Cover Reveal for Seven Riddles to Nowhere!

Posted on April 27, 2016 by AJ Cattapan

I’m so excited to share with you the cover for Seven Riddles to Nowhere!

What do you think? Tell me in the comments below. I’d love to hear your thoughts.

7 Riddles to Nowhere, a middle grade mystery by award-winning author A.J. Cattapan

7 riddles. 1 fortune. Way too many competitors.

All seventh grader Kameron Boyd wants to do is keep his little Catholic school from closing. It’s the only school where they’ve made life as a selective mute somewhat bearable. As the school faces financial distress, Kam learns he is one of many potential heirs to a fortune large enough to keep his school open.

With the school’s bully as one of the other potential heirs, Kam and his friends race to solve the riddles first. Their journey takes them through the churches of Chicago to decipher the hidden meanings in artwork all while avoiding the mysterious men following them. But creepy men in trench coats won’t stop them! They’re on a quest–not only to keep the school open, but to help Kam recover his voice.

 

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Grab Angelhood before the sale price disappears!

Posted on April 16, 2016 by AJ Cattapan

For a while now, the ebook price

of Angelhood has been $1.99.

That price is going up within the next few days,

so if you’ve been thinking about buying

a Kindle, Nook, or iBook copy of Angelhood,

now is the time!

Angelhood 199 rev

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Behind-the-scenes of one of my settings!

Posted on April 11, 2016 by AJ Cattapan

Last weekend, I went out and did some photo shoots of some of the Chicagoland locations used in my upcoming middle grade mystery Seven Riddles to Nowhere.

In this video, I take you behind the scenes of the Chicago suburban location that started it all!

For more behind-the-scenes peaks, be sure to sign up for my monthly newsletter!

 

 

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Monday Book Review: Cinder by Marissa Meyer

Posted on April 4, 2016 by AJ Cattapan

Cinder has been on my TBR pile for a couple of years, at least. Yes, that’s how long my to-be-read list is! I had started reading it last summer, but then my mom fell ill and grad school started up, and the book had to be returned to the library. Thank goodness for spring break and the chance to read something other than grad school work! I’m glad I found the time to read this book that a number of my coworkers have been talking about for a while. As I explained to some friends Saturday night, I feel like I’ve fallen down the rabbit hole. So immersed did I become in the world Marissa Meyer created that, that I can’t wait to read the rest of the Lunar Chronicles series.

Monday Book Review: Cinder by Marissa MeyerTitle: Cinder

Author: Marissa Meyer

Genre: dystopian/sci-fi/fairy tale retelling

Age group: YA

Synopsis: In this retelling of the classic Cinderella fairy tale, we meet Cinder. After a tragic accident at age eleven, Cinder is given a second chance at life by scientists who rebuild her. She’s now part human, part machine, but completed despised by anyone who knows she’s a cyborg. Shortly after her surgery, she’s adopted by a new family, but her adoptive father dies, leaving her with a stepmother and stepsisters who don’t have much use for a despicable cyborg. Cinder is left to do the only “chore” she understands–repairing machines.

While running her repair booth at the market in New Beijing, Cinder is surprised by an unlikely guest. The handsome Prince Kai has come to her booth undercover. He needs help repairing an old android . . . and maybe a maiden to marry. However, the Queen of the Lunars (not-quite-humans who live on the moon) wants to make a marriage alliance with the young prince–and that’s just the start of her plans.

Cinder is the kind of book where I fear saying too much for fear of ruining the delightful ways author Marissa Meyer puts a spin on this classic tale. If you’re a fan of dystopian novels, sci-fi, fairy tale retellings, or all three, you’ll enjoy this book! Good, clean fun that you won’t want to put down!

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Happy Easter Week!

Posted on March 29, 2016 by AJ Cattapan

Hope you are enjoying a great Easter week! I successfully pulled off co-hosting Easter dinner with my dad. We had 19 people for dinner. For those of you keeping track, I’ve now hosted Thanksgiving dinner and Easter dinner in less than a year. Who knew I was such a domestic diva! 😉

I even made Mom’s famous lamb cake even though her cake mold didn’t come with any instructions! See my Facebook page for video.

