Spotlight on New Book Debut Author Candice Marley Conner #giveaway

Sassafras and Her Teeny Tiny Tail by Candice Marley Conner (June 8, 2021)
The Existence of Bea Pearl by Candice Marley Conner (June 15, 2021)

Rare case! This debut author launched a Children's picture book that's in the "Mentally Disabled Education" category and a "Teen & Young Adult Nature & the Natural World Fiction" book within days of each other! Here's an author who is clearly One to Watch:



1- What inspired you to use a squirrel for your book Sassafras and her Teeny Tiny Tail?

Real life! My daughter and I went on a walk around our neighborhood when a squirrel with the tiniest stub-of-a-tail scampered across a neighbor’s yard. Immediately, I thought of how this squirrel could be affected since squirrels use their tails for balance, communication, and more. Then I wondered: could this squirrel’s difference somehow save the day? The picture book idea was born!

2- Would you please, in 160 characters or less, give a #WriteTip ?

Always keep your mind open to the possibilities and wonder around you. You never know when an idea will pop up!

3- What most motivates you to read a new book?

Plant magic, atmosphere, recommendations, and an awesome cover.

4- According to Goodreads, Sassafras and her Teeny Tiny Tail came out June 8th 2021, and The Existence of Bea Pearl came out June 15th 2021. What was it like to have two books come out within days of each other?

A whirlwind! Luckily, I never had any edit deadlines due at the same time. Sassafras was originally set to release in 2019, so I had most of her edits completed when I needed to work on Bea Pearl’s. It helped that one is picture book and the other young adult so I could promote each differently.

5- Would you share a picture with us of your books in a fun setting?

Here’s a picture of both books on the bestseller shelf at my local indie. Such a great feeling to see them both up there!

6- I got: Bea Pearl Buzzfeed quiz Which character did YOU get?

I got Honey, the bestie!

7- What's your Twitter handle, and do you have two or three writer friends on there to shout-out to for #WriterWednesday ?

I’m @candice_marleyc , and shout out to @sandradsutter for her picture book expertise, @elwaters for the way she writes spooky settings, and @wonderwegian for how she can immerse you into another time period!

8- Do you have a favorite #bookstagram image or account/ profile?

So many gorgeous and creative bookstagram accounts out there, but one of my favorites is @book_dragon06 . Love the aesthetic and the books featured.

9- Are you a Plotter, Pantser, or Plantser, and how did you adopt that style?

Plantser. I have to have an inkling of where I want the story to go, like the setting, the main character(s) and maybe a scene or motif, so I have something to keep me on track, but if I try to plot out too much my creative muse deserts me.

10- What does your basic writing schedule look like, and how often do you write?

Ha. Schedule? Right now since my kids are back in-school for the first time in over a year and I’m working more (I’m a part-time bookseller at a local indie), my schedule is all kinds of cattywampus as I try to find a new routine. I’m hoping to get back in the habit of writing every morning as that’s when my brain works best.

11- What is your favorite book by someone else, what's the author's Twitter handle, and what do you love most about that book? #FridayReads book recommendation time!

Author name: Natalie Lloyd @_natalielloyd
Title: all of them? But I’ll go with A SNICKER OF MAGIC since that was my gateway book into her magical, middle grade worlds
Love because: of how she infuses everything—her setting, characters, storyline—with such magic and wonder and hope and quirks and love.


12- What emotions do you hope your book will evoke for the reader?

Hope and belief in yourself even if your whole world feels against you. I’ve also had readers tell me they love the eerie spookiness, so I like that my words give them a chill too!

13- What kind of impact do you hope your book will have?

THE EXISTENCE OF BEA PEARL is, in-part, my love language to the swamps and river I grew up in. It’s an incredibly biodiverse area and I want my book to encourage readers to be present in the natural world around them and explore wild places to see the beauty that exists there.
I commissioned artwork from the talented @erica_ross_visual_art and set up a Threadless shop (theexistenceofbeapearl's Artist Shop | Featuring custom t-shirts, prints, and more (http://threadless.com)) where proceeds go to the Alabama Rivers Alliance to help protect our 132,000 miles of rivers and streams. And I’m doing a giveaway with Operation Awesome where one commenter will win either a Swamp Wild, River Wild, or Beauty of a River (winner’s choice) spiral notebook! (US only please)



14- What is your favorite creative non-writing activity to do?

Reading, of course! I also enjoy experimenting with essential oil scents and making beeswax lotion bars. It soothes my cottagecore, green-witchy vibes, haha. And I adore bees.

15- diversebooks.org #WeNeedDiverseBooks What's your favorite book with a diverse main character?

