Hi All! This is the newsletter I sent out to anyone who signed up on the website to receive book news. It’s chock full of updates (Voyagers, the Candymakers sequel, Space Taxi and more). I’ll update the pages here on the website to include the new books very soon. Can’t seem to cut n paste it, but here’s the link.

Hope you’re having fun in the sun! (wear sunscreen, drink water, read a book under the shade of a leafy tree :o)

Wendy

Hi all!! I’m still deep underground trying to meet my deadline for The Candymakers and the Great Chocolate Chase. Your suggestions for new candies and road trip ideas have been SOOOO HELPFUL!!!!! Thank you!!! For those of you who haven’t read the first one yet, spoilers ahead so may not want to read the rest of this post! For the others, here’s another chance to pitch in…Miles has to come up with an advertising slogan for the Harmonicandy, so I’ve been gathering a list of ideas. Things like: Harmonicandy, the musical treat! or The Harmonicandy, chew to the tune! You can see why i need help!  I’d love to hear your ideas!

Peace and Chocolate,

Wendy

Hi guys!! I hope everyone is having a great start to school! It’s almost ninety degrees here in Jersey today, so I say it’s clearly still summer. :O)

I promised some news updates, and here ya go.

A few years ago I wrote two books for teenagers called LEAP DAY and HEAVEN LOOKS A LOT LIKE THE MALL. They both have main characters in high school and deal with high school themes. Since then I’ve fallen in love with writing books that have younger characters, and these two books sort of got lost. BUT NOW they’re back!! They both have shiny new editions with an author’s note at the beginning, and I updated the text a bit for younger readers. I think they’re fine now for 12 and up, but as with anything, you may want to run it by parents/guardians/etc beforehand if you’re not sure. Here are their pretty new covers:

Thank you to everyone who has been sending in comments about two upcoming books–THE CANDYMAKERS AND THE GREAT CHOCOLATE CHASE and GRACEFUL. To answer the most common questions: GRACEFUL will wrap up the Willow Falls series in April, 2015. The main storyline will be Grace’s as she adjusts to the surprising changes brought into her life at the end of THE LAST PRESENT, but you’ll hear from your old favorites, too, as they all share their thoughts in special sections sprinkled throughout the book. I know April sounds far away, but it’ll give you a chance to finish the other four if you haven’t. ;o)

The Candymakers sequel will be out about a year after that, but I will update with specifics later. As for the plot, the Candymakers hit the road in search of…of…well actually, i’m not quite sure yet! But there will be chocolate, and geocaching, and a lot of surprises along the way! I’d love to hear about any strange or unusual sights you’ve seen in your travels. And feel free to suggest some new candies for the factory!

The second book in my new younger reader chapter book series, SPACE TAXI 2: Water Planet Rescue, will be out the first week of September! Check out our first review!

“Newly recruited Intergalactic Security Force deputy Archie Morningstar prepares for his first mission as co-pilot and navigator aboard his father’s space taxi. Its likable hero is just one reason to love this intergalactic space adventure.

When Pockets, a fellow agent who just happens to be a talking cat, gets the call to investigate a mysterious weather situation on the planet Nautilus, the three fire up the taxi and blast off. However, since Nautilus is a water planet, they will need to make a pit stop at Akbar’s Floating Rest Stop to modify their taxi, pick up some new gadgets and scarf down some bagels. Archie quickly learns that extraterrestrials come in all forms. On Nautilus, those who live under the sea or above water all look decidedly fishy. Unfortunately, something is happening to all the water, putting both civilizations in danger. Archie and his fellow deputies quickly discover that the evil organization B.U.R.P. is to blame—and it is up to them to thwart their plans. With wacky adventure, imaginative settings and wildly varied ETs, this series has endless potential. Archie’s sense of wonder and dedication to his newfound responsibility are inspirational. Line drawings and a trio of science facts further enhance this enjoyable interstellar romp. (Adventure. 6-9) KIRKUS REVIEWS

That’s about all for now. :o)

Happy reading and thank you for checking in.

