Donna Galanti - Where heart and hope meet adventure!

Link to my Facebook Page
Link to my Goodreads Page
Link to my Mail Page
Link to my Twitter Page
  • Home
  • Bio
  • Q&A
  • Books
    • Unicorn Island
    • Joshua and the Lightning Road
    • Joshua and the Arrow Realm
    • Donna’s Books for Grownups
  • Blog
  • Contact
  • News
  • School Visits
  • Reader Fun!

Winter Trips, Recommended Reads & Book Fun!

By Donna Galanti Leave a Comment

It’s been several months since I last posted! It’s been a whirlwind winter and I’m eager for spring as it’s been endlessly gray here in Pennsylvania this winter. But I had some sunshine as I recently received my advanced author copies of Beyond the Portal, the third and final book in my Unicorn Island series, out April 4th!

My publisher, Andrews McMeel, also sent me bookmarks and bookplate labels. If you order the book, I’d love to send you a bookmark and personalized bookplate label for you or your favorite unicorn lover. Just email me at donna(at)donnagalanti.com. Pre-Order Beyond the Portal HERE from your favorite bookseller.

We had some fun family time. Our son, Joshua, came home for Christmas to visit for three weeks from Hawaii.


AND we surprised my husband, Mike, with a secret 50th birthday trip to Newport, Rhode Island. Ahh, the glorious Gilded Age mansions, the sea, and the food! It was a fabulous trip.



Joshua and I also made a trip to see his Grampy in North Carolina. Sadly, my dad has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s and I’ve since had to relocate him to the Memory Care Unit of his facility. But I’m so thankful he can remain in the same place with familiar staff and people.


I also celebrated my Little Sister’s 13th birthday this winter. We were paired up through Big Brothers Big Sisters when she was nine and I can’t believe how grown up she has become. We tried bowling and she got a strike!


Something to look forward to? Joshua is moving home from Hawaii to Pennsylvania on May 22! I can’t believe it will have been nearly two years since he moved to Waikiki. But….


But …. he won’t be here for long. He plans to manage fudge shows all summer for his dad’s business (Your Chocolate Guys — best fudge ever!) and then he and his girlfriend will be backpacking through the Schengen Area of Europe on a 90-day visa. And yes, I had to look up the Schengen Area, too! It’s comprised of 27 countries, the world’s largest visa-free zone. Ahh, to be young and adventurous!

I’ll leave you with recommendations for two books I just finished:

Atomic Habits by James Clear

If you’re having trouble changing your habits, the problem isn’t you. The problem is your system. James shows you how! Packed with evidence-based strategies, Atomic Habits will teach you how to make small changes that will transform your habits and deliver amazing results.

The Impossible First by Colin O’Brady

A truly awe-inspiring memoir spanning Colin’s triumphant recovery from a tragic accident to his gripping 932-mile solo crossing of Antarctica.

Besides reading and writing, I’ve also been busy adding new items to my Etsy Shop, Go Wild Design. It’s a super fun project! I love creating new products that share my love for nature. See what’s new so far! Visit GO WILD DESIGN.

Happy Almost Spring! 

P.S. Don’t forget Beyond the Portal comes our April 4th! I’ll have event news then, too. 🙂
Pre-Order Beyond the Portal HERE from your favorite bookseller.


 

Unicorn Island Out Today + Free Live Virtual Event Tonight & Giveaway!

By Donna Galanti

I’m so excited that today is the day the illustrated hardcover of the first book in the Unicorn Island series is released! You can order it here at your favorite bookseller.

Be sure to sign up for my live virtual author-in-conversation TONIGHT, February 9th, at 7pm (EST) with author Fleur Bradley and hosted by my favorite local bookstore, The Doylestown Bookshop. We’ll be chatting about books, the author life, and taking questions! Register here for free: https://www.crowdcast.io/e/donna-galanti-in

You’ll also definitely want to enter my super fun unicorn-themed giveaway. Check it out at the bottom of this post!

It’s been a wonderful journey writing the Unicorn Island series and it all started with my publisher who said, “I’d like for you to write a book about a girl who has to take care of a unicorn.” And of course, I said YES to that because … unicorns! They are magical, wondrous, and mysterious. 🦄

From there I plotted the story out and then ran away to spend five days in a cabin at The Highlights Foundation to write it from start to finish. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I did writing it!

