TAKEN BY STORM by by Angela Morrison

• Publication Season/Year: Spring, 2009
• Publisher: Razorbill
• Release Date: March 5, 2009
• ISBN (hardcover): 978-1-59514-238-2
• ISBN (paperback): 978-1-59514-274-0

Seventeen-year-old Leesie Hunt has rules: No making out. No sex. And definitely no falling for a non-Mormon. She pours all her passion into poetry, thoughts of escaping her tiny town and getting into her dream school, BYU.

Then scuba diver Michael Walden arrives in Tekoa and everything changes. He survived a storm that took his parents’ lives, and the world as he knew it.

Leesie and Michael couldn’t be more different. His dreams are tied to the depths of the ocean and hers to salvation above. Yet they are drawn to each other, even when jealousy, unbearable rules, and haunting memories threaten to tear them apart.

Michael is drowning in tragedy, and Leesie knows it’s up to her to save him. Somehow. But when temptation becomes too strong to resist, who is going to save her?

RUNNING FOR MY LIFE by Ann Gonzalez

• Publication Season/Year: Spring, 2009
• Publisher: WestSide Books
• Release Date: March 25, 2009
• ISBN (hardcover): 978-1-934813-00-3
• ISBN (paperback): TBD

RUNNING FOR MY LIFE is the powerful story of Andrea McKane, a fourteen-year-old who struggles to cope with her mother’s schizophrenia. The book accurately portrays the difficulties a teen faces when dealing with the illness, the abuse and the absence of a psychotic parent. RUNNING FOR MY LIFE shows the effects of mental illness on a family, and a teenager’s attempts to manage the changes that have shaken her life. With courage, strength, and the loving support of her friends, her father, and her therapist, Andrea finds salvation through running. RUNNING FOR MY LIFE represents a breakthrough effort in portraying the challenges children deal with when they have to protect themselves from a guardian.

Here’s a little bit about BEFORE YOU WERE HERE, MI AMOR (Viking Children’s Books).

“BEFORE YOU WERE HERE, MI AMOR” is a bilingual children’s picture book concerning all the things that one family does to welcome a new child into the world. The story evokes the warmth and community of family life through the acts of each member of la familia – mother, father, sister, brother, aunt, uncle, grandmother, and grandfather, as well as the family puppy. The illustrator, Santiago Cohen, enhanced the story with beautifully vibrant and colorful illustrations.  You can hear a lovely recording of the book at http://www.codyscuentos.com/2009/05/before-you-were-here-mi-amor/

“BEFORE YOU WERE HERE, MI AMOR” is an ideal book not only for children who are curious about the time before they were born, but also for expecting and new parents. Spanish words are woven throughout the English text, and both the context and illustrations clarify the meaning of the Spanish words. There is also a colorful glossary at the end of the book.

BEFORE YOU WERE HERE, MI AMOR by Samantha R. Vamos

If you had to give your book a movie rating: G through Rated R, which one would you give and why?

Rating: G – “BEFORE YOU WERE HERE, MI AMOR” is a picture book with family themes. Please see my book trailer: http://tinyurl.com/beforeyouwerehere 

 What topics, issues, or themes does your book address? What drove you to write about them?

“BEFORE YOU WERE HERE, MI AMOR” addresses several topics – the birth of a new baby, the introduction of a new family member, and as a bilingual book, basic Spanish vocabulary. Spanish words are woven throughout the English text. Some of the Spanish words featured include family member names, numbers, colors, shapes, and body parts, among other basic words.
The excitement surrounding the birth of my first nephew (my parents’ first grandchild) inspired the writing of this story. As I thought about things that family members (both immediate and extended) were doing in anticipation of my nephew’s birth, I began writing.

Name three examples of readers who would identify or like your book.

• Children ages 3 through 6 will enjoy reading the book because children like hearing about what happened before they were here.
• A sibling expecting a new brother or sister will identify with the book.
• A new or an expecting parent would identify (and, I hope like!), and so would a grandparent, or extended relative of a new baby.

List a few statistically improbable phrases or sentences one might find in your book. These are phrases or sentences you might never find anywhere else.

• Tu papi recited poesía cantada while strumming su guitarra. “Just in case the bebé is listening,” he said, with a twinkle in his eyes. (“poesía cantada” means “sung poetry”)

How can your book be used in the classroom?

“BEFORE YOU WERE HERE, MI AMOR” may be used in the classroom to generate several discussions. In terms of family themes, the book may be used to introduce discussion about involvement of family members in preparing for a new baby, about new siblings, and about the roles of various family members. The book may also be used to teach basic Spanish vocabulary. My website features three activity sheets for children: a bilingual word search, a bilingual word match, and a series of questions that children may use to interview family members about what happened before they were here. Specifically, please see http://www.samanthavamos.com/activities.aspx

Now tell us about other already-published books that readers of your book might enjoy.