Peace!

Wendy

Sorry for the serious post ahead, but due to a disagreement between my publisher and Amazon, Amazon is delaying delivery of many authors’ books. In my case, it’s Jeremy Fink, The Candymakers, A Mango-Shaped Space, Every Soul a Star, Leap Day, Heaven Looks a Lot Like the Mall, and Pi in the Sky. They seem to have raised the price on the books as well. My advice if you’re looking for any of these titles for summer reading? Visit your local indie, your local B&N, or BN.com. When/if the situation changes I will update this post. I will spare you the words i would really like to share with Amazon over this for it would not be ladylike. ;o)

On a more pleasant note, I’m finishing up GRACEFUL, the next book in the Willow Falls series, and then will start the Candymakers sequel. Thank you all for your support over both those books, and once i finish GRACEFUL I’ll do my best to catch up with posting your comments and answering questions. Thank you for your patience!

Later gaters,
Wendy

I had a blast writing for younger readers this time around. Space Taxi: Archie Takes Flight is the first in the series. The second, “Space Taxi: Water Planet Rescue,” will be out in September.

Check out the awesome (and informative!) website our publisher is making for the series. They have lots of cool stuff planned in the coming months but you’ll be able to check out a preview now, focusing on the science behind the story. You can also read a sneak peek of the story!

Wendy

Book Two!

THE CANDYMAKERS’ CHOCOLATE CHALLENGE

coming out Spring 2016

I know that sounds like a long time, but in the publishing world it really isn’t (plus i can’t start writing it for another few months!!). The title might change, but the plot will involve Logan, Daisy, Philip and Miles hitting the road in a tricked-out RV to find Logan’s grandfather’s original formula for the Life is Sweet chocolate. Each character will have their own motivation for going on the trip, and will have their own quests along the way.

And there will be geocaching! If you don’t know what that is, check out Geocaching.com and watch the introductory videos. Then go find some caches in your area (or while traveling). I’ve found 45 since I started nine months ago, and my goal is to find one in every state (I’m up to 12 states so far!). I’m sure you will be able to find some right in your own town (especially if you live somewhere which ISN’T covered in snow half the year!). Who doesn’t like a treasure hunt? It’s a great family activity. Have fun!

Thank you to everyone for embracing The Candymakers these last few years!! I’d send you all a basket of candy if I could! ;o)

ps. Before you ask, I don’t have any new Candymakers movie news to share, but when i do, you’ll be the first to know! (well, maybe after my mom ;o)

Ok, so here’s the thing. You guys are AWESOME! And you’re not afraid to ask for what you want, that’s for sure! I’m sorry for the wait…but here goes. Like I said…two sequels. One I still can’t officially tell you for a few more days, (but if I HAD to give a hint…I’d say it has something to do with candy! ;o)

But there’s one other I CAN tell you about…

So when I wrote THE LAST PRESENT, I really intended it to wrap up everything in the Willow Falls series. But somehow I must not have been quite ready to say goodbye because I wrote that pesky last chapter from Grace’s point of view. So I guess it wouldn’t be fair not to let you guys know what happens to Grace now that she’s..well, let’s just say “different!” All the other characters will still be around to help her (some in bigger roles than others), but this will be Grace’s adventure. Willow Falls lives on!

Now off I go to sleep so I can wake up tomorrow and start writing! I have to be sure to get the book out before you guys forget all about it. )

Happy Valentine’s Day!
xo
Wendy

It’s a snowy day here in New Jersey, perfect for curling up with hot chocolate and a book. I’m grateful for the owner of my wonderful Indie bookstore who loans me advance reading copies of upcoming books. The hardest part is choosing which to read first! Speaking of my local bookstore, just a reminder that if anyone wants to order books as gifts this season, if you order through them, I’ll go in and sign them with a message and she will send them. Here’s the info: http://www.spartabooks.com/contact-us. You can even do it online and write in the message box who you want it signed for.

