I’m so excited to be the next stop on Shari Schwarz’s TREASURE
AT LURE LAKE blog tour!
*tugs horn*
*shouts: ALL ABOARD!*
You
guys, I LOVED this book!
Twelve-year-old Bryce and his big brother, Jack, absolutely won my heart in this fast-paced, heart-pumping camping adventure. (I’m still thinking about them). I was immediately invested in the plight of these two characters, and equally drawn to both voices. Oh, and the details! So many wonderful details! The unique family dynamic, beautifully woven throughout the story, snaps with
intelligence and raw emotion. And the chapters are bite-sized and chock-full of
action (just the way I like ‘em!).
Bryce and Jack’s softly-told, honest voices engage and invite all adventurous spirits to hike along on this incredible page-turning journey.
Bryce and Jack’s softly-told, honest voices engage and invite all adventurous spirits to hike along on this incredible page-turning journey.
...And watch out, you might even learn some valuable camping survival skills along the way.
I can’t wait to read Shari’s next book and hop aboard
another blazing blog tour!
For a chance to win a copy of TREASURE AT LURE LAKE, just enter our Rafflecopter giveaway below (no tent assembly required).
For a chance to win a copy of TREASURE AT LURE LAKE, just enter our Rafflecopter giveaway below (no tent assembly required).
About
the Book
Summary:
Twelve-year-old Bryce's best-laid plans for a backpacking trip with his grandpa seem to fall through all because his big brother, Jack, is threatening to boycott the trip. But when Bryce stumbles upon a secret treasure map in his grandpa's barn loft, he doesn't mean to steal it or unearth a painful family secret that will explain the root of the brothers' conflict. Bryce is determined to find the treasure, even if it means lying to his grandpa.
As Bryce, Jack, and Grandpa hike to a remote cabin in the Rocky Mountains, sibling rivalry clouds the brothers' judgment, and all Bryce's plans for an epic adventure to go downriver. The boys must work together to survive the dangers of the wilderness, and each other, or the treasure and their family's secret may never see the light of day.
Summary:
Twelve-year-old Bryce's best-laid plans for a backpacking trip with his grandpa seem to fall through all because his big brother, Jack, is threatening to boycott the trip. But when Bryce stumbles upon a secret treasure map in his grandpa's barn loft, he doesn't mean to steal it or unearth a painful family secret that will explain the root of the brothers' conflict. Bryce is determined to find the treasure, even if it means lying to his grandpa.
As Bryce, Jack, and Grandpa hike to a remote cabin in the Rocky Mountains, sibling rivalry clouds the brothers' judgment, and all Bryce's plans for an epic adventure to go downriver. The boys must work together to survive the dangers of the wilderness, and each other, or the treasure and their family's secret may never see the light of day.
TREASURE AT LURE LAKE is available here:
http://www.amazon.com/Treasure-at-Lure-Lake-Schwarz/dp/1462117902/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1454729786&sr=1-1&keywords=treasure+at+lure+lake
http://www.amazon.com/Treasure-at-Lure-Lake-Schwarz/dp/1462117902/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1454729786&sr=1-1&keywords=treasure+at+lure+lake
...About
Shari and her inspiring path to publication:
Shari Schwarz lives in Ft. Collins, Colorado near the Rocky
Mountains with her husband and their four boys. TREASURE AT LURE LAKE (Cedar
Fort Publishing, April 12, 2016) is her debut which reflects her love for a
good survival adventure story. When she’s not reading or writing, Shari can be
found freelance editing, weight-lifting, gardening or watching her boys play
football, basketball, cup-stacking, or wrestling. She frequently dreams of
exploring Oregon Coast beaches or plotting out her next children’s book.
My Path
to Publication:
In my fifth grade diary I have a list of goals written in the
back. One is to write a book. And if you know anything about me, you know I
love to dream...and I love to work toward my goals.
I started writing my book, THE LEDGE (now renamed to TREASURE AT
LURE LAKE), December 10, 2013 after a quick facebook chat with a good friend of
mine, Jenda Nye, who is also a writer. She encouraged me to start writing and,
bonus! we could be writing partners!
The idea for my story was totally inspired by my boys and Gary
Paulsen's HATCHET. But I had NO idea what I was getting myself into when I
wrote 'The End' on my first draft in February 2014, or what would happen when I
plugged into the amazing writing community on Twitter in March 2014.
At that time, my parents were the first ones to give me valuable
feedback and editing suggestions on my first draft, and I will always be so
grateful for their support and guidance. Then, I sent out my first queries to
literary agents in March 2014. Literally a year too early, but that's what the
learning process is all about...making lots of mistakes and learning from them.
