THE WINTERTON DECEPTION 1: FINAL WORD, Cover Reveal!!
Apr 12, 2023 
I’m so excited to finally share the cover of THE WINTERTON DECEPTION 1: FINAL WORD with you!
This middle grade puzzle mystery comes out through Pixel + Ink on Oct. 24th, 2023. Cover art is by Francisco Fonseca who does amazing work. I’m just thrilled with this cover. The lighting, that house! The dark corners and little details tucked in throughout . . . the feel of mystery just exudes from his work.
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You can pre-order THE WINTERTON DECEPTION 1: FINAL WORD at your favorite bookstore or wherever books are sold online. You can also add it on Goodreads so you’re sure to get a reminder when it comes out. For purchase link options or to connect to Goodreads, click HERE for my “Books” page.
And I’m sure you’re wondering what this book is even about! So let me tell you. Or rather, let me share the official flap copy:
“In this twisty middle grade mystery for fans of Knives Out, The Inheritance Game, & The Westing Game, thirteen-year-old twins Hope and Gordon enter a spelling bee in a last-ditch effort to save their family from financial ruin, only to find themselves in a cut-throat competition to uncover a fortune and dark secrets about the wealthy relations they’ve never known.
“Hope Smith can’t stand rich people—the dictionary magnate family the Wintertons most of all. Not since she and her twin brother, Gordon, learned that their dad was one. So when Gordon enters the family into the Winterton’s charity spelling bee, Hope wants nothing to do with it. But with their mom losing her job and the family facing eviction from the motel where they live, they desperately need the money, and it looks like Hope doesn’t have much of a choice.
“After winning the preliminary round, the Smiths are whisked to Winterton Chalet to compete in the official Winterton Bee against their long-lost relatives. Hope wants to get in and out, beat the snobbish family at their own game, and never see them again. But deceased matriarch Jane Winterton had other plans for this final family showdown. Before her death, she set up a clue hunt throughout the manor—an alternate way for Hope and Gordon to get the money that could change their lives.
“Still, others are on the trail, too. With tensions at an all-time high, a fortune at stake, and long-simmering family secrets about to boil to the surface, anything could happen.
“A tense, clever clue hunt unafraid to tackle the challenges and secrets often kept behind closed doors, Final Word is a gripping series starter sure to satisfy even the most voracious armchair detectives.”
WRAD 2023 by the Number
Yesterday (Wednesday February 1st) was World Read Aloud Day, otherwise know as WRAD. Before I jump into sharing my WRAD 2023 by the Number info, I wanted to give a brief explanation of exactly what WRAD is. This event was created by the non-profit LitWorld, and is sponsored by Scholastic (the creators of this awesome badge!). Here is a description from scholastic’s website:
I have been participating in WRAD since 2016 (so for 8 years now!!), and I love doing it! It’s so fun to meet young readers and share my love of reading with them.
This year, my schedule was PACKED, and I thought it might be fun to give a rundown of numbers, stats, and basically, just do a little WRAD summary thread. I posted most of this on Twitter as a thread, but I’m adding a few things here.
My WRAD setup:
I hope you enjoy this inside look!
# of requests I couldn’t accommodate and referred to others: 2
# of visits made: 13
# of states: 9 + 1 outside the US
# of visits cancelled for weather: 1
# of visits cancelled for unknown reasons: 1
Closest visit: Colorado
Furthest visit: Dominican Republic
State that cancelled for weather: Texas (!!!)
Grades I visited:*
Pre-K: 1
K: 7
1st: 5
2nd: 3
3rd: 1
4th: 1
*At some schools, I visited several grades at once, so the numbers won’t match my number of visits
Help Wanted: Must Love Books: 4 times
Braver than Brave: 5 times*
The Recess Genius: 5 times
*I only read this one 4 times because of the weather cancellation
Question I expected, but wasn’t asked: How old are you?
Most unexpected questions (but I still loved them!):
-How do you make the shiny plastic covers?
-How do you make the words small & black?
-How do you put the pages together to make books?
(clearly I need to visit a book printer and learn all these things!)
-How do you draw without smudging the pictures?
-How do you decide what to draw on the covers? (2x)
-How do you decide what the characters look like?
-How did you create the art in Braver than Brave?
# of others’ books I shared: 15 (some multiple times)
-5 MGs
Questions I struggled most to answer:
-What is your favorite book that you wrote?
-What is your favorite book?