• “Abuela” by Arthur Dorros.
• “I Loved You Before You Were Born” by Anne Bowen.

Now whet our appetites with a teaser.

• “Before you were here, you lived in mi barriguita, sleeping, eating, and growing for nine months.” (“barriguita” means “tummy”)
• “Before you were here, I drank mucha leche, and ate arroz y frijoles with fish or chicken and fruta like papaya, mango, and bananas so you would be healthy and strong.”
• “Before you were here, tu papi carved a mecedora from the wood of an old walnut tree so you and I could rock and cuddle together.” (“mecedora” means “rocking chair”)

Are you offering authors visits to schools, libraries, or other organizations?

Absolutely. Yes.

Are you willing to speak nationally?

Yes.

List a few example titles of presentations, talks, or workshops you might give for an author visit.

• “What Happened Before You Were Here.”

This concludes our interview with our latest author, SAMANTHA R. VAMOS. We wish her much success with her debut children’s picture book,  BEFORE YOU WERE HERE, MI AMOR. To see what Samantha is up to these days, visit her website at www.samanthavamos.com

*GIVEAWAY ALERT*  Samantha is giving away a signed copy of BEFORE YOU WERE HERE, MI AMOR. Tell your friends and  leave a comment for the author!  Enter by May 22th, 2009 11:59 PM CST.

Your email address will not be displayed publicly and will only be used to contact you if you win! And don’t forget to participate in our other AuthorsNow! giveaways.

BAD GIRLS DON’T DIE by Katie Alender

• Publication Season/Year: Spring 2009
• Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
• Release Date: April 21, 2009
• ISBN (hardcover): 978-1423108764
• ISBN (paperback): TBD

Alexis thought she led a typically dysfunctional high school existence. Dysfunctional like her parents’ marriage; her doll-crazy thirteen-year-old sister, Kasey; and even her own anti-social, anti-cheerleader attitude.

When a family fight results in some tearful sisterly bonding, Alexis realizes that her life is creeping from dysfunction into danger. Kasey is acting stranger than ever: her blue eyes go green sometimes; she uses old-fashioned language; and she even loses track of chunks of time, claiming to know nothing about her strange behavior. Their old house is changing, too. Doors open and close by themselves; water boils on the unlit stove; and an unplugged air conditioner turns the house cold enough to see their breath in.

Alexis wants to think that it’s all in her head, but soon, what she liked to think of as silly parlor tricks are becoming life-threatening-to her, her family, and to her budding relationship with the student council VP. Alexis knows she’s the only person who can stop Kasey – but what if that green-eyed girl isn’t even Kasey anymore?

Presentations and workshops

• My Life as a Writer (all ages)
• So You Want to be an Author (all ages)
• Exploring Creativity (2^nd to 8^th grade)
• Focusing Your Creativity (9^th-12^th grade)
• Fiction Writing Techniques (7^th-12^th grade)
• Creating Dynamic Characters (7^th-12^th grade)
• Applied Critique Workshops (7^th-12^th grade; up to 6 students)

THE GEEK GIRL'S GUIDE TO CHEERLEADING by Charity Tahmaseb and Darcy Vance

• Publication Season/Year: Spring, 2009
• Publisher: Simon Pulse
• Release Date: May 19, 2009
• ISBN (hardcover): N/A
• ISBN (paperback): 1416978348

When Bethany — self-proclaimed geek girl — makes the varsity cheerleading squad, she realizes that there’s one thing worse than blending in with the lockers: getting noticed. She always felt comfortable as part of the nerd herd, but being a member of the most scrutinized group in her school is weighing her down like a ton of textbooks. Even her Varsity Cheerleading Guide can’t answer the really tough questions, like:

• How do you maintain some semblance of dignity while wearing an insanely short skirt?
• What do you do when the head cheerleader spills her beer on you at your first in-crowd party?
• And how do you know if your crush likes you for your mind…or your pom-poms?

One thing’s for sure: It’s going to take more than brains for this girl genius to cheer her way to the top of the pyramid.

STEPPING UP by Mark Fink

• Publication Season/Year: Spring 2009
• Publisher: Westside Books
• Release Date: March 31, 2009
• ISBN (hardcover):  978-1-934813-03-4

Ernie Dolan is plagued by the curse of average. Nothing about him stands out, except his stutter. He goes off to a competitive basketball camp with best friend Mike Rivers.  Mike excels and Ernie embarrasses himself in his first pick-up game, earning the nickname “choke.” As Mike hangs with the more popular jocks, this puts a big strain on their friendship. Ernie finds new allies.  Things change dramatically when Ernie morphs from outcast to hero, risking his life to save three campers from near tragedy. His funny, heartwarming story unfolds against the backdrop of exciting, authentic basketball action while touching on teen issues of friendship and the near-deadly consequences of peer pressure.

