Book Giveaway: LOVE MADE ME MORE by Colleen Kosinski

Colleen Kosinski has written and illustrated a new picture book, LOVE MADE ME MORE, published by Two Lions is hitting in bookstores on December 13th. Colleen has agreed to send a copy to the one lucky winner in the US.

Just leave a comment. Reblog, tweet, or talk about it on Facebook with a link and you will get additional chances to win. Let me know other things you did 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, thanks for helping Colleen.

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. If you want to make sure you don’t miss seeing that you won, please click “Notify Me of Follow-Up Comments by Email” box. I will leave a comment in reply if you win the book. Thanks!

BOOK DESCRIPTION:

An unexpectedly heartfelt tale of a friendship between a boy and an origami crane that continues throughout the boy’s life.

When a boy’s grandmother shows him how to fold an origami crane, the boy and crane become instant friends. They sail around the room and play, but the crane also watches over the boy and comforts him in a time of loss. The crane is always on the boy’s nightstand—it’s the last thing he sees each night and the first thing he sees each morning.

Over time, the boy grows older, and the crane becomes dusty. But even when the boy becomes a young man, the crane plays a part in the most important moments of his life. And one day, just like his grandmother before him, the man shows his own son how to fold origami as the crane looks on.

Beautifully written and illustrated, this story of an unlikely friendship that spans generations reminds us how much one moment with a loved one can affect our lives in the most meaningful way.

BOOK JOURNEY:

While trying to fall asleep, ideas for new stories often swirl around in my mind. One night, while waiting for inspiration to hit, I glanced over at my bedside table. I spied a tiny origami crane that my daughter-in-law Sophia had made for me. Images began forming in my mind. I grabbed a pen and paper. The story flowed easily and I was excited to look at my notes the following morning. Sometimes my night time ideas are dull as coal but sometimes they are diamonds. After reading, I knew this was a gem.

I showed my critique partners, and after a few revisions I was ready to show the world. It was 2013 and I was unagented. I decided to test the waters with this story by entering it in the Barbara Karlin Grant competition. Months later I received a Barbara Karlin Letter of Commendation. Next, I submitted it for consideration to be included in the Rutgers One on One Mentoring Conference. I received a letter of acceptance and was later matched with author, Trinka Hakes Noble.  The mentoring process was a wonderful experience and her insights helped bring my novel to the next level.

Soon after, I was offered representation by my fantastic agent, Isabel Atherton at Creative Authors. At that time I was excited about another story called, Lilla’s Sunflowers. After selling that story, I decided to dust off my origami crane novel. The year was 2017. I fine tuned the text. My agent loved it and it sold quickly to Kelsea Skea at Two Lions. My editor wanted to make sure we found the perfect artist to illustrate this touching story. We knew Sonia Sanchez would be splendid. Sonia is an award-winning illustrator from Barcelona with a loose, whimsical style. She accepted the project and we were ready to move forward.

Her illustrations bring even more depth to the story and I love all the diversity she shows in the characters’ depictions. Then 2020 happened. Things slowed. Release dates changed. In the meantime, another one of my stories, A Home Again, had sold in 2018–after Love Made Me More. A Home Again’s release date changed to 2021 and Love Made Me More slid to Dec. 13^th, 2022. Wile waiting for Love Made Me More’s release date I started folding origami cranes to give to children at my various signing and visits. I’ve folded well over a thousand cranes in the last five years! Now, finally after a long journey, Love Made Me More will be available to readers. Last month we received a starred review from School Library Jounal!

Love Made Me More tells the tale through the eyes of an origami crane. The crane is a beloved friend of a little boy. But as the boy grows, the crane’s place in his boy’s life changes. It’s a “tug-at-your-heartstrings” tale about relationships, and even as circumstances change, love is always at the core.

I hope readers love this story as much as I do.

COLLEEN’S BIO:

Colleen Rowan Kosinski has always found joy in creating. She received her B.A. from Rutgers University in visual art, and is an alumna of Moore College of Art. She rediscovered her passion for writing after many years as a successful, freelance fine artist. When she discovered children’s book writing she knew she had found her passion. She’s written middle grade novels, young adult novels, and picture books. Colleen belongs to the SCBWI critique group and is active in her local chapter. You can contact her at info AT ColleenRowanKosinski.com. As a lover of nature and animals, in the spring you can usually find her nursing a sick rabbit or robin back to health. Colleen resides in Cherry Hill, NJ with her husband, and doberman pinscher, rottweiler, and miniature dachshund.

Colleen writes picture books and middle grade novels. Her picture books include Lilla’s Sunflowers, A Home Again, and Love Made Me More (2022). Her middle grade novel is titled, A Promise Stitched In Time. For the last year she has been working as an editor at Reedsy.com and teaching classes on picture book writing. She is also involved in her local chapter of the SCBWI, and the Rutgers University Council on Children’s Literature. Colleen is a graduate of Rutgers University, as are her husband and sons. Her daughter followed the bright lights to work in the film industry in LA. Colleen works from her Cherry Hill, NJ studio with her canine assistant, Sage. You can visit Colleen at her website: www.ColleenRowanKosinski.com

Colleen is represented by Isabel Atherton of Creative Authors Limited.

Thank you Colleen for sharing your book and journey with us. What an ingenious idea to have a grand mother teach her grandson to make an origami crane and how the boy and his crane bond and the crane becomes the narrator of the story. It come full circle when the boy grows up and teaches his son to fold his own origami crane. It’s a very sweet story of how you can carry a moment in time throughout your like. I love the illustration you created – so perfect for the book. Children will be drawn in by the beauty on each page. Good luck with the book.

Talk tomorrow,

Kathy