Susan Hill Long is in the House!

It's a book birthday!!

 I'm thrilled to have my pal, Susan Hill Long, stop by to talk to

us about her new middle grade novel, JOSIE BLOOM AND THE EMERGENCY OF LIFE, which Kirkus calls "entertaining and emotionally resonant. 

Publishers Weekly said, "Long nails the voice of a kid trying as hard as she can to tackle adult problems on her own when the adults in her life fall short." 

What's the story about?

Josie Bloom discovers the first wad of money stuffed inside a packet of bologna, and the second hidden between the trash can and the bin liner. That money comes in handy when she finds the PAST DUE  notice from the heating company. 

Seems like Grandpa has been spending more time feeding squirrels than paying the bills. But when a bill arrives that's too big to handle, Josie's going to need a plan to get more money - while keeping Grandpa's odd behavior a secret.

And here's a link to the first page. I always open a book and read the first paragraph before I commit to pulling it from the bookshelf. Do you? 

That's a terrific cover. What's with the squirrels in your books?

I love it, too. The art is by Sara Mulvanny. Thank you and ah, yes. There are squirrels on the cover of this new book and there was a squirrel on the cover of my last book, THE MAGIC MIRROR: Concerning a Lonely Princess, a Foundling Girl, a Scheming King and a Pickpocket Squirrel. [Note from O'Connor: I ADORE this book!!!]

Where I live, the squirrels are bigger than my dog. It's true

Susan's dog, Pippin

my dog is small, but these are some big squirrels. I'm telling you. I don't even like squirrels.

Then why do you put them in your books?

Good question. They just appear. As in real life, Squirrels Are Everywhere. In the case of JOSIE BLOOM, Grandpa starts feeding the squirrels to an extreme degree, yet another item on his list of odd behaviors.

What is Stargardt Disease?

Stargardt is a disease of the eye. Josie's best friend, Winky, is losing his vision to it, and with that his ability to play baseball, the game of his heart. There is a lot of marvelous research being done using stem cells to cure this disease.

Thanks so much for stopping by, Susan! I love this book.

Thank you for having me! I'm excited to have his book out in the world. I hope your readers will enjoy JOSIE, and if they do, that they'll write me at my website, www.susanhilllong.com. (I will gladly write back!) 

**********

Susan Hill Long's books include JOSIE BLOOM AND THE

EMERGENCY OF LIFE, THE MAGIC MIRROR: CONCERNING A LONELY PRINCESS, A FOUNDLING GIRL, A SCHEMING KING, AND A PICKPOCKET SQUIRREL, and, WHISTLE IN THE DARK. Special recognition for her work includes a Publishers Weekly Best Book of the Year; Bank Street Best Books; Oregon Book Award and the Katherine Paterson Prize. She lives in Oregon with her husband, two daughters, and their dog, Pippin.


 

#TrueFriends and a Great Giveaway

Back in this blog post I told y'all about a writing retreat I went to a couple of years ago.

It was at the beautiful vacation home of Kirby Larson.

(l to r) Kirby Larson with Winston the Wonder Dog, Susan Hill Long, Augusta Scattergood, and me

The amazing result of that writing retreat is that ALL FOUR of the manuscripts that we worked on there were published this year!

 
So we decided to keep the Sisterhood united and work together to help our books wing their way into the world.

We have some #TrueFriends goodies for you!

Here are 4 quick videos from us, telling a bit about our books.

HERE is a fun activity kit.

And...drum roll, please...a fantastic giveaway!!

Go HERE to enter to win books and/or a Skype visit.

The Sisterhood

In June of 2014, Kirby Larson invited Augusta Scattergood, Susan Hill Long, and me to have a writing retreat at her beautiful vacation home in Washington state. We all jumped at the chance.

What a special time we had!

Here we are with Winston the Wonder Dog. (l to r): Kirby, Susan, Augusta and me

Writing all day.

Then critiquing (so important).

Then breaking to watch the sunset and drink a little wine.

And here's the coolest part:

All four of the manuscripts we were working on at that retreat were published this year!

What are the odds? Seriously.

Here they are: 

AND Augusta's book and my book are publishing on the SAME DAY (August 30).

What are the odds?

Here's the fun part: we call ourselves the Butterfly Sisters. Here's why (as I remember it....we might all have variations of the story).

In an early draft of WISH, I had a scene where the main character hurls some very harsh words at her friend. Harsh and sharp. I then wrote that she wished she could take those words back...scoop them up like butterflies in a net.

My brilliant peers pointed out to me that that metaphor didn't seem appropriate for gathering harsh, sharp words.

Dang it! They were right. 

But I loved that phrase so much I was determined to keep it. I just moved it to a more appropriate place.

So we had a running joke about butterflies.

And all four books have some sort of reference to butterflies. (Go read the books and see if you can find them.)

So there you have it. 

AND...this year Kirby invited us to have another retreat. BUT...Delta Airlines dealt me a lousy hand and cancelled my flight. So I couldn't go!!!

But we got together to critique the best we could:

Long Live the Sisterhood!

Cover Reveal for The Magic Mirror

I'm beyond excited to be the first to reveal the cover of an amazing middle grade novel coming your way in May.

The author is my friend and brilliant writer Susan Hill Long.

The book? 

The Magic Mirror:

Concerning a Lonely Princess, a Foundling Girl, a Scheming King and a Pickpocket Squirrel

Don't you just love that title?

Okay, drum roll, please.....

Ta da!!

 From the jacket flap:

Maggie is a girl of no account. The good folk of Lesser Dorste all look away, for she’s a foundling cursed with a crutch. She doesn’t even want to look at herself—till the day she’s given a magic mirror. And what she sees in the mirror sends her straightaway on a journey to the royal city.

Others, too, are making their way: A monk with a tragic history and a boy with an uncertain future. A princess with a dark secret and a lord with wicked ambitions. A mad- woman with a checkered past and a beggar with a air for the dramatic.

In this twisty-turny tale of mistaken identities, missed connections, and loves lost and found, these wanderers and more will meet Maggie on her journey to heal herself . . . and her kingdom.
 

Add this one to your list, y'all.

Trust me.

Summer Check-in

Hey, y'all!

I know this blog has been quiet this summer but I have a good excuse.

I've been here:

And here:

And here:

With these folks:

(l to r) Kirby Larson with Winston the Wonder Dog, Susan Hill Long, Augusta Scattergood and me

 

Doing what, you ask?

WRITING!

And now:

Light at the end of the tunnel (sort of)