Technical difficulties meant I was locked out of my own website. Seriously?????
Whatever, it is great to be back and I’m so happy to wish you all a healthy and wonderful 2022!
I kind of love January.
Not just because it’s the month I was born, but because January is SLOWWWWW.
And slow is the perfect thing for writers who need to finish projects.
I’m hoping to finish the next draft of my most recent middle grade novel in the coming weeks and send it to beta readers.
I’m also finishing a picture book manuscript that I’ll also be sending to beta readers soon!
In other news, I’m leading a workshop about writing for children at the end of next month. If any of you are interested and in the area, sign up!
I’m also excited to be participating in World Read Aloud Day on February 2nd!
This day is so special, because it’s the day when millions of people come together to share the importance of reading out loud and storytelling! I can’t wait!
And finally, Shelagh Rogers has invited me back to The Next Chapter to do another book talk with her, so stay tuned for more information on that!
I hope you are taking care of yourselves and can’t wait to share more news soon!
We’re only a few weeks til the holiday season and I don’t know about you, but I love book recommendations to help me with my shopping.
So I thought I’d share some of my favourites with you!
ADULT BOOKS:
Strong women dealing with unimaginable pressures (throw in some sickness to make it really Covid timely!) are at the heart of these three books. I loved them so much I chose to talk about them on CBC radio earlier this year. Click here to to listen!
Young Adult Books
Both of these books will break your heart and have you turning the page!
Middle Grade:
This, of course, is the longest list, since I am a middle grade author! And I reserve the right to add more in December as I am patiently waiting for some books that have been backordered but are now finally en route.
In no particular order:
One word: Magical
Not only do Lauren’s books move me, I always learn so much!!!
Ali is one of my favourite authors and this book gives you all the feels.
Such a cozy, heartwarming book about sibling love.
Alyson Gerber addresses important issues in THE most accessible way. Wonderful!
Dusty Bowling had me on the edge of my seat in this gloriously written story about being brave and healing.
A grand adventure about finding out the truth and doing something about it.
I adore Kiran Millwood Hargrave, and this book was SOOOOOO good!
My Favourite book of 2021 (so far!)
This book is an astonishing feat of plotting and character, and a treat for those of us who adore the worlds Kate Milford creates. Her middle grade homage to The Canterbury Tales. BRILLIANT.
Now tell me: what books would YOU recommend I read? What were your faves this year?
I’m pleased to announced Beth Weatherbee is the winner of last week’s giveaway! Thanks for entering everyone, and stay tuned for more giveaways!
Things I’ve been reading lately that I highly recommend:
The Way Past Winter
I loved this book so much, and as always, Kiran Millwood Hargrave doesn’t disappoint!
Description:
Mila loves her home, her forest, and her sled dogs. But all is not well in the wintry world where she lives with her sisters, Pipa and Sanna, and their brother, Oskar. Ever since their father mysteriously left five years ago, winter has remained, with never a spring in sight.
And now a strange scary man, flanked with young boys, has appeared, seeking shelter. By the next morning, they’ve gone — and they’ve taken Oskar with them.
Can Mila find her brother and bring back spring? This beautifully written book will have you turning the pages to see what happens next.
Highly recommend!
Woodland Dance
I don’t get to read board books often enough, but when I came across this one, I knew I needed to buy it (and it is already earmarked for someone special!).
Write a book about woodland animals having a dance and I am there! And Sandra Boynton’s illustrations are delightful as usual!
Highly recommend!
There is a real chill in the air around here (finally!). I’m looking forward to a weekend of raking and reading! I’m also thinking of the books I loved best this year – stay tuned!
As promised, I thought I’d put together a fantastic giveaway of books I love, including my own!
In addition to The Copycat, I am throwing in some fantastic books:
Kevin Oppel’s BLOOM trilogy, which is fabulous, Ali Standish’s THE MENDING SUMMER, which is glorious and heartbreaking, THE GIRL WHO FELL FROM THE SKY by Victoria Forester, and Sophie Cleary’s delightful VIOLET VEIL MYSTERIES: A CASE OF GRAVE DANGER!
For a chance to win, leave me a message before Friday the 12th and you’ll be entered in the draw! I’ll pop them in the mail straight away, ready to be loved by your kiddos or your students! And they’d make swell presents!
