You're invited to help launch "Mortified" by Kristy Jackson

With illustrations by Rhael McGregor

Hi, Brian.

It's hard to believe it's been four years since I first started my writing journey with you! I'm so excited to share that I'm having my book launch for my debut novel, Mortified, for ages 8–12 in May in Saskatoon! This is a book I started with your Friday Intensive class and is also the one you edited. Thanks again for all your help (and our Friday crew too) making it better and getting me here!

Everyone’s invited to my official book launch, which will streamed on YouTube and will be in-person at the Saskatoon branch of the McNally Robinson book store:
3130 8^th St E, Saskatoon
Thursday, May 23 at 7pm.

We’ll have a reading, and a book signing after.

I’ve had some great buzz for this book already:

“Brilliant, funny, unputdownable. Anyone who has ever been mortified will love this debut novel by new superstar author Kris Jackson. Mortified finds the heart of a middle grade reader with an entertaining and pitch-perfect story, beautifully illustrated by Rhael McGregor, brought to an expansive finish with style and grace. I loved it!”
– Award-winning children’s author Alice Kuipers

“This book is a delight and will have kids cringing, laughing and relating in equal parts! Hilarious and heart-warming, I couldn’t put this down. Belinda’s hilarious adventures will have young kids squealing with joy and laughter. Two thumbs up!”
– Salma Hassain, author of The Secret Diary of Mona Hasan

Please help me share this with the world. Thanks so much Brian!

Kristy

If you can’t make it to Kristy’s book launch, Mortified is available for pre-order from Chapters here. (And remember, buying a book before it even comes out, encourages bookstores to order lots of copies.)

Kristy & Brian:

Mortified by Kristy Jackson, illustrated by Rhael McGregor (from HarperCollins Publishers)

For fans of Remarkably Ruby and Diary of a Wimpy Kid, comedy and cringe come together in this sweet novel about facing your fears.

When someone secretly signs up Belinda Houle, the school’s shyest kid, to audition for a play, Belinda turns to her best friend, Sally, for help. Sally isn’t like the other kids. Unlike Belinda, she isn’t embarrassed by anything. Also, Sally thinks she’s a witch.

Belinda doesn’t believe in magic, but if Sally has a spell for confidence—well, it couldn’t hurt to try it. Could it?

What follows the spell is a series of tragedies so tragic they would have been funny—if only they weren’t happening to Belinda! First, Belinda’s ex-best friend tricks her into eating dog food. Next, she’s forced to wear a wig when her hair-straightening session goes very wrong. And then, Belinda slips on a plate of paint, wrecking a mural, and ends up with globs of green, brown and yellow paint all over her head!

Things get worse and worse, until Belinda must face the facts: One piece of bad luck can be explained away, but this? This is a straight-up curse!

Can she break the curse before the dreamy Ricky Daniels takes more notice of her crooked wig? More importantly, how can Belinda battle the very thing she hoped the spell would take away: her embarrassment?

Mortified is available for pre-order from Chapters here.

Kristy Jackson is a communications professional and the mother of two boys. Her work draws inspiration from her Cree and German background and a long list of embarrassing moments of her own. Her short fiction has been published by CommuterLit, Kids Short Stories and Quick Brown Fox.

Kristy runs a program that delivers books to children in seven remote Indigenous communities in Canada. She also volunteers for a non-profit dedicated to improving literacy in her community. Mortified is her debut novel.

If you’re interested in getting published, come to our in-person “How to Get Published” workshop on May 11 in Niagara on the Lake (details here).

If you have a particular interest in Kid Lit, don’t miss our upcoming online “Writing for Children and for Young Adults” workshop on June 15 with Erin O’Connor, senior editor at Scholastic Books (details here).

See all my upcoming weekly writing classes, one-day workshops, and four-day retreats here. ~Brian

See other new books by your fellow authors here (and scroll down).