Happy Spring, friends!
We are less than a month away from the launch of “Waverly Braves the Breeze: The Story of a Galapagos Albatross” on April 23rd! Already, so many of you have placed pre-orders and have spread the word to your networks. Thank you!
And thanks to everyone who participated in the Leap Day Giveaway by recording videos of you and your families reading portions of the book for future marketing efforts on social media. I'll be selecting a winner at random soon!
The publisher has shared some great news: Waverly's story is starting to get previewed in trade review publications, and a few events are getting lined up. I've also made a few updates to my website if you'd like to check it out. :)
Thank you!
Sam
Thanks and Recommendations
A huge thank you to my friend Tracy Kapela for taking a few photos of me and Waverly. Here are a few behind-the-scenes photos as well with my little helper.
Of note is the albatross stuffed animal, created through a website called Budsies where you can submit artwork and have a one-of-a-kind stuffie made for you. It's based off of the original albatross sketch drawn by Patrick Bier, who also attended the Galapagos field trip with me and helped me stay inspired along the long publishing journey.
When Waverly's story got picked up by Tra Publishing (in large thanks to author Kitty O'Meara who let me know they were accepting manuscripts), they already had their own talented illustrator lined up, Rosie Eve. I highly recommend Kitty's 3 beautiful children's picture books and the other rhyming bird book that Patrick illustrated for his sister Angela Bier called, "Bower Bird's Blue Book."
Upcoming Events
I recently received a few more advance copies of Waverly's story in the mail, which means that I'll be able to take a few to upcoming conferences and events to help Waverly’s message of bravery and friendship soar far and wide!
In addition to those conferences, I'm also starting to schedule book talks, signings, and presentations! Please save the dates for the first two public events on the schedule that tie into World Albatross Day in June:
- June 22: 11 a.m. Saturday at Mystery to Me Bookstore, Madison
- June 29: 11 a.m. Saturday at Barnes & Noble - West, Madison
Is there a local bookstore, library, school, or other venue that you think I should visit? Please reply to this email and I can get in touch with them, or you can send them the press release below if they are interested in reaching out to me.
Thank you for the support! Please follow along for more @author.samanthacora on Facebook and Instagram and encourage your friends to do the same!
How to Order the Book
I’ve received some great questions from several people about the best way to pre-order my book by April 23rd. Right now, the publisher is requesting that pre-orders mainly be ordered through this link on Amazon since early activity there can help the book succeed once it’s officially released. That said, I realize that people would like more options. Here are just a few: Tra Publishing, which supports an organization that plants a tree for each book ordered. Bookshop.org, which helps support your favorite local bookstore in the process. Once I know where and when my book will be in local bookstores I’ll be sure to share those details, too.
Thank you again! I look forward to sharing more updates soon!
