Our Summer Plans, and a THANK YOU!

The Cottagers have left the building—but don't worry, it's just for the summer. We'll be back in September with a full schedule of all your favorite features: Mr. Pig Live, Literary Lunch, Behind-the-Book, Little Crooked Bookshelf, Quote of the Week, Studio Visits and more.

Head on over to our pal Dylan Teut's blog to see previews of new releases coming in fall/winter 2016 and 2017. We hope to feature a whole bunch of them in the Cottage next season.

And speaking of new releases, Kara, Anika and Jamie all have new books out this summer! So in addition to lounging on the beach, reading in hammocks and roasting marshmallows under the stars, we'll be on the road meeting readers! We hope you'll come out and celebrate with us at one of our upcoming events.

Here's what we've got cooking:

Kara's LaReau

"Hi, friends! My summer's looking busy, busy, busy, as I have three projects in the works — a revision for the second book in the Unintentional Bland Sisters trilogy, a new chapter book I'm preparing for submission, and a contemporary middle grade novel I'm drafting. When (and if!) I have any downtime this summer, I'm hoping to enjoy some fun in the sun with my family, including some quality time with my toes in the sand, both here and in our favorite vacation spot, Camden, Maine.

Last but not least, my new chapter book series, The Infamous Ratsos, launches on August 2nd! Check out my calendar of appearances on my website — hope I'll be seeing you!"

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Anika Denise

Happy Denises in Oxford, MD!

On sale 7/12/16 HarperCollins

"Fresh off attending the amazing ALAAC16 in Orlando, I'm rolling into a vacation with my family on the eastern shore of Maryland—one of our favorite spots to kick back, swim, kayak, grab a bushel of crabs and a bucket of beer (root beer for the kids) and RELAX. Which is great, because after the week off, I'll be gearing up for the launch of a new picture book, MONSTER TRUCKS, and the release of BAKING DAY AT GRANDMA'S in a new, super-sweet board book edition.

I'm really looking forward to attending the CHILDREN'S BOOK CELEBRATION at the QUEENS MUSEUM on July 10th, as well as celebrating the launch of MONSTER TRUCKS at two great events: THE HARVARD COOP on July 13th  and  BARRINGTON BOOKS on July 16th.

If you're in the neighborhood, please swing by and say hi. I'd love to meet you! You can visit my author site for details on these and other upcoming events.

Vroom, vroom! Hope to see you soon!"

Jamie Michalak

Taming the Beast

Frolicking

"When not working my day job at Hasbro, I'll be frolicking in the sun, reading a stack of creepy mysteries, and binge-watching "The Good Wife." I'll also attempt to tame my unwieldy WIP, a 97,000-word-and-counting novel I started too long ago to admit without weeping. Will this be the summer I finally whip it into shape?! Yes. Yes, I say!

Soon I'll be gearing up for the publication of four NEW books, including Joe and Sparky, Party Animals! But more on that later. . . . Happy lazy summer to you!"

Mr. Pig

Piggy Bahama

"It's a summer of travel for me! First stop is NYC, to see Hamilton! (If you're wondering how I got tickets, let's just say, it helps to be a world renowned pig.)

Cowtown Rodeo Giant Cowboy

Next, I plan to visit the Brandywine River Museum's exhibition: GET THE PICTURE! CONTEMPORARY CHILDREN’S BOOK ILLUSTRATION. I'll drop in on some relatives who live on a farm down there, then head to New Jersey to see my friend Midge, who's performing a limited engagement at the Cowtown Rodeo, 'the oldest weekly running rodeo in the USA.'

I'll spend the remaining weeks on the road, reading, making notes in my travel journal, and doing research for a new cookbook I'm writing, titled Chicken, the Only White Meat. (Porcine Chef Press 2017). See you in September!"

We want to thank everyone who visited the Cottage this year and took the time to read and comment. An extra special thanks goes out to our guest contributors who shared their time and talents with us.

Josh Funk
Brendan Kearney
Audrey Vernick
Maria Gianferrari
Thyra Heder
Ellen Potter
Kelly DiPucchio
Eric Wight
Samantha Berger
Mitali Rose Perkins
Deb Pilutti
Tara Lazar
Troy Cummings
Laurel Snyder
Linda Ashman
Nancy Tupper Ling
Stephanie Ruble
Jessica Haight
Stephanie Robinson
Megan Maynor
Rosalinde Bonnet
Tim Miller
Julie Falatko
Joyce Wan
Trisha Speed Shaskan
Stephen Shaskan
Rebecca Kai Dotlich
Wendy BooydeGraff
Bryan Langdo
Lindsay M. Ward
Elizabeth Rose Stanton
Megan E. Bryant

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Save the Dates! . . . Fun Events for Kids (and one for Grown-ups!)

The Cottagers will be out and about during the next coming months, and YOU are invited to join them! Check out these FREE fun events for all ages -- and a night out for grown-ups, too!

