THE JUNCTION OF SUNSHINE AND LUCKY - WHAT I FOUND

I'm having a blast on the online tour for THE JUNCTION OF SUNSHINE AND LUCKY!  Some fabulous, really intelligent, thoughtful blog reviews have also gone live.  Check out the Tour Page for links to all the live stops and the reviews.

Some of the most fun I've had is putting together vlogs...Last week, Susan at TheArtofNotGettingPublished observed that Auggie and Gus make art from found objects, and asks what I "found" while writing my books.  Here's my answer:



Be sure to check back in on the Tour Page next week, for links to the latest stops!

CALLING ALL BLOGGERS - COVER REVEAL FOR MY THIRD YA, FERAL

My third YA, FERAL, is set to release this summer...and I'm calling on my fabulous bloggers to help spread the word!  I'm now organizing a cover reveal, which will take place on 2/13.

All you have to do to participate is fill out the form below.  I'll shoot you the image, to be posted on your blog on lucky 13!

If you have trouble with the form, contact me directly at writehollyschindler (at) yahoo (dot) com. 

GREAT REVIEW FOR THE JUNCTION OF SUNSHINE AND LUCKY FROM BCCB

Woo-hoo!  This just came from my editor at Penguin.  Couldn't wait to share this review from THE BULLETIN FOR THE CENTER OF CHILDREN'S BOOK STUDIES:

Auggie Jones desperately wants to discover her shine, because it seems like everybody she knows has a talent: her best friend, Lexie, creates striking hairstyles, neighbor Irma Jean alters rags into stylish clothing, and classmate Weird Harold has a remarkable aptitude for facts and figures. Starting at Dickerson Elementary after her old school closes gives Auggie—named for the grandfather who takes care of her—the perfect chance to discover her own hidden talents. Soon, though, Lexie falls under the spell of resident mean girl Victoria, who makes no attempt to disguise her disdain for Auggie’s masculine name, her grandfather Gus’ work (trash hauling), or Serendipity Place, the neighborhood Auggie has called home all her life. When Victoria and her father, the head of the town’s newly formed House Beautification Committee, target Serendipity Place, residents scurry to meet their requirements as best they can. Determined to save her home, Auggie finds inspiration in the trash hauled by Grampa Gus and in items donated by neighbors, and soon pottery shards, vivid glass, and metal sculptures transform the house’s exterior into a vibrant expression of the love within its walls. In Auggie, Schindler creates a spunky, sympathetic character young readers will engage with and enjoy. Though the voice and even elements of the plot are derivative of DiCamillo’s Because of Winn Dixie, the lively narration is enjoyable, and the diverse cast of characters (Auggie herself is African American, though many in her neighborhood are white) brings meaningful messages of community and self-respect to the fore. Some readers may wish Schindler had provided more detailed descriptions of the sculptures, but aspiring artists and anyone else looking for their shine will appreciate this satisfying portrait of a young girl and her close-knit community. 

THE JUNCTION OF SUNSHINE AND LUCKY 1ST BLOG REVIEW + TOUR + SIGNED SWAG

This is it, folks!  The blog tour for THE JUNCTION OF SUNSHINE AND LUCKY starts tomorrow, over at Inkygirl.  

Also, the very first blog review went live over the weekend, at TheArtofNotGettingPublished.  (I'm so often so impressed with the intelligence and thoughtfulness of blog reviews; this one is fantastic.  If you're a fan of well-written reviews, be sure to follow Susan at her blog.)
 

Speaking of lovely reviews, on Goodreads, Darlene Beck-Jacobson (who is part of the blog tour) had this to say:

“Auggie's voice is as original as the sculptures she and Gus create, shining and radiating with love for the people and things in her world. Fresh prose sparkles and lights up each page. This book makes me want to stand up for injustice, embrace creativity and make something new from something old. This book should be on every middle-grade child's reading list.”

I love that Darlene mentioned Auggie's voice.  To hear more of that voice yourself, check out the following video:

Don't forget to pre-order the book!  Anyone who pre-orders will automatically be entered to win a signed bookplate.  Email writehollyschindler (at) yahoo (dot) com to tell me you've ordered. 

IN MY MAILBOX: THE JUNCTION OF SUNSHINE AND LUCKY!

Guess what arrived in my mailbox last week (just in time for my birthday, no less)?  A finalized copy of THE JUNCTION OF SUNSHINE AND LUCKY!

For more on THE JUNCTION, watch the trailer:



To pre-order, click here.

WARMER SEASONS

By now, it's not news at all that we're having an utterly rotten winter here in the Ozarks.  But I just can't seem to bring myself to take pictures of the massive inches of snow or the icicles hanging off the house.  It's evidence of melting—the sight of the ground poking through the white stuff—that makes me want to break out the camera.

I think I just prefer the look of a good thaw...I like the look of a cold, hard time giving way to a warmer season...

REVAMPED HOLLY SCHINDLER'S MIDDLES

I've revamped my site for young readers, Holly Schindler's Middles.  The idea for Holly Schindler's Middles came from the fact that I loved being able to interact directly with my YA readers (usually via Facebook, Twitter, or the book blogging community).  Being able to interact with readers, actually, was my favorite part of becoming a published author.  But I didn't really have a place online where I could interact with MG readers...so I had to create one! 

Click to visit Holly Schindler's Middles

Parents, grandparents, teachers and librarians: Get your young readers ready!  I'm most excited about the page I'll be devoting to reader reviews...I can't wait to hear what they all have to say...

THE JUNCTION OF SUNSHINE AND LUCKY: NEW TEASER TRAILER + SNEEK PEAK

Just in time for Christmas, I'm offering two new vids as "gifts" to readers.

