Jane Sutton's Blog, page 5
September 25, 2022
Rock the Lot DID Rock!
Lexington, Massachusetts (where I live) is lucky to have a wonderful library, Cary Memorial Library, which hosted an outdoor family event—Rock the Lot—that lived up to its name. It rocked! Besides music, food, and crafts, 4 local authors (including me) shared our books. The weather cooperated, and we all had a blast!
Award winning author Heather Lang reads THE LEAF DETECTIVE
Popular author Josh Funk shares his latest book, MY PET FEET
Granddaughter impressed with Grammy’s reserved parking spot
Interrupting Chicken helps me present WHAT’S UP WITH THIS CHICKEN?
Thanks to Maxima Books for handling sales!
Lexington children’s book authors Heather Lang, Maya Tatsukawa, me, and Josh Funk
September 22, 2022
Yay for Indie Bookstores!
It’s sooooo nice to see my new picture book, Gracie Brings Back Bubbe’s Smile, available for pre-order at independent bookstores! My local store is Maxima Book Center in Lexington, MA. You can find yours at Indiebound.org or Bookshop.org
July 11, 2022
First Review!
I was surprised to see that my picture book due for publication in September already got its first review. And so relieved and pleased that it’s a great one! Kirkus cited all the themes and messages I was trying to get across.
Link to Kirkus Review of Gracie Brings Back Bubbe’s Smile
June 19, 2022
Publisher’s Catalogue Makes ME Smile
I was so pleased to see my September ’22 book GRACIE BRINGS BACK BUBBE’S SMILE listed in the social and emotional learning section in the publisher’s, Albert Whitman’s, catalogue!
May 3, 2022
Independent Bookstore Day 2022!
Wearing a face mask adorned with an orange beak, I had fun reading WHAT’S UP WITH WITH THIS CHICKEN? at Maxima Book Center in Lexington, MA, on Independent Bookstore Day. My cheeky chicken puppet introduced me and asked attendees to chime in during the reading, which they did with heartwarming enthusiasm.
The best part was having my cuties there!
Thank YOU, Brian, owner of Maxima Book Center owner!
April 24, 2022
Yay for Independent Bookstore Day!
Next Saturday, April 30th is Independent Bookstore Day, a yearly celebration that takes place in indie bookstores across the U.S. I’m looking forward to participating at a terrific new bookstore in my town of Lexington, Massachusetts, Maxima Book Center.
For my first in-person event since the pandemic began, I’ll be reading my book about a hen who refuses to relinquish her eggs, WHAT’S UP WITH THIS CHICKEN? I’m looking forward to it!
Books are 20% off that day!
March 18, 2022
Cover Reveal of New Book!
A while back I said to stay tuned for the title of my next picture book. Now I can not only reveal the title, but the cover, too —
With irresistible illustrations by Debby Rahmalia and published by Albert Whitman, the book’s plot is:
Gracie loves when her grandmother comes for a visit, but this time Bubbe is sad. Her husband, Gracie’s grandfather, recently died. Gracie misses Zayde too, so when Bubbe reveals that she used to speak Yiddish with him, Gracie is eager to learn. As Gracie picks up more words, she and Bubbe move past Zayde’s loss and find moments of joy together.
The publication date is September 1, 2022, but you can pre-order on Amazon NOW!
https://www.amazon.com/Gracie-Brings-Back-Bubbes-Smile/dp/0807510238/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1647608148&sr=1-1
The burning question now is, Can I wait until September to hold the book???
January 21, 2022
No One Likes…
…rejections. At least, I don’t think anyone does. Well, I suppose if you were about to break up with someone and didn’t know how and then they broke up with you first, you might welcome a rejection. But that’s a rare circumstance, and besides, I’m talking about rejections of writing.
This post is for writers who want to be published (including me, because I need this reminder too!)
We work so hard on our writing—we plan, think, write, revise, seek feedback from others, revise some more, proofread, research potential agents and editors, write and rewrite query letters, and then after we finally submit. check our inboxes every day. All that, only to—
—get an email back saying “Thank you for your submission” and perhaps “The writing was charming” or “I enjoyed reading it,” followed by the dreaded big BUT…”But I’m afraid I don’t feel it is as strong as it needs to be…” or “But I’m afraid I’ll have to pass” or “The marketplace is crowded…” or “But opinions are subjective and others may feel differently,” etc. You know the refrain. And unlike that song from the ’90s, no one likes these kind of big buts.
Now here comes another one— BUT you gotta submit again. Yep, you really do. Maybe a rejecter just accepted a book with a similar theme. Or had a bad day or is already overwhelmed by their swollen client list. Or has terrible taste in literature. Try someone else! Try lots of someone elses!
Keep in mind how many rejections these wildly successful books received before eventually being published:
Harry Potter — 12
Dune —20
A Wrinkle in Time— 26
Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance—121
And Chicken Soup for the Soul was rejected…wait for it…134 times!
Look over your submission and query letter again to see if there are any improvements you can make to improve it. Then submit again! And one day your inbox might have an email that makes you feel like this—
December 24, 2021
November 30, 2021
As We Say in Boston, What a Bahgain!
Yep, this holiday season, if you’re looking for a gift for a 7-11 year old who likes funny books, I have a suggestion for you…Me and the Weirdos, my award-winning middle grade novel about Cindy Krinkle’s quest to “unweird” her family is one click away on Amazon—$7.99 in paperback and $4.99 on Kindle.
What a bahgain! 
Happy December!