Here is a sneak peek at a new series for younger readers called SPACE TAXI launching April 1st. I’m writing it with my husband Mike, who is a teacher. It’s been a ton of fun writing a book that has illustrations!

After the holidays I should have some news about sequels to two books…which ones? Ah, that will have to wait. Till then, I wish you clear skies and happy holidays.
xo

How awesome are you all? You helped THE LAST PRESENT to turn up at #13 on the New York Times bestseller list its first week out! It’s all very exciting! Maybe I should listen to you and think about writing an offshoot of the series or something…hmm…

I’m still going through the comments on the last post, but I wanted to say how moved I am by your thoughts about the book, and the whole Willow Falls series in general. I think you’ll find I used almost all of your suggestions for what you wanted to see in The Last Present. So this was really a collaborative effort.

Happy back-to-school everyone! I love buying new school supplies, even when they’re not for me! Clean crisp notebooks full of possibility, sharpened #2 pencils, new lunch box with Shaun Cassidy on it…ok so they probably haven’t make those since the days i was in 6th grade but you get my drift.

So the biggest news is that THE LAST PRESENT will be coming out on September 24th. That’s just around the corner. Hurrah! The action picks up right where 13 GIFTS left off so even though you could read any of the first three books out of order, I think you’ll be happier if you read 13 GIFTS before THE LAST PRESENT. And 13 GIFTS is out in paperback now to make that even easier. That’s the less-big but still exciting news

A huge thanks to everyone who offered such wonderful ideas for the Candymakers script. I got to read the first draft and I LOVED it!! I know you will, too. The script is only the first step in a long process but fingers crossed.

The last big news of the month (so far…hey, it’s only half over!) is that a beautiful script for A Mango-Shaped Space is making the rounds in Hollywood! It was written by the writer/director of the Jeremy Fink film and hopefully will be snatched up very soon! Fingers crossed again

Happy reading everyone! I’m off to eat Starburst-flavored Candy Corn. Yum!!
xo

As always, if you purchase the book through my local wonderful independent bookstore (Sparta Books: 973-729-6200 [email protected]), I’ll sign ‘em, they’ll ship ‘em. And if you order PI IN THE SKY before the end of the week (June 15th), I’ll toss in an added (yummy) treat.

But supporting your own community bookstore would be great, too. Or, you know, anywhere books are sold. Or borrowed (gotta love the library!!) ).

On a side note, thank you for being so amazing. I love all the blog comments you’ve been writing, even if it takes me forever to post them. But at least the books are coming out quickly, right? Beauty and the Beast is in paperback now, 13 Gifts will be in paperback on July 30th, and The Last Present will wrap up the Willow Falls series on October 1st.

Here’s what early reviews had to say:

* “Full of fascinating science and clever humor, Mass’s story shines as bright as the stars of Joss’s universe. A high-stakes extraterrestrial adventure that’s as exciting as it is fun.” (Publishers Weekly, starred review)

“Could be a Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy for kids…Science and absurdity frolic together to gleeful effect.” (Kirkus)

“The humorous banter and interesting physics factoids keep readers entertained…Mass’s latest [is] a unique, mind-stretching title for science-fiction lovers, and the entertaining high jinks and evolving relationship between Joss and Annika give it an even wider appeal.” (School Library Journal)

Happy summer, happy reading, safe travels, and wear sunscreen. )
xo
Wendy

Well, you asked to read the first chapter…how about the first SEVEN chapters? The full book won’t be out until June 11th, but my ever-so-kind publisher is offering this sneak peek early. It’s like a third of the book!

If you have any kind of e-reader it’s easy to order it directly from whoever provides your ebooks, or Amazon (and probably other places) allows you to read it right on your computer as well. When you look it up make sure to add “preview” to the title or else you’ll just get sent to the regular book. It should look like this:

I can’t wait to hear what you think!

On another note, I can’t thank you all enough for your amazing insights on The Candymakers movie!! I’m still trying to keep up with posting all of them, and i had to leave out some due to spoilers, but the screenwriter sees all of them, so never fear. The Last Present is totally complete now, and off to press! I’m pretty sure i got all of your wonderful suggestions in there.

