Spotlight

Indie Corner – Todd Mitchell

Back to the Indie Corner series Rebooted for the Indie Corner, I was so happy to read Todd Mitchell’s fantastic children’s book–for ages nine and up–The Last Panther (Penguin Random House, 2019). Todd and I talked about his endearing novel, set in future Florida. About The Last Panther When eleven-year-old […]

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After the Dragons, Cynthia Zhang

Click here to return to the series About the Book This month we head to Beijing, China, as we talk with Cynthia Zhang about her newest novel, After the Dragons (Stelliform Press, 2021). Dragons were fire and terror to the Western world, but in the East they brought life-giving rain…Now, […]

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Santa Soaked, Carl Lindemann

Thanks to author Carl Lindemann for reaching out to me about his illustrated children’s book Santa Soaked: A Story for All Ages. From Carl: This is part of a larger communication project. A key element here is transforming Santa from his current role as Patron Saint of Consumerism to a […]

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Indie Corner – Sonia Myers

Back to the Indie Corner series It was great to talk with Sonia Meyers about her first novel, We Have Something to Say!, a children’s book. Sonia Myers started her writing career at the Half Moon Bay Review newspaper, contributing articles and reporting on sports. She is currently a middle-school […]

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Indie Corner – Jennifer Harrington

Back to the Indie Corner series This is a rebooted interview with Jennifer Harrington, a Toronto-based illustrator, graphic designer, and author of children’s eco-books. I wanted to bring her important children’s book back into focus. Since this interview, Harrington has also published ABC: Animal Babies of Canada, 123 Beneath the […]

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Spotlight – Premee Mohamed

Click here to return to the series This month we travel virtually to Alberta, the home of Premee Mohamed and also where her novella The Annual Migration of Clouds (ECW Press, September 2021) takes place. I admit to being drawn to this book because I often search for fiction about […]

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Spotlight – Bijal Vachharajani

Click here to return to the series I virtually met author Bijal Vachharajani this past summer at Scotland’s CYMERA Festival of Science-Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror Writing. We talked with host and author Lauren James, along with author James Bradley, about how we were motivated to write stories that focus around […]

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The Girl and the Grove, Eric Smith

Young Adult Fiction Reviewed by Kimberly Christensen High school junior Leila has bounced between group homes and foster homes for her whole life—until her recent adoption. Whenever things felt chaotic in her personal life, Leila found solace in nature. Environmentalism became her passion—so much so that she and her best […]

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Spotlight – Venetia Welby

Click here to return to the series I had the wonderful opportunity to connect with author Venetia Welby late last year and learn about her novel Dreamtime (Salt Publishing, September 2021). Signed copies are available from UK bookshop Burley Fisher here, and here is the Amazon UK link. I’ll admit […]

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Indie Corner – Emma Reynolds

Back to the Indie Corner series I was thrilled to talk with Emma Reynolds, author of the just-out children’s book Amara and the Bats, a beautifully written and illustrated story that reminds us of the determination of youth and the importance of bats. Emma Reynolds is an illustrator and author […]

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Spotlight – Matt Bell, Appleseed

Click here to return to the series I was happy to reach author Matt Bell to talk about his new novel Appleseed (Custom Press, July 2021), a highly anticipated novel that takes our world eco-fiction series to the United States, where the story takes place in three timelines, across the […]

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Orleans, Sherri L. Smith

Orleans by Sherri L. Smith Young Adult Fiction Reviewed by Kimberly Christensen Reading novels about the environment requires a certain amount of getting comfortable with potential dystopian futures. For example, it would be extremely difficult to avert a climate crisis without thinking through the logical outcomes of the current course […]

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Spotlight – Neus Figueras

Click here to return to the series I’m rebooting an indie corner interview I had with author Neus Figueras, whose children’s book Lorac is beautifully illustrated and written. Inspired by the coral reefs near Myanmar, where Neus spent time doing restoration, this story is aimed toward the younger generation but […]

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Spotlight – Yaba Badoe

Click here to return to the series About the Book This book is told in beautiful, lyrical prose that swept me away … This book has great diverse representation and shows three girls standing up for what they believe in. This novel doesn’t lament what we have lost as much […]

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Indie Corner – Anne Coray

Back to the Indie Corner series I’m thrilled to introduce author Anne Coray to the Indie Corner spotlight. As a lifelong Alaskan, place has always helped define Anne. Born in a log cabin on Lake Clark (first named by the Dena’ina Athabaskans Qizhjeh Vena), she spent her first two years […]

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