My Easter reflection on the meaning of Holy Thursday.

In case you missed it, I was honored to write the Gospel reflection for Holy Thursday over at the CatholicMom.com website. Here’s what I wrote:

A number of years ago, I taught at a Catholic school where I also ran the student council. This school had a beautiful tradition for Holy Thursday. Every year, the student council members would “play the role” of the twelve disciples and have their feet washed. However, instead of the priest or deacon washing all twelve sets of feet, he would wash only the feet of the student council president. Then the president would turn and wash the feet of the vice-president, and so on down the line until each student council member had washed the feet of the next officer or homeroom representative.

Every year, I got the same reaction from the kids: “Huh? We have to do what? I don’t want anyone touching my feet!” I would smile at them and tell them they were doing this to show that they were not just student leaders, but actually student servants meant to be of service to their classmates. But the truth is, I’m not sure which freaked them out more: washing someone else’s feet or having someone else wash their feet.

Let’s be frank, it can be rather humbling to have someone touch your dirty, smelly, and/or funny-shaped feet. We’re an independent kind of society. If our feet need to be cleaned, we can do it ourselves, thank you very much. But that’s not what Jesus is calling us to do. He’s calling us to be humble servants and to let ourselves be washed clean by the good news He has to offer. We need him to wash our feet as much as the apostles did—and that takes some humility.

 May the rest of your Easter holidays be filled with joy and peace!

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March Giveaway: 5 audiobook copies of Angelhood!

Posted on February 29, 2016 by AJ Cattapan

In April, my debut novel Angelhood will be one year old. Awww!

To celebrate, I’m giving away five copies of the audiobook version of Angelhood to five people who subscribe to my newsletter during the month of March.

Win one of 5 audiobook copies of the award-winning YA novel Angelhood. If you love "It's a Wonderful Life," then you'll love "Angelhood."

What else do you get when you subscribe besides a chance to win an audiobook copy of Angelhood?

  • monthly updates on my writing, speaking engagements, and appearances
  • the chance to download free books and stories
  • highlights from last month’s blog posts
  • and free dessert recipes (because I like to bake, so why not?)

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Random Acts of Mercy–a Lenten Reflection

Posted on February 15, 2016 by AJ Cattapan

This year, I was once again asked by my parish to write a couple reflections for our Lenten reflection book. Here’s my first entry for this year. It’s based on Matthew 25:31-46.

Looking for ways to practice mercy this Lent? Want to more fully live out this Jubilee Year of Mercy? Here are some simple ideas.

Every year, instead of making a New Year’s resolution, I choose a “word of the year,” something to focus on during the coming months. This year I’ve taken a cue from Pope Francis and chosen the word mercy. Perhaps that is why today’s Gospel reading resonates with me so much. Within this passage, we see Jesus extolling many of the corporal works of mercy: feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, and visiting the sick and imprisoned.

Sometimes these acts of mercy are easy for me. As a Dame of the Order of Malta, I serve meals at Catholic Charities and visit nursing homes. With my friends, we pack food boxes at Feed My Starving Children. The times that are hard for me to be merciful are the “sudden” moments when I encounter a homeless person on the street. So this year, I’m going to try being merciful in a new way. I’m going to carry around with me a few gift cards to grocery stores or fast food chains that I can hand out to people I meet on the street. In what ways can you practice “random acts of mercy” this Lent?

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Selling Your Books on Pinterest

Posted on February 6, 2016 by AJ Cattapan

In January, I had the pleasure of speaking with the Chicago chapter of ACFW (American Christian Fiction Writers) about how to use Pinterest as a marketing tool for authors.

Learn how to use Pinterest as a marketing tool for your books! Pinterest isn't just for getting ideas for your characters and your settings. It's a way to find readers. Learn how!If you missed it, you still have a chance to hear my talk–and you don’t even have to leave your home! I’ll be presenting on how to use Pinterest to sell your books at the Catholic Writers Online Conference March 4-6! You can sign up here!

This faith-focused authors conference offers presentations covering all aspects of writing from finding your calling as a writer to publishing and marketing your books. There will also be online pitch sessions with noted Catholic publishers and secular publishers.

