Hello Readers! In my last post I shared the loonnnnnggg and winding road leading to the publication of my next book, and now I have some teeny, tiny updates:
First things first, the book I have most recently referred to as MAMA'S HOME! will heretofore be entitled....drumroll please .... MISSING MAMA.
My last post provided abundant details about the various iterations and working titles for this story over the years, and now that it will soon be published, it's been re-titled yet again.
It's actually not at all uncommon for a book to go through a title revision once the sales and marketing teams get involved, and this book is no exception. The publishing team felt that the working title of MAMA'S HOME ran the risk of being mis-interpreted as being about "the home of Mama." There were several alternate ideas considered to help clear up that potential misconception, and the winning title was MISSING MAMA.
Although it will take some getting used to to call my book by its new name, I'm actually quite pleased with the new title. It puts the energy and focus on what the children in the book are feeling at the beginning of the story, (they are MISSING their MAMA!), and it leaves the excitement associated with Mama's eventual return to unfold over the course of the story.
I also think these little behind-the-scenes morsels of info are really fun to share with young readers at school and library author visits. Kids always seems to be intrigued by this type of thing.
The second update is that I've now seen all of the final art AND the planned cover art. (I wish I could share some of this with you now, but alas, it is still top secret!) It will likely be several months before I can do a cover reveal, but I'm getting super excited for that aspect of the book publishing journey! (Spoiler alert: The art is ADORABLE! You can get a sense for the treat you are in for by following illustrator, Adèle Dafflon's, work on Instagram. )
And...last, but not least, I've received word from Familius, the publisher, that we now have a tentative publication date for MISSING MAMA: October 13, 2026 ... almost exactly ONE YEAR from TODAY. That seems like a long time still to wait, but alas, there are SO MANY things to do to get ready for this new book baby. Watch this space for updates as they are available. Thanks for sharing this journey with me, dear readers and friends!
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The Writing Life is an occasional feature of Dawn Babb Prochovnic's blog. Dawn is the author of over 20 books for young readers and the proud recipient of the esteemed “Pleasure Reading Award” (her most memorable 5th grade achievement). She has devoted her life’s work to initiatives that support literacy and the literary arts, including early literacy enrichment programs; school author visits; writing workshops; and her educational blog. Dawn’s work has been short-listed for the Oregon Book Award; she was named an Oregon Library Supporter of the Year for her library advocacy efforts; and she received the Walt Morey Award in recognition of significant contributions that have enriched Oregon’s young readers. Contact Dawn using the form at the left, or learn more at www.dawnprochovnic.com.
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