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Things that helped w/WRAD visits:
-Using a Sign-up Genius to schedule visits
-Getting on @KateMessner’s list
-Having work samples nearby to show
-Setting up my station the night before
-Using a slide presentation for book images-Reading from a hard copy while kids view slides
-Printed off a picture of my dog & family to show
-Asked teachers in advance to enable screen sharing
-Included a question on my sign-up about which book they wanted read & which state the school is in
-Recommended classes prepare questions in advance
Cover Reveal – A Bad Case of the Almosts
Things are starting to happen fast over here! Braver than Brave has been out in the world for three weeks now, and it got an “Editor’s Pick” flag on Amazon, which is really exciting!
It’s a little fuzzy, but feel free to head on over and see it live for yourself! And if you’ve read it and want to leave a review on Goodreads, or Amazon, or Barnes & Noble, I’d greatly appreciate it. 😁
However, today I’m not on here to talk about Braver Than Brave (as much as I love doing that). Today, I’m on here to share the cover of my next book, A Bad Case of the Almosts! It is set to release on January 1st of 2023, which is not all that far away.
Before I do, I wanted to share a little about how this book came to be. In January of 2020 (yep, just before everything hit), I was participating in a thing called Storystorm, a yearly event hosted by Tara Lazar. Storystorm is all about building your story idea list. Tara Lazar hosts a new author every day who shares an idea for a way to find story ideas. It’s a super fun event with prizes, and such, so if you are a writer, you should join in next year. It’s phenomenal!
So there I was, on the hunt for new ideas, and one of the blog posts had said that titles of other books can be good inspiration for a new story. If you look at just the title, imagine how you would write it, and then you can see if it’s similar or not to the actual book that accompanies that title. You’d be surprised how often the two are not similar at all.
I saw the title “Almost Every Time.” . . . or at least, that’s how I read it. Long story short, that wasn’t the title at all! My eyes had skipped down to the next line, and that combination of words really intrigued me. I thought, what if instead of “Almost Every Time,” it was “Almost. Every Time!”
This character leapt to life. This character who got so close to achieving her wants and her goals, but then didn’t get it. EVERY TIME!! That would be so frustrating! And honestly, I could kind of relate. Except not kind of. I could SUPER relate.
That’s how I felt about my attempts to sell another picture book. I’d had multiple books go to multiple acquisitions meetings, and some amazingly wonderful rejections (yes, they really can be wonderful), but it felt like I couldn’t quite get past that last step. It was “Almost” EVERY TIME.
This book took a bit more brainstorming, but when I dared show it to my critique groups, I was surprised at their enthusiasm. I guess they understood that feeling, too. And I was surprised at my agent’s enthusiasm (you know, after some revision rounds). And I was surprised at how quickly my editor at Capstone was able to get it through acquisitions. Because she understood the feeling, too.
So without further ado, I share the cover of A Bad Case of the Almosts, featuring the beautiful artwork of Alexandra Colombo who really brought Abby, my main character who is a huge science enthusiast, to life. And if you like the cover, I can’t wait for you to see what she did with the art inside!
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A Bad Case of the Almosts is now available for preorder at Amazon and Barnes & Noble, as well as most places books are sold. You can also add it to your “Want To Read” list on Goodreads to be notified when it comes out.
And for all you book reviewers out there, an ARC (Advance Reader Copy – for those wondering) is also now available on NetGalley!
Release Day for BRAVER THAN BRAVE!
It’s Release day for BRAVER THAN BRAVE!!
So funny thing. Picture books don’t have acknowledgment pages, so I’m going to just go ahead and do it here. For a book to come out in the world, it takes so many people! I could not do it alone. No doubt I will miss someone, and I’m apologize in advance, but here goes . . .
I’m so proud to share this book with Eunji Jung who brought the story to life. Her illustrations are so perfectly perfect. I’m grateful to my editor, Christianne Jones who loved this story from the beginning, and who helped me make this story shine. Huge thanks to Nathan Gassman who designed the book, and to Jennifer Glidden who has done so much to market this book and get the word out. An all-around thank you to Capstone Editions for publishing it! My agent, Lauren Galit has always encouraged me in all my writing, and I owe so much to her.
I’d be remiss not to thank the many people who read early versions and gave such helpful feedback. Patricia Bailey, Dee Romito, Annie Bailey, Melissa Richardson, Annette Pimentel, Angie Lucas, Laurel Neme, Robyn Buttars, and Shawna Tenney. I’d be lost without them! And I have to thank the 12×12 members who read a very early version. Thank you for the encouragement!
I’m enormously grateful to my extended family–both the Sumners and the Johnsons who have always supported me in my writing and cheered me on. I feel so lucky to have such amazing family on both sides. And of course, my children who not only cheer me on, but also inspire me with all the best ideas. They are my pride and joy!
