People, we have a cover! And it's so magical! Thrilled beyond words. A HUGE thank you and major props to Julie my cover director at She Writes Press, and to Brooke Warner and Lauren Wise for guiding me along through this amazing process. I'll let you all know when there is a reading or book signing after it comes out this August!
"Bridge of the Gods" is a middle grade fantasy set on the Oregon coast in 1908. Chloe Ashton, an only child, has a special way with nature. Animals approach her, follow her, and try to communicate with her. When a family tragedy results in Chloe being abducted and sold to the vagabonds, she is taken deeper into the woods and finds out just how much the animals know. Set at time when technology is first appearing around the country, there is still a lot of old, natural magic in the land.
There are some really fun characters both animal and human, and Book Two is already written!
I read a lot. I always have. Even though I'm busy like everyone else, distracted by screens, and haven't seen the inside of the library in about three years, I am constantly reading. What are you reading you might ask? My answer - all of the books on my shelves. Over, and over. I have a bit of a collection having worked at the largest independent bookstore in the world (shout out to Powell's Books!) for three years, as a generalist, which is to say in every room. Handling all those books, all those treasures, gave me a wide scope of appreciation for the craft of book making, and I particularly collected older books, out of print books, and children's books.
My favorite genre? Middle Readers. Since I was a middle reader myself. And my shelves reflect it - I have wonderful original editions of all the classics from "A Cricket in Time Square" to "The Black Stallion" to the entire "Little House" series - all hardback, from the 1960's and earlier - carefully mylared (book nerd alert) - and treasured. And read, and re-read. Because middle readers are about imagination. About stories, adventures, early discoveries in life. Before the Young Adult angst sets in, before sex and cell phones start dominating the mind, when magic and animals and the simplicity of life take center stage. That is my wheelhouse. And that is why I wrote a middle grade series. I wanted to be on my shelf somewhere next to E.B. White, George Selden, and Laura Ingalls Wilder. At least at my house.
The book will be published August 15th, 2017, and will be available in bookstores and on Amazon. Stay tuned for more exciting developments! xoxoxo Diane
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