JUNE 4: HUBBUB FEST! 
Boston, Copley Plaza / FREE for all ages

Wowza! Don't miss this year's HUBBUB fest, celebrating creativity for kids. Presenters include Jeff Kinney, Kevin Hawkes, Peter H. Reynolds, Ame Dyckman, Zachariah Ohora & many more! Swing by the Candlewick Press booth at 1:30 & say hi to Cottager Jamie Michalak, who will be signing her books!  

Special appearances from Maisy and Guess How Much I Love You's Nutbrown Hare. Visit hubbubfest.org or Hubbub for more details.

Giant puppets at Hubbub!

Creating characters at Hubbub!

Kara LaReau's Storytime at Henry Bear's Park

JUNE 4: STORYTIME WITH KARA LaREAU 
Providence / FREE for all ages
Henry Bear’s Park at 11 AM

Get lost in a good book with Cottager Kara LaReau! Based out of Providence, Kara's stories will delight young audiences with imaginative stories and a creative cast of characters!




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JULY 12: MONSTER TRUCKS releases!
Vroom, vroom! Look for Cottager Anika Denise's irresistible new picture book anywhere books are sold!

JULY 13: MULTI-AUTHOR LAUNCH EVENT
Harvard Square Coop at 7:30 PM
Cambridge, MA / FREE for all ages
Join authors Anika Denise, Jennifer Goldfinger and Ammi-Joan Paquette for a reading and signing of their new books!

JULY 16: MONSTER BASH - MONSTER TRUCKS LAUNCH PARTY! 
Barrington Books from 6 - 8:30 PM
Barrington, RI / FREE for all ages
Start your engines for an after-hours MONSTER BASH, featuring a reading and book signing, refreshments for kids (and grown-ups), contests, giveaways and more!

More Monster Trucks events coming soon!

JUNE 17: KIDLIT DRINK NIGHT
Pawtucket, RI / Children's' Book Peeps

BreakTime Bowl and Bar  from 7 - 10 PM

A night out for children's book authors, illustrators, editors, designers, teachers, & librarians! 

Do you like children's books . . . and boozin' and schmoozin'? Do you also like (or at least tolerate being in the presence of) bowling? Join us at this kitschy-cool, old-school bowling alley/bar in Pawtucket's Hope Artiste Village.

JULY 28: PROVIDENCE KIDLIT STORYTIME
Greater Kennedy Plaza - 11 AM
Providence, RI/ FREE for all ages

Join Cottagers Kara LaReau and Anika Denise, along with authors Gaia Cornwell and Christina Rodriguez for stories and art in the park!


Hope to see you around town! 

Cottager News and Events (and Judy Blume!)

Hello, hello! It's been a loooong time since we've shared what's been going on with us Cottagers, and we have lots of BIG news to share -- new books on the way, upcoming events, and a workshop that might interest you writers!

Kara's News ~ 

1. I started working as a contributing writer for Gen-X website The Mid earlier this year.

2. My middle-grade trilogy, The Unintentional Adventures of the Bland Sisters, was acquired at auction by Abrams. Book One is due to pub in Fall 2016.*

3. I’ll be doing a reading/signing at Newtonville Books on Saturday, June 27th at 11am. 

* Here's the announcement from Publishers Weekly. Go, Kara!

Jamie & Kara's News ~ 

Attention, writers! Jamie and Kara are thrilled to be on the Highlight Foundation Faculty this summer! They'll be teaching a weekend workshop, THE IN-BETWEENERS: WRITING EARLY READERS AND FIRST CHAPTER BOOKS, on June 11-14. To register, visit the Highlights Foundation website.

Read their advice about writing and early reader or first chapter book here. 


Jamie's News ~
I have some exciting book news! Candlewick Press has signed up a fourth Joe and Sparky early reader--Joe and Sparky, Party Animals! Is Joe's pet worm, Wiggy, real or imaginary? Can a chicken conga? All will be revealed in 2016!

Kristen's News ~
 

Her YA romance, Hung Up, was released in paperback earlier this year. It's about people falling in love on cell phones. (Fact: That's basically how she met and fell in love with her husband.)

Her middle-grade novel Too Cool for This School also came out in paperback this year, and has been picked up for Scholastic Book Clubs and Fairs. (Fact: this book contains wolves and a massacre, sort of.)

Kristen's next middle-grade novel, PROJECT unPOPULAR almost has a cover, and will be out in the world next fall. (FACT: Nerds are change resistant, and that's not necessarily a bad thing.)

Kristen traveled to Key West (her first trip to Florida) to study with Billy Collins and Hemingway's cats kept trespassing into her B&B and drinking out of the pool. (FACT: She also got invited to Judy Blume's house which was easily the most amazing thing that's ever happened to her while traveling.)

 

Anika's News ~

Anika's picture book Baking Day at Grandma's (Philomel 2014) was a Crystal Kite finalist and received yummy reviews from Publishers Weekly, Kirkus and School Library Journal. It even got its own song.

The artwork for her next book, Monster Trucks (HarperCollins Children's Books 2016), illustrated by Nate Wragg, is nearly complete. Cover reveal coming soon!

