Reading/Discussion Guide for All We Have is Now

I've talked about this before - I wrote an ending for this book that not everyone is going to like. Of course, we can't please everyone, no matter how hard we try, but some endings are a bit more, um, controversial than others. Whenever I'm unhappy with an ending for a book I'm reading, I try to remember that the author probably had good reasons for doing what she did. That was certainly the case for me and this book. I'm not going to say anymore, because I don't want to give anything away.

The upside to having an ending some people are going to love and some people are going to hate is there are some great things to tackle as far as a discussion in a book club or classroom.

I mean, come on, don't you love a great discussion? Like - is that really possible? And sit back and listen to the opinions roll in. So great, I think.

To help with that discussion, I've prepared a guide that is FREE for anyone who'd like one.

As with my other reading/discussion guides, all you have to do is drop me a note at lisaschroederbooks(at)gmail(dot)com and let me know you'd like a copy and I'll send it to you via email.

I'm also happy to send along bookmarks for any book club or teacher/librarian who would like some. Just let me know!

Did you know...

Quick post today because my to-do list is a mile long. Okay, not really. It just feels that way. At the top of the list are clean the bathroom and work on a synopsis. Ugh, happy Monday to me.


A few things to tell you about.

Did you know...

there is a wonderful discussion guide for Caitlin's Lucky Charm, the first book in the CHARMED LIFE series? Scholastic has put it together, so if you are in a book club or are a teacher/librarian at school, please do check it out. HERE is the link. There's even a recipe for Snickerdoodle cookies - yum!!

that I will be at the Vegas Valley Book Festival in two weeks, on Saturday, October 18th? I'll be on the Tweens Read panel at 1:00 and the More Than a Love Story panel at 2:00. If you're in the area, I'll hope you'll come see me!

I will be doing a newsletter 3-4 times a year? I'm calling it a quarterly newsletter, but I may not do it exactly four times a year. Anyway, it's the best way to stay up-to-date with book releases, appearances, etc. plus I'll be giving sneak peeks you won't get anywhere else AND will be doing special giveaways that are only for subscribers. The first issue will be going out SOON, so sign up HERE if you want to be in on that.

Okay, that's all I've got for today. Have a great week!

Two things every middle grade author should do

It can be hard to figure out where your money is best spent when it comes to promotional activities.

I did a checklist and timeline a year or two ago to help authors organize those activities. You can find that HERE.

But two things I've discovered over the past year I wanted to share here, in regards to middle grade novels.

First - a reading/discussion guide is one of the BEST things you can do for your book. I paid to have one done for It's Raining Cupcakes, because I wasn't sure what went into one and I wanted to make sure it was done well. For Sprinkles and Secrets, I decided to try and do one on my own. As I got into it, I found it wasn't really that hard, and I'm happy with how it turned out. Check with your publisher too - they may be willing to do one for you!

Because I'm using a web site that doesn't allow for documents to be uploaded, I state in a couple of different places on my site to drop me an e-mail and I'll send the document along that way.

I'm actually glad now that I did it this way, and here's why. When a teacher or parent or book club member e-mails me, I can reply with the document she's requested for AND ask if she'd like some signed bookmarks to give out at the meeting or event. They seem to really love that I do this.

(By the way, I get a lot of mother-daughter book clubs requesting my discussion guide. Do you know how happy this makes me? VERY happy!)

Which leads me to the second thing I think you should do if you're publishing a middle grade novel. Have bookmarks made! I can't find a digital copy of the ones I had done with both covers on the front, but here are the ones I had made before It's Raining Cupcakes came out.

Anytime someone e-mails you about the book, offer to send some. Especially if you've written a series - as soon as you have the cover for the second book, get bookmarks made with both books and send them to everyone you can. This way, they have a visual that lets them know there's a second book coming. (Make sure to list the release date of that second book too).

As far as where to get bookmarks made? I LOVE www.iconix.biz. Ask for Kelly - she's great!