Tag Archives: author

My book is here!!!

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It is hard to believe… but nearly two years after I signed the publishing contract… and nearly four years after I completed the first draft… and after more than two decades of dreaming about this moment… my debut novel is out in the world today!!

THE BEST WEEK THAT NEVER HAPPENED is a love story set in Hawaii, with a dash of mystery and magic, about living each day to the fullest. It is available as a print book, an ebook, and an audiobook — wherever books are sold!

Amazon / IndieBound / Barnes & Noble / Target / Books-A-Million / Book Depository

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ABOUT THE BOOK:

“This debut novel is captivating and moving. A dazzling, emotional story of love, loss, and living in the moment.”—Kirkus Reviews

After her parents’ bitter divorce, family vacations to the Big Island in Hawaii ceased. But across the miles, eighteen-year-old Tegan Rossi remains connected to local Kai Kapule, her best friend from childhood. Now, Tegan finds herself alone and confused about how she got to the Big Island. With no wallet, no cell phone, purse, or plane ticket, Tegan struggles to piece together what happened. She must have come to surprise-visit Kai. Right?

As the teens grow even closer, Tegan pushes aside her worries and gets swept away in the vacation of her dreams. But each morning, Tegan startles awake from nightmares that become more difficult to ignore. Something is eerily amiss. Why is there a strange gap in her memory? Why can’t she reach her parents or friends from home? And what’s with the mysterious hourglass tattoo over her heart?

Kai promises to help Tegan figure out what is going on. But the answers they find only lead to more questions. As the week unfolds, Tegan will experience the magic of first love, the hope of second chances, and the bittersweet joy and grief of being human.

best week promo image-01

Due to COVID-19, I unfortunately had to postpone all my bookstore events… but the silver lining is that I am doing a virtual book launch that anyone can attend from the comfort of their homes around the world!

On Sunday, April 26th at 2pm PST I will go live on Facebook and YouTube!

For the livestream, I will have a book talk, reading, and Q&A that will be led by the young adult authors Tobie Easton & Jennieke Cohen.

Prizes will also be given out! There will be small prizes for those who participate in a trivia game that will be run in the comments (themed bookmark, postcard, and temporary tattoos!) There will also be some bigger prizes!

Please add the event to your calendar and invite anyone who might be interested!

best week facebook cover

There is even a book trailer! Special thanks to Demi Bernice Eslit & Bryan Murphy for their help with production.

It’s also been really fun to connect with book bloggers and websites who have been kind enough to help spread the word about my book! Here is a sampling:

Cover reveal & excerpt of The Best Week That Never Happened on The Nerd Daily

Exclusive excerpt of The Best Week That Never Happened on Hypable

Guest post on School Library Journal’s Teen Librarian Toolbox: Writing Our Way Through Grief

Guest post on Novel Novice: The Day I Finished My Novel

Interview with The YA Sh3lf

Interview with The Indie View

Interview on Mark Gottlieb Talks Books

Interview with The Writer Librarian

This has truly been one of the best days of my life!! My heart is so full. I feel so supported and loved– and in this time of social distancing, I feel connected to all of you! Thank you for your support of me and my dreams!

And look what my publisher just sent me: THE BEST WEEK THAT NEVER HAPPENED is ranked on Amazon New Releases #2 for the print book and #4 for the ebook! 😍 Thank you!!

best week amazon rankings

some happy news in scary times: my debut novel is being published!

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Ever since I was a little girl, it has been my dream to publish a novel. And now, after years of writing and rejection and more writing, after three other novel manuscripts that live in my computer hard-drive… that dream is coming true!

Books have always been a solace for me during tough times. When I feel stressed, overwhelmed, scared, anxious… I can escape into the world of a story and let my mind relax for a little while. I hope that my book can be such a gift for others during this global pandemic.

THE BEST WEEK THAT NEVER HAPPENED is now available for pre-order! It is being released in paperback, as an ebook and as an audiobook.https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1951710118 

Why is pre-ordering important for authors? (Especially debut novelists like me, especially during times like these?) Well, the number of pre-orders tells the publisher, booksellers, and industry as a whole how much desire and interest there is in your book. The first few weeks can make or break a book, and the first novel can make or break an author’s publishing chances in the future.

