For day 16 of #18DaysToMGDebut, I’m talking about what inspired the book’s setting. THE BOY, THE BOAT, AND THE BEAST opens in one of my favorite places: a beach, golden sand stretching out against a never-ending blue ocean, with waves creeping up then retreating, creeping and retreating. I grew up in the Caribbean, and the…
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For day 17 of #18DaysToMGDebut, I’m talking about my favorite comp title for THE BOY, THE BOAT, AND THE BEAST. When I was first pitching this book, my comp titles were HATCHET by Gary Paulsen meets TV’s LOST. Pretty accurate, I think, and I love both of these. Gary Paulsen’s HATCHET is about a 13-year-old…
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THE BOY, THE BOAT, AND THE BEAST comes out in stores in 18 days! And that means I get to start my own #18DaysToMGDebut countdown. If you haven’t seen it, the #18DaysToMGDebut hashtag was developed by the lovely Laurie Morrison, a fellow 2018 middle-grade debut author whose book, EVERY SHINY THING, co-written with Cordelia Jensen,…
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Saturday marked the one month pre-versary of the release of THE BOY, THE BOAT, AND THE BEAST and there are so many thoughts running through my head and emotions in my heart. I’ve loved stories since I was a kid. I was obsessed with spending as much time as possible at the library. No amount…
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THE BOY, THE BOAT, AND THE BEAST comes out in a little over two months and a friend was asking me recently what they should read while they waited, books that are similar in tone, feel and subject matter. My mind went blank for a few minutes — as it often does now while I…
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Librarians are some of the best people in the world. They are the curators and givers of wonder and awe in the form of books filled with stories. They protect and share our history and culture, in both nonfiction and fiction. And they usually have the best T-shirts. So is it any surprise that I’m…
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Three months! THE BOY, THE BOAT, AND THE BEAST is coming out in only three short months! So, of course, that calls for a celebration and… a giveaway. To celebrate, I’m really excited to reveal the animated version of the cover for THE BOY, THE BOAT, AND THE BEAST! I was thrilled when I saw…
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I just finished writing the acknowledgements for THE BOY, THE BOAT, AND THE BEAST, and they’re extensive! Nothing we do in this world is done within a vacuum, and this book has been blessed by a lot of people during its life so far. With Thanksgiving next week, I thought I’d highlight some of the…
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