ME WITH YOU by Kristy Dempsey

• Publication Season/Year: Summer 2009
• Publisher: Philomel
• Release Date: May 14, 2009
• ISBN (hardcover): 0399250174
• ISBN (paperback): 978-0399250170

Here is a special two-some. From tea time to game time, in singing or swinging, in the good times and even in the grumpy ones, this granddaughter knows her grandpa loves her. With simple rhymes and charming illustrations, ME WITH YOU celebrates the sure love between a grandparent and a grandchild. This book celebrates the specialness of the two . . . and the uniqueness of each!

Book Trailer

ONE WOLF HOWLS by Scotti Cohn

• Publication Season/Year: Spring 2009
• Publisher: Sylvan Dell Publishing
• Release Date: March 10, 2009
• ISBN (hardcover): 978-1-934359-92-1
• ISBN (paperback): 978-1-607180-37-1

Spend a year in the world of wolves with Scotti Cohn and her picture book, One Wolf Howls! Written for ages 4-8, this adventurous children’s book uses the months of the year and the numbers1 through 12 to introduce children to the behavior of wolves in natural settings. The lively, realistic illustrations of Susan Detwiler complement the rhyming text and bring each month to life.

One Wolf Howls is aligned to State Science and Math standards, National Council of Teachers of Mathematics Standards, National Science Education Standards, and National Geography Standards based on the story text and the “For Creative Minds” educational section. Cross-curricular “Teaching Activities,” English/ Spanish eBooks and audio, child-friendly “Related Websites,” and Comprehension and Math quizzes are also available.

THE BEEF PRINCESS OF PRACTICAL COUNTY by Michelle Houts

• Publication Season/Year: Spring 2009
• Publisher: Delacorte Press
• Release Date: April 14, 2009
• ISBN (hardcover): 978-0385735841
• ISBN (paperback): TBD

After years of waiting, it’s finally Libby Ryan’s turn to shine at the Practical County Fair. Libby is filled with excitement as she raises two calves in hopes of winning the annual steer competition. Against her father’s advice, Libby gives the calves names, even though both steers will eventually be sold. What’s the big deal?  She’s lived her whole life on a cattle farm.  After a few months of preparing for the Practical County Fair, Libby finds that she is growing closer to her steers with each passing day, and the pressure to win Grand Champion is mounting.  When her mother convinces her to enter the county’s Beef Princess Pageant, Libby realizes she’ll have to face off against the dreaded Darling sisters.  Suddenly, everything related to the Practical County Fair seems like a big deal.

WATERSMEET by Ellen Jensen Abbott

• Publication Season/Year: April 1, 2009
• Publisher: Marshall Cavendish Children’s Books
• Release Date: April 1, 2009
• ISBN (hardcover): 978-0-7614-5536-3
• ISBN (paperback): TBD

From her birth, Abisina has been an outcast-for the color of her eyes and skin, and for her lack of a father. Only her mother’s status as the village healer has kept her safe. But when a mythic leader arrives, Abisina’s life is ripped apart. She escapes alone to try to find the father and the home she has never known. In a world of extremes, from the deepest prejudice to the greatest bonds of duty and loyalty, Abisina must find her own way and decide where her true hope lies.

OCEAN HIDE AND SEEK by Jennifer Kramer

• Publication Season/Year: Spring 2009
• Publisher: Sylvan Dell Publishing
• Release Date: March 10, 2009
• ISBN (hardcover): 978-1-934359-91-4
• ISBN (paperback): 978-1-607180-36-4

The sea is a place of mystery, where animals big and small play hide and seek! Can you imagine a shark hiding in the light? What about a clownfish in plain sight? Don’t believe it? Then, sink into the deep blue sea with Jennifer Evans Kramer and Ocean Hide and Seek! Surround yourself with the vibrant ocean illustrations of Gary R. Phillips. The ocean is an old, old place, and the exotic animals in the depths have learned to adapt to their surroundings to survive. Can you find the creatures hidden on every page? Or will you, too, be fooled by an ancient, underwater disguise?