You guys are the BEST!!

MANGO IS TEN TODAY!!

It’s been ten years since my first book — A Mango-Shaped Space — was published and it’s been a wild ride!! It took 49 rejection letters and many years of writing before that first acceptance letter, and I’m so grateful to Little Brown and Company in Boston (now NYC) who took a chance on a new writer and a strange story about a girl who sees letters and numbers in color. I want to thank all the teachers and librarians and booksellers and editors and parents and my fellow writers and especially the young readers who have read my books and haven’t stopped asking when the next one is coming out. Thank you for welcoming my stories into your heads for the last decade; I’m honored by that each and every day.

Okay, enough mushy stuff!

Those of you who have read THE CANDYMAKERS and have asked about a movie version…well here’s your chance to contribute! A wonderful screenwriter is adapting the book and would love to know: What do you want to make sure definitely shows up on the big screen? Please share your favorite parts from the book (try to avoid spoilers though). They can even be small details, but if they meant something to you, then they’re important. Getting 450 pages into a 90-minute movie won’t be easy! Writing the script is the first step on The Candymakers’ journey to the Big Screen, so let’s all go on it together!

In book news, only 8 more weeks until PI IN THE SKY hits the shelves! I was very excited when one review journal called it: “an experimental comedy that could be a Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy for kids. Science and absurdity frolic together to gleeful effect.” I hope it gets everyone interested in science because that was the goal.

Twice Upon a Time: Beauty and the Beast should be out in paperback in time for summer, with THE LAST PRESENT (book 4 in the Willow Falls series) unwrapping on October 1st! I’m hoping to be able to post the first chapter of PI IN THE SKY soon, and in a few months the first chapter of THE LAST PRESENT. I’m honestly not sure what comes next in terms of any sequels to THE CANDYMAKERS or EVERY SOUL A STAR, which many of you have asked about. But if something happens, you’ll hear about it here!

And last but not least, my husband Mike and I are embarking on a new venture together…we’re writing an early reader chapter book series called SPACE TAXI!!! The first book in the series will be taking off (bad pun) Summer 2014. It’s about an 8-year-old boy who discovers his dad doesn’t just drive a regular taxi, he picks up and drops off people on other planets! Crazy adventures ensue!

As always, thank you for all your comments on these blog entries, I’m sorry i’m so far behind on posting them, it’s just that i want to respond to all your amazing thoughts and questions and there is never enough time in the day. So forgive me again, but i’m just going to post them ‘as is’ over the next few days, and hope that i answered your questions here or in a future blog.

Happy Spring!

xo

Wendy

Will be posting a real blog entry in the next few days with some fun news, but just wanted to tell you today THE CANDYMAKERS is Kindle’s Kids Deal of the Day (April 3)! You can get the ebook from Amazon for only $1.99!

Happy Passover / Easter / Spring Break!

xo

Wendy

Okay, I’m staring at a large number of “waiting for moderator” comments, so in the interest of life being short and not wanting to keep you waiting till graduation, i’m going to post a lot of them over the weekend, but will have to answer your questions here instead of individually. Most of the recent questions on the blog are about the next two books. So here’s what I know so far: PI IN THE SKY is coming out June 11. That’s sooner than it sounds. It will be warm then. Warm is good.

The next Willow Falls book is off to my editor, and it now has a title. It will be called THE LAST PRESENT. The title has a few meanings…there’s a time travel element to the story so the word “present” refers to time. Also, Angelina gives someone (can’t say who) one final present at the end. And finally, it’s the last book in the series. (at least in this incarnation of the series). It will be out next fall.

