My new book, COURAGE FOR BEGINNERS, goes out into the big blue world. I just received the first hardback copy of it in the mail. Even though this is my third book, you don't get over the feeling of seeing your finished book for the first time. It's not unlike holding your real, life newborn for the first time.
I also like to think of the characters in these books meeting. You know, Sarah Nelson from SURE SIGNS walking to school with Mysti Murphy in COURAGE FOR BEGINNERS. I genuinely think they'd be friends and I'd love to eavesdrop on their conversations. They are very different, but equally spirited, curious and full of heart.
Another point to mention is that I'm a Hachette author, which means that my books will have a hard time gaining traction on Amazon. (Have you heard of the dispute between Hachette and Amazon?) So I'm keeping fingers crossed that readers will find their way to their favorite indie bookshop or
Barnes & Noble online, where you can already pre-order it.
I loved this recent review from Publishers Weekly
Publishers Weekly - Review of Courage for Beginners
Mysti Murphy has to brave at least three major trials at the onset of seventh grade. The first is having an agoraphobic mother, who never leaves the house even to chauffeur her children to classmates’ houses or extracurricular activities. The second is losing her only friend, Anibal, who has “decided to be a hipster this year” to pursue a girl and wants to avoid publicly associating with Mysti. The third obstacle is the most difficult of all, when her father falls from a tree and is hospitalized. Now Mysti must find a way to be strong and responsible while her mother becomes sadder and more withdrawn. Harrington’s (Sure Signs of Crazy) portrait of a resourceful girl weathering transitions and finding creative solutions offers an even balance of humor and painful topics relevant to middle-school readers. The way Mysti views her life, as though she’s a character in a novel (“Here we see a girl washing green beans, extracting melons, and contemplating the true meaning of friendship”), provides a fresh perspective on her thought process, environment, and yearnings.
