Spring is finally here in Pennsylvania. The world has gone green, and I can’t get enough of the woods every day. I breathe in the sun and color and sounds. I roam and wander then sit by the creek and ponder new life adventures coming my way.

And new adventures are coming! This is a summer of change.

Our son graduates high school, we are re-locating to a new home out in the country north of us, and then we move our son and his girlfriend to Hawaii for a Gap year and then college.

Yes, HAWAII. I was stationed in Pearl Harbor 30+ years ago as a U.S. Navy photographer with Fleet Intelligence Pacific and must say never thought I’d go back. So, a new life indeed from Pennsylvania to 5,000 miles away on an island in the Pacific. I like to think I’m up for the challenge, but it will be a tough one—especially when I hug my son one last time and board a plane for that long flight home. Here is his senior photo and some photos of me on Oahu at the same age as him! Chaka brah.

I also went up to Cape Cod this month with my critique partner, Erica George, for a writing retreat. Check out her beautiful and heartfelt debut novel set on Cape Cod, Words Composed of Sea and Sky, out May 25th. Pre-order here!

Spring had definitely NOT sprung yet in Cape Cod, but it was still beautiful in its cold, gray landscape.

Recent Unicorn Island events and reviews:
Check out my virtual book tour on Teaching Books where I read an excerpt and talk about the writing of Unicorn Island and my childhood.

I had so much fun talking about the behind scenes ideas and creation of Unicorn Island on Reading With Your Kids podcast! We also discuss how authors can create stories for kids to connect to and how our experiences as writers can affect our stories.

On the Bookshop at the End of the Internet podcast I discuss the fun of writing children’s books and Unicorn Island.

Here’s a fun and thoughtful review on Unicorn Island at the Children’s Books Heal blog with Patricia Tilton! “A compelling contemporary fantasy that is full of wonder, mystery and tension. It will captivate readers’ imaginations and lure them into a magical world of mythical beasts.” Check out the full review.

AND AS A REMINDER, book 2 in the Unicorn Island series, Secret Beneath the Sand, releases in a 5-part serial on the Epic platform starting May 10th! Watch for the hardcover to release in 2022.

Happy spring!