I was THRILLED with all your suggestions in my previous blog for things that you wanted to see in the book. You guys had some GREAT, INSIGHTFUL, CREATIVE ideas, and I was able to get most of them in there. So if you’re wondering if something will be in the book, read through the comments on the last few blogs and you’ll basically have a really good idea of what you’ll see. But to address the questions asked the most often: yes a kiss, but can’t tell you who! yes, you’ll find out more about Angelina, and why Amanda and Leo were using the chalkboards in 13 Gifts, and why Grace went to the hospital at the end of that book, and how the movie turned out from Finally, and how Tara adjusts to being part of a group of friends for the first time. I just saw the suggestion to add a pet–you’re right, it’s weird that no one in the series has pets. Well, unless you count Rory’s ill-fated pet bunny. I’ll try to work it in on the next draft, but the pet ship has probably sailed for this one. And anyway, pets don’t seem to work out so well in my books (see A Mango-Shaped Space. ;o)

A lot of you have asked about movies, so here’s the latest update. The Candymakers and A Mango-Shaped Space are both under option, which means people are hard at work trying to make something happen with them. Could be years though, if ever, but I will FOR SURE update you with any news. I would love to see the Willow Falls series turned into a TV series (one book per year…could work!). So if you know any TV producers…hint hint…

Ok, onto other subjects.

As you can see, my website has gotten a fresh coat of paint, so to speak. I’ll be fine-tuning it, but i hope you like it so far. I’m having fun with the new “quote of the week” on the home page. It will be updated each sunday. Feel free to suggest quotes that you like–on writing, on life, anything. I’ll also be updating the Q&A by the end of January so if you’re doing an author report there should be more stuff there to help you. (BTW, wikipedia has my birthday wrong. if they’d made me YOUNGER, then i wouldn’t complain, but no. ;o)

I love seeing pictures of school projects you guys have done on my books–i’m always honored and touched by all your hard work. I thought I’d add pictures of them to the FUN STUFF section on the site. SO I’ve come up with a special email address where you can send them: [email protected]. I won’t publish any names/locations with them, but you’ll know it’s yours. First ten submissions get…well, get posted first. )

I’m already checking email….

Happiest of holidays to all!! I hope yours is filled with laughter and love! (and chocolate. ;o)

Thank you to everyone who gave suggestions for the last Willow Falls book in the previous post. It’s almost done and I’m pretty sure I was able to get everything in. Keep ‘em coming for the next few weeks as the book is edited, though, since there’s still a chance to squeeze things in at that point.

And as always, if you’d like autographed books for yourself, your school, as gifts, etc, I’m partnering up with Sparta Books, my wonderful local indie bookstore. If you call them and place an order and tell them how you’d like them signed, I’ll go in and sign them, they’ll mail them out.  Voila! Easy peasy!

xo

Wendy

Happiest of holidays to all!! I hope yours is filled with laughter and love! (and chocolate. ;o)

Thank you to everyone who gave suggestions for the last Willow Falls book in the previous post. It’s almost done and I’m pretty sure I was able to get everything in. Keep ‘em coming for the next few weeks as the book is edited, though, since there’s still a chance to squeeze things in at that point.

And as always, if you’d like autographed books for yourself, your school, as gifts, etc, I’m partnering up with Sparta Books, my wonderful local indie bookstore. If you call them and place an order and tell them how you’d like them signed, I’ll go in and sign them, they’ll mail them out.  Voila! Easy peasy!

xo

Wendy

Pi in the Sky is off to proofreading! That means no more last-minute changes on my part. That’s always the toughest moment when you hand it in for the very last time knowing that you’re not going to see it again until it’s all bound up. There are going to be fun illustrations to go along with each chapter, which I’m really excited about. Never had any real illustrations in my books before! So this will be very fun!

Now onto the last book in the Willow Falls series…As I’m writing it, I thought I would reach out to you guys to see if there’s anything you want to make sure that I get in there… I know I left some things open-ended in the other books in the series and I’m going to make every effort to make sure that I tie all those things up in this last one. But there might be things that I haven’t thought of or that you might know better than me and I would love to hear what those are! I know I haven’t been very good at keeping up with posting all the comments you’ve been leaving on my blog and I promise as soon as I am done with this deadline (in only a few short weeks. AHHHH)  I will get to that right away.

