Even when I said I’d be checking in more often, I’ve been absent.

But seriously. It’s been like an avalanche lately. Since ICEBERG’s launch on March 7…

The book hit #1 on the New York Times list, and remained on the list for four weeks.

LINES OF COURAGE was nominated for an AML Award (but didn’t win – that’s okay!) It also became a nominee for the  23-24 Junior Tome It List. RESCUE was nominated for the 23-24 Missouri Truman Award.

I have visited 12 states (some of them twice) and 24 schools, logging 26,762 miles of air travel. I have participated in 5 festivals or conferences, done 8 Zoom presentations, 1 Podcast, and 1 online panel.

I’ve done final edits on two separate projects and started three other projects.

So EVERYTHING is a little behind. I’m working on it, I promise. Thanks for being patient with me. Great things are ahead…

Here are a few highlight photos…

It is I, your mostly missing author on this blog, vowing to get back to more regular postings…eventually! (I’m working on it, honestly!)

In the meantime, I want to invite you all to be part of the release of my newest novel, ICEBERG, coming out on March 7. 

If you are a Utah-type, you can join me in person for the launch party at the Barnes & Noble in Orem on SATURDAY, MARCH 11 at 2:00. We’ll have games, prizes, and naturally, books! 

If your current zip code doesn’t allow you to come, consider joining me online on FRIDAY, MARCH 10 at 7:00 Mountain Time (6;00 Pacific Time; 9:00 Eastern Time). We’ll have most of the same sort of fun – just probably not the food. Honestly, that would be tough to pull off.

For the online party, pre-registration is required, but it’s free. When you register HERE, you’ll receive a link and other instructions to join in on the fun!

I hope to see you in-person or online. If you can’t attend either one, but you still want a signed book, as always you can order from The King’s English Bookshop, my local Indie. If you want the book personalized, be sure to note that before checking out. The link for that order is HERE.

We’ll have games, prizes, lots of fun, and of course, plenty of books! 

(But if you can’t make it, no worries – an online party will be announced soon as well. Stay tuned!)

Marcy              Elia                  Betsy               Lola                 A. Leter                    

Jake P.             Bryce               Elna                 Lucky             M. Ruark  

I’ll talk more about ICEBERG in the coming weeks but for today, I simply wanted to wish a Merry Christmas to all who celebrate it. If your holiday is different, then may it be equally joyous to you. 

Holiday Advice #1

When faced with an enemy, always watch the eyes. Before anyone attacks, they have the thought to do it. Strike as soon as they have the thought, not when they attack.

Sometimes I attack without thinking first. Now you know why.

IMOGEN: Sage, this is supposed to be holiday advice. 

It is. Do you want someone getting into a sword fight during the holidays? Not me! But there’s more device.

Holiday Advice #2

If you receive a present, and it’s ticking, you should destroy it at once. Yes, it could be a clock or a very nice watch, but why take the risk?

TOBIAS: Is that what happened to the watch I gave you last year?

No, I got the watch, but I just didn’t like it. Fink has it now. 

Holiday Advice #3

Don’t start a war over the holidays. In general, don’t start any war ever, but especially not during the holidays. Did you ever try to eat a holiday pudding while fighting a war? Probably not, because you can’t do both. Choose the pudding instead.

Holiday Advice #4

Every holiday season, make sure to give a little something to your enemies.

AMARINDA: That’s a thoughtful way to spread peace.

Actually, I meant like giving a little Boltec root into their tea. By sunset, they’ll break out in boils. It’s really funny.

AMARINDA: That’s not thoughtful at all.

It is. Believe me, I put a lot of thought into to that one.

Holiday Advice #5

No gift is more valuable than being with the people you love. Everything you own in the world can be destroyed by a single army attack on your castle. If your loved ones are with you, then it will be all right. 

Those of you who have experienced this personally will know exactly what I mean.

Special thanks to a few fans who have created some amazing art over the past few months. You all never cease to amaze me!

As a final reminder, remember there is a giveaway for an ARC of ICEBERG, my next novel, ending on December 22nd. You can read the details and enter on the December 6th post. If you haven’t entered yet, head over there now for a chance to win!

Let me know in the comments or via email if you order ICEBERG. I can send out some swag so there’ll still be something you can wrap. 

And if ICEBERG is on your wish list, then check out the contest giveaway HERE!

I am SO SORRY to have dropped off the face of this earth where this blog is concerned. It’s been on my mind, but over the past several months, I have:

• Written one book. It wasn’t great. I ditched it.
• Written another book, which I’m now editing.
• Traveled to eleven states for school visits.
• Written a screenplay, which I’m preparing to pitch.
• Received a grant for some research travel.
• And a bunch of other stuff.

Including, preparing to release ICEBERG, a story of the Titanic.

Here’s the summary:

The thrilling story of a young girl who stows away onboard the Titanic and as she explores, attempting to find answers to her many questions about the ship, suddenly finds herself caught up in the desperate struggle to survive after it strikes an iceberg.

Hazel Rothbury is traveling all alone from her home in England aboard the celebrated ship Titanic. Following the untimely death of her father, Hazel’s mother is sending her to the US to work in a factory, so that she might send money back home to help her family make ends meet.

