Here it is! I'm holding my book! This has been my dream for the last 20 years. My publisher shipped my book in the morning and it was in my hands by 5:00pm! I didn't even have time to process the information. If I had, I probably would have taken a picture of the box, made a video, or at least provided a little more fanfare. Instead, I just held it and felt how velvety and smooth the cover is. And how surprisingly light the book is.
At 242 pages, it's a quick read, and that was intentional. When I wrote this book, I was thinking about my students and my friends and family who are often too busy to read. I wanted to create a book with enough action to engage readers, but I also a book that everyone could easily finish and feel that accomplishment of completing something. That being said, though it's a quick read, it wasn't a quick write. It took me about a year to write and then a year to rewrite and edit. When I say a year, I mean mostly summers when I'm not busy grading papers and trying to get my students to read.
And so I find it fitting that Stratagem will be released right before kids go off to summer vacation. My hope is that they get the book in their hands and kick off their summer by reading! I hope that they hold it in their hands, feel the cover, read the back, and are inspired to dive in. I hope they read dangerously and fall in love with the characters. And I hope that maybe, especially those who know me, realize that dreams can come true.
