Mari in the Margins' first anniversary
Celebrating with a look back and a mini giveaway!
So much has been happening around here, so not only has it been tricky deciding what to write about, but it’s been tricky finding time to write about it! That’s because, among other things, my daughter had her baby this weekend, so my husband and I have been on full time grandma and grandpa duty!
I thought I might pull a post from the archives for today, and then I realized that my novel in verse, Mari in the Margins, is about to have an anniversary! That book, my first novel AND my first illustrated book, was published last year on May 14. So, to celebrate the occasion I thought I’d create a round-up of some of the posts related to Mari in the Margins that I’ve shared over the past year or so.
You can see the video trailer for the book here:
In case you’re new here…What’s a novel in verse?
A novel in verse is a story that is written in poetry. Not one long poem, like an epic poem. Rather, it’s a collection of individual poems that work together to tell a complete narrative. Novels in verse are great choices for a variety of readers, and I wrote about that in these posts:
What’s so special about Mari in the Margins?
Mari in the Margins is special because, well, first of all, it’s my very first novel in verse, a form of story telling I fell in love with years ago when I first discovered it through Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse. But also, I poured a lot of my heart into this book, and it’s got the most “me” in it of all my published books so far. Here’s some more about why this book is special to me.
What people have said about Mari in the Margins
You can read what some of the early reviewers had to say in the post below:
But also, people who have read it since have said things like…
A young reader: “More books like this please.”
A mother, talking about her daughter’s love for Mari in the Margins: “She takes everywhere, and it has ignited a new interest in poetry.”
A young reader: “I’ve read your book three times.”
One of my favorite substack poets shared this lovely review:
Finally, here’s a look back at the launch party I had when Mari in the Margins was published. I made the cupcake decorations myself!
If you’d like to order a copy for yourself or a young reader in your life, you can do so at the Bandersnatch Books website. Alternatively, you can order from Amazon in paperback and kindle. Whenever possible, I’d love it if you could support your local independent book store. So, be sure to ask your favorite independent bookseller if they can order Mari for you. If you do read it (or have read it), I hope you’ll leave a review on Amazon or Goodreads. Reviews are big helps for authors!
SWAG Giveaway!
Would you like to help me celebrate Mari’s first anniversary? Leave a comment for a chance to receive an envelope with some fun swag—stickers, a bookmark, and an original piece of mini art! I’ll announce the winner in next week’s newsletter.
Congrats on this anniversary!
I'd love to enter to win for my daughter since she enjoyed the book last year. (I need to borrow it from her!)
Congratulations on your first anniversary!!! 😍😍😍