But Hazel harbors a secret dream: She wants to be a journalist, and she just knows that if she can write and sell a story about the Titanic’s maiden voyage, she could earn enough money to support her family and not have to go to a sweatshop. When Hazel discovers that mother didn’t send her with enough money for a ticket, she decides she must stow away onboard the storied ship.

With the help of a porter named Charlie and a sweet first-class passenger named Sylvia, Hazel explores the opulent ship in secret, but a haunting mystery quickly finds her. The danger only intensifies when calamity strikes, and readers will be caught up in the terror and suspense alongside Hazel as she fights to save her friends and herself.

ICEBERG will release on March 7, 2023, but I’m already excited to share it with you. Because it’s the holiday season and because I’ve been so absent, I’m going to do a BIG giveaway, of ten advanced copies of the book!

You can enter only once. In comments, simply give me one cool fact about the Titanic, but make it cool. Ordinary facts that everyone knows are worth one entry. Incredibly cool facts are worth three entries, and the rest are in the middle for two entries.

The decision for how cool each fact is solely mine, and based on nothing other than how interesting it is to me. I won’t share feedback on how many points I gave your entry, because honestly, did you see that list of stuff above? Most of it is still going on so I won’t have that time.

Winners will be announced soon after the end of the contest on December 22^nd at 10 pm ET.

(And I promise to try to keep up on the blog a little better! In my next post, I’ll answer a few of the questions that you all are emailing me about.)

Today is Day One of an auction for 30-minute Zoom visits with some of the biggest author names in the country. The auction ends on August 31 to give you enough time to pull some extra funds together, to team up with other schools or groups and pool your money, or to strategize on which of these amazing author visits is on your “must win” list!

Bids start at $300 and all money goes directly to benefitting Book Drop, a 501c3 charity whose sole function is to get free books into the hands of children who otherwise could not afford them. You can read more about Book Drop HERE.

Check out the website HERE! 

There are a few rules:

1.  Bids may be placed from anywhere worldwide, provide that the audience is English-speaking and the event involves an educational institution, book club, writing group, or other reading-related organization.

2.  Bids are placed and will be paid in US dollars. They increase in hundred-dollar increments.

3.  Multiple bidders (up to five) may combine their funds for a shared visit with the author if the total group size aligns with author preferences. Some authors prefer smaller groups only, so check this detail before bidding.

4.  The winner will be the top bidder at closing time. Bids placed within the final ten minutes will reset the countdown to ten minutes. This is to prevent last minute “sting” bids.

5.  Payment must be made by Sept 7th (unless other arrangements are made in advance.) The payment will be held in escrow until the author completes the visit.

6.  Upon payment, the winning bidder will be connected to the author or their representative for scheduling. The visit should be completed by May 2023.

That is a big deal, and I owe it to all of you, those who bought a book, shared news of its release, or offered your support online – thank you!

Thank you as well to the AMAZING people at Scholastic, especially my editor, Lisa Sandell, publicist, Elisabeth Ferrari, and everyone in the marketing department. Thanks to Alan Gratz for the kind blurb on the cover, and to all others in design, production, and distribution of this book.

To you, fans of my books, you had my back on this one, and I am forever grateful!

Elsa is proud of her country, and proud of her father, an officer in the German military. But over the five years of war, she has begun to see that there are good people on both sides of the line, and that above all else, war is destructive. She begins to wonder if there is a better path forward for Germany…unless it is already too late for the country she loves.

——————————-

She had barely stepped outside when a familiar face across the square caught her eye. He was in a dark suit with a hat pulled low, but it was his square jawline that caught her attention. She squinted, certain that couldn’t be right, but yes, it was he. Once he turned enough that she could see his eye patch, her suspicions were confirmed.

That was Captain Garinov, the Russian prisoner who had escaped from her home last fall! After searching everywhere in Freiburg, they had decided he must have returned to Russia. What was he doing here still?

Elsa backed against the wall, turning her back to him, wondering what she should do next. He hadn’t seen her, so that gave her some advantage. And it was one she probably needed. If he was still here in Freiburg, then that was for a reason.

Only one possibility came to her mind: He was here for revenge on her father.

Garinov walked on through the streets, occasionally stopping in front of a window to look at the displays. Cautiously, Elsa followed, irritated by the wood soles of her shoes, which made a clacking sound everywhere she stepped. Hoping he wouldn’t notice, she kept herself at a distance and put her head down, but she had to know more about what he was doing here.

When the shops thinned out to houses, Garinov turned on the next street. Elsa took a deep breath. Fewer people were here. She’d have to be even more careful now. At least he was facing forward, so he wouldn’t know that she was there.

He made another turn, and this time the street was even quieter. The only other people in the area were a couple walking ahead of Garinov. But at the next corner, they went to the right.

And instantly Garinov turned around to face Elsa.

She was so startled, she started to back up, then tripped over her own feet and fell onto the cobblestone road.

Garinov glared down at her. “Why are you following me?”

“Are you here for revenge on me, or on my father?” Elsa asked.

His glare sharpened. “Why must I choose?”

——————————

If you have not already purchased your copy, I hope you will consider doing so now. I’m very proud of this book, and I think it’s one that you are going to love!

As always, if you purchase through The King’s English, before checking out, ask for the book to be signed. I can personalize it to you as well, if you ask. After I sign it, they will send it to you.

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