New Books Coming, Older Book Updates, and Friday Feedback Summer 2019

Join the Friday Feedback facebook page. . .
or follow me at my YA blog @http://ghpolisner.blogspot.com/ for weekly posts
starting June 21!

It's been a while since I posted here . . . It's been a busy several months including bookwise, with two books in production for early 2020, an upper YA called JACK KEROUAC IS DEAD TO ME which many of you have been hearing about for a while now, and my debut middle grade, SEVEN CLUES TO HOME, co-written with friend and huge talent Nora Raleigh Baskin (I'm so excited!!!!!) but I wanted to share here that, although it will no longer be a part of Teachers Write, I do plan to continue to host FRIDAY FEEDBACK here this summer, as I did before TW even ever started.

What is Friday Feedback? It's a place to get some inspiration, a bit of feedback, and possibly, if I'm in the mood and you're willing, a "superspeed flash edit" that might be illustrative of how some tiny craft tweaks can often make our writing pop and shine even more. Sometimes there are awesome guest author hosts... everyone from Avi (!!!) to Kate Klise have hosted!


If you want to get an idea of how it works, READ THIS POST FROM 2014 then scroll through the comments, because the comments are pretty much where all the action happens. Participation is free, though I do ask that if you are regularly participating, you purchase at least one of my books, and the books of at least a few of my guest authors. 💖

***It will begin on Friday June 21 and run through Friday August 16th if I got my dates right!***

Anyway, I've missed all my regular participants there, and I'm looking forward to seeing them as well as new ones! If you're on facebook, in addition to following the blog you can join the Friday Feedback page HERE.


In other news, I was quite honored to learn recently that THE MEMORY OF THINGS was the

winner of this year's GOLDEN ARCHER AWARD, Wisconsin's Children's Choice Award, Senior Division. While it has also won the Wisconsin State Reading Association Book Award which is awesome, the Golden Archer is even moreso, given that it is chosen by those I wrote it for, young adults -- who weren't even alive at this point when 9/11 happened!

As for IN SIGHT OF STARS, it is the official July selection of the MomAdvice Book Club . . . you do NOT have to be a mom to participate! I think the organizer chose it without reading it first, so I'm nervous and anxious awaiting to hear whether or not she liked it! 😳 I hope to participate in some sort of virtual Q&A in conjunction with that in July.

And, last but not least, if you are reading and are looking for your own summer book club selection, choose any one of my books for your bookclub of five or more, and I will happily skype in for a Q&A so long as we can make the date work! Just email me at g.polisner@gmail.com to make it happen!

That's a good deal, right??

Right. 

So, off you go to make those plans. 😁

In addition to my own artistic endeavors . . . NO, I can't help myself . . .  both my sons have been pursuing their singer/songwriter careers, each as they finish up school (both majoring in music, one double majoring in music/business). You can follow them on Instagram @samuelgraymusic and @holdenmiller and listen to their music here on Soundcloud (Sam) and here on Spotify, or wherever songs are streamed, respectively.

Hey, at least I'm not going on about how talented my dog and our citrus leatherback bearded dragon are!

(The dog is super talented! I swear!)

xox gae

Summer Reading for Tweens and Teens, Got Gravity?

“What summer reading list is complete 

without a road-trip novel? 

Especially one that extols the virtues of reading sad books and contains the sentence: 

‘Parents are such idiots.’ ” 

—Newsday 

Summer is coming. 

Not that I'm wishing away spring.

omg, no. I love spring. Stay here forever, Mr. Spring!*

But, ready or not, soon summer will be here. I know many teachers, librarians and other reading clubs are already making up their summer reading lists, and I'm really, truly hoping, with the book now out a shiny new, paperback format, THE PULL OF GRAVITY will be on yours.   

The Pull of Gravity is a Bank Street Best Children's Book (ages 12-14) and
a National Battle of the Books selection (7th - 8th grade) for 2013-14.

If you are a local library or program, and you use the book in a group setting, I would be thrilled to pay an in-person visit. If you are not local, I'd be happy to Skype in and talk about reading and writing and do a Q&A.

You can reach me here on my blog, or email me at g.polisner@gmail.com for more information.

If you'd like to watch the charming paperback trailer made by a fifteen-year old boy, you can HERE!

Happy reading!

- gae

*could be a Mrs. What do I know?