BOOK TRAILER for THE TIME OF THE FIREFLIES!

TADA! I'm very pleased with how it turned out! The right music and the right images and the right words bring it all together, but whoa, it's a lot of work, too! This has been tweaked to death! Whooeeee!!

Many thanks and love to my daughter, Milly, for all her hard work! Catch her very cute Logo at the end of the credits. :-)

Check out that STUNNING Full-Wrap Cover at the end of the trailer!!! Artist Erin McGuire is brilliant!

The new graphic below is especially apropos with the book trailer, yes?

Enjoy, everyone!

~Kimberley

Graphic *Teaser* #2 for THE TIME OF THE FIREFLIES

Book Launch day yesterday was wonderful! It's such a thrill to receive congratulations, kudos, and best wishes from friends and family around the country. Thank you so much!

I also celebrated by having a Twitter Party for the first time, a spur of the moment decision, with a prize-winner receiving a finished hardcover copy of Fireflies. It was loads of fun! 

Larissa, my main character lives in an antique store in Bayou Bridge (a renovated old house), a small town in the swamps and bayous of Louisiana. Her parents are struggling to stay afloat and the business is never-ending stress. It's a strange place to live and Larissa gets creeped out by some of the old objects - especially the doll cases filled with staring dolls - and *especially* after it gets dark. :-)

The Launch Party Giveaway ends Thursday at Midnight! Hurry and enter: The Time of the Fireflies is Zipping Your Way! 

Stay Tuned for tomorrow's delicious teaser! 

~Kimberley

Happy Birthday, FIREFLIES!!!

Today, my new Middle-Grade novel, THE TIME OF THE FIREFLIES is officially out in the world! 

I loved writing this book for so many reasons . . . the mystery and suspense, of course, but also weaving in time-slipping going back into Larissa Renaud's past for 5 generations, and featuring the strong women who are her ancestors. (I admit that the generational time-weaving scenes sometimes made me tear my hair out!)

The story revolves around an old plantation house first built before the Civil War on a bayou island and the heirloom doll that affects each girl beginning in 1912 and ending in the present day. Larissa must figure out how to break the family curse before she loses her Mamma and her baby sister. 

Of course, there's a beautiful doll with icy blue eyes, a curse, a lost fortune, and a family in crisis. 

For the next week I'll be regaling you with quotes from the book - to whet your appetite!  Here's the first one! Created by Jan Lewis of Author Sidekick.

Check out Artist, Erin McGuire's, blog with her other beautiful artwork! emcguire.blogspot.com. I absolutely adore her work! 

 

 

 

 

You can order the book here: 

Order THE TIME OF THE FIREFLIES on Amazon!

Order at Barnes & Noble!

Add your Review to Goodreads!

 

I hope you enjoy the Book Quotes this week! Enter the Giveaway going on right now  - and I wish you happy reading for the rest of your summer!

Warm wishes, 

~Kimberley

*Fantastic* Reviews for THE TIME OF THE FIREFLIES!

I'm thrilled to pieces. They are completely and utterly positive and gushing. And this marks my very first PW review! (Go here for a lovely giveaway to celebrate FIREFLIES release.)

 

From Publisher's Weekly: 

The Time of the Fireflies, Kimberley Griffiths Little. Scholastic Press, $18.99 (368p) ISBN 978-0-545-16563-1

Little returns to the Louisiana bayou setting of The Healing Spell and Circle of Secrets in a summer story that follows 12-year-old Larissa Renaud in her quest to save her family from past tragedies that are bleeding into their future. It all begins with an ominous call from a disconnected phone in the antique shop her family has moved into. “Find the fireflies. Trust the fireflies,” insists a mysterious voice that somehow knows who Larissa is. Her family has recently returned to her mother’s childhood town so Larissa’s mother can make peace with her sister Gwen’s death. After Larissa learns that the fireflies can transport her to the past, she tries to unpack decades-old secrets that may threaten her family in the present day and that seem to be connected to a doll that belonged to her mother’s late sister. Little’s strengths lie in building a strong sense of the history of a place, its inhabitants, and how one can greatly affect the other. A satisfyingly creepy mystery, wrapped up in the bonds of family. Ages 8–12. Agent: Tracey Adams, Adams Literary. (Aug.)

Reviewed on 05/16/2014 | Details & Permalink


From Kirkus: 

Disconnected vintage telephones occupy an entire section of Bayou Bridge Antiques. When one of them suddenly starts ringing, the eeriness quickly escalates.

The voice on the line orders Larissa to follow the fireflies, and when she obeys, she is transported through time to witness scenes from various moments in her family’s past. As she tries to puzzle out what is happening to her, Larissa realizes that there is a constant in all of the riveting vignettes she witnesses: the presence of a beautiful, perhaps-magical doll that is now one of her mother’s prized possessions. Larissa must figure out how the doll figures into her family history, which has been plagued by tragedies, including Larissa’s own near-drowning, before her mother and unborn baby sister become the next victims. Suspense builds quickly and doesn’t falter until the mystery is solved and restitution is made for long-ago transgressions. Larissa’s first-person narration is fresh and engaging, and the richly evoked south Louisiana setting serves to ground this ethereal tale in a real time and place while contributing to the mysterious mood it requires.
For those fond of exceedingly creepy but not-too-violent stories of the supernatural. Fans of Mary Downing Hahn (The Ghost of Crutchfield Hall, 2010, etc.) will devour this one. (Paranormal thriller. 9-12)

 

School Library Journal – May 2014

 

 

Gr 4-6–Larissa Renaud’s scar burns down the side of her face every time the doll her Mamma keeps locked in the upstairs cabinet looks at her. The angry slash reminds Larissa of her terrible accident at Bayou Bridge, the same bridge where her aunt Gwen drowned as a young girl. The scar warns Larissa not to play with or talk to any of the kids in the town who forced her off the bridge. The scar makes Larissa think that her Mamma, pregnant and anxious, doesn’t think she is beautiful anymore. Then Larissa starts getting phone calls on an ancient telephone in her parents’ antique store—a phone that has long been disconnected from the wall. “Trust the fireflies,” the voice tells her. Believing that the message is a matter of life and death for her family, Larissa lets the fireflies swirl her across the dangerous river to travel back in time to her ancestor’s rich sugarcane estate. Bouncing through the generations, Larissa begins to piece together the history of the blue-eyed heirloom doll, Anna Marie, that her mother keeps. Bought on the Island of the Dolls and infused with a powerful spirit, the doll that Larissa’s great-great-grandmother stole from a servant girl became a curse for each generation thereafter. The evil doll has been at each tragic, untimely death, and Larissa soon figures out it is her Mamma and her newly born sister, Emilie, who are the next targets. Can Larissa find a way to save her family, and perhaps heal her own wounds? This is a haunting, well-constructed tale that keeps readers guessing until the end. The feel of the old bayou infuses the story and the well-developed characters fit into the landscape, moving along in a plot filled with suspense, adventure, and mystery. A perfect choice for lovers of ghost stories, historical fiction, or just a good yarn.–Clare A. Dombrowski, Amesbury Public Library, MA

 

 

The Time of the Fireflies is zipping your way - and First Giveaway!!

This year has been filled with so much excitement and huge giveaways every single month for my Young Adult Trilogy debut, FORBIDDEN (Harpercollins, Nov) that I haven't hardly mentioned my newest Middle-Grade book with Scholastic launching in a few days!!

The illustrator of my last 3 books, Erin McGuire, outdid herself with the stunning cover art!

Saturday, August 2nd at 10:30 am at Bookworks bookstore in Albuquerque, New Mexico is my launch party - including the amazing MG writer, Nikki Loftin driving in from Austin, Texas to party with me and celebrate her newest MG, NIGHTINGALE'S NEST!

Brownies (from the book), creepy dolls, glow-in-the-dark firefly necklaces and Very Cool Presentations. And, of course, book signing! Please come!! If you can't make it or live far, far away you can order autographed copies by calling Bookworks: 505- 344-8139

To celebrate the release of THE TIME OF THE FIREFLIES I've got a wonderful giveaway for you! 

TWO Winners! One will receive an ARC and one will receive a Finished Copy and both will get a gorgeous set of Book Club Cards, a Book Club Guide to easily create your own party, other swag and goodies. Awesome, eh? 

Enter here and spread the word for more points!


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Enjoy, and catch a firefly this summer for me! 

~Kimberley

 

Photography by Vincent Brady (www.vincentbrady.com)

 

ARC's are here for WHEN THE BUTTERFLIES CAME!!!

Today is October 1, 2012 - exactly SIX MONTHS from TODAY these gorgeous books will be out in the world, on bookstore shelves, in the Scholastic Book Fairs, and on Amazon and B&N.

I'm thrilled to pieces. See the jacket synopsis below . . .

(Synopis/jacket summary written by amazingly talented editor at Scholastic).

Everybody thinks Tara Doucet has the perfect life. But in reality, Tara’s life is anything but perfect: Her dear Grammy Claire has just passed away, her mother is depressed and distant, and she and her sister Riley can’t seem to agree on anything. 

But when mysterious and dazzling butterflies begin to follow her around after Grammy Claire’s funeral, Tara just knows in her heart that her grandmother has left her one final mystery to solve.

A strange butler shows up to take Tara and Riley to Grammy Claire’s house, where Tara finds a stack of keys and detailed letters from Grammy Claire herself. Note by note, Tara learns unexpected truths about her grandmother’s life. As the letters grow more ominous and the keys more difficult to decipher, Tara realizes that the secrets she must uncover could lead to mortal danger.