I would be incredibly grateful if you take the time to pre-order my book!

Read an excerpt of the beginning here on The Nerd Daily & another excerpt here on Hypable!

 

ABOUT THE BOOK 

After her parents’ bitter divorce, family vacations to the Big Island in Hawaii ceased. But across the miles, eighteen-year-old Tegan Rossi remains connected to local Kai Kapule, her best friend from childhood. Now, Tegan finds herself alone and confused about how she got to the Big Island. With no wallet, no cell phone, purse, or plane ticket, Tegan struggles to piece together what happened. She must have come to surprise-visit Kai. Right?

As the teens grow even closer, Tegan pushes aside her worries and gets swept away in the vacation of her dreams. But each morning, Tegan startles awake from nightmares that become more difficult to ignore. Something is eerily amiss. Why is there a strange gap in her memory? Why can’t she reach her parents or friends from home? And what’s with the mysterious hourglass tattoo over her heart?

Kai promises to help Tegan figure out what is going on. But the answers they find only lead to more questions. As the week unfolds, Tegan will experience the magic of first love, the hope of second chances, and the bittersweet joy and grief of being human.

My friend, the amazing young artist Nicole Ham, created two gorgeous custom paintings for the book’s pre-order campaign! Everyone who pre-orders the book will receive a digital print of each of these paintings! 

PRE-ORDER PRIZES

To receive your bonus goodies + be entered to win the grand prize, all you need to do is forward your proof of purchase and your mailing address to bestweekbookorder@gmail.com.

PRE-ORDER ONE COPY of THE BEST WEEK THAT NEVER HAPPENED and RECEIVE…

  • a free ebook of my newly released 15th anniversary edition of 3 a.m.: a collection of short stories, including three new stories
  • a signed, personalized bookplate
  • a matching bookmark
  • two temporary tattoos: an hourglass and a gecko (you’ll understand their significance after reading the book!)
  •  two downloadable digital prints of custom artwork created by Nicole Ham specifically for The Best Week That Never Happened

PRE-ORDER TWO COPIES of THE BEST WEEK THAT NEVER HAPPENED and RECEIVE…

  • all of the above
  • a gecko charm bracelet (also related to the plot of the book!)

PRE-ORDER THREE OR MORE COPIES of THE BEST WEEK THAT NEVER HAPPENED and RECEIVE…

  • all of the above
  • a print copy of my newly released 15th anniversary edition of 3 a.m.: a collection of short stories, including three new stories!

Also, for every copy you pre-order, you’ll be entered to win…

THE GRAND PRIZE:

  • a 30-minute call with me to discuss your writing, talk about how to get published, answer your questions about the book, or whatever your heart desires!
  • a prize package I’ve created just for you from Hawaii: chocolate-covered macadamia nuts, Ohana Bros addictive kettle chips, the best Kona coffee, and a beautiful mug

To receive your bonus goodies + be entered to win the grand prize, all you need to do is forward your proof of purchase and your mailing address to bestweekbookorder@gmail.com.

PRAISE

“This debut novel is captivating and moving. . . A dazzling, emotional story of love, loss, and living in the moment.” —Kirkus Reviews

“A poignant and gripping heart-tug of a page-turner filled with heart and hope. I couldn’t put it down. Magic.” —Jennifer Niven, New York Times bestselling author of All the Bright Places and Holding Up the Universe

“Dallas Woodburn weaves a bittersweet love story between star-crossed lovers—thwarted not only by distance but also by insurmountable tragedy. This captivating, poignant story is perfect for teens on the brink of discovering who they are and what really matters.” —Natalie Lund, author of We Speak in Storms

 

I hope you are staying safe and healthy, my friends! Thank you for taking the time to visit my little corner of the blogosphere today, and thank you for always being so supportive of my writing dreams. ❤

a year of living simply: week 10

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Hello, friends! It’s been way too long since I’ve checked in with you guys. I took an unintentional blogging break when I traveled down south to visit my brother and my parents for a long weekend. My brother organized this fantastic event about girls education for USC’s “EdMonth” and I did not want to miss it! Thanks to an inexpensive flight on Southwest, I was able to rearrange my tutoring schedule and travel to L.A. to attend. Greg is passionate about women’s rights and his enthusiasm shined throughout the evening! He recruited amazingly impressive and eloquent panelists to talk about “The Girl Effect: From Why to How.” It was such an inspiring event and I am SO proud of him for putting it all together!

