Sweet T and the Turtle Team & $75 Giveaway

Today I'm stepping outside of my normal posts to support the release of an adorable new book. Cat Michaels and I have rubbed elbows on kidlit publishing social media sites, and I was excited to be included on the blog tour for her new book: Sweet T and the Turtle Team.

First of all, I loved the book. It is a sweet educational story about a group of kids who work to protect sea turtle nests and help the hatched youngsters make it to the ocean. It is the third book in a series, but I never felt like I had missed out because I hadn't read the others--though you should read them too! The real Oak Island Sea Turtle Protection Program actually does this crucial conservation work and helped advise her on the content. If I have not made it clear, I highly recommend this book for readers young and old.

Second, Scroll down for more information about Cat and her new book...and for the Rafflecopter $75 giveaway. Someone's going to win. Might as well be you!

Title: Sweet T and the Turtle Team
Author: Cat Michaels
Illustrator: Irene A. Jahns
Publication Date: July 2017
Publisher: 2101 Ink
Number of Pages: 72
Recommended Ages: 6 to 11
Summary: It’s nesting season for loggerhead sea turtles on North Carolina's Gull Island. Nine-year old Tara (or Sweet T as her family sometimes calls her) is determined to see hatchlings make it safely from their nests to their ocean home.Summering on Gull Island with Great Aunt Mae could be tons of fun, but T is having a hard time making new friends with island children, let alone finding kids to help her monitor a sea turtle nest.There’s little sister Jenna, but Jenna is, well, little. Fuzzy is around, too, but Jenna’s blue stuffy rabbit gets lost all the time. Besides, a toy bunny can’t help protect turtle nests.Tara befriends Billy, a moody island child. He teaches her skimboarding and shows her the best shelling spots. But Billy stomps away when she asks him to read the “Turtle Team Guide” and join her in saving baby sea turtles. What’s up with Billy? He’s nice one minute and grumpy the next. And why does he refuse to join T’s Turtle Team? T can't figure him out. A tropical storm threatens Gull Island just as the sea turtle nest is ready to hatch. T must abandon the nest and prepare for bad weather.

• ​Will Sweet T and her friends keep safe from the storm?
• ​Will the sea turtle nest survive angry ocean waves?
• ​Will Billy reveal his secret?

Dive into adventure, fun and secrets on Gull Island with “Sweet T and the Turtle Team” to find out! “Sweet T and the Turtle Team” is the third book of the Sweet T Tales Series of chapter books for early and reluctant readers by Cat Michaels, MS., Ed. With a glossary, comprehension quiz, sea turtle hatch photo gallery, and discussion questions, “Turtle Team” delivers powerful messages about protecting marine life while helping young readers empathize with children who struggle to read.

Pre-order Now ~ Available July 21, 2017

Amazon | iTunes

Author, blogger CAT MICHAELS, M.S., Ed., has more than two decades of experience helping students from kindergarten to college with learning disabilities and Asperger’s syndrome.

​Her chapter books and Sweet T Tales series for beginning readers tell of every day life with a twist of magic and mischief. Cat’s books encourage young and reluctant readers to use their imagination and solve kid-sized dilemmas as they enjoy reading.

Cat lives in North Carolina with her family, where she enjoys digital photography and graphic design, creates pocket gardens, works out as often as she can, and writes. ​

Website/Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Instagram
Find Cat’s books on Amazon and iTunes

Blog Tour Giveaway
Prize: One winner will receive a $75 Amazon gift card or $75 PayPal cash prize, winner's choice Giveaway ends: August 9, 11:59 pm, 2017 Open to: Internationally How to enter: Please enter using the Rafflecopter widget below. Terms and Conditions: NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW. A winner will be randomly drawn through the Rafflecopter widget and will be contacted by email within 48 hours after the giveaway ends. The winner will then have 72 hours to respond. If the winner does not respond within 72 hours, a new draw will take place for a new winner. Odds of winning will vary depending on the number of eligible entries received. This contest is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with Facebook. This giveaway is sponsored by the author, Cat Michaels and is hosted and managed by Stacie from BeachBoundBooks. If you have any additional questions feel free to send an email to stacie@BeachBoundBooks.com.
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Finally, here's a quick excerpt from the book for you to enjoy.