But it’s almost November and I’m raring to go once more!
I’ve been walking a lot in the woods this fall – for mental, physical and for inspiration for my Work in Progress!
This year has been hard on lots of people.
Including me.
It’s been nearly 9 months since I fell and got a mild concussion, and I’m finally getting my mojo back – writing, writing, writing, reading, reading reading!
I will never take those two things for granted every again!
For years, I’ve been reading writerly advice that never seemed a fit for me – just put your butt in the seat and write – because until my fall, it all just flowed. It wasn’t all good, but it flowed.
But then it didn’t.
And the only way out was to rest and put my butt in the chair and try. And try again. It turns out, Anne Lamott knew what she was talking about all along, LOL:
I’m almost finished a second draft of my latest middle grade novel and am revising two picture books. And feeling oh-so-grateful!
When will you see them? Who knows. But I’m awfully glad they exist!
Now back to you!
You’ve been wonderfully patient, and that patience deserves a reward. So stay tuned for next Friday when I’ll announce a special holiday giveaway just for blog readers (and p.s. – they’ll be another one on twitter, too, and you’re eligible to enter for both!) as a thank you for sticking with me this year!
As we all get vaccinated, there does seems to be a light-at-the-end-of-the-tunnel kind of feeling, doesn’t there?
I’ve been beavering away at my work in progress, which I expect to finish the first draft of by late June/early July! That’s when the heavy lifting starts, though to be honest, it started early on this project, as I just couldn’t find the voice.
But perseverence does indeed pay off, which is something all writers need to remind themselves of when they get discouraged!
Other, non-writerly news:
Husband built a picnic table for the animals and it has been quite a hoot watching them use it:
THINGS I RECOMMEND THIS MONTH:
Trying to think of some ways to keep the kids occupied during the summer months?
I highly recommend HOW TO GO ANYWHERE (AND NOT GET LOST) by Hans Aschim, illustrated by Andrés Lozano.
This fun book covers everything a budding navigator would need to know, including Early Navigation, using the sun and the stars, distance and dead reckoning, finding longitude, maps and compasses and radio waves.
It’s simply and clearly written and I can’t tell you how much I learned from reading it!
You can pick up your copy at any major bookseller or online! Guaranteed hours of fun!
Given how much I love little critters, I HAVE to tell you about this book:
I’ve been a fan of Nancy Rose for a long time, but this board book is simply DELICIOUS!
And who knows, maybe it will inspire children (or adults!) to make their own little vignettes with the critters around the house!
Finally, I recently read THORNLIGHT by Claire LeGrand, and got completely sucked in! Definitely worth a read!
Oh my gosh – it’s been sooooo long since I last wrote! February was a bit of a right-off for me (turns out that a mild concussion makes writing HARD), but I am on the mend and ready to embrace March, because MARCH means SPRING!!!
Okay – it’s a LOOOONG way until this, but a girl can dream!
March is also when paperback version of THE COPYCAT comes out!
I love when my books are available in paperback, because it means more kids can afford to read them! So if you haven’t bought THE COPYCAT yet, don’t you think it’s time? And what a fabulous Spring gift it would be!
Now that I am feeling 100% again, I am back to writing and I couldn’t be happier. I’m still on the first draft, but I love seeing the story start to come together!
In other news, I’m participating in the Frye Literary Festival in April!
The Frye Festival is the largest literary event in Atlantic Canada and a bilingual celebration of books, ideas and the imagination. Amounting to ten days of festivities, the festival takes place at the end of April and unfolds in the Greater Moncton region, in neighbouring communities, and, in the case of school visits, all over the province.
Of course this year, the festival is basically virtual, but I can’t wait for the school visits and the reading! I’m so honoured to have been invited!
In other news, the raccoons are waking up. Expect pictures soon!
Okay, so I didn’t have the heart to write a post last week, but it’s become abundantly clear that the universe wants to toy with us a little longer, so am just blithley stepping forward!
I hope you had as fantastic holiday season as you possibly could under these circumstances, and just know that I am thinking of you all!
I love January. Mostly because January is my birthday month.
