Book Birthday - 6 months!

Today, Dickensen Academy is officially six months old! I am shocked at how quickly the time has flown. It has been a roller coaster ride.
 
To celebrate, I created a Rafflecopter to give away a $15 gift card to Amazon. It’s easy to enter and it's free.
 
http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/5d9ce9de3/?

The last six months

 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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The next Six Months

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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The Book

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