I learned today that Dickensen Academy has been named a finalist in TopShelf Magazine's Indie Book Awards. The winners will be chosen in December and featured in their holiday issue of their magazine.

Soon my book will be listed on their Discoveries Page.

Join me and dozens of other local authors at this huge book signing event in SeaTac, during the Pacific Northwest Writers Association Conference. You do not need to attend the conference, and the book signing event is free to the public.

I'd love for you to stop by my table. 

Also, if you are a writer attending the conference, join me on Saturday at 10 AM for my presentation: 15 Need to Knows to Write YA. 

I am presenting a YA writing workshop at the upcoming PNWA Conference, and my very talented friend and fellow YA author, Sonja Griffing, will be joining me. If you are already signed up for this conference, join us on Saturday morning. If you haven't signed up, learn more about this 4-day writing conference at PNWA.org.

Course Description:
 
Do you want to write YA? Do you want to know how writing for young adults differs from writing for other age groups? Attend this interactive presentation to learn and discuss fifteen of the key components of YA. Course will include a writing exercise to apply what you have learned.

Hope you can join us.

I’ve teamed up with 35+fantastic authors to give away a huge collection of YA Sci-Fi & Fantasy novels to 2 lucky winners, PLUS a brand new eReader to the Grand Prize winner!
 
Oh, and did I mention you'll receive a collection of FREE reads just for entering? 😁
 
You can win my novel Dickensen Academy, plus books from authors like BrendaHiatt, DK Holmberg, Eileen Mueller, and more. 
 
Enter the giveaway by clicking here 👉http://bit.ly/YASFF-june2019
 
Good luck and enjoy!
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I am participating in three separate promotions this month. Each one is a little different, but all offer a chance to win great prizes.

Plus, with 35 authors participating—most hosting individual giveaways of their own on the hunt—our Spring basket is overflowing with dozens of treats we’re eager to give away! Enter April 5-9 for your chance to win!
 
Authors Participating in the Hunt
 
Alex Gordon • Amanda Uhl • Angela Roquet • Angelica R. Jackson • Angie Wilder • Anna Durand • Anne McClane • Ben Westerham • Cailin Briste • Casi McLean • Christine Grabowski • CM Lally • Donna R. Mercer • Honey Phillips • J.M. Walker • Jacqueline Diamond • Jacquie Biggar • Jim Stein • Joanne Dannon • Judith Sterling • Katherine Gilbert • Kathryn Knight • Kerry Blaisdell • Kristine Smith • Lia Davis • Lisanne Harrington • Michelle Jo Quinn • Shae Banks • Shereen Vedam • Soraya Naomi • Stephanie Queen • Taylor Marsh • Viola Calvary • Zoe Dawson • Zoe Forward
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One pre-apocalyptic Earth. One desperate space mission to find a solution. One unexpected alien. 
When Dr. Sakota Thorell signed onto the mission to scout out a new, habitable planet, she knew discovering extraterrestrial life was always a possibility. But she never expected to find an alien adrift in space, nor for that alien to be so intriguing. Sakota feels an instant and undeniable attraction to Astraeus, but he represents a million possibilities, and just as many threats.

There are others hunting Astraeus, and his rescue may cost Earth its last hope. 
 

 After a few months where I wrote very little and marketed a lot, I have found a better balance. Although I still make time for social media, ongoing promotions, and administrative tasks, my focus is back to writing. 
 
The highlights:
~ Over 100 positive reviews 
~ Listening to my audiobook, which released in January, and hearing my characters come alive
~ Watching my book soar to the #1 new release spot in Children’s Coming of Age Fantasy in September
~ Having the book selected for the 2018 SCBWI Recommended Reading List, targeted at librarians and educators
~ Placing 3rd in the 2018 International Digital Awards
~ Selected as a Semi-Finalist for the 2019 Chanticler Paranormal Book Awards (Finalists will be selected next month) 
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I am well underway with the sequel to Dickensen Academy and hope to get it to my editor within six months (hopefully much earlier.). The working title is called Dickensen Secrets. I’m also very busy with my critique groups and partners.
 
Two new activities have been added to my writing life: editing and school visits. To learn more about each, click on my website’s newest tabs. I am very excited to talk to about 1,100 students (5th- 8th graders) over the next five weeks at three separate events.
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If you haven’t had a chance to read Dickensen Academy, here is more information about it.
 
Category/Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary Fantasy, appropriate for age 10 and up
Amazon Rating: 4.7-star rating based on 75 reviews  
 
Blurb:
Dickensen Academy isn’t a typical boarding school. The faculty is hiding an unbelievable secret within their fine arts program. When Autumn Mattison receives an invitation to attend the high school, she yearns to escape her overbearing father yet remains reluctant to leave her mother and brother. Her doubts fade away when a vivid dream convinces her she belongs there.
 
Away from home, Autumn discovers a unique school environment that awakens her creative potential, and her new friends become like a second family. However, as she uncovers more about the dark side of the school and struggles with its curriculum, she questions whether Dickensen Academy is truly where she belongs. 
 
When tragedy strikes, Autumn must learn to believe in her own power and stand up to her greatest fear or risk having her memories destroyed to protect the school’s secrets. Caught between secrets and dreams, can she find her true self?
 
Book Trailer:
https://youtu.be/sgjRes7zPLQ
 
Where to Buy:
The paperback, eBook, and audiobook are available on many online sites, including Amazon.
https://www.amazon.com/dickensen-academy-map-success/dp/B07G71747S

Join me on Saturday, April 13, from 1:00 - 5:30 for SCBWI Western Washington’s KidLit Write-In & Sketch-In at Bellevue College!

Write or sketch for four uninterrupted 45-minute blocks, designed to maximize productivity, alongside your peers who will offer encouragement and lots of writing/sketching mojo. At the top of each hour you will hear inspiration, advice and writing/sketching prompts from some of our very own SCBWI chapter’s successful authors. (I will be speaking at 3:00)

Bring your work in progress or work from our writing/sketching prompts.
 
What: KidLit Write-In & Sketch-In

When: Saturday, April 13 from 1:00 to 5:30 pm - (Check-in at 12:30 following the Monthly meeting). Lunch is on your own or bring a sack lunch. Or, you can purchase, at an extra cost, a box lunch at time of registration.
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Where: Bellevue College Paccar Auditorium N-201. Free parking! Closest lots are 13 and 14. Building N is on Coal Creek Road near the South Entrance (corner of Coal Creek Road and Snoqualmie River Road). See Map.
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Cost:  
$20 for SCBWI International members
$30 for everyone else
Box lunch available to purchase at an extra cost.
REGISTER HERE
 
This is a fun way to spend the afternoon writing/sketching within a creative community. Working on your manuscript in a room of creators is energizing, motivating and productive.
We hope to see you there