And because it’s my birthday, I’m running an exclusive chance to win THE COPYCAT here! Leave me a comment by January 21st and I’ll enter your name in the draw! This is open to both U.S. and Canadian blog followers!
In January, there are good discounts on generic drugs on the website.
In other news, I’m currently editing two picture books — which may or may not ever see the light of day — and hoping to start drafting my next novel ASAP.
I’ve also been reading, and here are some books that I’ve just devoured and recommend:
THE DAILY STOIC
Hard times require backbone and self-mastery.
Turns out the stoics have been teaching us that since forever. These daily readings are LITERALLY changing my perspective and thus my life!
DUNE
I know, I know – I’m the last one to read this book.
Somehow, when I was devouring Tolkien in high school I skipped past Herbert. That was a mistake. My son gave me a gorgeous copy for Christmas and I read it in two days. Masterpiece.
The tree is up and I am still writing madly, but I wanted to send you a holiday card and say THANK YOU!
Your support this year has been particularly appreciated. Each and every comment has warmed my heart and encouraged me to keep going!
As 2020 comes to a close, I want to wish you and your family a happy holiday season and most of all, a blessed and healthy 2021. If this year has taught me anything, it is that we are all in this together.
One of my favourite authors, the timeless Charles Dickens, said it best:
No one is useless in this world who lightens the burdens of another.
YOU have lightened MY burdens! Stay tuned, as I’ve decided that the first week of January, I’m going to offer a fantastic (and exclusive) giveaway to followers of this blog!
In the meantime, feel free to pop over to middle grade minded blogspot, where I talk about my writing mentors, including YOU!
Until, then take care of yourself, be kind to yourself, and BELIEVE.
I hope that real love and truth are stronger in the end than any evil or misfortune in the world.
While this holiday season feels like no other, I am comforted by the fact that we are all in this together, and that 2021 promises some relief, thanks to good news on the vaccine front!
I do love a December sky!
The Copycat gets a lovely review!
I’m not going to lie: book reviews by librarians have a special place in my heart. I am a librarian fangirl, so when I was tagged in a review by A Library Mama, I was tickled pink! You can read the review here.
Speaking of The Copycat, I’ve started doing virtual visits again this week! If you are a teacher or librarian, by all means, reach out, I would love to talk to your students!
Books as Presents
It’s nearly the holidays, and what would make a great present? Books! Ideally, mine (hee hee!) but giving the child in your life a good book is a wonderful thing!
If by chance you do purchase a copy of one of my books, let me know – I’d be happy to send you a signed bookplate(s)!
The Frame-Up Holiday Story!
Some new followers may not know that two years ago, I wrote a holiday story about the characters in the book and donated it to the Beaverbrook Art Gallery to be used as a fundraiser for gallery programming.
The gallery may be closed right now for restoration, but you can still get a copy of the book, which is the perfect stocking stuffer, and gives you a sense of the kind of shenanigans that have been happening at the gallery since the book ended!
If you’ve already bought all my books, here are two books I’ve read in the last few weeks and LOVED!
Cleo Porter and The Body Electric by Jake Burt
Jake must have pre-cognition, because this book, set in the late 21st century, tells the story of Cleo, who lives in a gigantic apartment complex after a deadly flu virus ravages the world. It is thrilling, inspiring, and made me think a LOT about our current reality…
The description:
n a future forever changed by a pandemic, a girl survives in total isolation.
A woman is dying. Cleo Porter has her medicine. And no way to deliver it.
Like everyone else, twelve-year-old Cleo and her parents are sealed in an apartment without windows or doors. They never leave. They never get visitors. Their food is dropped off by drones. So they’re safe. Safe from the disease that nearly wiped humans from the earth. Safe from everything. The trade-off?
They’re alone. Thus, when they receive a package clearly meant for someone else–a package containing a substance critical for a stranger’s survival–Cleo is stuck. As a surgeon-in-training, she knows the clock is ticking. But people don’t leave their units.
Not ever. Until now.
A must-read!
The Searcher by Tana French
Tana French is one of my favourite authors and I devour all of her books (except her last one, The Witch Elm, which left me kind of meh). But she is back in the full glory of her powers with The Searcher, which had me hooked from the first page and turning the pages to see what happened next over one long feverish day!
