Review of BINGO SUMMER by Dawn Malone

Middle Grade is my favorite genre by far, and though I don't have the opportunity to blog about every single MG book I read, I do want to make a point of sharing ones that really stand out to me.

BINGO SUMMER by Dawn Malone is a book I wanted to blog about even before I finished it. Not only because Dawn and I are email buddies, but because I can picture many different kinds of readers, kid and adult, who would love this book! The story is fascinating (what kid -- or adult -- doesn't dream about winning the lottery and getting rich?) and the characters and voice are spot on. Since Summer, the main character, is in eighth grade, this book would appeal to older tweens/young teens as well as kids in elementary school.

A summary of the book, taken from Goodreads.com:

On her thirteenth birthday, Summer Haas scratches the lottery ticket her mom tucked into her birthday card and the down-on-their-luck family become instant millionaires. Then the attention gets crazy in their small Illinois town, and the family moves north to ‘disappear’ in the Chicago suburbs. Summer’s new home might as well be on the Moon, it’s so different from where she used to live.

Suddenly, Summer is a candidate for student council, trades her t-shirt and jeans for mall-brand clothes, and throws a party for her entire grade even though she didn't invite a single guest. Everyone wants Summer to be someone other than herself, including the super-popular Suri who Summer hopes will be her new best friend. There’s Mara who wants Summer to forget about competing with her for third base when softball season comes. And Summer just wants to avoid Dink and Anna even though she has more in common with them than she wants to admit.

But when Mara discovers how Summer’s family made their millions, and threatens to tell the whole school, Summer needs a friend more than ever. Can Summer fit in AND stay true to herself?

Check out the book on Amazon here! (Or if you want to hear more gushing, read my Goodreads review here)

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How Do You Read e-Books?

Hi friends, before I talk about today's topic, I wanted to let you know that WISHING FOR WASHINGTON is now on Goodreads! You can add it to your To-Read list if you'd like.

Today, I have a question for anyone who reads e-books: What kind of device do you use to read them? Do you have a Kindle, Nook, iPad, or another device?

I'm wondering because I'm in the final stages of formatting my e-book, and I've noticed some subtle differences between mobi (Kindle) and epub (Nook). Due to these differences, the mobi version has been much easier to code than the epub, so the Kindle version might release earlier than the Nook. (But I'm actively working on the epub version to try to release them at the same time.) I haven't begun to format the book for iTunes, but that's something I plan on doing as well.

So, I was wondering which devices you all use, and if any non-Kindle users feel like they miss out if e-books are Kindle exclusive?

For the record, I read e-books via the Kindle app on both my iPad and my Android phone. Even though I like reading on the iPad better, I read most often on my phone.

And, of course, I still read print books. Gotta love the feel of a book in your hands!

EDIT: As Nick reminded me in the comments, I do plan on having a paperback version of WISHING FOR WASHINGTON available in addition to the e-books. The paperback will just release later. (Tentative date: July 2).

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Cover Reveal for WISHING FOR WASHINGTON!

I announced a few posts ago that I have a middle grade novel coming out called WISHING FOR WASHINGTON. And that's basically all I announced.

So, without further delay, here's everything else about WISHING FOR WASHINGTON! Starting with... the cover:

Isn't it pretty? It's all thanks to Steven Novak of Novak Illustration! He's got some amazing skills! (You can click on the image for a larger version, if you'd like.)

So, what's WISHING FOR WASHINGTON all about? Here's the summary:

As punishment for playing doorbell ditch, twelve-year-old Tallia Thompson and her goofball brother Isaiah are shipped off to their grandparents’ house for half the summer. There’s nothing fun about being stuck in Maryland, a.k.a. Snore-a-land, except for one thing: the close proximity to Washington, D.C.

Tallia would do anything for Isaiah, and what he wants most is to meet the President of the United States. So together, they formulate a plan to get to the White House--a plan that involves spending a bit of money and concocting a bunch of lies. And, ultimately, a plan that ends up changing Tallia’s perception of her family forever.

The tentative release dates are June 18 for ebook and July 2 for paperback. As I mentioned in a previous post, my chronic illnesses can sometimes slow me down, so these dates are just estimates for now. I'll let you know closer to the time if we're still on schedule.

(If you're interested in blogging about the book sometime around the release dates, please let me know! I'd be happy to promote your blog or book in return!)

Thanks for stopping by and checking out my cover! Any other sweet cover releases going on lately? I'm a real fan of pretty-looking books!

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No Spoilers, Please!

Before I get to today's subject, I just want to let you guys know that I now have a Facebook Page! I'm not asking you guys to "like" it or anything, but if you do, please feel free to plug your own Page's URL in the comments so I can "like" you back.

So, several months ago, I was browsing Twitter when I saw a tweet about a TV show I watch. The tweet said something along the lines of:

OMG I can't believe [CHARACTER] was killed off on last night's episode of [TV SHOW]!!

...and I hadn't yet seen the episode. Thanks for the spoilers, random Twitter person. You're un-followed. (Not really, but I was momentarily annoyed enough that I considered it.)

The thing is, yeah, it was pretty lousy. I was really into that TV show and wish I could have experienced the shock of this character dying without hearing about it beforehand. The episode was ruined for me.

