Rajani LaRocca's Blog, page 5

Cover Reveal for THE DOOR IS OPEN!

I’m so excited to reveal the cover for THE DOOR IS OPEN, a South Asian middle grade anthology edited by Hena Khan, and features stories by Sayantani DasGupta, Reem Faruqi, Veera Hiranandani, Simran Jeet Singh, Supriya Kelkar, Maulik Pancholy, Mitali Perkins, Aisha Saeed, N.H. Senzai, and me!!

The stories are all connected by community center in a fictional New Jersey town. My story, “Out in the Open,” is about Veda, a middle grade journalist who discovers the power of words to make change.

THE DOOR IS OPEN will release on April 23, 2024 and is available for preorder today!

A Warm and Wonderful Launch for MASALA CHAI, FAST AND SLOW!

I celebrated the release of MASALA CHAI, FAST AND SLOW at lovely Belmont Books with a wonderful groups of friends and family! We enjoyed celebratory cookies and delicious masala chai as well as a read-aloud and a lovely Q & A session!

For those who missed the event, there are signed books available at the store!

The Book Trailer for MASALA CHAI, FAST AND SLOW!

I’m delighted to share the incredible book trailer for MASALA CHAI, FAST AND SLOW! This book about family, patience, and chai is beautifully illustrated by Neha Rawat and releases from Candlewick on September 5, 2023!

The trailer was created by my amazing friend, Dan Haring! 

The Launch of THE SECRET OF THE DRAGON GEMS!

I was lucky enough to travel to San Diego to hang out with my awesome friend, Chris Baron, and officially launch THE SECRET OF THE DRAGON GEMS into the world!

First, I got to fangirl Chris, Jessica Kim, and Tracy Badua at the San Diego Festical of Books. Then Chris and visited the beach at La Jolla and saw some seal yoga (take a look! How do they do that?) and went to the La Jolla Riford Public Library to do a packed inaugural event for THE SECRET OF THE DRAGON GEMS with Warwicks Books!!Sunday’s tropical storm brought only rain (thank goodness!). But although our Sunday event was canceled, we went to Mysterious Galaxy the next day to sign stacks of our book!Signed copies are available at both stores, as well as my local indies The Silver Unicorn Bookstore and Concord Bookshop! I feel incredibly lucky to have Chris as a friend and a writing partner.On publication day, Chris and I sent video “letters” to each other in celebration of our epistolary novel being out in the world!

The Book Trailer for THE SECRET OF THE DRAGON GEMS!

I’m so thrilled to share the incredible book trailer for THE SECRET OF THE DRAGON GEMS, an epistolary middle grade novel co-written with my amazing friend Chris Baron! This wonderful book will release on August 29 and is available for preorder today!

The trailer was created by our fabulous friend, Dan Haring! 

A Wonderful Launch for YOUR ONE AND ONLY HEART!

I’m so delighted that YOUR ONE AND ONLY HEART is out in the world today! This nonfiction picture book, written in poetry, is stunningly illustrated by Lauren Paige Conrad and teaches readers all about the human heart and all that it does. When I was a kid, a picture book got me interested in pursuing medicine—and I hope this book does the same for kids today.

We had a wonderful event at Brookline Booksmith on August 13, and then I stopped by to sign books at my lovely local indie, The Silver Unicorn Bookstore! Signed copies are available at both stores, and I’ll be at lovely Beacon Hill Books on September 6!

You can read more about YOUR ONE AND ONLY HEART at Good Reads with Ronna, The Picture Book Buzz, and Writers’ Rumpus!

The Book Trailer for YOUR ONE AND ONLY HEART!

I’m so thrilled to share the book trailer for YOUR ONE AND ONLY HEART, written by me and gorgeously illustrated by Lauren Paige Conrad, releasing on August 15 from Dial Books for Young Readers / Penguin Kids! This nonfiction book about the human heart perfectly exemplifies why to me, the workings of the human body are like poetry.You can preorder it wherever books are sold! The amazing video was created by my friend Dan Haring!

SUMMER IS FOR COUSINS Interview on NPR Weekend Edition!

 

I was SO thrilled that Abhi Alwar and I were interviewed for the “Picture This” segment on NPR Weekend Edition about our book SUMMER IS FOR COUSINS! It was such a delight to chat with Abhi, and you will see why I’m so in awe of her and her work! What a joy to celebrate cousins and families—especially South Indian families like our own! 

A New South Asian Middle Grade Anthology!

I’m so excited to be a part of a new South Asian Middle Grade Anthology! THE DOOR IS OPEN will release in Spring 2024—it’s edited by Hena Khan, and features stories by Sayantani DasGupta, Reem Faruqi, Veera Hiranandani, Simran Jeet Singh, Supriya Kelkar, Maulik Pancholy, Mitali Perkins, Aisha Saeed, N.H. Senzai, and me!!

The stories are all connected by community center in a fictional New Jersey town. I can’t wait until this book is out in the world!

My Interview on All Things Considered / WGBH Boston!

I was absolutely thrilled to be interviewed by Arun Rath at WGBH Boston’s All Things Considered about my latest picture book, A VACCINE IS LIKE A MEMORY!