I give my biggest thanks to Rick, husband extraordinaire who has always been my biggest cheerleader. He carries the weight for both of us when I sneak away to write, and he constantly looks for ways to give me more writing time. He inspires me and makes me Braver than Brave in all my writing endeavors. If not for him, I may never have sent off that first manuscript in my journey to publication.
Finally, I want to thank all my readers. Without you, there would be no point in what I do. THANK YOU!! I’m so grateful I get to be an author and share the stories that are tumbling around in my head with the world. I couldn’t do that without you!
Thank you to everyone who has requested a copy of BRAVER THAN BRAVE or any of my books from their library, and to everyone who has ever left any of my books a review. It means so much to me!
If you want to get your own copy of BRAVER THAN BRAVE you can order it at any of the following links (or wherever books are sold):
26 Days of Facing the Chicken Exit: DAYS 25-26
Today is the final day of facing down the chicken exit! BRAVER THAN BRAVE comes out tomorrow. I have been waiting for this for so long and I can’ believe it’s almost here! But in the meantime, I present Days 25-26 of 26 Days of Facing the Chicken Exit! I hope you enjoy!
DAY 25: ???
I left today open for all of you to share your own stories of facing down the chicken exit. I hope you’ve been inspired after reading so many great stories. I hope you’ve been thinking about the moments in your life when you’ve faced down your chicken exit . . . whether that means taking the exit, or doing THE THING. I hope you know that there are SO MANY WAYS TO BE BRAVE. You are Brave! And I hope you’ll comment and share your own story. I would truly love to hear!
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DAY 26: Back to Wanda
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I hope you enjoyed Days 25-26, and I hope you’ve enjoyed the whole series. I really wanted to highlight the idea that being brave looks different for everyone. Sometimes we are Brave by doing THE HARD THING, and sometimes walking away from it takes all the Brave. A huge thank you to everyone who shared their story. That took courage, too! I love you all!
And dearest readers, I would really love to hear your story of facing down your own chicken exit in the comments!
If you want to learn more about Wanda’s Chicken exit, you can pre-order (or is it plain old order now??!) a copy of BRAVER THAN BRAVE at any of the following links (or wherever books are sold):
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If you’ve missed the previous Facing Down the Chicken Exit Posts, you can find them here:
DAY 1: The Legend of the Chicken Exit
26 Days of Facing the Chicken Exit: DAYS 21-24
Today we’re continuing with the countdown to the release of my upcoming picture book, BRAVER THAN BRAVE, illustrated by Eunji Jung, and published by Capstone Editions, a Capstone Imprint. I present Days 21-24 of 26 Days of Facing the Chicken Exit!
DAY 21: PB Character, Little One
A monarch caterpillar named Little One from HELLO, LITTLE ONE, exists in a lonely green world. It longs for a friend. One day an orange butterfly lands nearby and makes a connection. Although embarassed, Little One is brave and responds, making a new friend to end its loneliness.
~by Zeena M. Pliska, art by Fiona Halliday
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DAY 22: Mr. Janet Sumner Johnson
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I hope you enjoyed Days 21-24! If you want to learn more about Wanda’s Chicken exit, you can pre-order a copy of BRAVER THAN BRAVE at any of the following links (or wherever books are sold):
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If you’ve missed the previous Facing Down the Chicken Exit Posts, you can find them here:
DAY 1: The Legend of the Chicken Exit
26 Days of Facing the Chicken Exit: DAYS 18-20
Today, we continue the countdown to the release of my upcoming picture book, BRAVER THAN BRAVE, illustrated by Eunji Jung, and published by Capstone Editions, a Capstone Imprint. I present Days 18-20 of 26 Days of Facing the Chicken Exit!
DAY 18: Angie Lucas, author of MY BIG, DUMB, INVISIBLE DRAGON
“I rode the roller coaster of infertility for 12 long years. After three consecutive losses, I gathered every remaining ounce of courage to try ONE more time. And that’s how I got my wonderful son, Wyatt, who just turned 5.”
DAY 19: PB Character, Morah
In MERMAIDS DON’T WEAR FLOATIES, Morah faces a chicken exit when she elects to learn to swim instead of keeping her floaties on.
~by Rachelle Jones Smith (@writerachelle), art by Jairalin Repalbor
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DAY 20: Gabi Snyder, author of COUNT ON US!
“As a young adult I went skiing for the first time with friends who were seasoned skiers. They said they could teach me to ski and we got in line for an intermediate slope. I could barely stand in the skis. The idea of starting with an intermediate slope terrified me. Even the chairlift terrified me! So another friend and I happily took the chicken exit and spent the afternoon taking lessons on the bunny hill. The chicken exit was definitely the right choice!”
