 If you love a book you checked out from the library, borrowed from a friend, or received as an ARC, you can support that book in many ways, without spending any money.
Authors know that readers can't buy every book they love. But supporting a book in other ways is valuable because it helps other readers find it. It also makes it more likely that author will get to write other books you might also enjoy. That's what Parker Mills would call a win-win! 1. Share with friends and family! Word-of-mouth remains the best way for a book to succeed. Sharing about a book on your social media sites or in your classes or at work is a great way to help it reach many more people. 2. Leave reviews! Did you know you don't have to buy the book at Amazon or Barnes & Noble to leave a book review there? Especially with the pandemic, a lot of people are searching for books online. Reviews can be short and sweet--these are not school book reports. Reading reviews at these common retail options means more people can feel confident that a book will be a good fit for them. Goodreads and BookBub are reader-focused sites that really help spread the news of a book, too. You can write one review and post the same one to all of these locations! 3. Libraries and Lists: The Two-Part Power of the Patron
Readers actually have a lot of power in publishing. I just think a lot of people don't realize it. I sure didn't, until I was on this side of the book world, too. So be a super hero and boost a book! Share with friends, leave reviews, and recommend it for libraries and lists! I promise you, authors thank you from the bottom of our hearts!
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Almost time!
ROME REFRAMED will be here before we know it, and I'm so excited! It's upcoming release means a lot of fun things have been going on with this book. I'm thrilled to share this beautiful book trailer that Jolly Fish sent to me. Thank you to the whole Jolly Fish team and to Sarah Taplin, cover artist extraordinaire!
What others are saying:
Several amazing authors have read this book, and I'm so grateful for their kind words! Check out what they had to say:
"Who wouldn't love to travel back in time to ancient Rome? Amy Bearce cooks up her own magic with the help of a palm reader, a mysterious coin, and the Trevi Fountain. Another European hit!" -- Cindy Callaghan, Author: Just Add Magic, Sydney Mackenzie Knocks 'Em Dead, Saltwater Secrets. "I loved every single second of this story! A perfect mix of humor, history, adventure, and magic. I've never been to Rome, but after getting to explore the city and her history with Lucas, I feel like I have. Do yourself a favor: read this book!"--Tera Lynn Childs, author of Oh. My. Gods., Forgive My Fins, and Sweet Venom "From gladiators to Michelangelo, Rome jumps off the page for readers of ROME REFRAMED. Kids will love accompanying the good-hearted Lucas on his thrilling and illuminating journey through history."--Brigit Young, author of The Prettiest "Rome Reframed combines all the elements I love in fiction: travel, magic, history, and a little romance! Lucas is less than thrilled to be spending six months traveling through Europe with his parents, especially since his friends back home seem to be moving on without him. But as he tours Rome, an encounter with a mysterious palm reader thrusts him back in time. From gladiators to Michelangelo, Lucas (and the reader!) get to interact with the city’s history. Pre-teens who liked the Magic Tree House books will love this series for older readers!" -- Tara Gilboy, author of Rewritten and Unwritten
And School Library Journal also had lovely things to say, which makes me so happy!
"A charming fictional travel companion and inspiring message for burgeoning artists that sharing art takes courage." -- School Library Journal, Laura Dooley-Taylor, middle school librarian Find online:
Pre-order now! Ebook and paperback available.
IndieBound | Bookshop | Barnes & Noble | Amazon US | Goodreads | Kobo | Apple Books | Jolly Fish Press direct
It's also still available on NetGalley for now. Whenever you choose to read, I hope you'll find your imaginary time in Rome to be fun, educational, and most of all, inspiring!
Thanks for all the support, Amy  Good news for NetGalley users! Rome Reframed is now available on NetGalley and I hope you'll request to read and review it!
Lucas Duran has been on the trip of a lifetime—six months traveling through Europe with his parents and two younger brothers. That is, the trip of a lifetime for someone else. Lucas wants nothing more than to be home in Austin, Texas, with his friends, and it shows in his schoolwork that he’s been emailing to his teachers. He can't wait to get out of Rome, the last stop on their trip. When his teachers give him an ultimatum—either turn in a phenomenal last project or you’ll fail the eighth grade—Lucas is going to have to decide whether to give up or to give in to the mystery of Rome. And after a cryptic palm reader hands him a weird-looking coin to throw in the Trevi Fountain, Lucas finds himself transported to ancient Rome at each new tourist destination. As his hops back through time become more personal, it seems the magic of Rome is determined to help Lucas gain more than an A+ project, too. Can he fix his future before his time in the past is over? This past week was the cover reveal for Rome Reframed, hosted by YA (and kids!) Books Central here. They are also hosting a giveaway, so hop over there and sign up! Thank you, YABC! Sarah Taplin is the cover artist for Rome's cover, and she also did Paris on Repeat. I couldn't be happier! As I shared with YABC, I love the whimsical and colorful color and find it a perfect match for the story! I hope you love it, too! Without further ado, here it is:  Paris on Repeat released yesterday! Releasing a book during a pandemic during social distancing is not considered ideal, but so many wonderful people sent their support online that I think it was really the biggest celebration I've had for a book release! SO thank you all for making my day so special! Welcome to the world, Paris on Repeat! Exciting news! A group of lovely book bloggers and bookstagrammers are joining together to help celebrate the release of Paris on Repeat! Each day starting on July 10th through the July 17th, a different person will be sharing their review of the book over on Instagram and other social media as they so choose, to include their blogs in a couple of cases. I'll be sharing their posts and hope you will give them a follow and share widely, too. Getting the news out about a book is always tough, and a pandemic doesn't make it any easier. I deeply appreciate the participating book reviewers for reading and sharing about my book-- many thanks to them all and to Jolly Fish Press for arranging the event! I can't wait to see what they have to say! Join us for the fun!  Paris on Repeat releases July 14th!! Yay! You can still pre-order your copy today if you haven't already. Thanks for all the early reviews. I sure appreciate the shout-outs, photos, and blog posts. Truly, each and every share helps a book find its readers. ❤   Sometimes in publishing, there is bad news. When the world is in midst of a pandemic and publishing is struggling, that bad news is sometimes not as unexpected as it might otherwise be. So I was surprised and disappointed but not completely shocked when I got the call from CBAY that they would be unable to publish Detours after all. That means that for now, Shortcuts will not have a published sequel. Sorry, Parker and friends! And I'm sorry to those of who you enjoyed book 1 and were looking forward to book 2.
