Donna Galanti - Where heart and hope meet adventure!

Book Recs & Reviews + My Tips on Blasting the Winter Blues!

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I’m wading (and waiting!) through winter with spring in my heart and longing for green and warmth. Even in cold and gray there are so many things to be hopeful for and embrace in the present moment. One thing I’m embracing is the fun behind-the-scenes events for the release May 6th of my first contemporary middle-grade novel, Loon Cove Summer!

And one fun thing is getting pre-publication reviews, like this one I must share that I received from Midwest Book Review!

You can pre-order Loon Cove Summer here from your favorite bookseller in paperback, hardcover, or eBook!

Even with things to look forward to and sunshine in my heart during these frigid, dim days I need to be vigilant in keeping my spirits up to ward away the drab and gloom. I want to share with you my own toolbox I’ve filled up over the years for how to beat the winter blues by elevating mind, body, and spirit.

BLAST THOSE WINTER BLUES!

As one who’s battled depression much of my life, I’ve learned to recognize the signs when it rears its head, and I instantly take action to combat it. While depression is much more serious than just the “winter blues”, the blues can lead you down a rabbit hole toward depression.

In more recent years I’ve taken a proactive stance to defend myself from sneaky darkness. I protect my energy, spirit, and mental health by strengthening it every day before depression sneaks in.

My snow writing on a frozen lake one winter walk

Each morning, I rise early at 5a.m.and sit in my quiet space to align my spirit for the day with hope, light, and love through many techniques. Here is my routine. Even if you don’t have this amount of time daily, any amount can be helpful:

MIND: 60 minutes

· 15 minutes of Transcendental Meditation in total silence. I joined a weekend long program to learn about TM. You can find a local center here.

· 25 minutes of listening to chakra healing music through headphones. There are many on Spotify. I first close my eyes and do EFT for 5 minutes (emotional freedom technique—tapping on points to send calming signals to the brain). Then I do 20 minutes of manifestation for my life. Check out the manifest coach, Matt Cooke, who has a resourceful free weekly newsletter with actionable items.

· 20 minutes of Duolingo with language lessons. I use the paid version and am learning French and Italian! Expanding my skills and opening myself up to other worlds gives me something to look forward to each day and fills me with purpose.

BODY: 45-60 minutes

After working on projects, book release duties, or client marketing work, I fit in my physical exercise which is a combination of:

· Yoga (Yoga with Adriene. Free on YouTube)

· Aerobics (Team Body Project. Free and paid versions)

· Walking

· Weight training (Free and paid versions with Team Body Project)

SPIRIT: 30-45 minutes or all day

· Yoqi for energy healing: pronounced YO-CHEE (yoga + qigong or CHEE-GONG with Marissa. Free and paid versions).

· Journaling: can be doing gratitude lists, what I want to manifest, freewriting about my present moment and mindset, or tracking/reviewing life goals related to personal, health, spiritual, financial, and professional.

· Being social: keeping consistent social commitments that inspire and elevate my spirit like my weekly writing group that meets at a café to write all day, meeting my book club, hiking with others, or a date day with my husband.

This toolbox didn’t happen overnight. It’s been over 5 years in the creation. Many of these techniques may speak to you and some may not—but I recommend taking the time to find what works for you to strengthen your mind, body, and spirit. It will help ready you to live your life at its fullest, no matter what challenges come your way—or what season!

BOOK RECOMMENDATION:

The Housemaid by Freida McFadden

This was a recent pick by my book club. It’s a fast and easy read. The story is absorbing with a twist in the middle that changes how you view the first half of the book. You will be drawn in while also disturbed at the same time, but unable to look away. If you’re looking for quick, thrilling entertainment this will satisfy. Now for me, time to move on to a book with a bit more through-provoking sustenance and rich prose!