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I hope you enjoyed Days 18-20! Now, I want to give a huge thanks to everyone who entered the giveaways on Twitter and Instagram. Today I’m announcing the winners!!
First up, we have the winner of the Twitter giveaway:
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If you’ve missed the previous Facing Down the Chicken Exit Posts, you can find them here:
DAY 1: The Legend of the Chicken Exit
26 Days of Facing the Chicken Exit: DAYS 15 – 17
Today, we continue the countdown to the release of my upcoming picture book, BRAVER THAN BRAVE, illustrated by Eunji Jung, and published by Capstone Editions, a Capstone Imprint. I present Days 15-17 of 26 Days of Facing the Chicken Exit!
On with the countdown to the release of my upcoming picture book, BRAVER THAN BRAVE, illustrated by Eunji Jung, and published by Capstone Editions, a Capstone Imprint. I present Days 15-17 of 26 Days of Facing the Chicken Exit!
DAY 15: Girlie
“My friends wanted to do a play and I decided to do it with them, but I don’t like being looked at by a lot of people, so more or less stage fright. So my friends hyped me up and I just didn’t look at anyone in the audience, and everything went well.”
Hope you enjoyed DAYS 15-17! In celebration of the upcoming release of BRAVER THAN BRAVE, I’ve got two giveaways going on right now. One on Twitter, which you can enter HERE. And one on Instagram, which you can enter HERE. They both open through July 23rd, and they are both open to wherever Book Depository delivers. Good luck!
Check out other days of Facing the Chicken Exit:
DAY 1: The Legend of the Chicken Exit
26 Days of Facing the Chicken Exit: DAYS 11-14
Today, we continue the countdown to the release of my upcoming picture book, BRAVER THAN BRAVE, illustrated by Eunji Jung, and published by Capstone Editions, a Capstone Imprint. I present Days 11-14 of 26 Days of Facing the Chicken Exit!
DAY 11: Sharon Giltrow, author of BEDTIME, DADDY!
“I thought ‘The Little Mermaid’ roller coaster at Disneyland Tokyo would be doable. I lined up with my then 9-year old daughter and I inched to the front of the line. I said to myself “I am a 43 year old woman, I don’t have to do anything I don’t want to do.” So I bravely turned left and took the chicken exit.”
DAY 13: Wendy MacKnight, author of THE FRAME-UP
“I was 9 years old, the last kid on my street to ride a bike because I was scared of falling. “Enough,” I said finally, staring down the slight incline at the top of my street. It took five tries, a few falls, but I did it – total bike boss, chicken no more!”
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DAY 14: Fort Builders, Inc. Team
The Fort Builders team faced their chicken exit when all their hard work was destroyed and they had to decide whether to give up or find a way to make it work!
~by Dee Romito, art by Marta Kissi
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In celebration of the upcoming release of BRAVER THAN BRAVE, I’ve got two giveaways going on right now. One on Twitter, which you can enter HERE. And one on Instagram, which you can enter HERE. They both open through July 23rd, and they are both open to wherever Book Depository delivers. Good luck!
Check out other days of Facing the Chicken Exit:
DAY 1: The Legend of the Chicken Exit
26 Days of Facing the Chicken Exit: DAYS 8-10
Today, we continue the countdown to the release of my upcoming picture book, BRAVER THAN BRAVE, illustrated by Eunji Jung, and published by Capstone Editions, a Capstone Imprint. I present Days 8-10 of 26 Days of Facing the Chicken Exit!
DAY 8: Picture Book Character
Diante in BRAVE IN THE WATER does (spoiler alert!) finally put his face in the water instead of running away.
~by Stephanie Wildman, illustrated by Jenni Feidler Aguilar
DAY 9: Casey Lyall, author of A SPOONFUL OF FROGS
“My chicken exit story is that I was in a haunted house with three of my friends and we were all hanging onto each other so tight none of us could even make it to escape through the chicken exit. So I guess sometimes you need your friends to help you be brave. 😄”
DAY 10: Picture Book Character
Shailey, from HELP WANTED: MUST LOVE BOOKS, faced down her chicken exit by standing up for herself to find a new bedtime storyteller. ~by Janet Sumner Johnson & illustrated by Courtney Dawson
There we have Days 8-10! In celebration of the upcoming release of BRAVER THAN BRAVE, I’ve got two giveaways going on right now. One on Twitter, which you can enter HERE. And one on Instagram, which you can enter HERE. They both open through July 23rd, and they are both open to wherever Book Depository delivers. Good luck!
Check out other days of Facing the Chicken Exit:
DAY 1: The Legend of the Chicken Exit