So, the sum up, anything from 11 Birthdays, Finally, or 13 Gifts that makes you go hmm, I wonder what happened there? Any small characters that you want to see again? Any gaps of time you want to see filled in? Nothing is too small to mention. Thank you so much in advance and I hope you are all enjoying the beginning of the holiday season. Much love!

PS. I found this cool free program called SELFCONTROL that you download and then you set it for the amount of time that you want it turn off your Internet (I usually do 30 mins at a time) and then no matter what you do it will not turn back on! You can shut down the program, you can re-boot your computer. You will be out of luck because it takes its job very seriously! Essentially it keeps you from wasting time browsing, or facebooking or emailing etc instead of working. Case in point, I got up this morning to work on the book, wrote about two sentences and suddenly I desperately needed to know how old Sean Astin was when he starred in Goonies. SELFCONTROL made sure that I couldn’t find out for at least 30 minutes. Awesome.

PPS. He was 13.

Candy-wrapper contest at an elementary school after reading THE CANDYMAKERS. I hope she was one of the winners! (and i hope she didn’t eat all the candy inside the wrappers or that’s one big bellyache! ;o)

UPDATE: 2 more days of bidding to raise money for those in need from hurricane Sandy in NJ..Over 200 signed & personalized books from your favorite authors. This is my listing for the Candymakers.

Pi in the Sky is off to proofreading! That means no more last-minute changes on my part. That’s always the toughest moment when you hand it in for the very last time knowing that you’re not going to see it again until it’s all bound up. There are going to be fun illustrations to go along with each chapter, which I’m really excited about. Never had any real illustrations in my books before! So this will be very fun!

Now onto the last book in the Willow Falls series…As I’m writing it, I thought I would reach out to you guys to see if there’s anything you want to make sure that I get in there… I know I left some things open-ended in the other books in the series and I’m going to make every effort to make sure that I tie all those things up in this last one. But there might be things that I haven’t thought of or that you might know better than me and I would love to hear what those are! I know I haven’t been very good at keeping up with posting all the comments you’ve been leaving on my blog and I promise as soon as I am done with this deadline (in only a few short weeks. AHHHH)  I will get to that right away.

So, the sum up, anything from 11 Birthdays, Finally, or 13 Gifts that makes you go hmm, I wonder what happened there? Any small characters that you want to see again? Any gaps of time you want to see filled in? Nothing is too small to mention. Thank you so much in advance and I hope you are all enjoying the beginning of the holiday season. Much love!

PS. I found this cool free program called SELFCONTROL that you download and then you set it for the amount of time that you want it turn off your Internet (I usually do 30 mins at a time) and then no matter what you do it will not turn back on! You can shut down the program, you can re-boot your computer. You will be out of luck because it takes its job very seriously! Essentially it keeps you from wasting time browsing, or facebooking or emailing etc instead of working. Case in point, I got up this morning to work on the book, wrote about two sentences and suddenly I desperately needed to know how old Sean Astin was when he starred in Goonies. SELFCONTROL made sure that I couldn’t find out for at least 30 minutes. Awesome.

PPS. He was 13.

Candy-wrapper contest at an elementary school after reading THE CANDYMAKERS. I hope she was one of the winners! (and i hope she didn’t eat all the candy inside the wrappers or that’s one big bellyache! ;o)

Calling all Mother-Daughter Book Clubs!! 11 Birthdays is a featured book in Scholastic’s Mother-Daughter book club this month. They have a lot of fun activities and a contest for a free skype for any clubs who would like to use the book.

Below is a Sneak Peek at the cover for Pi in the Sky. I really love it! The illustrator who did the cover for The Candymakers did this one, too. The book, about a very unusual boy who must rebuild the solar system from scratch, is due out in June ’13.

I hope everyone is having a lovely autumn! Thought I’d share a photo of this visitor in our backyard yesterday.