RECIPE: My comfort winter stew

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 medium-sized leek, chopped (I buy precut washed leek leaves at Wegmans for ease)
• 1 medium-sized turnip, sliced
• 1 medium sweet or yellow onion diced
• Two peppers chopped: pick red, orange, or yellow peppers (but not green)
• 1 small can of chiles or 1/3 cup Salsa Verde (spicy or mild to taste)
• 2 medium gold or butter potatoes, peeled and diced
• 1 container of low sodium vegetable, turkey, or chicken broth (about 4 cups)
• Few bunches of fresh baby spinach
• 4-5 large button mushrooms cleaned and sliced (although, sadly my husband won’t eat mushrooms!)
• 1 low-sodium vegetable bouillon cube (I use Edward & Sons, Garden Veggie, Bouillon Cubes)
• Parmesan to taste (about 1/3 cup) plus to sprinkle on top of your bowl of stew
• 3 cloves chopped garlic
• 1 cup rinsed and uncooked farro
• Small can of crushed tomatoes or 1 cup of marinara sauce (I use ½ jar Wegmans marinara)
• Spices to taste like salt, pepper, garlic powder, Italian seasoning, red pepper flakes. I use all these, minus the salt, and add a couple of dashes of Spice Islands Organic Garlic & Herb Seasoning as it has salt in it.
• ½ pound turkey sausage crumbled and cooked ahead of time. I buy a 3-pack of Italian turkey sausage, cut off the casing, and cook until crumbly in a pan.

DIRECTIONS:

• In a heavy-bottomed pot, heat olive oil over medium heat. Sauté leek, turnip, onion, mushrooms, peppers, and potatoes for about 5 minutes until they’re crisp and tender.

• Add all other ingredients BUT the spinach and bring to a boil.

• Reduce heat to simmer and cook for approximately 25 minutes or until the farro has softened. Add more spices as needed for your favorite heat level.

• Stir in the spinach and remove the pot from heat. Let the spinach wilt.

• Scoop into a bowl, sprinkle with parmesan, and a side of good crusty bread for dipping.

YUM! Even better the next day. Easily makes dinners for 3 nights for 2 people! Or freeze part of it or have for lunch.

If you’re trying to find sunshine in winter, I hope you create a daily schedule that helps you thrive. Spring will come soon!

The Journey of a Book + Loon Cove Summer Cover Reveal!

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In the 1970s after my parents and I moved back to the United States from England, my dad’s dream was to own and operate a campground—and so we did. We bought Bethel Woods Campground in Holderness, New Hampshire, by Squam Lake (where they filmed the movie On Golden Pond!).

As an only child, our campground was one of my favorite places to live because I always had other kids to play with.

It’s also where I fell in love with nature—and loons! Also, hiking as you can see here with the beautiful lakes region of New Hampshire behind me.

And where I learned how to fish. My dad got me my first tackle box and took me out on the lake where he nearly rammed his Boston Whaler into a rock just so I could reel in my first fish—a pike!

I never forgot this place of my childhood and in 2013 it shaped itself into a story. In 2015 I went back in time to visit the campground (now under another name) for a book research trip. It was an emotional trip for me as my mother had since passed, but also a nostalgic and healing one.

The book started out as a young adult for teens but soon morphed into a middle-grade for younger audiences to embrace the magic and wonder of that time in our youth—and the inspiration of a lakeside campground. After working with many editors over the years in revisions, the book is finally coming out!

I’m super excited to now reveal the cover for my new middle-grade book publishing on May 6, 2025, by Wild Trail Press—LOON COVE SUMMER!

HERE’S WHAT LOON COVE SUMMER IS ABOUT:

Thirteen-year-old Sarah Richardson is determined that her life will finally get unstuck this summer. She just knows it. Her to-do list? Brave the lake again. Save the loons. Stop missing Mom. Her one bright spot: volunteering at the local wild bird rehabilitation center.

The summer looks even brighter when Sarah meets Theo, the boy staying at her family’s Maine lakeside campground who cares about protecting the loons just like she does. But when Sarah’s family may have to move, she adds a new to-do item: save their home. And when she suspects Dad is dating Theo’s aunt, the naturalist helping research environmental dangers to the loons, Sarah is caught in a new world of grief.

With the looming reality of losing her dad, her home, and the loons, Sarah must make a big statement to take control of her life. Capturing inspiration from her late mother’s Appalachian Trail hiking journal, she boldly plans a solo wild adventure. But as her challenges mount, she wonders if her courage will earn her the voice she seeks—or if she’s made a reckless choice that just might claim her life.

It’s bittersweet for me that I can’t share this book with my dad as he passed in 2023, but I smile knowing he would have enjoyed reading it and revisiting our campground in his mind. I wish he were still here to share more stories about our time there. What a gift that would be.

Finally, I want to say thank you to these wonderful children’s book authors who read and blurbed LOON COVE SUMMER pre-publication. Be sure to check out their books!
Jess Rinker
Cathy Carr
Paul Greci
Kate Allen

You can pre-order LOON COVE SUMMER here in hardcover, paperback, or eBook from your favorite bookstore: https://www.donnagalanti.com/loon-cove-summer/

Watch for the Loon Cove Summer Book Trailer coming next month!