But when I was finally over it (weeks later...), I realized that being sensitive about spoilers is a good thing. It means that we care about the story. We're invested. And as a creator of stories, it always makes me happy when people appreciate a writer's work. In the case of this TV show, while I love the acting, it's really the writing that draws me in. I wanted to completely immerse myself in the script writers' world and feel emotions as if the events actually happened.

Now, when I hear someone say, "No spoilers, please!" I know how important that is. And I won't spoil anything. I promise.

Have you ever had anything spoiled for you? How did it happen? (Remember not to give away what the spoiler was, if it's something that fellow readers might not have seen/read yet.)

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So... I Have A Book Coming Out!

Yup, you read the title right!

I unofficially announced this on Twitter last week, but here's the official post:

My debut middle grade novel, WISHING FOR WASHINGTON, will be released this summer through my small business, Frolloway Press.

Woo hoo!!

I know it's all pretty vague right now, but trust me, more details will be coming soon, including the actual release date and a summary. I'm working on a whole bunch of things at once right now. And you know what? I love it.

My decision to self-publish was one I made over the course of many months. Actually, close to a year. I wasn't necessarily set on self-publishing this particular book from the start, but I became quietly interested in the idea of going indie a while ago. A few factors contributed to this:

1) The biggest reason is that, as regular/long-time readers know, I'm chronically ill. I have been on a sickening rollercoaster the past two years, going from doctor to doctor, hospital to hospital, taking a year off work and then finally cautiously returning to a part time job.

I'm sure there are traditionally published writers who are also chronically ill who still manage to do everything just fine. I, personally, felt like I couldn't make a promise to meet deadlines and carry out responsibilities, not knowing if I'd suddenly get hit with a few weeks or months of daily pain. I wanted the freedom of being my own boss. I still have self-made deadlines that I've been meeting so far, but it's a lot less pressure for me this way.

2) I like to be in control. I guess this goes along with the feeling of not having control when your health stinks, but I'm okay with giving up some pretty "big" things, like having my book on store shelves, if it means I can decide things that are more important to me. The exact day my book releases. What exactly my cover looks like. How soon to release a second book.

I have a business plan (including a marketing plan) and a calendar filled out for the next eight to ten months. And it feels awesome to plan all that out!

I can't wait to share more with you all as it unfolds. I appreciate the support I've receive so far, too. You guys are great!

ONE LAST THING: My book isn't the only one to release in 2014, obviously. So, instead of making this all about me, me, me... feel free to share any other 2014 releases you're excited about!

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Why Did You Love That Book?

I've been thinking a lot about the books that children choose to read. I work with kids, and it's always interesting to see which books they take out of the library, buy at the book fair, or borrow from their teacher.

Everyone has different tastes. I've seen kids reading fantasy, adventure stories, contemporary stories, graphic novels, joke books, and various other non-fiction books. (The girls seem to prefer how-to books on crafts, while the boys seem to gravitate toward non-fiction about things like sharks and spiders, from what I've noticed.)

No single book is going to attract everyone, and no reader is going to love every book.

With that in mind, I've thought about which books really grabbed me as a kid. I can't narrow it down to just one book, but there were three series that I absolutely loved:

1) The Babysitter's Club

2) Sweet Valley Twins

3) Abby Jones, Junior Detective Mysteries

I enjoyed the first two because they were familiar. They were longer series that featured the same characters over and over, so I felt like I knew the babysitters and the Wakefield twins in real life.

But the third series was short, only three books. I read them over and over. I really connected with the main character, Abby, and I basically wanted to be her. (I went through a very short phase where I considered being a detective when I grew up, all because of those books.)

I'd love to hear what your favorite books were as a kid, and why you loved them so much. Did the characters feel like old friends? Was the setting or situation something you would have liked to experience yourself?

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You Share A Name With My Character!

I've recently made a new acquaintance who shares a name with one of my characters. One of my favorite characters, in fact. It's not an insanely uncommon name, but it's not one you hear everywhere. So, when this person introduced himself, I might have been grinning like an idiot. Which might have been creepy.

If you're a writer, you probably understand this. Our characters feel real. We think of them just as often as we think about actual people in our lives. It's part of the job.

If you're not a writer, this might sound weird. It might sound like no big deal, like someone sharing a name with an imaginary friend you had as a kid. Or a stuffed animal, or a doll, or whatever. But a character (especially a major character) is more than that. Think of them as the toy you loved. Maybe that one doll you had to bring to the table for every meal, or that stuffed animal that you dragged around by its ears since you were a toddler.

That special one.

That's what characters are like to some writers.

We don't always have physical representations of our characters, (unless our books have been made into movies, and there's merchandise to go along with it, but that's not majority of writers), so it's hard to express how significant these fictional beings are to us. We don't have a string of wallet photos like people do for children or grandchildren. (Is that still a thing these days, with smartphones and all?) We don't have many ways to show it.

So believe us when we say, it is usually totally awesome when we find out that you share a name with one of our characters. It might make us smile like we're morons. Just go along with it, okay? We appreciate it when you understand.

Any writers or non-writers have any related experiences to share?

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