Fiction

On debuts, gratitude… and a giveaway!

By on December 21, 2015   /   Fiction, For Writers, Giveaways, MUF Contributor Books, Op-Ed  

I’ve been at this writing thing for a while now — as a journalist, in corporate communications, and writing MG series fiction under various pen names. But in just a few weeks, I’ll reach an exciting new milestone: my YA debut (pinches self repeatedly, faints and falls over), will publish with Disney-Hyperion.

It’s all a bit crazy. And surreal. And thrilling and actually a little (okay, a lot) terrifying. Because here’s the thing — I don’t care how ready you think you are, how hard you’ve worked, how many rejections/edits/revisions you’ve gone through to reach this point — nothing can really prepare you for the wild roller coaster ride of emotions as publication day approaches. Here’s my last couple of months in a nutshell:

  • Final edits are done. I’ve seen the galleys. My book is real! Holy moly, it’s real!! Soon, my book is actually going to BE IN STORES!!! People will be able to BUY it! And read it! Oh my *&@#$, someone other than my mom, (hi mom, I love you!), is actually going to READ MY BOOK!!!
  • Oh my *&@#$. Someone other than my mom is actually going to read my book. They are going to read it and figure out I stink. Because I stink. I have no clue what I’m doing. And this whole published author thing? A fluke, obviously. Can I have my book back now? I need to fix it. I don’t care that it’s gone to print. I NEED TO FIX IT!!!
  • Oh help me. There’s no fixing it. Review copies have been sent out. Where’s my chocolate?
  • I got a review? And the reviewer liked my book? (Are we sure this wasn’t my mother?) It wasn’t? And more reviewers have read it and said nice things about it, too? I’m so happy now I might cry! Please pardon me while I dance down the middle of the street with my hands in the air, until…
  • Oh boy. Here comes the-review-magazine-that-shall-not-be-named (rhymes with Quirkus). Is it possible the word “the” is a compliment? Because if so, I totally nailed that one, baby! No? Okay, I’m done dancing. If you need me, I’ll be curled in a ball under my coffee table with a big bag of chocolate and a bottle of wine until this whole thing is over (or I run out of chocolate and wine).
  • But, wait! School Library Journal loves my book, and Booklist thinks it’s pretty darn good, too. I think I just saw the words “must-read”… ABOUT MY BOOK!! You know what, it’s getting a little stuffy here under this table (and seriously, who’s in charge of vacuuming this place anyway?!? I think that’s a dried-up Cheeto stuck to my sock). Ah, who cares? I’m feeling the need to daaaaaance! Because who knows which way the roller coaster is headed next?
  • (Dances all the way to Costco to buy cases of chocolate and wine. Vacuums under the coffee table. Just in case…)

And if that’s not bad enough — don’t even get me started on the uncontrollable urge to Google yourself. And check your Amazon ranking. And see how many people have added your book to their to-read lists. Even though you know you should be — what is it they always say? — working on the next book. Ha. Yeah right. Telling yourself to stay off Amazon is kind of like telling the dog to stop eating scraps from the garbage can. It’s irresistible, man.

Yet, despite all that — despite the fact that publishing a book will basically turn you into a walking basket case who can’t decide whether to laugh or cry at any given moment — I’ve discovered there’s one emotion (at least for me) that trumps all others:

Gratitude.

Zero-Day_Final

My book!

Yes, gratitude. Even though I’ve paused writing this post a half-dozen times to check my Author Central page (uh, kidding/not kidding), I’m grateful. Grateful I’ve been given the opportunity to be on this wild ride in the first place. Grateful to the many wonderful people who helped me get here. Grateful to the people who’ve taken the time to review my book, whether they love it or hate it (yeah, even you, Quirkus).

But most of all, I’m grateful to the readers who let me and my words into their lives. It’s an honor and privilege, and one for which I’m endlessly thankful.

So! To share my gratitude, I’m giving away a signed hardcover copy of my new YA novel, ZERO DAY! Just leave a comment below to enter for a chance to win. The winner will be drawn on January 5, and the book will be shipped by the release date.

Many thanks, and wishing you all a beautiful and Happy New Year!

Jan Gangsei’s debut YA novel, ZERO DAY, a political thriller set in her backyard of Washington, D.C., publishes January 12, 2016 with Disney-Hyperion. She’s also the author of middle-grade series fiction for London and New York-based book packager Working Partners. Say hi to her at www.jangangsei.com.