It was so fun to get my advance author copies in the mail from my publisher, Andrews McMeel. They sent me a whole box of books! Here I am opening it. 😊

http://www.donnagalanti.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/AuthorCopies.mp4

 

Wonderful news has been rolling in about the book and here are some advance reviews …

I loved writing middle grade so much. It’s a special time in a child’s life. They have one foot in magical childhood where anything is possible and one foot in the path to becoming an adult. An amazing part of this journey for me and being a part of Big Brothers Big Sisters, is that I got to share this journey with my Little Sister, Ashley, who is an avid reader and a joy to spend time with. I also got to dedicate the book to her which arrived just in time for her birthday!


My publisher, Andrews McMeel, also created a fantastic book trailer for Unicorn Island. Take a look!

Watch for book 2 in the Unicorn Island series, Secret Beneath the Sand, to release this May on the Epic! platform in a 5-part serial with the hardcover out winter of 2022.

The illustrator Bethany Stancliffe did such beautiful work in bringing Unicorn Island to life. Take a look here at some of her work.


Have you ordered Unicorn Island already? Then I have a gift for you! Email me your receipt and address and I’ll mail you a bookmark and autographed book plate! Just let me know who to personalize it to. Email: donna(at)donnagalanti.com

Authors love to share their books with the world—and you can help! The best way to support us is to buy and read our books, post honest reviews online, and share with friends! Help me do that for Unicorn Island and I’ll be so grateful!

Here are some ways to do this:
Order Unicorn Island at your favorite bookseller
Follow me on Amazon and post a review!
Follow me at BookBub
Follow me on Goodreads and post a review!
Follow me on Instagram
Follow me on Twitter

Share this post:
Check out #newrelease Unicorn Island! Because beyond the mist lies a magical secret waiting to be discovered. “A fast-paced magical adventure.”-Kirkus Reviews. Order the illustrated hardcover: https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Unicorn-Island/Donna-Galanti/Unicorn-Island/9781524864705 #unicorns #childrensbooks

Thank you and happy reading! –Donna

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Meeting John Grisham

By Donna Galanti

I’ve loved John Grisham a long time. Over 25 years.

He came into my turbulent life with The Firm. I stayed up all night reading it, my heart racing and on the run with Mitch McDeere. I didn’t want the story to end and return to my uncertain life.

In John Grisham’s stories, the characters were pushed into uncertainty. But, unlike me, they always found their way. I, too, was seeking answers after failing out of college (panic attacks hinder getting to class!), a failed marriage, and a stint in the Navy – I landed in limbo. Like John Grisham’s characters, I had been on the run a long time. Running from my depression, from my dark childhood, from my anxiety, from my uncertainty – from not believing I had any worth.

Reading and writing were my only escapes then where I could have purpose, have strength, have confidence, and change my life.

John Grisham was there for me.

I fought for justice and the truth in The Last Juror. I faced my demons and overcame then in The Testament. I returned to my childhood and found solace from it in The Painted House. I sought a champion by my side in The Client.

                                                                        Just some of my John Grisham books!

So, when my husband passed along the ad that John Grisham was coming to our town’s bookstore, The Doylestown Bookshop, for his first book tour signing in 25 years to celebrate the release of his 30th book, Camino Island, I rushed to get a ticket.

Giddy with delight, I fan-girled in line waiting to get my book signed with another lady as giddy as me. And he was all I dreamed. Gracious, inviting. He shook my hand, looked me in the eye, asked me about my books. He was a true southern gentleman. I couldn’t breathe! He’d been my rock star author for decades.

This man had given me hope in desperate times. Times when I knew I wanted to be an author but didn’t even know myself yet. I could only dream of writing a book and getting it published. And at times, the hope of fulfilling this dream was all I could cling to.

But my time with him wasn’t over. I sat in the front row for over an hour and listened to him in discussion with author Lisa Scottoline. His conservative wit crackled alongside her unbridled humor.

You can listen to the podcast here from each stop along his book tour. I got to ask a question too!

He told us that he wrote his first book, A Time to Kill, without any outline. It came out to 1,000 pages! He said he would never do that again as the editor cut over 1/3 of it. He said, “That third was a year of my life!” He always uses an outline ever since then and knows the end first.

Just like me.

He shared how he rose at 5 a.m. each morning to write for hours on his first novel at his office before his lawyer job started.

Just like me.

He said how he was rejected for years but never gave up.

Just like me.

