I’ll do the drawing for the Harrow giveaway in an hour and a half (or so). That means you still have time to report your participation on THIS POST >> And as you can see, I’ve kicked off another giveaway! THIS POST >> Explore the world of Byways and win chances at free books. Don’t hesitate to email me with questions: milbrandt [dot] cj [at] gmail [dot] com.
Coming Soon. Everything’s coming together for the May release of Byways Books #5, #6 and #7. Over the next month or so, there’ll be cover reveals, more state-related posts, and even a couple of character introductions. But before that, I thought I’d run a giveaway & review drive. Here’s how this will work … Continue reading BYWAYS: Giveaway & Review Drive
City Spotting. Details have always intrigued me, and so have words. I’m that former cereal-box reading child who still scans the fine print on everything from coins to candy bars. So I shouldn’t be so surprised about a recent trend in my life. I keep spotting Continue reading CHIT-CHAT: Byways Places
While Ganix watched, purple fire bloomed in the magician’s bare hands, and he sent it whirling over his head. The flames turned into a dragon that twisted through the air. Shoppers stopped to stare. Some clapped. A few tossed coins into a basket at the edge of the stage, and Hurlock thanked them with a smile.
—excerpted from Byways, Book #7: Across the Line
A Ganix Johns Adventure. I’ll be working through final flourishes on the seventh of the Byways books over the next couple weeks. Hardly a chore. Ganix gets into the most fascinating fixes! We’re closing in on the May release of the next batch of three Byways books, and I can’t resist sharing a few snippets and sneak peeks. Today, I’ll show off part of the cover sketch for Ganix’s next story—Across the Line. Continue reading BYWAYS: A Peek at Book #7
Every Byways book is a story, but it’s also a game. There’s an educational element to this series of kids chapter books. Details in each story are borrowed from its assigned state. (As in the United States of America.) Byways will work through all fifty in order of ratification, so Book #3 covers our third state—New Jersey. Sharp-eyed readers will spot cities and towns, icons and emblems, famous firsts and claims to fame. Hide and seek. Search and find. Fun and learning. Continue reading BYWAYS: New Jersey
International Support. The Byways books may key off of the fifty states as their threefold adventure unfolds, but that doesn’t mean the race is limited to American fans. Much to my delight, a bundle of international postcards arrived from a reader in Australia! The photographs of Armidale in New South Wales show several facets of the city she calls home. Take a look… Continue reading BYWAYS: Hometown Challenge [Australia]
Spotted in SCBWI. When I flipped through the latest issue of the Society of Children’s Book Writers & Illustrators magazine, my attention was snagged by an article called “Where’s My Editor?” by Kim Childress. Why? Because she’s one of my editors for the Byways books! Continue reading CHIT-CHAT: Where’s My Editor?
I’ve been following wordnik since my first days on Twitter, participating in their (now defunct) daily challenge to use their Word of the Day in a sentence. I have fond memories of silly word-related contests, and I often retweet their List of the Day. Hey, I even won a wordnik t-shirt! So it’s only natural that when they began putting words up for adoption, I jumped at the chance to Continue reading CHIT-CHAT: Adopt a Word
Last weekend, I attended the reception for the San Diego Public Library’s 49th Annual Local Author Exhibit. To take part, you contribute a book written during the previous year, which is then included in a huge display on the downtown library’s first floor. Continue reading NEWSWORTHY: Local Author Exhibit
Every Byways book is a story, but it’s also a game. There’s an educational element to this series of kids chapter books. Details in each story are borrowed from its assigned state. (As in the United States of America.) Byways will work through all fifty in order of ratification, so Book #2 covers our second state—Pennsylvania. Sharp-eyed readers will spot cities and towns, icons and emblems, famous firsts and claims to fame. Hide and seek. Search and find. Fun and learning. Continue reading BYWAYS: Pennsylvania
C. J. Milbrandt 