Meanwhile, I’m hard at work finishing up the last book in the Willow Falls birthday series. I’d tell you the title, but it’s still being finalized. I can tell you that the book will pick up right where 13 GIFTS left off. It won’t be a year later like the other books. Also, after much debate, I’ve decided that Amanda will be the narrator. This feels right to me. I like how it bookends the series since she was the main character in 11 BIRTHDAYS, too.

I hope everyone has a happy Halloween! My favorite holiday. No surprise there. ;o)

Yours in candy corn,

Wendy

Calling all Mother-Daughter Book Clubs!! 11 Birthdays is a featured book in Scholastic’s Mother-Daughter book club this month. They have a lot of fun activities and a contest for a free skype for any clubs who would like to use the book.

Below is a Sneak Peek at the cover for Pi in the Sky. I really love it! The illustrator who did the cover for The Candymakers did this one, too. The book, about a very unusual boy who must rebuild the solar system from scratch, is due out in June ’13.

I hope everyone is having a lovely autumn! Thought I’d share a photo of this visitor in our backyard yesterday.

Meanwhile, I’m hard at work finishing up the last book in the Willow Falls birthday series. I’d tell you the title, but it’s still being finalized. I can tell you that the book will pick up right where 13 GIFTS left off. It won’t be a year later like the other books. Also, after much debate, I’ve decided that Amanda will be the narrator. This feels right to me. I like how it bookends the series since she was the main character in 11 BIRTHDAYS, too.

I hope everyone has a happy Halloween! My favorite holiday. No surprise there. ;o)

Yours in candy corn,

Wendy

Why is it no one ever says the Cat Days of Summer? But putting aside my preference toward cats, I was interested to learn that the phrase originally stemmed from Ancient Rome. The hottest days of summer coincided with the rise of Sirius, the Dog Star. It was believed the added “shine” made it hotter. It didn’t. Still, pretty cool.

Thank you to everyone who has been asking on the blog about the next book in the Willow Falls series. I’m starting to work on it now, and it should be out next spring. I’m sorry for the wait, but I was writing Beauty & the Beast and Pi in the Sky in between. All I can tell you about the plot is that a bunch of the characters from the other books will be in it, including Amanda and Leo (and yes, you’ll find out why they were using those blackboards to talk to each other). You’ll also find out a lot more about Angelina, and about her connection to Willow Falls. I’m excited to jump in.

Happy rest of summer! Hope everyone is enjoying the Olympics.

ps. Look for the cover of Pi in the Sky in a future post. The same illustrator of The Candymakers is doing that one, too!

Why is it no one ever says the Cat Days of Summer? But putting aside my preference toward cats, I was interested to learn that the phrase originally stemmed from Ancient Rome. The hottest days of summer coincided with the rise of Sirius, the Dog Star. It was believed the added “shine” made it hotter. It didn’t. Still, pretty cool.

Thank you to everyone who has been asking on the blog about the next book in the Willow Falls series. I’m starting to work on it now, and it should be out next spring. I’m sorry for the wait, but I was writing Beauty & the Beast and Pi in the Sky in between. All I can tell you about the plot is that a bunch of the characters from the other books will be in it, including Amanda and Leo (and yes, you’ll find out why they were using those blackboards to talk to each other). You’ll also find out a lot more about Angelina, and about her connection to Willow Falls. I’m excited to jump in.

Happy rest of summer! Hope everyone is enjoying the Olympics.

ps. Look for the cover of Pi in the Sky in a future post. The same illustrator of The Candymakers is doing that one, too!

I have lots of notes for a real blog post, but it will have to wait till I hand in the revisions for PI IN THE SKY, due in a week. So until then I just wanted to share this picture of a lovely cardboard display that a friend of mine snapped at his local Barnes & Noble store. All the books in the Twice Upon a Time series are here: BEAUTY AND THE BEAST (brand new!) and the other two paperbacks, RAPUNZEL and SLEEPING BEAUTY. So if you’re looking for some funny books to take to camp, or the beach, or your backyard, or your front stoop, or wherever you like to read in the summer, look no further.

Cheers!

Wendy