And when Tara and Riley are swept away to the beautiful island of Chuuk to hear their grandmother’s will, Tara discovers the most shocking truth of all — one that will change her life forever.

From Kimberley Griffiths Little comes a magical, breathtaking mystery full of loss and love, family and faith.

( ISBN 978-0-545-42513-1) $17.99 US / $19.99 CAN

California Here I Come - and Back Again!

I recently returned from a full week of school visits in the gorgeous Bay Area where I was born and raised. Scholastic Book Clubs helped me set it all up and the reps I worked with were absolutely fantastic and awesome and wonderful! I had the best time - despite nursing a cold and sore throat. :-)

I also visited two schools in my sister's school district where she is a phenomenal teacher mentor for the district. YAY for fabulous, loving sisters - who also threw me a book party at her house!!! And I got to cheer my nephew in the football game for Homecoming! GO Kaden!

I also did a keynote speech at a Reading Association for teachers at the Railroad Book Depot in Pittsburg, a great new indie - thank you for having me!

Thank you librarians and teachers and Scholastic Book Fair peeps!!! Love you all - and thank you for loving The Healing Spell and Circle of Secrets! 

 

These girls were absolutely adorable! I wanted to hang out with them all day talking about books and adventures. 

We just talked and talked and talked!!!

 

 Very cute handmade poster!

I *love* the butterflies! Especially since I just sold a book called WHEN THE BUTTERFLIES CAME! 

The students at 5 schools wrote 2 stories in the hour we were together, the librarians had goodies and drinks to celebrate, I signed lots and lots of books and . . . A good time was had by all! Especially me!

I have cover art!!!

My new book, CIRCLE OF SECRETS, will be pubbed on October 1, 2011 - in less than 5 months and I can finally share it with the world!!!

 

Isn't it STUNNING!!! I love it. And the trim along the edges are blue bottles from the blue bottle tree on the back. And there's very cool Spanish moss dripping along the top. Love, love, love!!! Scholastic designs totally awesome books!

The tag line says . . . "The summer I turned eleven, I found out that ghosts were real . . . "

The artist is the very talented Erin McGuire. Check out her FAB artwork!

PRE-ORDER CIRCLE OF SECRETS ON AMAZON,  AND  BARNES & NOBLE!

Please add Circle of Secrets to your Goodreads reading list, too!

I adore the first paragraph of the description! Wow, I sound like a real author! Hee, hee.

Critically acclaimed author Kimberley Griffiths Little weaves a haunting story of friendship and family and the power of faith, once again set against the lush backdrop of the Lousiana bayou.

Monday, Monday!

My last few days have been CRAZY! All that dreaded middle-of-the-book drafting stuff went right out the window with LIFE.Yeah, I'm pretty much in the same place I was on Wednesday. Maybe 10 pages further along is all. I can *see* Page 100 right up ahead though! So close and yet so far . . . . aaahhh!


And now I'm packing to head out of state for the rest of the week. Long story. But I'm bringing a car back with me so that part is very good. Not a new car, but a VERY NICE *old* car. :-)

Reading and writing blogs will be very scarce so I leave you with two terrific links:


A Writer's Digest Link to 3 Secrets to Great Storytelling. There is some really good stuff here. A great, simple way to look at your own story and know if you're on the right track with easy ways to analyze your story/plot as well as sentence structure to make your writing more powerful.

And Ta Da!!! Amazon has the lovely, lovely, *paperback* of The Healing Spell up for PRE-ORDER!!!

September 1, 2011 is the official pub date! And I'm so in love with this girl . . . I just have to post it again. Sorry for the gushing. And if you simply cannot wait, go find a school near you having a Scholastic Book Fair and grab a copy. I hear they get sold out on the first day or two though - just sayin'!

If you have any news, please tell me in the comments, I don't want to miss out! 

It's Book Fair Season!

And THE HEALING SPELL is open game!

You can find the *exclusive* paperback of The Healing Spell for sale at your local elementary school's Spring Book Fair! Excuse me while I do some ***happy, excited, crazy-dancing***


The *official* paperback will be on sale September 1, 2011 . . . but Scholastic Book Fair folks showered so much *love* on the brand-new adorable paperback they decided to put my little ole book into the Fairs NOW! It went On Sale in January - ONLY at school Book Fairs.

And then I found out it's a Featured Book on the Book Fair website!!! See Here!

And then I found out that it got *Sparkly Advertising*! *faints*. I'm in the Take-Home Flyer!!! (Bottom row, right side).

Isn't the new cover gorgeous?!! Scholastic's Art Dept nailed it. I'm in love . . . her eyes are so pensive and thoughtful and I want to just hug this girl.

Please tell me if you see it at your local Book Fairs - and spread the word! It's only $5.99 - amazing they can sell books that inexpensively. Which is great for kids and families to get a whole armload of books - like I did when I was a kid. Thanks, Mom!

Here's a picture Author Within sent me from her local elementary Fair. Thank you, Joan!