Nature Apps, Volunteering with Audubon + Book Recs!

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VOLUNTEERING WITH AUDUBON!

I’m thrilled to share that in addition to my role as the Old-Growth Forest Lehigh County Coordinator, I’m now an education volunteer for the Audubon Society at the John James Audubon Center at Mill Grove in Audubon, PA!

With a century of conservation history, the National Audubon Society strives to conserve and restore the habitats we share with all wildlife, focusing on the needs of birds. The John James Audubon Center at Mill Grove is situated on a historic 18th-century site, the first and only remaining home of John James Audubon, an ornithologist, naturalist, and painter.

Check out my video tour of the center’s museum!

I especially  love raptors and loons, and both are featured in my middle-grade book, LOON COVE SUMMER releasing May 2025 by Wild Trail Press—along with loon conservation and a raptor rehabilitation center!

WHAT I’M LEARNING:
I’m a lifelong learner and this year I’ve having fun exploring new worlds like these …

Learning about birds with the Cornell Lab Merlin Bird ID app
Discovering plants and trees on my walks with the PictureThis app
Having fun with learning languages—French and Italian on Duolingo
Finding peace and energy healing with YoQi—a blend of yoga and qigong (the “qi” is pronounced “chee”)

WALKS WITH DONNA:

With learning about birds and botany on my nature walks, I’m now recording short, fun videos of my experiences on my YouTube channel and author Facebook page. You can subscribe and follow me there for more adventures in nature!

Check out one of my videos where my husband, Mike, pops in!

HIKING DAY

I love to hike through the Natural Lands preserves and that’s just what my husband, Mike, and I did on an idyllic breezy fall day at Bryn Coed preserve in Chester County, PA. We hiked six miles and immersed ourselves in autumn colors!

BOOKS I’M READING:
LOST KITES AND OTHER TREASURES

I’m super excited to have Cathy Carr’s new middle-grade book in hand, LOST KITES AND OTHER TREASURES! I adored her debut novel, 365 DAYS TO ALASKA, and love that I can now read this one.

Here’s what LOST KITES AND OTHER TREASURES  is all about:

Twelve-year-old Franny Petroski never lets anyone know how often she thinks of the charismatic, troubled mom who left her years ago—any more than she talks about the unaccountable things Mom did while she was still in the picture. Life with Nana is safe and secure, and Franny’s innovative art projects fill in any lonesome times.

But when Nana has an accident and Franny’s estranged uncle comes home to help out for a while, some long-guarded family secrets come to light. Franny has to use all of her courage, as well as all of her creativity, to come to terms with the discoveries she makes about her mother—and herself.

This is a heartfelt middle-grade story that deftly blends the topic of mental illness, the transformative power of art, and the ever-evolving challenges and comforts of family life.

If you love other heartfelt adventures, then be sure to check out Cathy’s books.

ONE YEAR PASSED AND ONE MORE DAY

I can’t believe it was a year ago that my dad passed away. It’s been a turbulent and transformative year for many reasons. I wish you were here Dad for one more good day. We’d walk the beach down to the pier, drink Red Oak beer, eat oyster po’boys, dance to a good tune, and play one more game of hearts by the fire. I’d even let you shoot the moon.

FALL RECIPE
Time for one of my favorite fall comfort food recipes! This is perfect alongside Thanksgiving dinner or with pork.

Apple-squash bake

2 large acorn squash (organic is good or local farm for a tasty squash)
Approximately 5-7 apples based on size (use a juicy, sweet apple of choice)
Several pats of butter
1-2 tablespoons of real maple syrup (depending on your sweet tooth) or brown sugar
Hearty shakes of cinnamon and nutmeg
1/3 cup pecans well-chopped

Instructions:

·       Cook the acorn squash. Poke holes in each and microwave separately until done or slice in half and bake in the oven (takes much longer).
·       Let squash cool then scoop seeds out and scoop squash in a butter greased glass baking casserole dish.
·       When squash is cool and in dish, peel apples and dice.
·       Add apples on top of squash.
·       Add butter pats, maple syrup, cinnamon and nutmeg.
·       Place glass top on casserole dish or cover tightly with foil.
·       Back at 425 for about 1 hour.
·       Check to ensure apples are fully cooked and soft.
·       Mix up apple-squash mixture with a spoon until fully blended.
·       Top with chopped pecans.
·       Serve warm with turkey or pork. Delish!

