End of Year Round Up

I spent decades building my blog audience and platform for the grand moment when I published my first novel. On October 10th, SHIRA & ESTHER’S DOUBLE DREAM DEBUT (Chronicle Books, 2023) made it’s way into the world, and I failed to report about it here.

The good news is that I was documenting the experience on my Instagram @annawritedraw. Below are some of the pictures from the various events.

I’m grateful to the independent book stores who hosted me: Politics & Prose (launch), Books of Wonder (Jewish Middle Grade panel), and People’s Book (Jewish Representation in Children’s Literature). What a pleasure to meet and speak with fellow authors and interested readers. Shout out to my students who came to the launch and asked the most sophisticated questions!

I’ve taken some time from teaching my own classes to visit other classrooms and schools. Thanks to An Open Book Foundation for connecting me with other DCPS classrooms and buying each student a book!

Finally, SHIRA & ESTHER’S DOUBLE DREAM DEBUT is ending the year with some very exciting accolades!

Kirkus Reviews Best Middle Grade 2023 (starred review)
Publishers Weekly Best Middle Grade 2023 (starred review)
Tablet Magazine “The Best Jewish Children’s Books 2023”

This has been a difficult time to have a Jewish-themed book out in the world. H@mas invaded Israel on October 7th and my book launched on October 10th. I’ve been balancing intense grief and some fear with the joy of accomplishing a long-held goal and the pride that comes from years and years of hard work. I’m so grateful to the fantastic team at Chronicle Books, to my agent, my dear friends, and the wonderful readers who keep letting me know how much they love the book. Thank you so much.

Wishing everyone a new year filled with peace, love, and light.

It’s a Giveaway! VIRTUAL AUTHOR VISIT AND MUCH, MUCH MORE

There are three days left until my book, SHIRA & ESTHER’S DOUBLE DREAM DEBUT is officially launched and available for purchase everywhere you buy books.

Until then, teachers and librarians have the opportunity to enter a read-aloud giveaway.

Anyone who enters, gets placed in a drawing for a Virtual Author Visit!

Here’s how you enter:

Follow me on Instagram or Facebook
Tag another teacher or librarian so you can spread the love!

So easy!

Here’s what you get:

One hardcover copy of SHIRA & ESTHER’S DOUBLE DREAM DEBUT—a perfect read aloud for 4th, 5th, and 6th graders.
One poster to mount in your class or library (or to giveaway as a student reading prize.)
One class set of super-cute double-sided bookmarks
An entry in drawing for a VIRTUAL AUTHOR VISIT

The deadline is Monday night, October 9th at midnight.

Please enter today!

Shira & Esther are seeing stars!

There are things that authors hope and wish for. The first is publication. Next, one dreams of stars. I’m so pleased to post here that my upcoming novel, SHIRA & ESTHER’S DOUBLE DREAM DEBUT has received not one, but two starred reviews!

★ “Readers will love this sparkling intergenerational ode to chutzpah and Jewish joy.” — Publishers Weekly, starred review

This review is live online now and can be found here in its entirety.

★ “The characters peopling Jordan’s debut novel could not be more vibrantly real. Adult readers may wish they were young again, so this could instantly become their favorite book.” — Kirkus Reviews

Here’s the link for the Kirkus review!

For more information about the book including links to videos and images that inspired the book, media coverage, upcoming events, and more, please click here.

Free Books for Kids!

The District of Columbia Public Library newsletter just popped up in my in-box, and I was thrilled to see that DC has a “Books from Birth” program. Early childhood literacy is a crucial building block for later education and parent/child bonding.

The Books from Birth program is open to all children under the age of five who live in Washington, D.C. All enrolled children receive a free book in the mail each month from birth until they turn five.
https://www.dclibrary.org/using-the-library/books-birth

DC partners with the Dolly Parton Imagination Library. According to their website, the program has provided free books for 1 in 10 children under the age of 5 in the U.S. Head to the Imagination Library website to see if you can register your child.

Your state may also have a state program. Google “your state + free books for kids” to get a list of links. Many of them are partnered with Imagination Library but some provide books through other education, private, or health-based grants.

PJ Library provides free books to Jewish Children and their families. You can sign up on their website for books that center Jewish values and culture. PJ Library is specifically for younger children but children 8.5 to 13 can enjoy middle-grade books through PJ Our Way.