However, I'm hopeful that down the road, it'll be made available in one way or another. In the meantime, I'll be removing the book's page on my website (and hopefully Goodreads) until the day that it is again on the schedule to be published. Sadness, but that's the way it goes sometimes. I will keep you posted!
 1. The Stonewall Book Awards list is the American Library Association award for books that do an exemplary job representing LGTBQ+ experiences. It is a set of 3 awards given annually for literature, nonfiction, and children’s and young adult literature. You can find all winners and honorable mentions at the ALA page here. This page includes adult and children’s lists and is a little visually overwhelming. So if you are specifically seeking books for young readers, lists that include just the children and YA winners may be easier. For example, Vanderbilt University has a really nice Library Research Guide on Children’s and Young Adult Book Awards that includes a page on the Children’s and YA Stonewall Book Award. This page clearly and simply displays the winner and honor book each year, with covers and blurbs. You do not need to be enrolled to access this Library Guide (sometimes called LibGuides), at least not at this time. Many colleges and universities will have LibGuides like these for their students majoring in Education.  2. The Rainbow Books List specifically looks at books for young readers and provides excellent titles in picture books, middle grade, and YA. Their yearly lists go back to 2008 and is selected by the Rainbow Book List Committee of the Rainbow Round Table of the American Library Association. From their website: “The List is a curated bibliography highlighting books with significant gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, or queer/questioning content, aimed at children and youth from birth to age 18. This List is intended to aid youth and those working with youth in selecting high-quality books.”  3. Many local libraries curate books and resources and often publish those lists for the public. So even if you don’t live near a certain library, you can still build your to-read list from their curated suggestions. For example, the Hennepin County Library has a great list of middle grade LGTBQ+ inclusive books here. Some libraries will also include spine stickers that will notate award winners.  4. The website Welcoming Schools has a wonderful list of LGBTQ inclusive material for young readers, including picture books and middle grade. Welcoming Schools is a national professional development program to help elementary school educators create an inclusive, safe classroom for LGTBQ+ students. Last year, eight of the ten Most Challenged Books were books related to LGBTQ+ content and many of them are books geared for children. Having books available that show kids from diverse backgrounds, to include LGTBQ+, helps all students feel safe and valued as members of their local community.  5. The LGBTQ+ list at the Social Justice Books. This website has many excellent book lists and their LGBTQ+ list is one of them. Books that have been reviewed by the website have an asterisk next to them. If you saw my last post on social justice book lists, you will recognize this website--it's a wonderful resource. Reading serves many purposes. It affirms our own experiences but also teach us about the lived experiences of others, building compassion, empathy, and understanding.
Diverse books are important to read all year long, but if some of these LGTBQ+ books aren’t on your to-read list, Pride Month is a great time to consider adding them! I have seen a lot of parents and educators asking how they can best engage with their kids and students about the issue of social justice in America. Books are always a powerful tool. Reading together brings up conversation and other perspectives. Here are some resources that list some great books, both fiction and nonfiction.
 3. Brain Lair Books has a great list on Bookshop.org, which a website to boost online sales for indie booksellers as an alternative to other online shopping giants. This book list called "This List is Anti-Racist." It's full of excellent books--check it out!  4. School Library Journal has shared a number of good resources. Their latest post on social media included an educator's guide to the book Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You by Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi. You can download the guide for free. To learn more about this book, read this interview with the authors.  5. The Brown Book Shelf is an organization that supports Black authors writing for young readers. Along with their website, you can find them on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. Give them a follow! They are hosting a Kitlit Rally for Black Lives on June 4th led by award-winning authors Kwame Alexander, Jacqueline Woodson, and Jason Reynolds. It will be recording it for those unable to attend Live and ASL interpretation will be provided. I'm not sure how long the recording will be available, but I'm looking forward to listening and learning!  6. The book Not My Idea: A Book About Whiteness, published by Dottir Press, is being offered as a free PDF download through June 19, 2020. Even once this free offer ends, this book will remain an excellent picture book to get and read. The image to the side is a screenshot of their website: https://www.dottirpress.com/ There are other social justice book lists aimed at adults--those are awesome, too, not to mention some amazing people to follow on social media who teach and share about these issues. But as someone who writes for young readers, I wanted to focus on published resources to support these important conversations with young people.
Thanks for your time. Love to all of you, Amy |
Amy BearceTo those of you in 4th-8th grade and older, I hope I can offer a smidgen of help & encouragement as you traverse the waters of intermediate school, middle school, and high school. Archives
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