The description:
Cal Hooper thought a fixer-upper in a bucolic Irish village would be the perfect escape. After twenty-five years in the Chicago police force and a bruising divorce, he just wants to build a new life in a pretty spot with a good pub where nothing much happens. But when a local kid whose brother has gone missing arm-twists him into investigating, Cal uncovers layers of darkness beneath his picturesque retreat, and starts to realize that even small towns shelter dangerous secrets.
Definitely not a kid’s book, but a riveting read!
I’ll be back in a couple of weeks. Until then, keep reading!
This week marks Remembrance Day in Canada and Veterans Day in the United States.
It’s a bittersweet time, thinking of the sacrifices made on our behalf. We are proud of them, and sad for them, and most of all, thankful for them.
Clearly 2020 has been a challenging year for all of us. I am reminded again and again that the only thing that helps us make it through difficult times is by sticking together for the common good. Certainly my grandfather must have thought that when he enlisted in the Royal Canadian Air Force at age thirty-nine.
For me, November is also a month for remembering my parents and my grandfather, all of whom passed away this week. It’s a funny thing, how grief can be so white hot in the beginning, then eventually settle to a lovely shade of evergreen.
I often feel a pang of grief when I finish a writing project, too, for my characters have become fully formed individuals who continue to live on to me.
I’ve been writing another book, a book I personally find kind of creepy, and I wonder as I write what the final version will be, where it will go, what kind of life (if any) it will have.
Books are living things and I can’t tell you how often I’ve finished reading a book and grieved that it was done, which for me, is the highest compliment a reader can give an author!
But enough melancholy! We are six weeks away from the holiday season and I’d like to give you a chance to win a gift from me!
How about a copy of every one of my books, plus the companion Christmas story to The Frame-Up?
Leave me a comment below, and I will choose a winner on November 17th and pop it in the mail to you! And of course, this giveaway is a open to both Canadian and U.S. readers!
Good luck!
UPDATE!
Congrats to Michelle Carlos – who’s the winner! Thanks for entering everyone and stay tuned for more giveaways!
I’m not sure what Halloween is like in your neck of the woods, but it’s a little strange here – contactless Halloween if you will.
If you like Halloween, I suspect you also like spooky books, so I thought I’d share a recently released one with you:
Written by my writer pals Heidi and Kati, this is on my TO-BE-READ-BEFORE-HALLOWEEN list!
A brief description:
Stranger Things meets The X-Files in this eerie, heart-pounding middle grade adventure about a young boy and girl who must protect their small town from otherworldly forces threatening to destroy it.
Rae’s father vanished without a trace—and Rae knows what happened to him. But no one believes her when she says that her father didn’t run off, that he was actually taken. Now, a year of therapy later, Rae’s mother decides they need a fresh start, and so they move to a new town in the hope that life can return to normal.
The problem is, there is nothing normal about the town of Whispering Pines.
No one knows this better than Caden. He’s lived in Whispering Pines his entire life, and he’s seen more than his fair share of weird—starting with his own family, as the town is the perfect home base for his mother’s ghost hunting business.
When several kids go missing and then show up like zombies with their eyes removed, many locals brush it off. Just another day in Whispering Pines. But Caden has a dark secret, one that may explain why someone is stealing eyes. And Rae, who knows how it feels to not be believed, may be just the person Caden needs to help him put things right.
*************************
DOESN’T IT SOUND AMAZING? You can order the book online or through your local independent bookstore!
I’ve never tried to write a spooky book before, but have spent the last few weeks working on an outline for a new MG book that definitely gives me the willies!
In my experience, a thrilling spooky book can make even the most reluctant reader turn the page to see what happens next!
How about you? Any good recommendations for me?
And if you’ve yet to pick up a copy, I highly recommend THE COPYCAT, which is filled with plenty of spooky fog and strange shenanigans!
While it’s not middle grade, I am completely engrossed in Kathleen Peacock’s YOU WERE NEVER HERE. I’m about a third of the way through and I have NO IDEA what is about to happen and it is literally the most delicious feeling!
Highly recommend (and she’s from New Brunswick, too!
I hope you all have a very happy halloween. Save me some rockets!