On my talk on Pinterest, we’ll discuss how to optimize your personal profile, why you should convert to a business account, how to make your website Pinterest-friendly, how to use a free service like Picmonkey to create super shareable pins, how to grow your following, and why you should be joining and using group Pinterest boards.

The conference will be held using webinar software, making the experience more personal and immediate.

This year’s sessions include an emphasis on the faith aspects of writing no matter what the genre. Speakers like Gary Zimak, author of Faith, Hope and Clarity; Joe Wetterling, President of the Catholic Writer’s Guild, horror author Jonathan Ryan and others will speak on writing as a calling, a literary revolution, and an evangelization. In addition, there are practical workshops including legal issues, techniques for characterization and plotting, how to journal, and time management.

Join the Catholic Writers' Conference Online this March 4-6! Learn from industry professionals on a wide variety of topics. Registration is only $25 for Catholic Writers Guild members and $40 for nonmembers.Pitch sessions give authors with finished books a chance to personally interest a publisher. Pitch sessions include well known Catholic publishers like Servant Books, smaller presses like Liberty Island, and ebook publishers like eTreasures.

This year’s conference is $40; $25 for members of the Catholic Writers’ Guild. To register or for more information, go to http://www.catholicwritersconference.com.

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A Lenten Instagram challenge!

Posted on February 4, 2016 by AJ Cattapan

As some of you know, a few of my fellow YA authors from the Catholic Writers Guild have banded together to form a group on Facebook. You can find us here if you want to learn more about Books for Catholic Teens. We also have a Pinterest board and an Instagram account.

If you’re on Instagram, join us for a fun Lenten daily challenge. Every day in Lent, we’ll be posting pics based on the theme for the day. For example, on Ash Wednesday, we’ll be posting pictures of our ashes. The next day we’ll share pics of whatever we hope to read for Lent and so on.

If you want to participate, start by sharing the following pic on Instagram. Use the hashtags #Lent2016 and #Lentathon. Tag @books_for_Catholic_teens and we’ll follow you back. Then each day post your pic for that day’s theme!

Lentathon 2016 v5

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Monday Book Review: A Single Bead by Stephanie Engelman

Posted on January 25, 2016 by AJ Cattapan

I met author Stephanie Engelman online through the Catholic Writers Guild and discovered that she writes YA just like I do! So, of course, I jumped at the chance to review her book, A Single Bead, when it released earlier this month.

A Single BeadTitle: A Single Bead

Author: Stephanie Engelman

Genre: contemporary realistic fiction

Age category: YA (but okay for middle grade, too)

Summary: (from Amazon) On the anniversary of the plane crash that took the life of her beloved grandmother and threw her own mother into deep depression, 16-year-old Katelyn Marie Roberts discovers a single bead from her grandmother’s rosary—a rosary lost in the crash. A chance encounter with a stranger, who tells Katelyn that a similar bead saved her friend’s life, launches Katelyn and her family on a quest to find the other missing beads. Their journey, filled with glimmers of hope, mystical events and unexplained grace helps Katelyn understand that faith, family and the help of others can restore what was lost.

A Single Bead by Stephanie Engelman and my mom's St. Therese of Lisieux rosary

A Single Bead by Stephanie Engelman and my mom’s St. Therese of Lisieux rosary

I found a lot I could relate to in this book. As many of you know, I lost my mother back in August, and the grandmother in this story reminded me a lot of my mom. And let’s just say I’m really thankful that I didn’t react to my mother’s death the way Katelyn’s mom reacts to her mother’s death.I think young teens who struggle with believing in prayer and maybe even believing in God’s ability to work in their lives will enjoy this book. Katelyn seems to be a pretty typical teen who has some faith but hasn’t gotten to the point of really making it a part of her everyday existence yet. Stephanie does a nice job of balancing out faith-filled characters with those who struggle with their faith.

This could make a great Confirmation present for a teen girl if you’re looking for something a little different to give.

You can follow Stephanie on her blog A Few Beads Short. (Don’t you just love that blog title? Personally, I think I’m more than a few beads short, but that’s another story. 😉 )

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