop by and say hello!

Out Today: The Star-Spangled Banner

Happy Flag Day! In a bit of publishing synchronicity (that I’m certain was no accident), The Star-Spangled Banner is out today. It’s a Level 4 Reader in Grosset & Dunlap’s Smithsonian series. A bit about the book from their site:

The original Star-Spangled Banner that flew over Fort McHenry, Baltimore, in 1814 and inspired Francis Scott Key to write the words that would become the national anthem of the United States, is the showpiece of the Smithsonian! In this lively nonfiction book, young readers will read about the story behind the flag, the song, and how the Smithsonian cares for this most precious national treasure.

 
Researching this book was a tremendous amount of fun–I learned so much about the flag, the anthem, and the extraordinary efforts the Smithsonian Institute has made to restore and preserve the Star-Spangled Banner. Did you know that Francis Scott Key was a lawyer? Or that the Star-Spangled Banner was bigger than the house in which it was sewn?  Or that almost 200 square feet of the flag were lost to snippets cut for souvenirs? There are so many fascinating facts in the flag’s story–I hope that kids (and those reading with them) will enjoy learning about the Star-Spangled Banner as much as I did.

You can buy the The Star-Spangled Banner here:
Northshire
IndieBound
Barnes & Noble
Amazon

Out Today, Falcon: Fear of Flying

514bkh-5KBL._SX331_BO1,204,203,200_My latest project for Marvel, Falcon: Fear of Flying, is out today. It’s a Level 2 in Marvel’s emerging reader program, “World of Reading.” In it, Falcon is forced to confront some unusual super-fears in order to help a friend out of a tough situation.

I had a lot of fun writing this story, especially since we’ve been working with leveled readers at Read Ahead. Seeing kids interacting with these books in real life really crystallized for me what an important role they play in a child’s journey toward literacy. I also think it’s great that World of Reading (and other leveled reader series) offer so many options across such a wide range of interests.

In a moderately failed experiment, I brought the first book I ever read on my own, The Marvelous Mud Washing Machine, to a Read Ahead session. I had to track it down online, as my own copy had long since been donated to my mom’s kindergarten classroom. I was surprised to find out it was also a leveled reader (though mightily of yore), from the “10 Word Reader” series. My reading buddy politely went along with it, but was ultimately less than impressed. Not surprising, considering the options today are so much better. I mean, mud puddle vs. Iron Man? No contest. (Sorry, mud washing machine! You’re still marvelous to me!)

**As I mentioned with Ant-Man: Game Over, the incredibly talented artists Rachelle Rosenberg and Ron Lim deserve a special shout-out again for their brilliant art and illustrations.**

Falcon: Fear of Flying is available at bookstores and online:
Northshire Bookstore
IndieBound
Amazon
Barnes & Noble