Kathryn Craft Archives - Donna Galanti - Where heart and hope meet adventure!

Heading back to the beach soon!

It’s officially summer and it’s been a busy past month with events!

But I have to start with the full paperback cover reveal and very first review of Joshua and the Arrow Realm, releasing August 30th! Here are some fave snippets:

“Galanti has created another fast-paced, intricate tale that weaves together newly created myths with ancient 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. I enjoyed this second book almost more than the first one. It had some fantastic characters.” Full review.

Are you a book blogger or avid reader who likes fantasy adventure and is interested in reading and reviewing Joshua and the Arrow Realm? Email me and I will send you an e-book advanced reader copy!

It’s also available for pre-order now and I’ll mail you a book mark if you do! Just email me the receipt and your address. 🙂
… And here’s the awesome full cover!

I’m also having super fun working on the book trailer for Joshua and the Arrow Realm. Want to help me shout it out? Sign up here for the trailer reveal on your blog! There’s a great pre-order giveaway that includes one grand prize of:

$25 Barnes & Noble gift card
Lightning orb light-up ball & bookmark
Lost Realm map poster and paperback of book 1 in the series, Joshua and the Lightning Road!
U.S. only. SIGN UP HERE.

Seriously, how cool is this lightning orb?

In between all this fun stuff, buy xanax final book edits, and schools visits this spring I was a guest author at several conferences. It’s always fun to travel with friends and meet up with writers and readers. And that’s just what I did!

At the Pennsylvania School Librarians Conference in Hershey, PA, May 13, I met a ton of enthusiastic librarians and booked some school visits – and of course sold books! Check out this talented group of authors I was lucky to hang with in Author’s Alley, Dianne K. Salerni, Janice Gable Bashman, Jodi Moore, Kerry Gans, and Lee Harper.

At the Pennwriters Annual Conference in Lancaster, PA, May 20-22, I presented sessions on How to Get Your Manuscript Past the Gatekeeper and 5 Things to do Before You Get a Book Deal. I was super inspired by the keynotes of friends and authors, Jonathan Maberry and Kathryn Craft! “It’s all about community and never giving up!”

Next up I cruised to Princeton, NJ, June 4-6, to attend the NJ Society of Children’s Book Writers & Illustrators (SCBWI) Annual Conference and present sessions on The Foundations of World Building. I got to spend the weekend with some wonderful, talented writers like Erica George, Tracey Baptiste, Laurie Wallmark, and Jon Gibbs.

SCBWI NJ had two great keynotes. Opening Keynote David Weisner, author and illustrator, revealed how we can tell story through pictures alone. Closing Keynote by author Suzy Ismail was so inspirational. Her talk on writing and diversity made me laugh and cry! Check it out:

Happy summer everyone!

So, happy first day of Spring, folks. If you’re in Pennsylvania like me then you’re getting snow!

Despite the snow lots of fun things are popping up that I wanted to share with you as release day for Joshua and the Lightning Road quickly approaches on May 19th!

My print galleys are in! My wonderful publisher Georgia McBride, with Month9Books, sent me this fun video of the galley of my book. (A galley is the pre-publication version of an upcoming published book that is a printed, perfect bound book).

It’s still a dream to me that the book I started writing four years ago for my son is becoming published. And I can now share this wonderful endorsement I received by New York Times bestselling author Jenny Nimmo. And here’s what she had to say about Joshua and the Lightning Road:

Vividly imagined characters in a gripping action fantasy that never lets you go until the very last page. –Jenny Nimmo, New York Times bestselling author of the Charlie Bone series

But there’s also a story here – Jenny is my son’s absolute favorite author and to have her endorse this book I wrote for him makes me cry with happiness. She read the book in her converted water wheel home in Wales and I loved knowing that she was reading Joshua and the Lightning Road there by the river.

She lives not too far from Bristol, England where I lived with my parents long ago. My husband and son are planning an England visit in a couple of years and Jenny welcomes us to visit her. I imagine standing beside her and my family with book in hand by a Welsh river, and it makes me all sparkly inside.

And these gorgeous goodies that came in the mail make me all sparkly too! Who doesn’t like buy valium bookmarks? I love them so much I am giving them away to the first five folks that comment here (U.S. only please).

Plus I’m a featured author today on YA FEST Junior! I had fun talking about authors I admire and how my fantasy characters were inspired by real people – and share my advice to young writers. Don’t miss this event April 25th at 2pm at Bethlehem Public Library in Bethlehem, PA, where I’ll be signing galleys with almost 20 other authors and illustrators.

I’m also presenting a session at my very first writer’s conference tomorrow at Liberty States Create Something Magical Conference in Iselin, NJ. I’m teaching a session called 5 Things to Do Right Now Before You Get a Book Deal and leading a panel with my good friend, Kathryn Craft, on The Line Between Good and Evil.

And tomorrow is the last day to comment and be entered to win this great book bundle giveaway. I cleaned out my bookshelves recently and made some awesome finds in fabulous condition. A great mix of fantasy, historical, and contemporary. And since I’ve got spring fever soooooo bad I’m giving them away!

And don’t forget to check out my new Kid Heroes series and nominate your very own kid hero to be featured. For each kid that I feature I will donate $10 to the Kids Wish Network, a special program that grants wishes to kids who face remarkable challenges and are in desperate need of hope.

A reminder to visit Project Mayhem, a cooperative blog of middle grade authors, that I’m excited to be part of as a new member. We’re sharing our journey to publication and all things about kid’s books.

Thanks for sharing in my journey to becoming a children’s author! Happy Spring…maybe!

DON’T FORGET TO COMMENT TO GET THESE GORGEOUS BOOKMARKS!

Conferences, Reviews, Book Trailers + Pre-order Joshua and the Arrow Realm!

Happy Snowy Spring – and Happy Book News!