Anika has TWO MORE pieces of stellar news. Unfortunately, it's a wee bit early to officially share them. Stay tuned for an announcement soon . . . . 

Mr. Pig's News ~

Mr. Pig is hitting the road again! His destinations include Illinois, California, Paris, and South Carolina. Why? He's visiting the studios of Matthew Cordell, Jackie Clark Mancuso, and Ethan Long! 

Make sure to visit the Cottage in May and June to check out the studio tours!

Cottager News!

A quick round-up of what we've all been up to, when not bloggin' for The Little Crooked Cottage. :)

New Book Deals. . .

Cottager Kara LaReau just got a two-book deal for a chapter book series called THE INFAMOUS RATSOS! The books, about mischievous brothers (who happen to be rats), will be published by Candlewick Press. Read the deal announcement in Publishers Weekly. Congratulations Kara!

Anika Denise's MONSTER TRUCKS, a picture book about a Halloween race with monster trucks of every kind and a little blue bus that may not be what she appears to be, was acquired by Harper Children's. The talented Nate Wragg has signed on to illustrate. Read more about the deal on the Folio Jr. website. Congtratulations Anika and Nate!

New Representation. . .

Cottager Jamie Michalak has signed on with the fabulous Victoria Wells Arms of Wells Arms Literary! After twenty years on the editorial and publisher side of the business, Victoria has recently jumped the fence and opened her New York City-based agency, and we can't be more thrilled for her. You can read all about Victoria Wells Arms Literary here! Congratulations Jamie and Victoria! 

Upcoming Publications. . .

HUNG UP by Kristen Tracy will be released in hardcover on March 4th, 2014 (Simon Pulse).

Can you fall in love with a voice? This witty romance, told entirely through phone calls, chronicles the tale of a wrong number gone right.

It all started with a wrong number. The voicemails Lucy left on James's phone were meant for someone else - someone who used to have James's digits. But then when James finally answers and the two start to talk, a unique bond forms between the two teens.

Gradually Lucy and James begin to understand each other on a deeper level than anyone else in their lives. But when James wants to meet in person, Lucy is strangely resistant. And when her secret is revealed, he'll understand why…

NO SLURPING, NO BURPING! A Tale of Table Manners by Kara LaReau; illustrated by Lorelay Bové will be released March 4th, 2014 (Disney-Hyperion).

Evie and Simon always mind their manners. But sometimes, they have to mind their father's, too! In this humorous spin on manners books, two kids teach their father everything he needs to know about mealtime etiquette. Everything is going well, until a surprise visitor arrives for dinner! Will Father be able to remember all of Evie and Simon's lessons?

Awards and Reviews. . .

Jamie's latest Joe and Sparky book, JOE AND SPARKY GO TO SCHOOL, is a 2013 Cybils finalist in the Early Reader category! 

http://www.cybils.com/2013-finalists-easy-readers.html

Congratulations to Jamie and to all of the amazing finalists! (You can find a list of them here.) Winners will be announced next month.

HUNG UP by Kristen Tracy
March 4th, 2014 (Simon Pulse)

"In a narrative rendered entirely in voice mails, text messages and transcribed phone conversations, James and Lucy gradually go from strangers to romance.

Lucy starts it off by calling what she thinks is the customer-service number of a company she's ordered a plaque from, but it's actually James' new phone number. The company is defunct, and the order Lucy placed with such care is never going to arrive. Both Lucy and James live in Vermont and go to high school; Lucy's in Montpelier, and James lives in Burlington. Once they get past the initial confusion, their conversations are full of teasing, casual and funny. As the back and forth continues, more serious subjects gradually arise, and eventually they become confidants, more candid with each other in this mediated relationship than they might be in person. However, each of them has something that they hide from the other that their friends already know. And each does something that the other might consider unforgivable. How the friendship heals while the characters remain true to themselves is conveyed in the continuing encounters.

Appealing characters stand out in a quick read that is a lighthearted look at how real friendships develop, grow and deepen."

Finally, we'd all like to congratulate Mr. Pig on his well-deserved PIXIE for hosting Mr. Pig Live!  If you haven't heard of the PIXIE AWARDS, let's just say they're like The Golden Globes of The Enchanted Woods, which, as you know, is where The Little Crooked Cottage is located.

Mr. Pig's been a little hard to live with after winning this award... he wears sunglasses all the time and keeps calling everyone "babe," but we'll let him have his Hollywood moment. Congrats Mr. Pig!

Cottager News & Events

The Little Crooked Cottagers have finally cleaned up all of the stray banana peels from their housewarming party. Thanks to all who came! Good news: the Muffin Man finally went home. Here's more good news from the Cottage and an invitation.

New agent news! Anika Denise is now represented by Emily van Beek of Folio Jr. (Woot-woot!)

Book party! September 7th, 1-3, Barrington Books: You're invited to Jamie's book launch party of Joe and Sparky Go To School!  It's a back-to-school celebration with face painting, a book signing, giveaways, games, a raffle, and a watermelon carved into the shape of a turtle (if she can manage it).