So many favorites! I thoroughly enjoyed Bethany C. Morrow’s YA, A SONG BELOW WATER. Combining sirens and Black Lives Matter was eye-opening and thought-provoking, and the way she used voice really resonated with me. Alda P. Dobbs historical middle grade, BAREFOOT DREAMS OF PETRA LUNA, based on her great-grandmother’s journey to the U.S. border during the Mexican Revolution of 1913 struck a chord with me and gave me a different perspective on immigration and the American dream.(Interview coming soon!) Ooh, and Angeline Boulley’s FIREKEEPER’S DAUGHTER is high on my TBR list!


16- What method do you feel is the best way to get book reviews?

Advanced reader copies! I had a limited number of paper ones for Bea Pearl that I placed in Little Free Libraries and I helped build my social media presence by offering ARCs as giveaway prizes. I also had postcards made up with the e-ARC NetGalley link that I mailed to indie bookstores in my region. For Sassafras, I sent the PDF to my former debut group and they generously read and posted reviews.

17- What was the deciding factor in your publication route?

I need validation in my writing so I went the more traditional route. And I went with a smaller press because they understood my vision for Bea Pearl and worked hard to make it the best version of itself rather than focusing on filling a slot on their list.
I decided on my picture book’s publisher (also small press) because their books have a great message on letting one’s differences stand out and shine, and they print the books in dyslexie, a weighted font that allows for more inclusivity and easier readability.

18- What's the biggest writing goal you hope to accomplish in your lifetime?

I don’t want to limit myself by answering this, because what feels like a pipedream now may one day be reality. Goals change because they’re stepping stones. We’re always growing and pushing ourselves as writers and authors. For instance, I had a radio interview a few weeks ago. I NEVER thought I would have that opportunity!

19- Would you please ask our audience a question to answer in the comments?

What themes/motifs and genres are you most excited to read?

20- Anything else you would care to share about your book and yourself?

Sometimes your differences make you a hero.
Squirrels need their tails for balance and to communicate so with her stubby, bristly tail, Sassafras is the laughingstock of the oak tree. Always falling, tripping, tumbling, and it feels like no one understands her. She tries everything she can think of to make her tail look as fluffy and long as all the other squirrels’. But when danger strikes, the thing that makes her different might just save the day.
CATEGORY: Self-esteem & Self-reliance | Growth Mindset |Social Themes | Animals & Nature

If her brother could stop existing, could she too?
Sixteen-year-old Bea Pearl knows her brother isn’t dead. Even if her parents don’t agree. Even if the entire town doesn’t believe her. She knows it’s true. When orders came to evacuate Lake George due to rising floodwaters, Bea Pearl saw Jim head toward the river. She followed him. Only she returned.
When her parents have Jim declared legally dead, Bea Pearl decides it’s up to her to figure out where her brother could be if he is alive, and so begins to unravel the mystery of his disappearance. But it seems like someone else wants to know what he was hiding when his bedroom is ransacked. More clues come together: a scrap of paper, mysterious numbers that may lead to swamp monkeys, Jim’s shoes turning up in unexpected places. Bea Pearl can’t figure out what connects them all until she’s stolen from her bed in the dead of night.
Bea Pearl’s insistence that Jim’s alive and her quest to figure out why he went down to a flooding river in the first place takes a toll on her shattering family. But she must unearth the truth surrounding her presumed dead brother. Otherwise, the rumors are true and she has killed him. Because if Jim can stop existing, could she too?
CATEGORY: Mystery | Southern | Ecological | Thriller | Action & Adventure

Growing up between swamps, a river, and the Gulf Coast, Candice Marley Conner’s stories emerge from cypress knees, muddy water, and salty air. She is the kidlit haint at a haunted indie bookstore (but not haunted how you’re thinking), a Local Liaison for SCBWI, and an officer for her local writer’s guild. Her short stories and poems are in various anthologies and magazines including Smarty Pants Magazine for Kids, Highlights Hello, Cabinet of Curiosities, Under the Full Moon’s Light, Babybug, Chicken Soup for the Soul, and more. Her picture book, SASSAFRAS AND HER TEENY TINY TAIL and her YA Southern mystery, THE EXISTENCE OF BEA PEARL, both debuted this June. She lives in Alabama with her husband and two children (one of whom is possibly feral).
Candice is represented by Katelyn Detweiler of Jill Grinberg Literary Management. Visit her website at http://candicemarleyconner.com, Twitter @candice_marleyc
, Instagram @candice_marleyconner,
and Facebook @cmarleyconnerauthor.
Thanks so much for having me!

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Sassafras and Her Teeny Tiny Tail by Candice Marley Conner (June 8, 2021)
The Existence of Bea Pearl by Candice Marley Conner (June 15, 2021)