A lovely review for AIRRELLE OF THE MAROON WITCHES came in from Booklist this month:
Airrelle is ready to start her magical journey and finally become a witch like everyone else in her family. Having grown up in Missen Dessalin, a place created by enslaved and other marginalized folks, 12-year-old Airrelle is surrounded and protected by magic, with very little experience of the outside world. Her witch trials take her far from her home, where she witnesses the harsh realities of the nonmagical Overside and meets a girl she can’t help but feel drawn to. Beck’s middle-grade debut is a sweet coming-of-age story that mixes the mundane with the magical. The exploration of historical maroon societies will pique readers’ curiosity, and it serves as the perfect jumping-off point for further research. [...] Reminiscent of Kiki’s Delivery Service, this fantasy tale delightfully balances whimsy and real-life issues.
A balance of whimsy and real-life is the perfect way to put it! They're also right that one of my goals with this novel is to serve as a jumping-off point for children and families to do further research into the history of maronnage. It feels good to have your artistic aims seen & understood. 🥰
In other news, the San Diego County Fair was delightful thanks to the Del Mar Fairgrounds staff and their exhibit theme of Once Upon a Fair. I especially loved the Scholastic Book Fair within the county fair! I would have loved to return for multiple story-time readings!
(I would also have returned to the petting zoo because I love goats. 🐐)
Look at this goat! He’s so silly! So stubborn! So pretty! So perfect! Eats whatever he wants and doesn’t afraid of anything
My next event will be a Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers’ Masterclass on July 21st with The Clarion Foundation. Endless thank yous to Jac Jemc for the invitation to present! Tickets are linked here.
That weekend, I hope to serve on a Comic-Con panel with the wonderful folks of Mysterious Galaxy (my favorite local bookstore) and Meet Cute (Friday, July 24th). I'll be signing books the (Satur)day after, on July 25th.
More events are coming up soon!
Big thanks to Holiday House Publishing. for the support. Sarah Howard Parker has been making it happen!
PS: My former writing mentor William Alexander has a new book out, Sunward. I’m excited to read it!
I’m also currently 5 books deep into the Dungeon Crawler Carl series, which has critiques more structural and solutions more collaborative than those practiced by internet leftists. I took a break from reading George Saunders’ Vigil (less audiobook-friendly than Lincoln in the Bardo, so I’ll need to buy a hard copy too) to read Putnam’s Bowling Alone.
Oh, and SZA is baby girl.
’Til later!