I'm thankful for each mistake along the way because they all have been a part
of the path I'm on to becoming a better writer and story teller.
I entered TREASURE AT LURE LAKE in various online contests like
#NestPitch, #JustPitchIt, #PitMad, #PitchSlam, #PitchMas, Operation Awesome,
#AgentMatch, #SecretShop, Sub it Club pitch party (and those are just the ones
I received requests from agents on) and queried widely over the next six
months. Early on in the query process I received two "R&R"
(revise and resubmit) requests--one from an editor and one from an agent. While
neither of them panned out in the end, they offered sound and generous advice
that helped me shape the early drafts of TREASURE AT LURE LAKE.
In the fall of 2014, after getting feedback from at least 30
critique partners, getting numerous rejections from agents and just a couple of
bites (requests for fulls), I went to the Rocky Mountain SCBWI conference with
my friend, Emily Moore, who I also met on Twitter but then got to know in real
life! I learned so much at the conference, and Emily really helped me
brainstorm ideas for some major changes in the story that got me excited again
after enduring so many rejections of my work. It's not easy putting your heart
and soul into something and having a hundred people tell you 'no, not quite
right.'
One side of wisdom might say it's time to throw in the towel,
but this is a hard business to break into, so I kept plugging away. I had so
many people encourage me to press on, not give up and try again!
In December 2014, after a couple of close calls with agents, I
nearly gave up on TREASURE AT LURE LAKE. I had also finished writing the first
draft of a new book and started on another. Discouraged and heartbroken, I went
for a long hike where I stomped and cried and yelled at God. Why is this so
hard? So frustrating? I hated getting my hopes up over and over again each time
an agent seemed interested only to be let down and disappointed when they said
no.
So, I decided to let go and self-publish. By that time, I knew
there were problems with my book, but I just couldn't give up on Jack and Bryce
(the boys in the story). I felt free and excited and a bit overwhelmed at the
prospect of self-publication!
But then, in January 2015, an amazing online friend and critique
partner, Sarah Floyd, told me not to give up and took a once over of the first
few chapters of my manuscript. With her feedback, I was inspired to revise again
and send out a small batch of queries. Full manuscript requests started to come
in. I sent out more queries. More fulls were requested. Lots of waiting ensued!
So, back to the revision board...again and again. In March, one
of my original critique partners, Sally Hughes Doherty, read through TREASURE
AT LURE LAKE and gave me a thorough evaluation of my book which shed bright
light on some problem areas I still had. With her brilliant advice, I revised
again. A couple of contests and a few more full requests later, I felt like I
was on the right track.
By this time, I wasn't as prone to discouragement; my skin had
grown thick. Plus, I had started reading manuscripts for a literary agent and
could now see firsthand the numerous ways in which a manuscript just doesn't
cut it even if it is good writing or an amazing story. The idea of
self-publishing became more and more of a possibility to me, and I started to
research it.
Then one day, I saw an #MSWL call for submissions by an editor,
Ashley Gephart, at Cedar Fort Publishing and decided to send TREASURE AT LURE
LAKE to her on May 11th, 2015. By the end of May, I was completely shocked to
receive an email saying they had accepted my story for publication! I literally
could not believe it at first. I think I read that email ten times before it
sunk in that it was real--not spam or a joke or someone who was going to change
their mind a few days later.
After researching Cedar Fort,
asking a million questions, talking to one of their authors and going through
the contract, I'm thoroughly blessed and honored to say that I signed with
Cedar Fort's general release fiction. TREASURE AT LURE LAKE is set for release
on April 12, 2016.
Shari
Schwarz
Author
of: TREASURE AT LURE LAKE
Cedar
Fort Publishing/Sweetwater Books
MG,
Action and Adventure
April 12,
2016
ISBN:
#9781462117901, #1462117902
Ages 9-13
Contact
Info:
9 comments:
I can't wait for this!
Great post! I actually just read this book last night and it was so great! Knowing Shari's path to publication makes it even sweeter!
Congrats Shari! What a great story of perseverance!
Thank you for having me on the blog!
Thank you Jamie!
Interesting to see your uphill process and how you persevered through it. Titles like yours hook me every time.
We loved having you, Shari! I hope everyone reads this amazing book! xo
Glad you liked it, Wendy! (-: I was lucky enough to read some of Shari's first chapters when she was drafting this and I can't tell you how amazing it is to see all her hard work and determination pay off in the form of this awesome achievement! #NeverGiveUp (-:
Inspiring, indeed! Thanks for taking the time to do this blog tour stop!
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