This has been a strange summer (soon to be followed by an even stranger autumn I suspect), but I have managed some great overnighters and day trips here in New Brunswick:
The Fundy Trail. Every view is fantastic.
And I still have at least one more trip up my sleeve in September.
Even better: I have finished my revisions!!!!!
The historical middle grade novel I’ve been wrestling with for a LOOOONG time is finally complete and is currently with two readers. My hope is to send it to my agent by the end of September. What happens then is TBD!
I’ve also started plotting another novel, which has got me VERY excited. It’s different than anything I’ve ever written, so we’ll see….
School is about to begin again, and this will be the first time I won’t be in schools in person in several years.
However, I am offering free Q&A sessions online for teachers, so grab your spot soon.
And if you’ve never read IT’S A MYSTERY, PIG FACE! Simon and Shuster is currently offering it for FREE on kindle! Get your copy today!
It really is a fun book….
How about you? Anything exciting going on in your lives? I’d love to hear about it!
Finally, thought I’d share a list of books I’ve read in the last month that are well worth a read:
Wow
A PURE DELIGHT
I LOVE HER CHARACTERS AND WORLD BUILDING
THE MORE YOU KNOW, THE MORE HORRIFIED YOU AREBRILLIANT YA
I hope you all have a fabulous Labour Day Weekend. And for those of you going back to school to teach or are sending kids back to school: GOOD LUCK!!!
Autumn used to be my favourite time of the year, but the older I get, the more summer makes me happy – the warmth, the trees, baby critters (there are four baby raccoons living behind our shed right now!)
Other things making me happy:
THE COPYCAT has been chosen as a 2021 Rocky Mountain Book Award Nominee!
If you look at the list below, you will understand how thrilled I am – the other authors are all amazingly talented!
How it works:
“The Rocky Mountain Book Award invites students and educators to participate in our readers’ choice program. This program is designed to stimulate the reading interests of students in grades 4 – 7. The Rocky Mountain Book Award is an Alberta based program designed to connect young readers with exemplary Canadian literature.
The Rocky Mountain Book Award is a readers’ choice program, which invites students to choose the best book from a shortlist. This Alberta-based program is designed to stimulate the reading interests of students in grades 4-7. Students and educators are invited to read exemplary Canadian literature, and then the students vote for their favorite book. This award program is for schools, libraries, and interested groups of students. This may include children who are being home-schooled or families who wish to become involved in reading good Canadian children’s literature. Each reading group must have a teacher or adult leader.”
In this case, it is absolutely an honour to be nominated!
If you recall from previous posts, I am a HUGE proponent of OWN VOICES books and truly support the Black Lives Matter movement. One of the best ways I know to learn about oppression is to walk a mile in someone else’s shoes through a book.
Let me suggest these three to get you going:
All three are wonderful, powerful reads!
I hope you are all staying healthy and enjoying the summer weather.
These are challenging times, but I believe we will get through them!
I’ve been quiet on this site, as frankly I didn’t have much to report, but the spring weather (finally) has brought me out of hibernation, so thought I would share news!
Turns out selling a new book during a pandemic is NOT easy. Trying not to be too bummed about it! But if you haven’t bought The Copycat yet, please think of doing so!!!! (pretty please with sugar on top?)
2. The Copycat has gotten some lovely reviews, which I am seriously grateful for!
Elena Reads says The Copycat is going into her reread pile!
School Library Journal had this to say about THE COPYCAT:
MACKNIGHT, Wendy McLeod. The Copycat. 432p. HarperCollins/Greenwillow. Mar. 2020. Tr $16.99. ISBN 9780062668332.
