Cover for Keys to the City

A box of Advanced Review Copies (ARCs) arrived on my doorstep yesterday so I think it's time to share my May, 2017 cover.

It's my third novel about girls having fun adventures around big cities, and this time you can see it takes place in the wonderful New York City! I'm really happy with how this story turned out. There were a lot of "magical moments" while writing this book -- that is, connections that came together very organically as I wrote. I love when that happens!!

Here is the adorable cover:

Brief description: Lindy can't believe she has homework this summer -- to find her "true passion." Does curling up with a good book count? Probably not. Luckily, Lindy has the help of a new friend, a happy dog, and a special journal as she hits the streets of New York City to unlock her secret talents.

Let me answer some questions you may have:

What's the dog's name and does anything happen to him?
The dog's name is Odie and he is alive and well the entire novel, I promise!

Did you include NYC pizza in this book?
Um, pizza is basically my middle name alongside cupcakes and pie, so yes, of course I put pizza in the book!

Anything else you can tell us?
Nora from My Secret Guide to Paris is in the book! Here's an except featuring a short conversation between Nora and Lindy:

"Okay, here are the things I know for sure I'm good at. Eating doughnuts. Choosing just the right emoji for a text. And finding the perfect book to check out at the library. Do you think any of those will work for my project?"

Nora laughed. "Emojis? Really?"

"Hey, it's not as easy as it seems. Pick the wrong face and you might offend someone."

So what do you think of the cover? Maybe we need to see the others to compare.

So excited to have a cute little trilogy now. Thanks for letting me share!

A list of happy just because

Is it November 9th yet?

About once a day I think to myself, I should just delete my social media accounts. It feels like everyone is angry, all the time, and I know there's a lot to be angry about, but I also think there's a lot to be happy about. Isn't there?

I want to believe it will be better after the election, but as time goes on, I'm thinking that is probably very wishful thinking. We may have gotten to a place that will be almost impossible to leave.

Anyway, here's a list of things that are making me happy, because the world needs more happy!

Flowers that my husband brought home for me one day:

Blue skies, for now anyway:

My dog, always: (funny story, sometimes Stormy sits in a camping chair at the top of the driveway, just inside the garage. She's tethered, so she can't go anywhere, which is fine with her because really she just wants to be outside, in the front, where all the action is. When the UPS driver delivered a package yesterday, he told me our house is known as "the house at the top of the hill with the dog in a chair.")

And books. Don't have a photo to share, but I'm reading a lot of great ones. Just finished a short but sweet middle-grade called THE POET'S DOG by Patricia MacLachlan and a page-turning YA titled DANGEROUS GIRLS by Abigail Haas. If you are fascinated by the Amanda Knox trial, this is an especially great read. Right now, I'm in the middle of reading a few different YAs, KIDS OF APPETITE by David Arnold, TROUBLE IS A FRIEND OF MINE, by Abigail Haas, and SPEED OF LIFE by J.M. Kelly. Other MG novels I have here to read soon (hopefully): TWO NAOMIS by Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovich & Audrey Vernick and MOO by Sharon Creech.