Blackwells and the Briny Deep is a Canadian Children's Book Centre Expert Pick!

"An adventure full of creatures both terrifying and wonderful...perfect for reading aloud in a family setting." Canadian Children's Book Centre, September 2020

My title from 2018, Blackwells and the Briny Deep, is one of the Expert's Picks in the September issue of the CCBC Newsletter, thank you! Really honoured to be here with just a few other books.

Here's the whole newsletter link: CCBC September 2020

There are so many great ideas to keep your children reading and engaged during COVID, I hope you'll take a moment to look over their reading suggestions. 

The story of the Blackwells and their scary day at sea is one that I have always wanted to write since I've been lucky enough to sail on the Great Lakes since I was ten years old. I'm super happy to see this book get some critical attention. If your child enjoys scary stories that aren't too scary (and zombie pirates, mermaids and sea yarns in general), they'll probably love this! This series has been called "Goosebumps from north of the border" by Kirkus Reviews.

It's Book 5 in the award-winning Weird Stories Gone Wrong series (6 books in total), for kids ages 8-12, enjoy.

More information:

Blackwells and the Briny Deep, BOOK TRAILER

More about Blackwells on this BLOG

All posts about Weird Stories Gone Wrong on this BLOG

5 reasons for writing a spooky sea story for kids ...

AVAILABLE NOW!

"REASON #2: RESPONSIBILITY. Sailing your own boat is great for building self-esteem, maturity and responsibility. There's a lot to learn and remember when you sail. 

In this story, Emma, Jonah, and William Blackwell are all alone and in charge of their sailboat, Peregrine. Despite quarreling at the beginning of the story, they're forced to be mature and work together in order to survive."

Blackwells and the Briny Deep is now available! It's book 5 in the award-winning Weird Stories Gone Wrong series, horror stories for kids 9-12 (they get compared to Goosebumps quite a bit).

Why did I set a horror story at sea this time around?  

Here are the top 5 reasons: Novelty (who sails anymore?), Responsibility (lots of rules and tech on a sailboat), Vocabulary (when was the last time you said "scuppers" in casual conversation?), SEA TERRORS (obv) and Because .... Mermaids (the wonderful series illustrator Shawna Daigle, asked for a story with mermaids this time around).

Read the full 5-reasons post on the Dundurn Blog here: Blackwells at Sea

Another reason I set my story at sea? I love sailing and have sailed all my life. Here's a rare picture of me sailing Short Circuit (a C&C 27, a Canadian-made racing boat from the '70s), off Toronto Island on Lake Ontario.

The Author on Short Circuit, September 2018

Blackwells and the Briny Deep Book Trailer

MORE ABOUT Weird Stories Gone Wrong and Blackwells and the Briny Deep on This Blog

Blackwells and the Briny Deep BOOK TRAILER!

Emma Blackwell used to love mermaids. 
Jonah Blackwell used to think he liked pirates. And William Blackwell just wanted 
to be a good captain ... 

... at least they DID, until they see the 
phantom ship, run aground and get 
stuck on an enchanted island with screaming mermaids, zombie pirates and cursed, shipwrecked figureheads.

It'll make a great sea story one day,
if they can just survive it!

My new book, Blackwells and the Briny Deep, is coming out in September/2018 ... and it has a great new BOOK TRAILER!

This is book 5 in the award-winning Weird Stories Gone Wrong series, hope you enjoy it.

More About Weird Stories Gone Wrong on this BLOG

Blackwells and the Briny Deep is up for review on NetGalley!

COMING September 2018 from Dundurn Press

It's been a busy year with three books out! 

I'm so excited to share book #5 in the award-winning Weird Stories Gone Wrong Series with you! Introducing Blackwells and the Briny Deep.

And another fantastic cover by series illustrator, Shawna Daigle.

The book comes out next September, 2018, but you can request an e-ARC for review now at NetGalley.

More about Blackwells and the Briny Deep soon but for now ... hope you like screaming mermaids, zombie pirates and enchanted islands with strange creatures wandering around...

Request to Review on NetGalley