He persisted. He kept writing.

Just like me.

John Grisham knew what he wanted to write. He’s forged the top niche in legal thrillers. He’s written a book a year for 30 years. I didn’t always know what I wanted to write. I just knew I must.

                                   My uncertain years. Here as a Navy photographer in Hawaii.

I’m not that young woman I was decades ago when I first fell in love with him. I am no longer uncertain about my path. I am no longer paralyzed with fear and depression. I am worthy. But I didn’t take the straight road to get here. I took the road of his characters. I wandered. I stumbled. I ran into walls. I ran away. I wrote my first novel from grief when my mother passed away, a dark thriller. I wrote my demons out with that series. I wandered then to writing middle grade. My writing path has been a crooked twist.

It took me longer to get here but I. AM. HERE.

John Grisham made it all clear to me in a time now when my life is filled with so many project details  – business and teaching – that flood my day. I was born to be story teller. That’s what I do. That’s what I need to get back to. The simplicity (and complexity) of telling a story, sinking myself into it, and not tearing its claws from me until I am done. Share my awareness of the world around me. Share the human condition. Explore our purpose. Take readers on a journey to find themselves. Just like John Grisham did for me.

He made it clear to me that all this messiness of life can’t get in my way of doing what I was born to do. And if one way doesn’t work out, I will find another. And another.

And I have finally found my way in my writing. To write for kids and weave stories in that magical place with one foot in the dream world of endless possibilities and one foot grounded in the grown-up world. A place where I dwell as well. I took a roundabout path to get here. But I. AM. STILL. HERE.

The next 30 years look splendid.

Thank you, John Grisham.

 

Meeting John Grisham from Donna Beckley Galanti on Vimeo.

***

Are you a debut author or writer looking to get published? I just released a free author marketing mini-course. It’s a great snapshot to help you jump start your online presence and build an influencing community. Please consider leaving a brief review if you enroll as it helps boost the course (like book reviews! ). Happy watching!

 

Author Toolbox: Find Best-Fit Book Reviewers (And Deal with Bad Ones!)

By Donna Galanti

It’s a funny thing once your book is published. People you don’t know are reading it and reviewing it. Some reviews will be good. Some will be conflicting. Some may be bad. As part of the #AuthorToolboxBlogHop, Here’s my take on what you can do as authors in response to bad reviews and also how to find best fit reviewers.

But first, you can also check out my free cheat sheet on 4 proven steps to connect with those best-fit readers even before your first book comes out! For advice on reviews read on…

Conflicting Reviews

You may wonder how two people can find such differences in your book. Easy. It’s all subjective and your readers will vary. Just as your book is unique, so is everyone’s opinion of it based on their collective life experiences.

In the same week, a reviewer for my book noted “absolutely no grammar errors were noticed which proves that good editing is out there!” and another noted “Good plot, but a lot of typos.” Recommendation? Laugh over them and then ignore them.

Bad Review

Unfortunately, you may receive them. Are bad reviews all bad? Not necessarily. If people are talking about your book passionately, it’s more likely to reach some readers who’ll like it but would never have found it otherwise.

A bad mention can be better than no mention at all, particularly for those readers who are skeptical of too many glowing reviews. It can lend more credibility to the book.

The more reviews you get the more exposure your book gets on Amazon – good or bad reviews. As you get more reviews, Amazon ranks you higher in their search engine for keywords related to your book so more potential readers can find your book. As you can see, even bad reviews can then help boost your book’s discoverability. It also helps your book to be more balanced for reviewers.

A few rotten reviews are expected with every book, as a book is so subjective to each reader, and it gives your book more credibility. A book with all 5-stars seems a bit good to be true. Readers will weed through the reviews and can surmise the value of your book and if it will appeal to them.

Best reviews are the ones that are a mix of critical comments and positive as it means the reader was affected by your book enough that they took the time to leave a thoughtful review on many points.

What not to do about a bad review? Respond. All authors receive them. Even the New York Times bestselling authors. Why a bad review? The reader might not normally read your genre, or was misled by the cover. The writing style might not be one they normally connect with. Have you read a book and wondered how people could praise it? A bad review can even lead to self-awareness of your writing and improvement. And remember, they are reviewing the book – not the writer.

Finding Best Fit Reviewers

Can you increase your chances of finding positive reviewers? Yes! Research book review bloggers in your genre and age-range that you write in. Review their website and see what kind of books they have reviewed in the past. Check out their review request policies. See if your book falls within the guidelines of what they want to read and request a review.

