It has been ages since I have posted here, but I do have some exciting news. At long last I have written a sequel to my book EAST and it just came out last week! It is called WEST and I am thrilled to introduce Rose’s new adventure with her white bear. WEST begins around three years after the end of EAST and here is a brief description:

“When Rose first met Charles, he was trapped in the form of a white bear. To rescue him, Rose traveled to the land that lay east of the sun and west of the moon to defeat the evil Troll Queen. Now Rose has found her happily-ever-after with Charles—until a sudden storm destroys his ship and he is presumed dead. But Rose doesn’t believe the shipwreck was an act of nature, nor does she believe Charles is truly dead. Something much more sinister is at work. With mysterious and unstoppable forces threatening the lives of the people she loves, Rose must once again set off on a perilous journey. And this time, the fate of the entire world is at stake.”

There is also a new edition of EAST, with a gorgeous new cover by the same artist who created the cover for WEST.

I hope you enjoy WEST!

Edie

p.s. I am much better at keeping in touch on Instagram and Facebook, and sometimes on Twitter, so please come visit me there!

Instagram:  @ediepattou

Twitter: @epattou

My book East has been optioned to be made into a movie and is in the very early stages of production! I even got to travel to Canada to watch them do some early film work with an amazing polar bear named Agee. More on that to come…

But the producers have now asked me to spread the word to fans about an exciting opportunity to be involved. They’re looking for original art, videos, poetry, photographs, comments, etc. having to do with East (or North Child, or La Figlia del Nord, or Boctok). The filmmakers will be selecting entries for use in a promotional video they’re putting together! You can post them on my Facebook page or FB message me. Or you can tweet (@epattou), or Instagram (at msfaerietale), or email them to me at info@edithpattou.com #eastthemovie

I was thrilled to receive the news that Ghosting was selected as one of the best Young Adult books of the year by the Columbus Dispatch in their annual survey of the top picks in children’s literature! What an honor to be on the same list as Gregory Maguire, Laurie Halse Anderson, and E. Lockhart.

Click here to read the Columbus Dispatch story.

Also very happy and honored to learn that the Ghosting Audiobook has received a starred review in School Library Journal! Am very grateful to, and in awe of, all the talented folks at Brilliance Audio, including the director, Melissa Coates, and the wonderful cast of narrators: Kate Rudd, Kate Reinders, Amy McFadden, Emily Durante, Mikael Naramore, Scott Merriman, Nick Podehl, Alexander Cendese, and Todd Halberkorn!

Anyone who knows me knows I love Halloween. I love the candy and the costumes, the jack-o-lanterns and the orange and purple lights. And I like some scary stuff. (Rosemary’s Baby is one of my favorite movies.) But the thing I don’t like about Halloween is the gore. I have been known to faint at the sight of blood.

I don’t watch The Walking Dead and actively dislike vampire stories, (except the original by Bram Stoker). Sorry Twilight fans! I know this anti-gore thing puts me in the minority. And it may even surprise readers of my books, especially Ghosting. There is a particularly gruesome scene in Fire Arrow, involving a broken leg and bone protruding from flesh and I remember a friend asking “How did you even write that, Edie??” And I don’t know. I guess I can write it, just can’t deal with it up close.

Anyway, here is my costume for Halloween this year, deconstructed. Kind of lame, but every so often I like going for the classic witch.

At long last I have spruced up, reconstructed and updated my website. I call it my “new-old” website (those who have read Ghosting will understand exactly what I mean). There’s some old stuff, but also a lot of new stuff, including spiffy new collages I made. There’s also info on my new book Ghosting, complete with links to both a video of the book trailer (which I love to pieces) and a clip from the outstanding audiobook, which was done with a full, and amazingly talented, cast.

So browse around and enjoy! Be sure to check out all those good looking polar bears. And check back in a few weeks to see what my Halloween costume was this year 🙂

Watch the book trailer for “Ghosting” below.

 Listen to the audio of the prologue of Ghosting.

I’m very excited to officially announce that my novel EAST has been optioned to be made into a film! I’m thrilled with my savvy, brilliant producers who have a creative vision for the movie that they describe as Lord of the Rings meets Game of Thrones.

Just back, and still glowing, from a visit to Bayshore Elementary School in Bradenton, Florida, where they have adopted MRS. SPITZER’S GARDEN as their inspiration and theme for the school year! “Bayshore, a global garden, where every child grows.” One of the many highlights: leading writing workshops with 4th graders in the gorgeous setting of the Selby Botanic Gardens in Sarasota.

So 366 days later, it is clear this didn’t turn into a blog, unless there’s such a thing as an annual blog. (Clearly my Google ranking would make Neil Gaiman snigger.)

At any rate, it seems fitting somehow to check back, a year later, with an update, to tell about my appearance as a reader at Freedom School, a fantastic program run by the Children’s Defense Fund.

Freedom School is a six-week summer reading program in which over 10,000 kids in 87 cities all around the country participate. (Check out this article about Freedom Schools in the Huffington Post http://www.huffingtonpost.com/marian-wright-edelman/the-promise-of-freedom-sc_b_893562.html)

Last week I read Mrs. Spitzer’s Garden to about thirty kids at the University District CDF Freedom School in Columbus, Ohio. I got to do Harambee and strut my stuff, and was blown away by the awesome kids and teachers.

Here we are, a Freedom School garden: