Book Giveaway: The EXTRAODINARY PAUSE by Sara Sadik

Sara Sadik has written a picture book, The EXTRAODINARY PAUSE, illustrated by Karine Jaber published by Eifrig Books. Sara has agreed to share a copy with one lucky winner living in the United States.

All you have to do to get in the running is 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 other things you do to share the good news, so I can put the right amount of tickets in my basket for you.

Sharing on Facebook, Twitter or reblogging really helps spread the word for a new book, so thank you for helping Sara Karine.

If you have signed up to follow my blog and it is delivered to you everyday, please let me know when you leave a comment and I will give you an extra ticket. Thanks!

BOOK DESCCRIPTION:

The Extraordinary Pause is a keepsake testament of the pandemic of 2020-2021, a tribute to the simple and remarkable efforts people made in the face of the unexpected and unknown, and a tool to discuss how it is affecting kids as they start heading back to school. This book is a wonderful tool for reflecting on the physical, mental, and emotional impact of this extraordinary event. The text is complimented with thoughtful and poignant illustrations with a minimal color palette and plenty to explore for the young audiences, as well as a few talking points to help kids reflect and remember this experience.

This book will have a place in a child’s permanent collection of childhood favorites. It will be a place to return to as we reflect with our kids on the challenging period we experienced during the extraordinary pause and help us all to grapple with the social, physical, and mental parts of the journey.

If you purchase an ebook you can receive a coupon code for a discount on shipping for a hardcover copy by going to Eifrig Publishing.

BOOK JOURNEY:

I know everyone says this, but it’s true – writing a book is like having a baby – so emotionally draining and probably the most rewarding thing you will ever do.  In the end, it often comes down to those final edits and last trimester where I mean, wow you just want that baby to be born and the book to be out.

Let’s rewind for a sec because this book was really nothing that we forced. It really wasn’t a ‘planned pregnancy’ but more like wow, these two bottles of wine (okay 3) are so good and opps here’s your third little baby. At least that’s how it was in my family.

So, the idea for the book kind of just came to us because our reality was this never-ending pause on life, which was the original title of the book.  We were under harsh lock down restrictions with curfews and tantrums (both from me and my children – mostly me!) and homeschooling so the idea just fell into my lap.  I’m a bit believer in capturing the essence of what I am experiencing in my life. Whether that considered to be autobiographical or me simply trying to take a snapshot of a series of moments (typically challenging ones) and writing about it.

I began getting together a working draft together that I liked and could then explore the imagery with Karine.  It didn’t take long for us to realize that Covid had impacted everyone. It didn’t matter where you were living or what color your skin was or how your eyes looked, what mattered was we all were forced to experience this “extraordinary pause” to some degree or another.

I was thrown into a similar situation with my first book, Finding the Magic in Mommyhood.  Adriana, my first baby, was born breech and so diagnosed with hip dysplasia. She had to be in a brace for almost 8 months and could only be out of it one hour a day – typically to shower.  Countless scraps of paper and notebooks were scribbled on during those 8 months capturing what I was thinking and feeling through it all. Writing has always been therapeutic for me where I have the tendency to get my thoughts out on paper and so experiencing the lockdown “giving birth” to The Extraordinary Pause was no exception.  The commonality between the two books and the third book I am working on (title yet to be disclosed…shhh!) is highlighting that we are more similar than different not only in our biological elements but in our seemingly unique experiences that have more in common than not.

We knew that we wanted to publish it Internationally and not self-publish it or print it locally, so we began googling lists. We needed a publishing house that would see the potential vastness in our story without requiring an agent. I knew that this was a time sensitive story – or so I thought – little did I know that we would still be wearing masks and living through a pandemic 2 years later. UGH.

Eifrig Publishing was on a list of publishing houses who don’t require you to go through an agent first which was exactly what I wanted to do. Typically publishing houses want you to have an agent that you’ve signed with. It was refreshing to be able to deal directly with a potentially publishing house and they were wonderful in supporting us but also giving us advice to change what needed to be changed to make the story that much stronger. This is so hard particularly with a children’s book because the word count is so smallbut they managed to a) convince us to “Kill our darlings” as Anne Lamott would say and b) hold our hand in producing a story they felt had the potential to succeed and one we still loved.

We worked on it for a while tweaking and cutting and honestly reading it to the harshest critics of all – our kids. We have five between the two of us so getting their take on the story and illustrations was invaluable They wouldn’t hesitate to tell us if a line was “weird and confusing” or if they though that a specific illustration didn’t fit with the line I had written. They were relentless and we have them to thank for our concise but beautifully put together final version.

The illustrations are a huge part of the book. The talented illustrator, Karine and I have worked together on a few other projects, so she understands my need to take control and I understand her need to push back and tell me when something isn’t working. She is the perfect springboard to bounce ideas off and simply takes the concept I am trying to depict through my words and gives it a vibrant heartbeat on the page.

Our mission was, and still is to take an all-encompassing concept like the pandemic and beautifully simplify it as if told from a child’s point of view. This book is a keepsake to remember this time, reflect on it and most importantly bridge the gap between our differences as we have all been touched in one way or another by this “big mean bully”.

SARA’S BIO:

Sara Sadik, a Palestinian/Lebanese energetic mom of 3 puzzle pieces who delivers her distinct brand of warm candid humor with an extra dose of sass in a traditional Arabic coffee cup.

A Post-It/highlighter/notebook aficionado who/that tries to always tell it/call it like it is. Her secret sauce is that she believes in finding humor in any situation and she’s on a mission to make you see the lighter side breathe, and know you’re not alone in this unpredictable odyssey through mommyhood.

Married to America-born Syrian Omar, whose investment career finances her Starbucks 1/2 shot soy cappuccinos, together they’re thirtysomethings who used to skydive and go on safaris for kicks, but now enjoy looking for stuffed bunnies and superman band-aids.

With a Palestinian dad and a Lebanese mom, she’s lived on three continents, in five countries, and muses on how moms-to-be and moms-in-action think, feel, question, and seek magic in their lives—regardless of location: from Delaware to Dubai, where she has lived for the past seven years. She reads to her kids on most nights (usually I Love You Stinky Face by Lisa Mccourt) but never skips a morning dance off (usually Shakira or Mumford and Sons).

A big believer in pinkie promises, peanut better and no surprise – magic, Sara will have coffee with anyone for the chance to vent about mother-in-laws and share in a good ol’ fashioned sobfest. A kid at heart she knows every single word to every single Disney song (a task she accomplished before having kids) and loves the idea of free samples.

She has been previously worked for/employed by The Daily Star newspaper, the U.N. and The Prime Minister’s Office in Dubai until they realized that her creativity and dance moves were unproductive. Or so she tells herself.

KARINE’S BIO:

Karine Jaber is a French Lebanese Graphic Designer and Illustrator who has made Dubai her home for the past 15 years. She spent the last 7 years as a freelancer which made her highly skilled in managing and coordinating graphic design projects from concept through completion.

When she is not partnering with some cool brands to create loud and quirky graphics, she is illustrating her life out on Instagram under the name of “This Little Individual” or being part of exhibitions around town. Her style of drawing is fresh, fun and a bit childish but it is ultimately relatable and guaranteed to put a smile on your face.

Thank you Sara for sharing your book and journey with us. This is a a wonderful tool for children and adult to help reflect on the physical, mental, and emotional impact of this extraordinary event. I pray the world never has to deal with something like this again, because it really has changed out world. Your book looks so hopeful and probably will be used going forward to look back and help teach children what happened. Karine did a great job with the illustrations to help you tell your story. Good luck with the book!

Talk tomorrow,

Kathy