Marketing Monday: Press Kits!

When I was a teen, I’d go to my mother’s communications and public relations office to help after school. In those dinosaur-roaming, pre-internet days, people typed up press releases, sent them out to reporters and editors, then called each media outlet to follow up. I had three main jobs: 1) put-together mailings (read: stuff and seal envelopes), 2) make follow-up calls, 3) stuff press kits for press conferences.

Times have changed. Snail mail is quaint, and while I love a conference folder, there are digital alternatives. On this website, I’ve added a downloadable zipped file on my “Books” and my “Creative Speaking/Press” pages. Creating a zipped file is easy. Just shift + click on the documents you need to zip together, right-click, and choose “compress file.”

To start, a media or press kit doesn’t need to be fancy. Ask your publisher for the “one sheet” they’ve created for the book. This has your book information (title, launch date, ISBN, etc.), a picture of the cover, any blurbs, and a picture of you with your bio. I’ve added a high res image of the cover and a few author photo options in case people need them for posting or for school and bookstore visits. Make sure to include the credits for the illustrator and photographer.

Finally, update your media kit. As the book goes out in the world, you may have nice reviews, stars, or awards to add on. Fingers crossed!

Goodbye, May! Hello, Meadow!

If you live in the high mountains of California, like my friend Terry Pierce, then you still have snow up to your windows!

Terry posted this image just this week! 5/28/23

But like those of us who just celebrated Memorial Day pool openings, soon Terry will be surrounded by blooming meadows. Her most recent book, HELLO, MEADOW!, shows little nature lovers how to easily protect meadows while enjoying the flower-filled, grassy space.

Click here to view HELLOW, MEADOW! On the Yosemite Conservancy Website.

This book combines rhythmic rhyme and saturated illustrations (by Nadia Sarell) with information about conservation and environmental etiquette. Footsteps and picnics are even more fun when we all respect the meadow habitat. It’s never too early to learn to be good stewards of the Earth and this book is perfect for ages six months to three years. The book, published by the Yosemite Conservancy, is a fantastic companion to Terry’s first book, EAT UP, BEAR!

Click here to view EAT UP, BEAR! on the Yosemite Conservancy website.

If you enjoyed my book THIS PUP STEPS UP with a young reader, you’ll love HELLO, MEADOW!

World…meet Shira and Esther

Something very exciting has been happening; the ARCs (advanced reader copies) of my book SHIRA AND ESTHER’S DOUBLE DREAM DEBUT are making their way into the world! After working on a book for years and years (and years) it’s been pretty fantastic to finally have people read it.

I’m grateful for the reception that Shira and Esther have found. On Instagram, Ari’s Book Addiction posted a lovely review for Jewish American Heritage Month. You can view that here!

That caught the eye of Afoma over at the blog Reading Middle Grade, and she included Shira and Esther in a list of 25 Best Jewish Middle-Grade Books. The post features “middle grade books by Jewish authors about Jewish kids,” where the character’s Jewish identity is integral to the story. Thank you, Afoma for recognizing the need for this representation! Sign up for her Friday Kidlit Newsletter with weekly roundups, kidlit resources, and more.

Are you a bookstagram influencer, podcast producer, or blog editor who focuses on children’s books and/or Jewish representation? I’d love to introduce you to Shira and Esther! Please leave me a note on the contact page and I’ll let my publicist know you need an ARC too. And if you discover Shira and Esther on the internet or IRL, please leave a message or tag me @annawritedraw!

Poetry Friday? It’s Poetry Month! (But you knew that.)

Around the blogosphere, there have fantastic posts all month about April, National Poetry Month. If you haven’t been privy to the wealth of words please see this 2023 National Poetry Month Kidlitosphere Roundup from the incomparable Jama Rattigan on her fantastic blog, Jama’s Alphabet Soup.

As with many celebratory “months,” I firmly believe that poetry should be enjoyed all year round–read it, write it, buy it! Here are a few of new few of my new favorite purchases.

I’m a huge fan of Dr. William Carlos Williams, and I’ve slipped this tiny red volume in my bag to go with me everywhere and anytime I need a poem. Place is so important to Williams; he has a knack for specific details about everyday things that change how you see your surroundings.

