August 2023 Musings/Newsletter

August 2023 Musings

Reading for Fun

Happy August, friends! Yes, it’s that month again- the month when summer winds on down to make room for fall. It’s back-to-school time and take those last dips in the pool time. I hope your summer has been all that you wanted it to be, and that you had a lot of fun.
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I have some fabulous publishing news to share with you this month! I have signed with Monarch Press once again, this time to bring you a magical middle grade fantasy! MONSTER MOUNTAIN will be out in February, 2025.

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Monster Mountain was fun to write from start to finish, which is probably why I have been musing so much about fun and reading. My youngest son, Jamie and I were on our way home from running errands when the idea for this MG novel first came to life. I looked in my rear-view mirror and said, “Wouldn’t it be fun if I write a book all about some gamer kids who go hiking in the mountains and end up slipping through a portal into another world full of monsters?” Jamie’s eyes lit up, and he started brainstorming different kinds of monsters with me. We did that all the way home. I would later research North Carolina myths and legends and find that the mountains where I live are teeming with stories of fantastical creatures just waiting to be told!

Monster Mountain being published and my son being so thrilled about it, has me thinking a lot about how we can make reading fun for children. This subject was also in the forefront of my mind when I was writing the manuscript. I wanted my story to be simple to follow yet captivating, and I didn’t want it to be too long and discourage reluctant readers. My dream is that kids will get lost on Monster Mountain right along with my protagonist, and be so immersed in the world that they feel like they have been on their very own magical adventure.

My novel is only one of the many amazing MG books there are to choose from, including several from my publisher, Monarch Educational Services. I believe the most important aspect to consider when trying to help children find the fun in reading, is to guide them to the subjects or genres they are the most interested in. For example, Jamie was my first child to really love all things spooky! He was coming along with his phonics and doing okay with his reading, but I wasn’t seeing him fall in love with it the way I really wanted him to. And then we discovered the Goosebumps series by R.L. Stine! Once he started the first one, I saw the spark I wanted to see. He kept picking up the book and reading without any prompting from me, and he read many more after that.

I really believe that when children learn to love reading, it can change their lives. There is magic in getting lost in a good story, a magic you can find nowhere else. If we stay attuned to the kids in our lives, we can discover what they love, and then help them find that special book. We can also help them experiment with different genres, reading levels and formats, such as novels in verse and graphic novels. And thanks to our incredible libraries, books are free and available to all children. When we give them library cards and see their excited smiles, we have done more than place a small piece of plastic in their hands. The library cards are actually tickets into worlds of imagination and adventure and magic, and nothing could be more fun than that! This month, I hope you enjoy the last of your summer, and when you choose a book for the little person in your life, choose one for yourself too!
     
     
       Love, 
       ​  Stac