The hammock is one of my favorite summer reading spots!
How’s your summer reading going? I’m usually a mood reader, meaning I don’t really plan my reading lists ahead, rather I read whatever I’m in the mood for. This summer, however, I’ve decided to make a list and see if I stick to it. No promises!
The month of July is my birthday month, so I’ve decided to celebrate by putting all my novels on sale! ONLY DARK EDGES, my modern-day Hamlet retelling is $1.99 all month long on all ebook platforms, including directly from me on the Purchase Books page. If you’ve been watching the TV show adaptation of We Were Liars by E. Lockhart, ONLY DARK EDGES will devastate you in all the same ways.
After finally having conquered the ability to read audiobooks (see “Long-Awaited Update on Training My Brain to Read Audiobooks”), I’m right on track with my reading goals for the year. I’ll be doing a bit of traveling in July, which should give me some time to conquer my summer reading. I’ll also be working on revising my first ever adult novel, a cozy dystopian that I plan on releasing this fall, so keep an eye out for more about that. If you subscribe to my newsletter, you’ve already gotten a sneak peek at the cover. Busy, busy as always over here!
I’d love to hear what’s on your summer reading list this year, so please feel free to share in the comments.
Thank you, Katie, for asking me to be a guest blogger on your lovely website. I’m happy to introduce my new book Charlotte & Arthur’s Adventures – The Pumpkin Portal to you and your readers. This book cover has been beautifully illustrated by my daughter Rose, who is only 17 years old. Rose has worked together with me as a mother & daughter team on all our books since she was only nine years old, her first illustrations can be seen in, Seven Nights of Snuggles. She’s also done an amazing job of putting our book trailer together along with her dad’s music and my voiceover. Working with my daughter makes author events so much fun, as she often comes along with a craft activity for children. We’ve appeared at the Derby Book Festival, our local libraries and independent bookstores, and we even did a school book talk along with our Newfoundland dog in tow for World Book Day.
The Pumpkin Portal book and cover were inspired by our family trips out to our local pumpkin patch in Derbyshire, UK. Obviously, the book features a fictional version of it with a good dose of artistic licence for entertainment value. This is a beautiful farm near where we live, it has many different varieties of pumpkins and gourds in every size, shape and colour. I hadn’t realised you can get a blue pumpkin until I found one in their patch! Every year we visit together as a family to wander around their fields with the colourful wheelbarrows they provide, and we each pick a couple of pumpkins to decorate our woodland cottage with.
As well as their fields full of delightful colours we also visit the food marquee which is named the Witches Kitchen. Inside is always full of yummy food and drink choices and is surrounded by hay bales that you can sit on. There are also hay bales stacked up outside for children to climb on and fairground rides as well as other food vans and fun activities.
The story came to me when I thought about what might happen if a modern-day teenage girl had her Cinderella fantasy come true. Would she really like it? Or would her dream become a nightmare? Readers will find out as they follow Amara after she is whisked away from child minding Charlotte & Arthur at the Pumpkin Patch. Charlotte & Arthur must once again journey back to The Wheel World to save Amara from the Gnome King and his friend, Tricky Jack (the Pumpkin King). In doing so they learn about the magic of witches, go on death defying broomstick rides, have a close encounter with a mermaid and have fun with a baby dragon. During this adventure they will also unveil a hidden family secret to discover who they really are.
About the CHARLOTTE & ARTHUR’S ADVENTURES – THE PUMPKIN PORTAL:
Charlotte & Arthur are enjoying a day out at The Pumpkin Patch when their friend Amara is whisked away by a pumpkin portal. It’s up to Charlotte & Arthur to rescue her.
Grab your broomsticks for a trick or treat ride into a magical world. Zoom past dangerous mermaid filled waters, dodge flying pumpkins, learn about the magic of witches and fly a dragon.
Can Charlotte & Arthur rescue Amara with the help of their magical friends? Join them for a Halloween adventure on a path to self-discovery, as they unveil a hidden family secret and find out who they really are.
You can order this book through your local bookstore or it’s available in paperback and eBook online at Amazon.
About the Author:
Clare C-Saunders is from Derbyshire, England, UK. Clare has released three books to date, along with her young daughter, Rose, as illustrator. All made it into a top 100 Amazon best sellers chart. Currently she is writing her fourth book under the working title The Crystal Dragon’s Egg, which will be the last in the Charlotte & Arthur’s Adventures trilogy. Yule and the Helter Skelter had originally been a short story intended for her first book, but she decided it could make a better middle grade story. With 25 chapters it makes the perfect gift, not only as a book, but as an advent calendar for the whole family to enjoy in the festive run up. Next book in the series is, The Pumpkin Portal, featuring new character, Amara, who is whisked away by a pumpkin while child minding Charlotte & Arthur. The children must find a way to rescue her from the clutches of the Gnome King and his partner in crime Tricky Jack (the Pumpkin King) in this fairy-tale fantasy gone awry.
Seven Nights of Snuggles is a picture book for younger children. This book has seven delightfully illustrated stories designed to be read to children at bedtime. As well as books Clare has also worked in writing, producing and directing for radio. Her work includes an informative children’s internet safety campaign series entitled, The Internet Wizard and an interactive pantomime style radio play of Snow White. Today, when not writing, Clare can be found recording voice overs in her home recording studio, she voiced her own audiobooks for Seven Nights of Snuggles and Charlotte & Arthur’s Adventures – Yule and the Helter Skelter. You can hear samples of her audiobooks at www.clarecunliffe.com
Look out for more information on upcoming events, book festivals, magazine and blog articles, media interviews and special offers over on the following social media pages: Facebook: Clare & Rose C-Saunders IG: @theclarecs X: @MediaClare TT: @clare.csaunders
The Charlotte and Arthur’s Adventures series of books are published by Fisher King Publishing Ltd, find out more on their website.
Natalie Evergreen’s best friend, Samantha Harper, is moving away to attend Woodland Academy, a prestigious private preparatory school in Virginia, far away from Memphis, TN. Natalie is unwilling to break up their friendship, so she agrees to attend Woodland Academy with her, where they encounter supernatural occurrences. Although, Natalie is smitten by the school’s enchantments, splendor, and wonders, Natalie is determined to understand these mysteries with Sam. Natalie learns there’s more to Woodland Academy than meets the eye. Natalie quickly rises to fame when she is elected to participate in the school’s annual games. Things take an unexpected turn when unbelieving Natalie converts to Christianity. However, she finds it struggling to share her newfound faith with her devout atheist parents, who want nothing to do with God. Can Natalie get her parents to accept her faith in time before their fate takes a turn for the worst? Natalie knows every decision she makes is crucial, but one thing is certain, her life will never be the same again. Find out what awaits Natalie in this coming-of-age story of a young girl who learns faith doesn’t come without a price… in The Mysteries of Woodland Academy.
K. D. Williams is a Christian author who lives in Mississippi with her family. The Mysteries of Woodland Academy is her young adult debut. K.D. Williams earned a Bachelor of Science in History at Mississippi Valley State University and a Master of Arts in Education specializing in Child Development at Ashford University. In her spare time, she enjoys reading, writing, and spending time with her grandchildren. K.D. Williams has a heart for the homeless and wants to start a homeless shelter one day.
I’m very excited to announce that my middle grade novel WITCH TEST will be coming out later this year! I don’t have an exact release date, but look for it in September. Of course, I’ll have all the details here on the blog as things move forward. You can make sure you’re subscribed to the blog by entering your email address on my website homepage https://katielcarroll.com.
Not the real cover…just something I was playing around with.
Liza thought her summer fight with her ex-best friend, Abby, would blow over, but a month into eighth grade and the rumor firestorm has reach a whole new level of awful. And everyone believes that Liza is a witch! Even as a rekindled passion for art leads to new friends, Liza retreats into a bubble of depression. All these feelings get tied up in the never-ending grief of having lost her mom at a young age.
A glimmer of hope arrives when she finds her mother’s diary…until she actually reads it. Before Liza was born, her mom and aunt performed a ritual to conjure an ancestor persecuted in the town’s witch trials. So much for the witch stuff being rumors! As Liza digs into her witchy ancestry, everyone else is making plans for the Halloween night corn maze. If Liza can channel her inner witch on Halloween, maybe she can find the strength to stand up to Abby. If not, she risks losing not only her new friends but also a piece of herself to the growing depression.
I’m currently working on edits and developing a cover with the cover artist (not the real cover above, just a fun visual I put together myself). Some of my favorite things about this novel are the crows, the Halloween night corn maze, Liza’s aunts, her aunt’s shop Mother Goose Apothecary, and all the tea drinking! And the ending of this story never fails to get me all choked up, no matter how many times I read it.
I’ll be looking for ARC (advanced reader copy) readers soon, so let me know in the comments if that’s something that interests you. What is an ARC reader? That’s someone who gets an early copy of the book (these will be in ebook form) in exchange for a honest review.
It seems I say the same thing at the beginning of every New Year: mainly that I’m always in the middle of things and a resolution doesn’t make much sense. Well, 2021 is no exception, so my plan is to keep moving forward on what I’ve been working on.
I’m so very close to finishing this big revision of my witchy middle grade novel, which finally has a title (not sure if that will end up being THE title, so not sharing right now). I think my next move is printing out a copy to do smaller line revisions before sharing it with critique partners.
I’ll also be presenting a Virtual ShopTalk with the New England SCBWI called “What to Expect When You’re Self-Publishing” on January 26, 2021 from 7:00 – 8:00 pm. Having booked this workshop has finally given me the motivation to work on setting up a page on my website for resources on self-publishing, so keep an eye out for that.
All in all, lots of good stuff going on. I’ve thought about doing a 2020 book wrap-up post, but like everyone else, I’m kind just ready to move on and not look back. I hope the New Year brings you and yours health and happiness, and I’d love to hear your resolutions or plans for 2021.
