This, That, and the Other
two great giveaways, a writer’s retreat, and an update on Shay the Brave
This week we’ll stray from my usual “messay” format (those memoire-infused essays you may be used to seeing in Monday Morning Literary Bric-a-Brac) to cover some news and opportunities especially for you!
Let’s start with two giveaways you can get in on today!
Picture Yourself With Shay
This first giveaway is straightforward and simple. Just take a selfie (see other options below) with your copy of my newly released middle grade adventure (Shay the Brave) and post it somewhere on social media with the hashtag #pictureyourselfwithshay. Be sure to tag @RileyKilmore, too, so I see it and enter your name in the drawing.
A winner will be drawn at the end of the month in which my forthcoming companion journal to to Shay The Brave (the Share With Shay journal) is released by Wild Ink Publications. If I get enough entries, I may draw several names. You’ll win a copy of the Share With Shay journal!
Here are the first two entries. I hope to see your entry soon too!
Non-selfie Options
I get it. Not all of us like taking selfies. You’ll notice neither of the initial entries were selfies. But they took their pic of their copy of Shay under one of the other two options and you can too. The other options?
1. Your copy of Shay taken against a personally meaningful background
2. Your copy of Shay taken pictured with personally meaningful items
Now order that copy of Shay the Brave if you haven’t already, then #pictureyourselfwithshay for a chance to win. And thank you SO much for playing along.
The Share With Shay Giveaway
This giveaway is aimed at teachers, librarians (both school and public libraries), and homeschool families, but others can certainly enter on their behalf.
A teacher who wins this drawing will get a copy of Shay the Brave for every student in their classroom (up to 30).
A librarian who wins will get five copies of Shay to add to their library’s collection.
A homeschool family that wins will get two copies of Shay the Brave for each of their kids (one for each of their children and one for each child’s bestie—since Shay is all about friendship!).
So, how to enter? Just like with the #pictureyourselfwithshay giveaway, take a pic, post it online with the hashtag #ShareWithShay and tag @RileyKilmore.
A picture of what? A group shot of your kids reading!. They can be at their classroom desks, busy picking out books in your library, gathered out of doors and reading under trees, or sitting in your classroom’s story corner if you have one. Be creative, but show me your kids with their noses in books.
I’d love the entries to include a caption that tells the titles of some of the books if their covers aren’t visible, so I can shout out and recognize other kidlit authors whose books your kids enjoy!
Non-selfie Options (again)
Same as in the #pictureyourselfwithshay giveaway, you may not want to put pics of your kiddos online, and if so, that’s fine. You can still enter your classroom, library, or family in this giveaway!
In that case, just take a picture of your reading area, be it in your classroom, your library, or your home. Hopefully the picture will include lots of books! In the case of a library, why not picture a shelf that features some books you feel are similar in some way to Shay the Brave and say why in the caption. Be creative!
The important thing is to let me know who you are in the caption and to include the hashtag #ShareWithShay and tag me @RileyKilmore.
You might say something like, “The students in our fourth grade classroom at Readersville Elementary love reading adventure books! #ShareWithShay #giveaways @RileyKilmore” and then either picture them hunkered over their books at reading time or their teacher reading aloud to them, or merely a picture of the classroom’s reading corner / bookshelf.
Easy peasy, right?
Just think how excited all your kiddos will be to get their very own copy of Shay The Brave! Better yet, if you happen to be within 100 miles of me (South Central PA) I will deliver the books in person!
Yours doesn’t, of course, have to be a fourth grade classroom. Shay the Brave is for kids of all ages, even folks who’re only kids at heart. There is no restriction for age or grade in the #ShareWithShay giveaway, so get in on this fun opportunity now!
You have all year to enter. Winners announced Dec., 2024.
Shay Makes her Brave Debut
Now let’s take a moment to marvel. Books are a long time coming and it’s always amazing for the author when launch day finally arrives. For me that was January 9th, two weeks ago.
For its opening week Shay shot to and remained at the top of multiple categories on Amazon (ie: new releases of Children’s Books on Multicultrualism and Tolerance and new releases of Children’s Books under the Difficult Discussions caterory (Violence).
Today Shay is at the sixth spot in both its main categories, so it’s been a top-ten pick since its release. How about that?!
Have you ordered your copy yet?
If so, I hope you’ll participate in the #pictureyourselfwithshay giveaway, and if not, I hope you will, today. But I also hope you’ll consider leaving a review somewhere online or at least clicking a five-star rating on your fav book site. These things seem small, but they REALLY help authors by raising the visibility of their books in a sea of reader options.
If you’ve already done any of these things, thank you, thank you, thank you!
And Finally (we thought she’d never be done talking...)
Here’s an opportunity for writers! We’ve listed a few for readers, but it you are also a writer, consider putting the inaugural Tuscacheague Mountain Writers Retreat on your calendar. This is a super cozy retreat open to only ten lucky writers, one of whom will get to attend on full scholarship by receiving a full surprise refund at the event.
Only ten slots, people, so register now if you’re interested. Spaces held by full payment which are refundable as follows: full refund till July 4th; 50% refund till August 4th; 25% refund till Sept. 4th; non-refundable after Sept. 5th.
Now for the details!
When: Fri. Oct 18th to Monday Oct. 21st
Where: 13 Oaks Cabin, Honey Grove, PA (South Central PA)
What: a three-night writer’s retreat that includes delicious meals, time to write, workshops, hiking opportunity, and time to commune with other writers, all at a beautiful secluded Appalachian Mountain cabin over a peak fall foliage weekend (wow!)
Cost: $400.00 per person, double occupancy (individual queen and full beds)
Host: author Riley Kilmore
Guest Authors/Presenters: award-winning playwright and author, D.W. Gregory (Radium Girls, Mr. Sunshine); author K.M. King (The Bomber Jacket); and, hopefully, another amazing headliner (negotiations still under way).
Message me or email me with either a mailing address or an email to get your registration form ASAP. Payment will be accepted by check or PayPal.
______________________________
That’s it for this week! Thanks so much for spending a little of your Monday morning with me and thanks to my paid subscribers/sponsors who make this substack possible through their continued support. I hope you’ll consider becoming a paid subscriber (as little as $5 a month!) as well (paid subscribers have access to additional, exclusive posts featuring fiction works in progress).
Hope you’ll tune in next week when we return to some messay writing and also post some info about some of my upcoming author appearances. Be sure to contact me if you want to schedule a visit to your school, library, or bookstore!
Lastly, a quick shout-out to two fellow writers. First, congrats to my “brother debutant” (his book launched the same day as mine from the same publishing house), Michael Goodwin Hilton, whose collection of short stories and poetry, What The Statue Thinks, is a must-read for lovers thought-provoking reads crafted in lush, literary language. You can buy it here.
Secondly, congrats to R. D. Leonard, author of the (also recently released) fantasy, The Seer’s Grant. Find it here, which you’ll want to do if you’re a fan of dragon tales, epic fantasy, and vivid worldbuilding that blossoms in luxuriously crafted language and astonishingly lovely turns of phrase you’ll want to re-read aloud just to hear their poetry roll across your tongue.
Thank you SO much for the shout out and support!!! May both our debuts continue to succeed!!