greg edmonth panel

greg edmonth panel

I took advantage of being down in Southern California to visit my parents in Ventura before I headed back to the Bay. It’s always so relaxing and happy to spend time with my parents. On Sunday we went to a talk by Garth Stein, author of the wonderful book The Art of Racing in the Rain. I am fascinated to hear other writers talk about their process, and Mr. Stein was as insightful as he was humorous! I also ate way too many strawberries {Mom bought an entire flat from a local farm}, visited with Gramps, and played many rounds of fetch with crazy-eyed Mr. Mur-dog. Soaking up time with my family always makes my soul feel refreshed.

me and greg

Now, onto the simplicity…

year of living simply

Last week’s challenge was to get rid of some paper clutter in your life. I cleared out my box of old receipts and also organized my tutoring folder, which had become a mess of worksheets and assignments. Now I have everything organized based on age/grade level. Moving forward, my challenge will be to take a little time each week to do inventory and KEEP the folder organized. I am motivated to do so, because I feel much more prepared going into each tutoring session — I know that I will be able to find what I am looking for to engage my students!

This week’s challenge is related to paper clutter… time to tackle the magazine clutter in your life! Magazines pile up in my house so quickly, especially The New Yorker, which comes weekly. They tend to grow into a pile that I tell myself I will read “one day…” {Sound familiar to anyone else?} This week I’m going to take a hard look at my magazine subscriptions, decide which ones I don’t need to renew any longer, and donate all the magazines I honestly don’t plan on reading.

Do you have magazines to get rid of, too? Don’t just toss ’em — donate ’em! I’ve donated magazines in the past, and libraries have always been grateful to receive them. You could also consider donating magazines to nursing homes, hospitals, or community centers.

Before I go, an update: I have become a podcast junkie! I especially love This American Life, RadioLab, and Invisibilia. In the past few weeks I’ve learned about:

Questions for the morning:

  • Do you listen to podcasts? If so, what are your favorites?
  • What paper clutter did you get rid of?
  • Do you subscribe to magazines?
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My new teaching mantra!

wisdom from “abide with me” by elizabeth strout

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abide with me

This weekend, I read Abide with Me by Elizabeth Strout — what a beautifully written, poignant, luminous novel! I loved it. The main character, Tyler Caskey, is a minister in a small New England town in the 1950s, and the book explores what happens to him — and his congregation — in the wake of terrible loss. If you’re looking for a good summer read that will make you think, I’d highly recommend this book.

I wanted to share some quotes with you from the novel that really struck me:

“Oh, we are far less important than we thought we were, and we are far, far more important than we think we are. Do you imagine that the scientist and the poet are not united? Do you assume you can answer the question of who we are and why we are here by rational thought alone? It is your job, your honor, your birthright, to bear the burden of this mystery. And it is your job to ask, in every thought, word, and deed: How can love be served?” – pg. 268

“No one, to my knowledge, has figured out the secret to love. We love imperfectly, Tyler. We all do. Even Jesus wrestled with that. But I think — I think the ability to receive love is as important as the ability to give it. It’s one and the same, really.” – pg. 285

elizabeth strout

“I tell stories because life fascinates me, baffles me, intrigues me, awes me. And by writing about the world — the natural, human world — I experience these feelings in a way that makes me both joyous and sad, and that brings me face-to-face with what I believe lies behind the mystery of our existence. I can only hope that readers will not only be entertained by the stories I tell, but be moved to reckon with their own sense of mystery and awe. Through the telling of stories and the reading of stories, we have a chance to see something about ourselves and others that maybe we knew, but didn’t know we knew. We can wonder for a moment if, for all our separate histories, we are not more alike than different after all.” – pg. 299-300 (Author’s Note)

Have any of you read Abide with Me? What did you think?

What books have you read and loved lately?