The Path to Kindness, is an anthology to pick up when you need a moment of sunshine in an otherwise dark world. In “Grandmother,” Kate Duignan writes of the bond forged over separated eggs when making a cake. Julia Alvarez’s contribution includes “Love Portions,” about the balance and imbalance of relationships and domestic work. Each poem, as mentioned in the subtitle, illuminates connection and joy.

Dorothy Parker keeps it light with mostly rhymed verse in Enough Rope. Parker lived from 1893-1967. Many of the poems have a turn-of-the-century sensibility.

EXPERIENCE
Some men break your heart in two,
Some men fawn and flatter,
Some men never look at you;
And that cleans up the matter.

Love Poems (for Anxious People) by John Kenney is entirely modern and hilarious. Titles of the poems include: “Here comes someone whose name I should know,” “A friend hasn’t texted me back yet and I am totally fine with that,” and “To the man on his phone at 7-Eleven who bumped into me and spilled iced coffee on my pants and said, “Whoops,” and then walked away.” I couldn’t stop laughing. These are poems that you finish and you can’t help but laugh at the you you see in the poem.

While these are all poems written for the adult market, I would be remiss if I didn’t take this poetry month moment to remind you of my poems in the anthology, The Proper Way to Meet a Hedgehog and Other How-to Poems, which include “Playin’ Jacks” and “Fireworks.” This Pup Steps Up for the youngest readers also features an extended poem with rhymed couplets. Pick yours up today and happy Poetry Month!

A Knish is Love Part 2: The origin of the sticker

Did you read part 1? Don’t worry, I’ve got you covered. In my last post, I unveiled my fun new sticker from the fictional Morty’s Deli in my upcoming middle-grade book, SHIRA AND ESTHER’S DOUBLE DREAM DEBUT, on sale October 10, 2023. The sticker and a signed book is available to those who preorder the book from my local independent bookstore, Politics & Prose. Do that now! I’ll wait.

The sticker’s origin is a quote from the book:

A sign on the door says best knishes in idylldale. What? It’s not bragging if it’s the truth—and if there’s one thing you want from a deli man, it’s the truth.
Morty in SHIRA AND ESTHER’S DOUBLE DREAM DEBUT by Anna E. Jordan

But where is Idylldale and what is a knish? For the first question, I don’t want to steal my narrator’s thunder. I’ll simply say that Idylldale is the setting in the novel. It’s part Manhattan’s Lower East Side and part Catskill Mountains Borscht Belt resort (see below for a map of vintage Jewish Resorts and Hotels).

Jewish food and culture tie these two geographical regions together. Every culture has its filled pastry: dumplings, bao, meat pies, and Jewish culture has the knish. As Morty, the deli owner, says in my book:

Kinder. You already know that when you are very, very hungry, almost anything—with the exception of liverwurst with onions—tastes good. But Morty’s knish is not just anything. Did I already say they are the best in Idylldale? What? You never had a knish? Imagine the lightest, fluffiest mashed potatoes wrapped in a piecrust and baked to perfection. You got it? Yes? No. It’s not like that at all. A knish is better than a fluffy biscuit, better than a melt-in-your-mouth donut, a knish is love.
Morty in SHIRA AND ESTHER’S DOUBLE DREAM DEBUT by Anna E. Jordan

A Knish is Love Part 1: Reasons to Preorder my book!

If you’ve been following along, you know that I recently received my advanced reader copies for my middle-grade debut novel, SHIRA AND ESTHER’S DOUBLE DREAM DEBUT. The book won’t be in your bookstore until October 10, 2023, but here are a few good reasons why you should preorder yours now.

We’ve all seen what happens when the supply chain is interrupted. When there is unexpected demand, it can take a long time for production to catch up. When you preorder, the publishing company can gauge demand for the book and order accordingly.
A successful preorder campaign creates buzz for a book and builds anticipation for the launch. Especially if you, the consumer, posts about your purchase and support!
Sales of foreign rights and other rights are more likely to be successful if the book has buzz.
Independent bookstores often purchase only one or two copies of a book (especially from a debut author) if they are unsure how it will do. If you order from your local independent bookstore now, they will have guaranteed sales and a reason to order more!
Finally, if you order from MY local independent bookstore, Politics & Prose, I will sign your book and add in a fun sticker from the fictional Morty’s Deli! Here’s the link to order SHIRA AND ESTHER’S DOUBLE DREAM DEBUT from Politics & Prose!