I’ll leave you with a photo of Gregory warming by the fire. 🙂

Spooky Season Reads: 7 Reasons to Love DAYBREAK ON RAVEN ISLAND

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It’s the spooky season and time for a good scary, suspenseful story with chapter cliffhanger endings that will keep you turning the pages! Check out my 7 reasons why to love Fleur Bradley‘s spooky book for kids of all ages–DAYBREAK ON RAVEN ISLAND.

About Daybreak on Raven Island by Fleur Bradley:

From the critically acclaimed author of Midnight at the Barclay Hotel comes a thrilling middle grade mystery novel inspired by Alcatraz Prison.

Tori, Marvin, and Noah would rather be anywhere else than on the seventh-grade class field trip to Raven Island prison. Tori would rather be on the soccer field, but her bad grades have benched her until further notice; Marvin would rather be at the first day of a film festival with his best friend, Kevin; and Noah isn’t looking forward to having to make small talk with his classmates at this new school.

But when the three of them stumble upon a dead body in the woods, miss the last ferry back home, and then have to spend the night on Raven Island, they find that they need each other now more than ever. They must work together to uncover a killer, outrun a motley ghost-hunting crew, and expose the age-old secrets of the island all before daybreak.

My review:

Daybreak on Raven Island sucks you in from the very first chapter infused with mystery, intrigue, and foreboding. This dark tale begins with three unlikely friends thrown together on a fieldtrip to Raven Island—home of tragedy, misery, and an abandoned prison with gloomy tales to tell.

Tori, Marvin, and Noah are soon trapped in a sinister puzzle they must unravel before the next day using all their knowledge, wits, and uncovered resources. This field trip quickly becomes more than just a day off from school when we discover Tori, Marvin, and Noah each have a secret connection to this haunted island. The suspense intensifies as these kids begin to experience unexplained phenomenon that shakes up their sense of self and what they thought they knew—and leads to darker dangers they could never have anticipated.

If you love ominous, atmospheric stories, then you’ll love Daybreak on Raven Island. The suspense quickly grows with this diverse set of characters who all carry woeful baggage. They work well in contrast to each other to unravel the secrets of Raven Island—and soon discover not all is as it seems.

7 things to love about Daybreak on Raven Island:

  1. A haunted island with an abandoned prison, lighthouse, mansion, and spooky forest (my fave combo!).
  2. Ravens who watch over the island … and follow you (think Hitchcock’s The Birds but in a good way!).
  3. History comes alive—literally before your eyes.
  4. Gobs of spooky foreshadowing to give you creepy chills.
  5. Ghosts galore (of course!).
  6. A dark and tragic history to be uncovered.
  7. New friendships forged under tough circumstances.

Fleur does a wonderful job of creating not only a unique set of characters but a unique setting that comes alive. The landscape and wildlife are eerie characters themselves that at times hinder and aid our three young investigators.

With each scene the situation worsens, leaving us to wonder if Tori, Marvin, and Noah will indeed survive their night on Raven Island to see daybreak. Throw in a ticking clock, ghostly help, tragic mystery to solve, and a terrifying world to navigate in the dark and you’ve got a chilling mix for a compelling story.

I’m a big lover of touring historical prisons, imagining them in their heyday and the people who lived there—and died there. I checked off a bucket list item to tour Alcatraz several years back, and would have given anything to stay overnight on that island with an abandoned prison! This book happily fulfilled that yearning . Be sure to check out Fleur’s new, Alcatraz-inspired story. It’s scary, has a murder mystery, and tons of real history folklore as its inspiration. And don’t forget the very Hitchcock-y ravens…

About Fleur:

Fleur Bradley is the author of the (scary) award-winning middle-grade mystery Daybreak on Raven Island, and award-winning mystery Midnight at the Barclay Hotel (Viking/Penguin Random House). Her story The Perfect Alibi appeared in Mystery Writers of America’s middle-grade anthology Super Puzzletastic Mysteries, edited by Chris Grabenstein (HarperCollins). Fleur regularly does school and Skype visits, as well as librarian and educator conference talks on reaching reluctant readers. Originally from the Netherlands, she now lives in Colorado Springs with her family.

Connect with Fleur:

Website: Fleur Bradley (ftbradley.com)

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fleurbradley/

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/FTBradleyAuthor

Twitter: https://twitter.com/FTBradleyAuthor

 

My New Middle Grade Book Coming 2025 + Fall Comfort Food!

