unicorns Archives - Donna Galanti - Where heart and hope meet adventure!

Unicorn Island: Secret Beneath the Sand Out Today on Epic + Exciting Book News & Nature Videos!!

Today is the day! The next books in my Unicorn Island series, Secret Beneath the Sand, releases on Epic! There are new characters, new creatures, and new adventures to enjoy. 😊

In the next part of the series, when a mysterious scourge spreads among the unicorns, Sam and Tuck must face a long-buried secret to protect the herd.

Epic, the leading digital reading platform for kids 12 and under, releases Secret Beneath the Sand in a 5-part serial this month. The illustrated hardcover, that includes all 5 serial books, will be released by Andrews McMeel in winter 2022!

I’ve had so much fun writing the Unicorn Island series because … unicorns! Plus, the illustrator, Bethany Stancliffe, has done such an amazing job with the artwork for both books throughout, too.

But this isn’t all the news for today. Here’s more BIG Unicorn Island News:
There will be a third and final book in the Unicorn Island series! I am so excited to be working with Epic again to create book 3 and the ending will literally BE epic! I’m already plotting the end (and new characters!) and can’t wait to deliver this final story. Watch for this story to come out in spring 2022 on the Epic platform, followed by illustrated hardcover.

Get access to the book on Epic and 40,000+ other books for kids here. You can also gift this award-winning subscription to a child. Sign up and catch the second part of Secret Beneath the Sand in the 5-part series!

And now for some nature scenes to calm you down after all this excitement. 😊

I go to my special, secret woods several times a week. It’s been wondrous this spring to see them come alive. With spring rains, the woods are wonderfully mucky with the pungent scent of damp blossom and bark in the air. The mourning doves call to one another and songbirds rejoice, flitting between all the green.

Walking through the woods I came around the corner to see three fox kits scurry along and down into their den. I froze and they soon came out. I watched them play and relax for twenty minutes before I had to head home.

Here they are on video. Curious little kits!

And just hanging out…

At this peaceful spot by the creek in my chair, I had a window to the many blue herons that soared down the creek.

This guy came along and just stopped in front of me and fished for twenty minutes. Watch him get the fish!

Here he sails away…

Well, we did it! With our son graduating and moving to Hawaii this summer, it’s time for these empty nesters to move north to the country. We found a wonderful farmhouse to rent on 20 acres to explore a new area to potentially buy in. It’s a quirky place with loads of character, trails to meander, and a writing office with a view. It will be a bittersweet adjustment but here’s to getting out of your comfort zone and grabbing the next life adventure!

I hope you are getting outdoors and enjoying the weather!

XXOO-Donna

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. 😊

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

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Unicorn Island Hardcover out Feb. 9th plus Events, Giveaways & Reviews!

By Donna Galanti

It’s been awhile since I’ve posted. Maybe early summer? Yikes! With this pandemic going on, every day seems the same. A blur of time. I’m sure many of you felt like that, too! I’ve been getting in as many hikes, kayaking, and family outdoor trips as I can with my husband and son, in between writing, of course.

It was also a super busy summer and fall for me with writing. I was contracted to write the second book in the Unicorn Island series by Epic. It releases in 5 parts in May 2021 on the Epic platform, the leading digital library for elementary students, followed with hardcover winter of 2022.

NEWS: I’m thrilled that the illustrated hardcover of Unicorn Island, book 1, releases one month from today, February 9th, by Andrews McMeel Publishing (Simon & Schuster)!

You can pre-order the book here. PLUS, email me your receipt at donna@donnagalanti.com and I’ll mail you out a bookmark and autographed bookplate to place in the book! Just let me know who to personalize it to. 😊

To celebrate the launch of Unicorn Island, I’ll be discussing the book through an Author in Conversation virtual event with the super nice and talented author F.T. (Fleur) Bradley. The event, hosted by my favorite local bookstore, The Doylestown Bookshop, will be held February 9th at 7pm. Register here for free: https://www.crowdcast.io/e/donna-galanti-in

You’ll also get the chance to ask us both questions, too! You’ll definitely want to check out Fleur’s newest book, Midnight at the Barclay Hotel. It’s a delightful, fun mystery in a spooky setting. See my full review here.

Around release day, I’ll also be doing loads of interviews with cool book bloggers and a fun unicorn-themed giveaway that you or your favorite unicorn lover will want to enter. More information to come!

After writing the next book in the Unicorn Island series this summer, I finished a new middle grade that involves more mystery and adventure, and then was contracted to write another middle grade fantasy—and wrote that full length book in a month! And finally, I revised a current novel draft with a new plot line. Needless to say, with all this book writing in 2020, I ran away to get it all done on deadline. Multiple times. This involved going to one of my favorite places to write (three times) at The Highlights Foundation.

In between all this, I raced up to Cape Cod (also three times!) with my critique partner, Erica George, to get some writing done.

Erica’s AMAZING debut novel comes out this May, Words Composed of Sea and Sky. This young adult historical/contemporary novel is beautiful in so many ways. The prose is poetic and lyrical at times, deepening even more the emotion we feel for the characters. See my full review here and purchase the book and follow Erica.

I finished my writing marathon with a few days of relaxation at my very own farmhouse in fall at The Highlights Foundation. This is a wonderful haven for writers! Amazing setting, delicious food, warm and friendly staff.