Jennifer Kramer Author

The Author: Jennifer Evans Kramer
Location: Marietta, Georgia

Jennifer Kramer loves spending time outdoors and believes children make the very best nature guides. Jennifer graduated with a BA from Emory University and a JD/MBA from Georgia State University. At Emory, Jennifer obtained her NAUI scuba certification. Her first dive trip was to a rock quarry in Alabama, where there were no sea animals. Since then, she has snorkeled and dived off Maui, the Caymans, and the coast of Cozumel. She loves to talk about coming face-to-face with a white tipped reef shark! In addition to Ocean Hide and Seek (Spring 2009), Jennifer has also written Good Luck Charlie and The Ninth Dragon. She has fiction and non-fiction stories and articles published with Highlights for Children, Ladybug, Educational Testing, McGraw Hill, and more. Jennifer currently resides in Georgia, with her husband, four children, and a standard poodle named Max.

Author Visit Information

Jennifer loves to talk and travel, and is happy to plan visits locally and nationally.

Example presentations and workshops

• Lights, Camo, Action!
• One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, NEW FISH!
• Author Idol (I’m going to Hollywood… NOT!)

Honorarium and fees

$250 per day (Plus Travel Expenses)

Contact Information:

• Official web site: www.jenniferkramerbooks.com

BABE RUTH AND THE BASEBALL CURSE by David A. Kelly

• Publication Season/Year: Spring, 2009
• Publisher: Random House
• Release Date: February 24, 2009
• ISBN: (paperback) 9780375856037
• ISBN: (hardcover) 9780375956034

BABE RUTH AND THE BASEBALL CURSE is a fast-paced account of Babe Ruth, the Boston Red Sox, and the terrible curse that seemed to follow the Red Sox after they traded their star pitcher to the New York Yankees.

Before 1918, the Boston Red Sox were unstoppable. They won World Series after World Series, thanks in part to their charismatic pitcher-slugger Babe Ruth. But some people on the Red Sox felt the Babe was more trouble than he was worth, and he was traded away to one of the worst teams in baseball, the New York Yankees. From then on, the Yankees became a golden team. And the Red Sox? For over 80 years, they just couldn’t win another World Series. Then, in 2004, along came a scruffy, scrappy Red Sox team. Could they break Babe Ruth’s curse and win it all?

MABEL, ONE AND ONLY by Margaret Muirhead

• Publication Season/Year: Spring 2009
• Publisher: Dial Books for Young Readers
• Release Date: April 2, 2009
• ISBN (hardcover): 978-0-8037-3198-1
• ISBN (paperback): TBD

The only kid on her block, Mabel can usually count on her grown-up neighbors for a game or two. Not today, though. Everyone is busy, and Mabel is a bit lonely . . . until she and her canine sidekick, Jack, think up idea after idea. There’s one-footed roller-skating and Super Ball bowling and enough rambunctious fun that even the grown-ups wonder what they’re missing. All they have do is ask Mabel, a brand-new character who may just be the favorite cousin of Eloise or Olivia.

NEIL ARMSTRONG IS MY UNCLE AND OTHER LIES MUSCLE MCGINTY TOLD ME by Nan Marino

• Publication Season/Year: Spring, 2009
• Publisher: Roaring Brook
• Release Date: May 12, 2009
• ISBN (hardcover): 1596434996
• ISBN (paperback): TBD

Muscle Man McGinty is a squirrelly runt, a lying snake and a pitiful excuse for a ten-year-old.  The problem is that no one on Ramble Street knows it, but me.

Muscle Man McGinty can certainly tell some whoppers, but this time he’s done the unthinkable.  He bragged he can beat the entire block in a game of kickball!   On Ramble Street, tough talk about kickball cannot be ignored.  For Tamara Ann Simpson this is great news. Now she’ll finally be able to prove to everyone what a wormy little runt Muscle Man really is. Of course things would be a lot easier if her best friend Kebsie Grobser were here to help her…

It’s the summer of 1969 and the world is getting ready for a man named Neil Armstrong to make history by taking the first step on the moon. But change happens a bit more slowly in Massapequa Park, and it’ll take one giant leap for Tamara to understand the likes of Muscle Man McGinty.

JANE IN BLOOM by Deborah Lytton

• Publication Season/Year: Spring 2009
• Publisher: Dutton Children’s Books
• Release Date: March 19, 2009
• ISBN (hardcover): 978-0-525-42078-1
• ISBN (paperback): TBD                             

Jane’s big sister Lizzie has always been the center of attention. No one ever pays attention to boring, plain Jane. But when Jane’s twelfth birthday marks the beginning of Lizzie’s final descent into a fatal eating disorder, Jane discovers that the only thing harder than living in her big sister’s shadow, is living without her. In the wake of tragedy, Jane learns to look through her camera lens and frame life differently, embracing her broken family and understanding that every girl has her season to blossom.