 

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A Reason to Read

By on December 4, 2015   /   Book Lists, Fiction, For Kids, For Librarians, For Parents, For Teachers, For Writers, MUF Contributor Books, Nonfiction  
Obie

My daughter and her horse, Obie.

It’s often said if you want to befriend a horse, you earn its trust by standing still, then turning and walking away. The hope is that the horse will follow.  When my oldest daughter had no desire to read, I was at a loss-what books would entice her to follow me down the literary path? She loved hearing me read aloud, but bucked when it came to reading for school or on her own.

Then my family’s horse genes kicked in, with all four hooves. My grandpa on my dad’s side had worked on a ranch, and my maternal grandpa had raised ponies. I’d grown up in the saddle and obsessed over all things equine as a girl. So of course I was delighted when my daughter’s tween years became “the barn years.”

HorseClassics

Hoping this new-found passion would lasso her into reading, I offered her my favorite horse books. And even though it was hard as a homeschooling mom, for an entire year I left my daughter alone-no book reports, no quizzes, no pressure. Just a girl and her horse books. She began to devour them and beg for more. I signed her up for monthly book clubs, and she galloped through the pages. Recently, she was helping her younger sister pack before her wedding, and my daughter grabbed up her horse books and hugged them. “I’m taking these home,” she declared, and I couldn’t help but smile remembering the little girl who had once hated to read. (Two of my favorite books that aren’t pictured above are National Velvet by Enid Bagnold and Misty of Chicoteague by Marguerite Henry.)

HorseSeries

Now my daughter’s dream  job (besides being a professional barrel racer) is to become a librarian. On average, she says she reads five novels a week.

I’m convinced that the way to get a child to befriend books is simply by finding the right hook, whether that be sports, humor, or horses.

For more great horses and reading posts, check out this MUF post by Jen K. Blom and this MUF post by Jaye Robin Brown.

What are your favorite horse books? What books were the “hook” for you or your reluctant reader?

stacks_image_46Louise Galveston is the author of BY THE GRACE OF TODD and IN TODD WE TRUST (Penguin/Razorbill). She grew up on horseback in Oklahoma. This is not one of her more sensible moments.

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December New Releases!

By on December 2, 2015   /   Book Lists, Fiction, For Kids, For Librarians, For Parents, For Teachers, Nonfiction  

happyholidays-300x263Happy Holidays Everyone!  We hope that this season finds you filled with cheer, enthusiasm and excitement for the new year that will be shortly upon us. What a better time than to give the gift of reading?

 

Buy BOOKS for your loved ones, teachers, and friends it is the one gift that can take you to far-off places, introduce you to strange and wondeful characters, and let you explore something you’ve never seen before, all from the comfort of your very own home.
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Here’s a few brand new titles to add to your shoppping list:

I Funny TV: A Middle School Story  by James Patterson & Chris Grabenstein

51Nm0BSlnHL._SX350_BO1,204,203,200_Jamie Grimm has hit the big time in book four of the #1 bestselling I Funny series!

Jamie Grimm has finally accomplished his dream of proving himself the Planet’s Funniest Kid Comic, and the sky’s the limit from there. Enter a couple of TV executives with a huge plan for Jamie: a new show about Jamie and his oddball friends! But when Jamie struggles to learn the acting ropes, will it be an early curtain call for the biggest show of the decade?

 

 

Broken Ground (Spirit Animals: Fall of the Beasts, Book 2) by Victoria Schwab

Something ancient and evil has awoken from beneath the world of Erdas. Shrouded in shadow and older than memory, just a sliver of its power can destroy with a touch. Even the spirit animal bond, the sacred link between humans and animals that keeps Erdas in balance, is under threat.

Four young heroes, Conor, Abeke, Meilin, and Rollan, are determined to stop it. Together with their spirit animals, they embark on a desperate journey that takes them deep underground and to the far corners of the world. As friends and allies fall around them, the four have no choice but to push forward and confront this darkness. If they stop to look back, they’ll see the truth: Evil already has them surrounded.

 

 

Rise of the Titans (Pegasus) by Kate O’Hearn

In order to save Olympus, Emily and her winged horse, Pegasus, venture to Hawaii—and a Hawaiian volcano—in this fifth book of an exciting series that puts a modern thrill into ancient mythology.