Writing for children is a magical thing. Yes, writing books is H-A-R-D! Plotting, creating characters, building worlds, adding adventure and mystery…and revision. LOTS of revision. But connecting with kids and sharing books with them is an amazing job. And I get to be a kid again myself. Forever in that wondrous place between childhood and teen, where the world is still full of mystery and fantasy—and anything is possible.

And if you love books, too, then hopefully you love to support authors. 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 forever grateful 😊. Here are some ways to do that:

Pre-order Unicorn Island at your favorite bookseller
Follow me on Amazon
Follow me at BookBub
Follow me on Goodreads
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. Pre-order the illustrated hardcover: https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Unicorn-Island/Donna-Galanti/Unicorn-Island/9781524864705 #unicorns #childrensbooks

New Book Release for Kids! Unicorn Island

By Donna Galanti

**UPDATED May 2021** Check out more new books in Unicorn Island!

I had mentioned last month that I had a surprise coming that involved unicorns—and here it is! I’m so excited to share that my new middle grade series with Epic for Kids just released!

Unicorn Island: The Secret of Lost Luck, Book 1, is out digitally right now. It releases in a 5-part serial one book per week for the next 5 weeks. Watch for it in hardcover release in the spring of 2021. It’s perfect for kids ages 8-12. Sign up and get access on Epic for one month for free.

About Unicorn Island series …

Off the South Carolina coast, a young girl discovers a mysterious island full of mythical beasts and darker dangers.

We all need a bit more magic in the world right now, don’t we? 😊 You don’t get more magical then unicorns!

When Epic hired me to write this middle grade series in 2019, all I knew was that it was to be about a girl who cared for a unicorn. Over many months, it was super exciting to bash around ideas with the Epic team until we had a full concept for the story.

Then the week before my 50^th birthday and celebration trip, I hunkered down and wrote the entire book in just five days. I fell in love with these characters and its world—and I hope you do, too.

I had so much fun writing Unicorn Island because … unicorns! The illustrator, Bethany Stancliffe, did such an amazing job with the artwork throughout, too.

Unicorn Island Book 1: The Secret of Lost Luck

By: Donna Galanti

Illustrated By: Bethany Stancliffe

When Sam moves to a small South Carolina town full of secrets, she stumbles upon the truth behind Lost Luck, Foggy Harbor’s biggest mystery.

For those with school kids at home, you can get the Epic platform for free through June 30th or anyone can sign up for a month-free account. Get access to the book and 40,000+ other books for kids here. You can also gift this award-winning subscription to a child. It’s the leading digital library for kids 12 and under: https://www.getepic.com/

Happy reading!

On Unicorns, Forests And Finding Gifts During A Pandemic

By Donna Galanti

We just celebrated National Unicorn Day yesterday! Why am I so excited? Because I have a book surprise coming out in May—and it involves unicorns! Can’t. Wait. To. Share! More to come … 😊

Fave Unicorn Fact: Unicorn families spend their lives alone, living in peace deep in the forest.

It’s my favorite fact because I love being alone and stepping through forests. My inner peace glows. My spirit is refreshed. And I’m so lucky to experience it every day during this pandemic through a lovely old-growth forest in my backyard.

What is an old-growth forest? They are off-the beaten path wondrous places where trees have soared undisturbed toward the sky for centuries. Here are five old-growth forests to discover in the United States and in Pennsylvania, where I live. I realized not so long ago that the woods are featured in every one of the books I write–whether published, on-submission, or being drafted right now.

As an only child growing up in the Helderberg Mountains of Upstate New York, my playground was the forest. I spent my days roaming along old rock walls with my dogs, gazing up at the sky from secret meadows, and writing my poems and stories in the nooks of old oaks. I also used to sing songs to the woods. I still walk in the woods every day but listen to the trees sing now. The woods are part of me.

And I truly believe that these magical spaces offer much-needed time away from the dire situation of the world right now. They are a gift—and help me see the gifts we’re also being handed during this crisis.

I’ve worked at home since 2005, so this new routine is a familiar one for me that I love but I know its unfamiliar for many of you. I do believe that finding peace in nature is something we can all do to help navigate the coronavirus challenge—and help us find other hidden gifts.

So, I go to the woods and empower myself with these gifts:

The alarm clock is gone. Waking up naturally is bliss.
No obligations to go anywhere, see anyone. The rush has slowed to a sweet amble.
Exercising more. Walks, bike rides. Sometimes twice a day. Losing weight: bonus!
More family time every day. More together. More dinners, laughs, talks, walks.
More family excursions. Finding those out-of-the-way places to hike and bike.
Supporting small local grocers, farmers markets, and farms with curbside grocery pick up rather than mega-supermarkets.
Meditating twice a day (Transcendental Meditation has transformed my life and helped me stay peaceful during this time).
Focusing on what I can control: my writing projects, my freelance client work, my online course projects, what I choose to eat, how I choose to exercise, how I choose to react.
Letting go of things that cause overwhelm like social media, negative people, and the news.
Practicing gratitude every day for life’s abundance and reaching out to those who need support.
Knowing we will come out of this stronger in mind and spirit.

What gifts have you found in this time of crisis? I hope you can embrace them and keep them with you long after this crisis is over. And I hope you can find that place in nature that helps your spirits soar.

Have a peaceful Easter and Passover! And watch for my book release next month. Because … unicorns! 😊