Lots of news to catch up on! My recent trip to the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, included stops at Birchbark Books, The Red Balloon Bookshop, Next Chapter Booksellers, and more. Just letting booksellers know that Touch of Gold is now available for in-store sales in the US, and that I’m a Minnesota native and would love to set up signing events when I’m in town. Please spread the word!

I’m thrilled to report that Touch of Gold has been nominated for the Hackmatack Children’s Choice Book Award. This means that over the next year, children all over Atlantic Canada will be reading my book, and other nominated titles, and then will vote for their favorites. And just before the big vote in May 2017 I will go on tour, visiting schools in the region to talk with readers about Touch of Gold. I’m really looking forward to that, and am very grateful to the Hackmatack Committee for nominating my book. To read more about the Hackmatack Award, visit their website.

I’m also excited that Touch of Gold is being featured in the Canadian Children’s Book Centre’s Best Books for Kids & Teens 2016. The CCBC is a national, not-for-profit organization that has been supporting and promoting Canadian children’s literature since 1976. It is an honor to be included in their guide to the best new books of the year. Thank you, CCBC! To read more about Best Books for Kids & Teens 2016, and the CCBC’s programs, visit their website.

I’m delighted, too, that Touch of Gold is one of the titles selected for Woozles Bookstore’s popular Battle of the Books 2017. Every year, staff at Nova Scotia’s most popular children’s bookstore choose books from many different categories to include in the Battle. Woozles then invites schools to register and create teams of four students, who will compete against teams from other schools. The teams read all the books and are quizzed on their knowledge. The team that wins the most points answering questions about the books wins the Battle. Go teams! To read more about Battle of the Books, check out Woozles’ website.

Finally, just in case you’re interested, I’ve also been hard at work on my second novel, another children’s book for ages 8 to 13. It’s set at a horse camp in Cole Harbour, Nova Scotia (right next door to my home city of Dartmouth), and involves some history, a mystery, and, of course, lots of horses! Stay tuned!

Whew, that was a lot of news! Please check back for updates, and to find out how Touch of Gold fares in the Hackmatack Award vote and Woozles’ Battle of the Books. And thanks for keeping in touch!