Places to find book reviewers? Use Google Alerts. Type in key words like “romance stories” or “action novels” and then in what medium you want them to appear (as they appear in blogs, the news, etc.). Google will then send you a list every day of all the hits according to your search specifications. Click on the links recommended. If they include bloggers that do book reviews, send them a request for review. Also, search for “book blog” plus your genre to find reviewers. Try searching Facebook book groups. They can have corresponding blogs that offer book reviews.

Have Advanced Reader Copies (ARCs)? Use them to do a Goodreads giveaway. This can generate positive reviews as readers who enjoy your kind of book will enter to win a copy of your book. Always send a handwritten thank you note with the book and politely ask that they write an honest review.

Have an ARC in e-book format only? Many book bloggers accept them for review as well.

Final tip on finding best fit reviewers. Search for comparable and successful authors with keywords of “author name” plus “review”. You will find book bloggers that reviewed that author’s book. These are good blogs to familiarize yourself with and not only request a review, but ask to do a guest post and/or giveaway.

Best of luck with your reviews!

P.S. Don’t forget to grab my free cheat sheet on how to connect with those best-fit readers even before your first book comes out!

 

A month of book launches, retreats, and research!

By Donna Galanti

It’s been a fun whirlwind month celebrating the launch of Joshua and the Arrow Realm! Thank you everyone for sharing in it with me 🙂 . 

We had a super fun book launch party on September 17th at my favorite bookstore, the Doylestown Bookshop. There was a presentation, reading, book trailer showing and scavenger hunt – plus storm cloud cookies and lightning bolt chocolate pops! If you’re close to Albany, New York, I will be having another book party on Friday, September 30, at 7pm at the Book House in Stuyvesant Plaza.

14344161_10210552158228438_7679555452155937104_n

Me and the real Joshua at the book party at the Doylestown Bookshop!

14333203_10210552158428443_4501195786337888288_n
Julie won the Lost Realm poster
in the scavenger hunt!

14390733_10210552159348466_2489249119870552963_n 14364727_10210552158628448_6317784711717422809_n 14358998_10210552163348566_8656669132545477329_n14364826_10210552162108535_7623665326061574891_n   14333761_10210552160308490_3434536028618540441_n  14330100_10208870374948185_4252757206773659406_n screenshot_20160924-123735

You can also follow the Joshua and the Arrow Realm book blog tour here for interviews and excerpts. This week hop on over to the Secret Files of Fairday Morrow’s blog where Joshua is interviewed for Character Book Club by his pal, Sam, from Sign of the Green Dragon!

joshua-cbc   samjosh

And more reviews have come in for Joshua and the Arrow Realm! 

“Galanti has created another fast-paced, intricate tale that weaves together newly created myths with ancient levitra ones and populates the world of Nostos with Greek gods and characters and monsters to thrill and chill the reader. This is wonderful adventure-fantasy from start to finish.” – C. Lee McKenzie

“This is a great book for kids in 4th grade and up who love mythology and stories with lots of action. I read this in one day, so it’s full of page turning adventures- but there are sad parts too.” – Lizzie’s Blog

This month I also had fun researching medieval life for my current manuscript at the Philadelphia Museum of Art!!
20160904_142704  20160904_142054

I could have spent days here. My favorite gallery being on armor and weaponry! My son and his friend were more interested in face swapping with Renaissance portraits 🙂 .

20160904_133648 20160904_141814 snapchat-4814838578550595313

I also spent a wonderful writer’s retreat this month at my friend Kathryn Craft’s lakeside home in northern New York.

rscn975420160908_185833

It was a wonderful few days shared with talented writers.

20160909_195005   20160910_062239

dscn9670   dscn9640

We wrote together, read our work, laughed, and cried.

dscn9731   dscn9701

We can write alone but we can’t grow as writers alone – we need each other. I’m so lucky to have an amazing writer network of special people around me.

20160909_071137 20160909_071602

Happy fall everyone! 

 

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...
Next Page »

Lover of doughnuts, Doritos, and adventures (not so much authority figures). Does that make me a kid? Read More…

Sign Up for Posts!

Reviews for Joshua and the Lightning Road

Reviews from Goodreads.com
Subscribe to this blog

© Copyright 2019 · www.donnagalanti.com · All Rights Reserved