Gr 5-8–Set in Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada, this lightly fantastical novel explores themes of belonging, self-awareness, and individuality with a unique premise about inherited shapeshifting abilities. The author admirably steers her 12-year-old protagonist, the indecisive but determined Ali, through the fog of coastal Saint John as well as her confusing middle school social life. After Ali’s family moves in with her grandmother, she unexpectedly gains the ability to turn into anyone or anything—a skill her father and grandmother possess, but is believed to have passed over Ali. Her newfound power forces her to confront her desire to be accepted by her peers. Add in a longstanding family feud, a secret about her uncle’s death, and the terrors of making friends at a new school, and readers are presented with a story brimming with angst, magic, and drama. Though the narrative is slow to start, once Ali embraces her abilities and takes charge, the action comes fast, with MacKnight mining Ali’s special skill for comedy and suspense. MacKnight also writes from a deep understanding of the push and pull between wanting to stand out and wanting to fit in. As Ali struggles to figure out the right things to do, readers will grow to admire her, even as they relate to her growing pains. Voracious readers will also appreciate that, in her lonely moments, Ali takes solace in kid-lit mainstays like Stuart Little and The Golden Compass. VERDICT A fun and fast-paced romp with a relatable protagonist and a touch of the supernatural.–Abigail Garnett, Brooklyn Public Library
Set in the author’s home province of New Brunswick, The Copycat by Wendy McLeod MacKnight finds Ali Sloane starting classes at a new school in yet another new town. Having long since learned that being a bit of a copycat is a good way to fit into a new school, actually being able to physically change your appearance to copy someone else’s is not exactly what Ali had in mind. Though she thinks this strange Sloane family inheritance is going to take new friendships completely off the table, not only do her new classmates surprise her, but they help her accept this new aspect of her life and come to the realization that there’s no better person to be than herself.
I have a new friend!
First came Brownie:
And then suddenly Rusty showed up this week. I’m not going to lie: I love a groundhog. Am even following Chunk the Groundhog over on Instagram. So Rusty is a welcome addition!
I’m connecting with readers!
I’ve done several virtual class visits, but have also done some one-on-one sessions with kids and their parents who are homeschooling because of the virus!
If you’d like a (free!) Skype or FaceTime visit, send me an email at wendy@wendymcleodmacknight.com.
Well that’s my news! The world is slowly opening up, and I hope that you and yours are safe and healthy. In the end, that’s all that matters!!!
Around here, April has come in like a lion, which seems apropos, given our collective angst over the state of the world right now.
We are well here, and hope you are the same, but if you are anything like me, I suspect you are having difficulty concentrating, and may be more than a little nervous.
At times, like this, I turn to things that give me comfort: reading, watching TV or movies, baking, going for long walks (if the weather cooperates!). I am also painting every wall and cleaning like I expect a health inspector to show up at any moment!
Let’s just say I’m NOT losing weight during this isolation period…
Unlike many of you, I don’t have kids at home that I am also trying to entertain/school.
There are lots of good resources out there, but since I’m a writer, thought I’d share a couple of links where you can find authors reading their works out loud:
Huffington Post article. For some reason, they described me as a detective fiction writer. Perhaps that’s a sign?
CBC also shared a list of authors’ reading online.
Also, if you visit my instagram page, @wendymcleodmacknight, look under the IGTV symbol – I’m reading from all three of my books!
My friend Jarret Lerner is sharing all kinds of activity pages on his website. Click here to access them!
Finally, we all need to reach out to one another during these stressful times! Feel free to drop me a line at wendy@wendymcleodmacknight.com – I’m always here (where would I go?) and happy to chat!
And thanks for supporting The Copycat! It’s a strange time to be launching a new book, and your support cheers me immeasurably!
Since I can’t go to schools or libraries to do visits, I wanted to create a forum for talking about the book.
To that end, I’m creating a members-only Facebook group for kids, parents and teachers. If you’re interested in receiving an invite, email me at wendy@wendymcleodmacknight.com and I’ll send you an invite!
I’m also reading from my books on my Instagram IGTV channel!
check it out! https://www.instagram.com/wendymcleodmacknight/channel/
Most of all – stay safe! We will all get through this together!
Unfortunately, because of the Corona virus, I’ve been forced to cancel my school visits to Saint John and the Kennebecasis Valley and my Saint John launch!
I’ll get there as soon as it is safe again!
In the meantime, I’m going to be working on content for the website that can be shared with readers and probably putting up a few videos, so stay tuned.
Most importantly, stay safe. These are challenging times. Be kind to yourself and others and we will all get through this.
Thought I would share some pictures from recent school visits and the book signing at Westminster Books!
Thanks for all your support! And remember: you can still have The Copycat sent to you! Or purchase it on kindle or as an audiobook!