The ancient rivalry between the Olympians and the Titans has been rekindled. However, this time the Titans have a secret weapon—a weapon that rivals the Flame of Olympus. The balance of power is tipped in Saturn’s favor now that he has found his own Flame of Titus. Olympus is almost in his grasp! And just when the Olympians need Emily most, she finds her own grip on the flame weakening.


Who Was Michael Jackson? by Megan Stine

Born in Gary, Indiana, on August 29, 1958, Michael Jackson was definitely not a regular kid. A superstar with The Jackson 5 before he was eight years old, he became the King of Pop as a solo artist. Michael was a creative–yet deeply troubled–genius who always remained devoted to his art right up until his death is 2009 before a much anticipated tour. He had a pitch-perfect voice and footwork that his idol Fred Astaire admired. Who will ever forget the Moonwalk? Kids today who only know Jackson through video performances are nevertheless fascinated by him. Megan Stine provides a sensitive, fair-minded depiction of this unique music legend.


 

Long Road to Freedom (Ranger in Time #3) by Kate Messner

Ranger is a time-traveling golden retriever with search-and-rescue training. In this adventure, he goes to a Maryland plantation during the days of American slavery, where he meets a young girl named Sarah. When she learns that the owner has plans to sell her little brother, Jesse, to a plantation in the Deep South, it means they could be separated forever. Sarah takes their future into her own hands and decides there’s only one way to run — north.

 

 

The Stone Warriors (TombQuest, Book 4) by Michael Northrop

The adventure continues in book 4!

Alex and Ren’s hunt for the Lost Spells takes them on a twisty and magial path, through false doors, and deep into underground tombs where they discover that The Order is planning something bigger than they’d ever anticipated . . .

In the tradition of The 39 Clues and Spirit Animals, the TombQuest adventure continues online, with an epic game! Build an Egyptian tomb of your own, hide treasure and protect it with traps, then challenge your friends to play through!


Story Thieves by James Riley

Life is boring when you live in the real world, instead of starring in your own book series. Owen knows that better than anyone, what with the real world’s homework and chores.

But everything changes the day Owen sees the impossible happen—his classmate Bethany climb out of a book in the library. It turns out Bethany’s half-fictional and has been searching every book she can find for her missing father, a fictional character.

Bethany can’t let anyone else learn her secret, so Owen makes her a deal: All she has to do is take him into a book in Owen’s favorite Kiel Gnomenfoot series, and he’ll never say a word. Besides, visiting the book might help Bethany find her father……Or it might just destroy the Kiel Gnomenfoot series, reveal Bethany’s secret to the entire world, and force Owen to live out Kiel Gnomenfoot’s final (very final) adventure.


Lincoln’s Grave Robbers by Steve Sheinkin

The action begins in October of 1875, as Secret Service agents raid the Fulton, Illinois, workshop of master counterfeiter Ben Boyd. Soon after Boyd is hauled off to prison, members of his counterfeiting ring gather in the back room of a smoky Chicago saloon to discuss how to spring their ringleader. Their plan: grab Lincoln’s body from its Springfield tomb, stash it in the sand dunes near Lake Michigan, and demand, as a ransom, the release of Ben Boyd –and $200,000 in cash. From here, the action alternates between the conspirators, the Secret Service agents on their trail, and the undercover agent moving back and forth between the two groups. Along the way readers get glimpses into the inner workings of counterfeiting, grave robbing, detective work, and the early days of the Secret Service. The plot moves toward a wild climax as robbers and lawmen converge at Lincoln’s tomb on election night: November 7, 1876.

 

 

Women Who Changed the World: 50 Amazing Americans by Laurie Calkhoven

In Women Who Changed the World, you’ll meet fifty of the most influential and inspirational American women who had a lasting impact on our nation and the world. Starting with some of America’s “Founding Mothers” like Pocahontas and Abigail Adams, and continuing up to the present day with game changers like Hillary Clinton, Oprah, and Misty Copeland, the book features a unique and diverse cast from all walks of life. With a mix of photographs and quirky illustrations, Women Who Changed the World is a fun and exciting read that will inspire future generations of leaders for years to come!


Enjoy the holidays everyone! Be sure to  take some time to relax and lose yourself in a book!

 

 

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