The first is a new teaser trailer for THE JUNCTION OF SUNSHINE AND LUCKY:




In the second video, I discuss the importance and purpose of metaphor in developing a distinctive voice for my main character, Auggie.  I also highlight my favorite "Auggie-isms," or metaphorical passages, providing a sneak peek into the novel:

CRISSA-JEAN CHAPPELL'S MORE THAN GOOD ENOUGH (+ GIVEAWAY)

The fabulous Crissa-Jean Chappell's got a new book releasing January 8 (just two days before my birthday...what a good present, hint-hint).

Half native. Half white.
One hundred percent nothing.

My mom doesn’t want me. My dad just got out of jail. They want me to go live with him on the reservation, in the Everglades. Trouble is, everybody there just ignores me.

At least I get to work with Pippa on my film project at school. We used to be friends when we were like twelve. Now that we’re hanging out again it’s like old times—except she’s way cuter.

The thing is, I don’t belong anywhere. I don’t fit in on the rez, and I suck at school. My dad thinks I’m an idiot, but Pippa thinks I’m all good.

I don’t know what to think. Am I bad news or am I more than good enough?

 Praise:
“Powerful and satisfying.”—Geoff Herbach, author Nothing Special, winner of the 2013 Minnesota Book Award for Young People’s Literature

"[C]ompelling and emotionally nuanced."—Kirkus Reviews

Crissa's also doing a giveaway for the pub date.  Here's the 411:


Want to win a signed copy of the book? It's easy!  Double-click to like the final teaser trailer on Instagram:

Retweet the trailer (or tweet Crissa @crissachappell).

Use the hashtag #MoreThanGoodEnough

Add the title More Than Good Enough on Goodreads.

On the book's birthday (1/8/2014) Crissa will pick three winners.

THE JUNCTION OF SUNSHINE AND LUCKY - KIRKUS REVIEWS

The notoriously tough folks at Kirkus had this to say about THE JUNCTION:

"...a heartwarming and uplifting story...[that] shines...with vibrant themes of community, self-empowerment and artistic vision delivered with a satisfying verve."

How's that for an early Christmas present?

BOOK REC: WALK ME HOME BY CATHERINE RYAN HYDE

Purchase on Amazon.

I’m a sucker for a good setup.  So much of a novel, I think, hinges on the opening pages.  If you can haul readers in, make them invest in the beginning, I think they’re with you until the end.  (I rarely, as a reader, give up completely on a book; I do, however, quit reading hard and start skimming when I can’t connect personally.  If I’m really invested at the beginning, though, I continue to read hard—even if I feel the book begins to take a few unrealistic turns.)

Catherine Ryan Hyde’s WALK ME HOME has maybe one of the best setups of all time.  You can't help but care about young Jen and Carly as they attempt to hike across the Southwest to California.  Hyde puts in all the details that make you fear for the girls’ safety (without overkilling it on sensory description—a lesson I took to heart), and just enough backstory sprinkled in to propel you forward.  

WALK ME HOME is a compelling read from beginning to end.  (This is in no way a book you're going to want to skim.  This is a book you settle into for the long haul.  A book that makes you feel as though you're taking the journey alongside these sisters.)  But I always wind up feeling as though I’ve learned something new about writing each time I pick up a Catherine Ryan Hyde book.  And it’s the setup of WALK ME HOME that will stay with me, each time I start a new novel of my own…

Since their mother’s sudden death, sixteen-year-old Carly and her eleven-year-old sister, Jen, have been walking and hitchhiking across the Southwest trying to find Teddy, the closest thing they have to a family. Carly desperately hopes Teddy will take them in and save them from going into foster care—and forgive them for the lies told by their mother.

But when the starving girls get caught stealing food on a Native American reservation, their journey gets put on hold. While the girls work off their debt, Carly becomes determined to travel onward—until Jen confesses a terrible secret that leaves both sisters wondering if they can ever trust again.

Set against the backdrop of the American Southwest, Walk Me Home and its resilient heroines will inspire readers and renew their faith in recovery and redemption.

GRATITUDE: THE JUNCTION OF SUNSHINE AND LUCKY IN PW

On this Thanksgivukah Eve, I'm feeling grateful that THE JUNCTION OF SUNSHINE AND LUCKY has been featured in this week's issue of PUBLISHERS WEEKLY.

This is my first-ever appearance in PW; the review insists: "Axioms like 'One man's trash is another man's treasure' and 'Beauty is in the eye of the beholder' come gracefully to life in Schindler's tale about the value of hard work and the power of community."

I was also thrilled that the reviewer fell in love with my girl Auggie, stating, "Auggie's enthusiasm and unbridled creativity are infections, and likeminded readers will envy her creative partnership with [her grandfather] Gus."

SHEER CUTENESS + BIG NEWS FOR FERAL (MY NEXT YA)

Big news: my next YA, FERAL, has been sent to copyediting!  We're getting close, folks. I can't wait to share the cover, official release date, etc.

When I emerged from the cave (ahem, office) after the last round of rewrites, I got to enjoy a new round of fall cuteness:

It's a great mug my pooch has, but I still say the cutest part of a Peke is the tail / rump:

(Am I the only gal out there who thinks her dog's rump is cute???)

Seriously, though...stay tuned.  More info on FERAL to come soon!

THE JUNCTION OF SUNSHINE AND LUCKY TRAILER!

Here 'tis: the trailer for my debut MG, THE JUNCTION OF SUNSHINE AND LUCKY! 

Enjoy...and by all means, feel free to link to or embed the trailer in your own blogs...