Follow the Tour
​
July 12, 2017
Blog Tour Kick-Off
BeachBoundBooks
 
July 12, 2017
Tickling Dragons (Excerpt)
Domestic Chanteuse (Promo)
The Blended Blog (Review)
​
July 14, 2017
Java John Z’s  (Excerpt & Promo)
 
July 15, 2017
Letters from Annie Douglass Lima (Excerpt & Promo)
PJ LaRue (Review)
Peggy’s Hope 4U (Excerpt)
 
July 17, 2017
Untamed Doodler (Review)
Bargnhtress (Excerpt & Promo)
 
July 18, 2017
A Wildflower Mom (Character Interview w/Sweet T)
 
July 19, 2017
Rockin’ Book Reviews (Excerpt)
 
July 20, 2017
Meg’s Blog (Review, Excerpt, Character Interview w/Sweet T & Promo)
Grab the Book (Promo)
Word Magic: All About Books (Review)
 
July 21, 2017
Sandra Bennett, Author (Review)
 Baby Boomer Bliss (Promo)

July 24, 2017
Raising Kids of Gratitude (Promo)
 
July 25, 2017
Barbara Ann Mojica’s Blog (Review)
 
July 26, 2017
Kay LaLone (Review)
 
July 27, 2017
Amanda’s Books & More (Review)
 
July 28, 2017
Deal Sharing Aunt (Character Interview w/Sweet T)
 
August 1, 2017
Stitch Says (Review & Character Interview w/Sweet T)
 
August 2, 2017
Eloquent Articulation (Review, Excerpt & Promo)
 
August 3, 2017
Reading Authors (Review)
 
August 4, 2017
Books Direct (Review & Excerpt)
 
August 7, 2017
Bound 4 Escape (Review)
 
August 8, 2017
Fundinmental (Review)
 
August 9, 2017
Bookworm for Kids (Review)
 
Blog Tour Wrap-Up
BeachBoundBooks

Bianca: The Brave Frail and Delicate Princess Cover Reveal

There are stages in writing a book that bring extra excitement, a little giggle and thrill, and make it seem much more real and tangible than all those hours of slogging away and editing and revising. Seeing the book cover for the first time is certainly one of them. So I'll share it with you now!

I hope you love it as much as I do. My daughter Callista provided the drawings of the dragon and the princess (she did the drawings in Max's Wild Night and Dottie's Daring Day as well), and cover genius Kelsey Rice made it all colorful, textured, and beautiful.

For those of you who have followed the adventures of my real-life pets, this book is a new direction. It has actually been floating around and coming in and out of drawers in my desk for decades. I'm so happy to have it finally taking form to share with the world once and for all.

One of the things that always amazes school groups I talk to is the length of time it takes to publish a book. Not write it. Just publish it. Even when you do it yourself, there are many stages and steps that involve other professionals who have their own time frames and other projects to work on. With a publisher, authors often wait over a year to see their final book in print. Self-publishing can move a bit faster because you can focus on just that one project, but it is still a journey of many months. For Bianca, we are also going through the full six month review process that many publishers follow. If you want a book review from Booklist or Publishers Weekly or most other large (and influential) publications, they need the book six months before the publishing date. Bianca should be ready to hit the review circuit by August, so that puts us at publication in February or March of 2018.

Yes, it is a long process, but I'm sure I'll be keeping you up-to-date as reviews come in and we get closer to release day.

We are also stepping into new territory with a hardcover version of this book. That's what libraries really need to have on their shelves. Paperbacks are quickly torn and broken by young readers. So I will be figuring out that whole process at Ingram while reviewers are having their chance to read the book. I may even venture into audio book territory. It should be an interesting autumn this year!

I'll leave you with the teaser for Bianca: The Brave Frail and Delicate Princess.

Princess Bianca had never set foot outside the castle walls. Not once in her over-protected, pink, fluffy life. But when a dragon is spotted in the land and fear spread that the monster has conquered the king and his brave knights, Bianca realized that it was her duty to protect her kingdom. She will have to prove that she can be braver and stronger than anyone believed because the threat outside the protection of her castle tower is more dangerous and magical than she ever imagined possible, except in a fairy tale.