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I’m super excited to share the release of my next middle grade book, LOON COVE SUMMER, coming out May 2025!

This story took hold of me in 2013. It’s grown and evolved, but never let me go. As a child, my parents owned and operated a rural campground in New England and it was a magical place to live. This story is a love letter to my childhood there.

Here’s what LOON COVE SUMMER is about:

Thirteen-year-old Sarah Richardson is determined that her life will finally get unstuck this summer. She just knows it. Her to-do list? Brave the lake again. Save the loons. Stop missing Mom. Her one bright spot: volunteering at the local wild bird rehabilitation center.

The summer looks even brighter when Sarah meets Theo, the boy staying at her family’s Maine lakeside campground who cares about protecting the loons just like she does. But when Sarah’s family may have to move, she adds a new to-do item: save their home. And when Dad starts spending too much time with Theo’s aunt, the naturalist helping research environmental dangers to the loons, Sarah is caught in a world of grief and guilt.

With the looming reality of losing her dad, her home, and the loons, Sarah must make a big statement to take control of her life. Capturing inspiration from her mother’s Appalachian Trail hiking journal, she boldly plans a solo wild adventure. But as her challenges mount, she wonders if her courage will earn her the voice she seeks—or if she’s made a reckless choice that just might claim her life.

And here’s a sneak peek teaser of a small snippet of the unfinished cover—still in the illustration process!

I fell in love with nature, the woods, and lakes at the age of nine when I lived at my family’s campground in New England by Squam Lake in Holderness, New Hampshire.

Here’s the amazing view of the lake from the top of Rattlesnake Mountain.

Here I am on Squam Lake where we lived and where I caught my first fish with my dad in his Boston Whaler.

The fish was a pike, and he nearly rammed his boat into a rock island just so I could get it! I’m the one in the white hat. 🙂

Back in 2015, I visited Holderness and Squam Lake when I was working on LOON COVE SUMMER. You can read about that adventure here. It was like stepping back in time, wrapped up in the comfort of being a kid again.

With the one-year anniversary of my dad’s death coming up on October 30th, I love reminiscing about our time at the campground. It helps me smile from our memories together rather than be sad. My dad loved fishing and camping and we spent many family vacations doing both in Canada and throughout New England.

It was beautiful to experience the Lakes Region of New Hampshire on my recent visit in fall. And I’m so excited that fall is here now. The golden colors, flying leaves, crisp air, fires and hot cider, bundled up in coats and gloves. I love it all!

Because I love fall, I want share with you my favorite autumn comfort recipe that I created long ago:

Meat scramble bowl with veggies!
Ingredients:

1 lb. lean ground beef (or poultry if you prefer)
Several butter gold potatoes
Two crowns of broccoli
2 sweet onions
2 large red, orange, or yellow peppers
2 large carrots
Organic vegetable bouillon cube
½ cup of marinara sauce (or canned tomatoes)
½ cup beef broth (or poultry)
2 tablespoons almond butter or peanut butter
2 cloves of garlic diced
Olive oil for tossing vegetables and pan
Seasonings (curry, Italian seasoning, chili powder, cumin, salt)
Optional:
Parmesan cheese to taste (about 2 tablespoons)
1-2 tablespoons of dehydrated coconut milk to mix in for creaminess

Instructions:
Cut up peppers, carrots, broccoli, and 1 onion into chunks
Toss these cut up vegetables with olive oil, your fave seasonings, and roast in oven on parchment paper at 400 degrees until done (caramelized and bit darkened)
While the veggies are roasting, make mashed potatoes in your style
Dice up the remaining onion and cook until opaque in deep skillet on medium with olive oil
Add diced garlic to skillet once onion is done
Add in meat and break up into small crumbles until mostly cooked
Add marinara, broth, bouillon cube, coconut milk powder, and almond/peanut butter and stir
Cover skillet and turn heat to low to simmer
Stir occasionally
When done add in seasonings (I love curry especially!) and parmesan to taste

To serve warm:
Place generous scoop of mashed potatoes in a large serving bowl
Top with generous scoop of meat scramble and roasted veggies
Enjoy – and leftovers too!
Time saver tip: Instead of making a pot of mashed potatoes. Cook one potato in the microwave, mash hot with a fork with butter or olive oil, and place in bottom of a serving bowl then top with meat scramble and veggies.
Time saver tip 2: Cut up sweet potatoes and roast with other veggies instead of making mashed potatoes.

Happy fall! I’ll leave you with an autumn photo from Squam Lake to enjoy.