Book Giveaway: Mirabel’s Missing Valentines

Author Janet Lawler has a new picture book titled, MIRABEL’S MISSING VALENTINES. It is available in bookstores now. Janet has agreed to share a book with one lucky winner. All you have to do to get in the running is to leave a comment. Reblog, tweet, or talk about it on Facebook with a link and you will get additional chances to win. Just let me know the other things you do to share the good news, so I can put in the right amount of tickets in my basket for you.

Sharing on Facebook, Twitter, reblogging really helps spread the word for a new book. Thanks for helping Janet!

BOOK’S DESCRIPTION:

When Mirabel’s valentines fall out of her bag on the way to school, the shy little mouse panics. But those lost cards brighten some days . . . before making their way back to her. 

“Mirabel was very shy.
She’d always been that way.
She trembled at the thought of
giving Valentines away.”

Poor Mirabel! It’s almost Valentine’s Day and the shy little mouse trembles at the thought of giving cards away. Yet she carefully crafts her valentines, drawing a heart on every one. In the morning, Mirabel forces herself to hurry to school. But, in her nervousness, she doesn’t notice her bag becoming lighter and lighter: her valentines are falling out! By the time she realizes what’s happened, they’re all gone. It turns out, though, that these lost valentines bring joy into the lives of all who find them. Then, with her valentines back in her pack, and some newfound friends, she musters up the courage to celebrate the holiday after all! This wonderful tale of overcoming insecurity will make its way to the hearts of all young readers.

BOOK’S JOURNEY:

Two of my most recently published picture books took over ten years each to find their way to print. Their writing, revision, submission, and acquisition journeys had so many twists and turns that you’d need a GPS to find your way from my idea to publication! I share this, not to discourage anyone, but rather to encourage writers to stay ever hopeful. Markets change, editors move, our craft improves, and a story-in-a-drawer will find a home one day—unless you have put it in that drawer for good, like I did with my first version of a Valentine’s Day story.

I began brainstorming Valentine’s Day ideas in early 2016. I had written books for several holidays, but none for the day of “love.” Looking back, I realize that I didn’t really have a clear plot as I started writing Mousey’s Missing Valentines. But one came to me as I wrote, or so I thought.  My plot idea? Mousey absolutely loves Valentine’s Day, but her classmate Kid (who is a goat) is a Valentine’s Day Grinch. He doesn’t bring a decorated box or cards to school, and he chews up Mousey’s valentines while everyone is out at recess. Just as Christmas comes without the presents in Seuss’s The Grinch Who Stole Christmas, Valentine’s Day comes in this story without Mousey having cards to hand out. Kind Mousey still enjoys the class party and even makes another card for Kid. He comes back the next day to apologize and share with the class a post-Valentine’s Day pinata in the shape of a heart, giving Mousey an arrow-shaped stick for the first whack. And if you are laughing at this improbable plot, it’s okay. I am laughing as I type!

But I wasn’t laughing as I wrote it. I loved my story, just as I love all my stories. I thought it had great pacing, a good story arc, an endearing protagonist, and an antagonist worthy of reform. What happened next? I took this manuscript to my weekly critique group. Needless to say, I got a lot of comments. I re-wrote the story, trying to address most suggestions, and I read it to my group at least one or two more times.

I felt I had a pretty good manuscript several weeks later when I sent it to my then agent. But—she raised even more good questions about plot, character motivation, current Valentine’s Day school parties, and overall story message. I was very discouraged. After mulling for a few days, I finally realized that nobody loved Mousey as I did. So I decided to let her go—to the drawer.

I quickly took a completely different approach with MIRABEL’S MISSING VALENTINES. First, Mousey’s name morphed from Mousey to Marmalade (already taken by a cute UK story mouse) to Mirabel. Also, I began writing in rhyme instead of prose. My new story had “heart” and hearts, as shy Mirabel loses her valentines out of a hole in her bag on her way to school. The townsfolk who find them are cheered up and return them just before she heads into the building. She has a great time at her class party, and her new town friends tuck more valentines into her bag on the way home. The simple plot touches on social anxiety and shares a subtle message that “the more love you give, the more you get back.”

I made countless small revisions to refine the text after sharing this version with my critique group and agent. MIRABEL’S MISSING VALENTINES received early interest from Sterling Children’s Books. I did one pre-offer revision that involved targeted re-writing of text showing the townsfolk finding the valentines. Sterling felt that my efforts to create tension in the story made these scenes come across as too negative. For example:

A lady at her mailbox slumped,

appearing rather glum.

But after Mirabel went by,

she hummed a happy hum. 

I revised these lines to:

A lonely lady looked inside

her empty mailbox twice.

But after Mirabel went by,

She smiled and thought, how nice!

Once the manuscript was acquired in early 2017, I undertook more revisions following exchanges of editorial comments and replies. During an editorial conference call, the last remaining outstanding issues were resolved, including how best to portray the lonely lady who finds the first valentine. We had a long discussion about whether people wait for mail at mailboxes these days, since so much is done by e-mail. Should I change the lonely lady’s first lines? Perhaps those lines might read:

A lonely lady sat outside

and checked her e-mail twice.

Ultimately, we agreed that the mailbox lady was lonelier and would be more cheered up by Mirabel’s dropped valentine (after all, waiting with a computer might not be so lonely, since the lady could be browsing the internet while waiting on the porch for her e-mail…). As it turned out, the delightful art of Olivia Chin Mueller has a delicious, retro, small-town feel that makes the traditional mailbox scene exactly the right choice.

I was gratified to have opportunities to review and comment on preliminary cover and interior sketches once the text was finalized. My comments were filtered through Sterling editorial and art departments, and Olivia did a great job finalizing the art. Her end-papers and final pages guide the reader to understand that the townsfolk are sharing a unique Valentine’s Day journey and cards with Mirabel.

I hope you have enjoyed hearing about MIRABEL’s path to publication. If you visit the book’s page on my website, you can download a sheet of cute, free Valentine’s Day cards featuring Olivia Chin Mueller’s illustrations. And I’ve also posted a free CCSS Curriculum Guide for educators and parents. https://janetlawler.com/book/mirabels-missing-valentines-picture-book/

Thanks so much, Kathy, for helping to spread the love of children’s literature and MIRABEL’S MISSING VALENTINES, and for all your terrific, helpful posts on Writing and Illustrating!

JANET’S BIO:

Janet Lawler is a prolific author specializing in children’s literature. Her critically acclaimed books have appeared in Scholastic Book Clubs and the Children’s Book of the Month Club. Her recent works include Ocean Counting, Love is Real, and Leaves. She loves sharing the humor of everyday life with young readers.

Janet’s books have been published across the globe and have been translated into several languages. Lawler received a BA in government and American studies from Connecticut College and went on to complete her JD at the University of Connecticut. She lives in Connecticut.

Thank you Janet for sharing your book and journey with us. A Valentine’s themed book – so much fun and so lucky to have Olivia Chin Mueller illustrate the book. Olivia was featured on Illustrator Saturday. Good Luck!

Talk tomorrow,

Kathy