Ode to Ice

Changes are brewing here at the lake. Yesterday, the ice went out! It's always an exciting time to see the open water again each spring.

To mark the occasion, here's a bit of an "ode to ice" collage from this past winter and previous years.

Year in Review

My 2017 was epic. A little too epic.

I had three new book releases, I was nearly killed by a tick from the Writing Barn in Austin Texas, and I'm still struggling to recover.

And on JANUARY 2, 2018, my next book releases:

 This is possibly my favourite book in the series because I got to write in a wintery setting, it's a little inspired by my own family, and it has a wolverine in it - the coolest animal ever.
Also --- Avalanche! is my first book to receive a STARRED REVIEW from KIRKUS! 

Wolverines everywhere are cheering!

"A content-enriched page-turner with surprising depth." -- Kirkus Reviews Starred Review

If you PRE ORDER, just let me know and I'll send you a signed custom bookplate and other fun SWAG as a thank you. 

I wasn't able to do as much reading this year as I normally do. (or travelling) My brain was out of order for several months. But I did find some favourites to mention:

Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor  - gorgeous prose as usual

Daughter of the Pirate King by Tricia Levenseller - spunky, funny heroine

A Promise of Fire by Amanda Boucet (note: I didn't care for the second book in the series as much)

Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus by Dusti Bowling - unusual main character in MG

What were your favourite reads of 2017? 

Once again, I'm sitting on some news. I'll hopefully be able to share soon. 

Thanks for reading!

Falcon Wild - trailer day!

Making its film debut - the FALCON WILD book trailer has just soared in. 

Head to Twitter where there's a giveaway for a CLASS SET of copies. To enter, retweet the mini version of this trailer. Ends SEPTEMBER 19 - which is RELEASE DAY! Enjoy!

Interviews, Skype, and my poor dog

With three new releases this year, plus battling a major health issue (a tick-borne illness from the Writing Barn in Austin, Texas last February) I haven't been able to do any kayak expeditions at all. We've been on zero trips - so no awesome photos to share. But I hope in the future I'll be back to normal.

In the absence of awesome photos, here are some other awesome things:

1.  I now have new SKYPE dates for the fall - filling fast! These are all free this year, but when the   slots are gone, they're gone.

2.  Myself and Christine Krones, editor for the SURVIVOR DIARIES, were interviewed for Publisher's Weekly along with Lauren Tarshis for her I SURVIVED series. 

                                                          (yes, this actually happened!)

3. Here's my interview for School Library Journal where I talk about growing up with a reserved family, living off-grid, and more.

4. COMING SOON -- I'll be unveiling the film debut of my next LIVE ACTION trailers for                  Falcon Wild and Sled Dog School. 

5.  Not quite awesome thing: my dog cut both front pads of her feet so badly she needed stitches. This is what she thinks about the situation

Winners

Hard covers are here!

Congrats to:

Beth Charles

Jaden Keith

Diane Wolfe

Jenny Fry

I'll be sending you books! 

Very exciting news - a big box filled with hard cover copies of Survivor Diaries Overboard! arrived at my house. Such fun to open and smell and feel. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt has done an amazing job with all the covers of this series, I'm just thrilled. 

They also created a very cool game on their Survivor Diaries page of the Middle Grade Mania website. Got check it out!

                 

WILL YOU SURVIVE?? 

I'll hopefully be announcing tour plans soon. For now: 

JULY 15, 2017 I'll be signing at Chapters Indigo in Sudbury, Ontario. 

Stay tuned for more. 

ARC giveaways - OVERBOARD and FALCON WILD

It has been a while since I posted anything here.

Though, you may have noticed the change of scenery to the header - if you have time, head over to my brand new website to see new and fun information. Hope you like it!


The reason for my long silence - my life was somewhat upended in February when I returned from a workshop at the Writing Barn in Austin Texas. I was bitten by an unknown insect (along with several other workshop attendees) and became gravely ill. To be honest, I've been struggling in silence with this for almost three months. It's scary news to post about, mostly because I'm a joyful person - and I like to talk about happy things here.

So far, my test results have come back positive for Lyme Disease and Bartonella. But I'm on treatment right now, and I'm hopeful to make a recovery soon.


Now, ON TO HAPPIER THINGS....

 


I've just realized it's less than two months away from the start of release season for me!

SURVIVOR DIARIES - OVERBOARD! comes out July 4

I have a shiny ARC to send to a lucky winner randomly selected from comments. I'm also giving one away on my Facebook page.

Also up for grabs is as an ARC of 

FALCON WILD releasing September 19. 

I'm thrilled to tell you this title is a JUNIOR LIBRARY GUILD SELECTION for fall 2017! 

Let me know in comments which ARC you'd like, and how to get hold of you if your name is drawn!

Survivor Diaries are coming this summer...

It feels like I've been sharing a lot of new covers here lately. I still can't believe how lucky I got last year selling so many books. But there are no guarantees that I'll keep selling books - so I'm going to enjoy it while I can. And hope hard that these little books do well.

I'm so thrilled with each and every one of these covers of my upcoming series,

SURVIVOR DIARIES, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Cover art by Owen Richardson

I'm thinking I need to make framed prints for my office. Has anyone ever done this? I've been blessed by the cover gods.

These books are illustrated inside too by Jani Orban. Can't wait to share them with you.

On Sale July 4, 2017

On Sale January, 2018

On Sale July, 2018

On Sale January, 2019

New Cover Alert - SLED DOG SCHOOL

I'm pleased to finally be sharing the cover for my new dogsledding novel coming out October 3, 2017. The story is about 11-year-old Matt starting his own dogsledding business for school. It somehow combines math and dogsledding - not sure how that happened since I really disliked math as a kid.

The publisher took great care to try and get this cover right - they went through three different versions that were eventually turned down by their sales team, and bookstore reps. Certainly the most involved process I've seen yet. This last version, they decided to hire the cover artist, Jennifer Taylor.


Hope you like the final product.

In stores October 3, 2017, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Falcon Wild ARCs are here!

I'm so incredibly excited that this little book is about to be set free!

FALCON WILD has been years in the making, and I can't wait to share it with you. The amazing cover is not quite final - but it's another gem by Cliff Nielson, who also did the cover for ICE DOGS.

I'm a very lucky author!

FALCON WILD comes out September 19, 2017

From the back of the book:

Thirteen-year-old Karma is lost in the backcountry of Montana with her falcon, Stark, and a runaway boy named Cooper. 

Both Karma's and Cooper's mettle is tested by mountain terrain, wild animals, severe weather, and their own waning hope as this edge-of-your-seat adventure story vividly portrays the special bonds that can form between humans and animals. 

I'll be giving away a copy here closer to pub date. Stay tuned! 

Cover reveal - Survivor Diaries

For me, the best part of writing Ice Dogs was the day I got to see the cover for the first time. It's an anxious feeling wondering what the cover art will look like. Characters who have haunted your thoughts and been with you for so long - finally about to come to life as someone else sees it!

I'm so happy to reveal the first cover in my new series for reluctant readers - 

SURVIVOR DIARIES - Overboard!

Stay Calm. Stay Smart. Survive. 

In episode one of the high-stakes Survivor Diaries series, a whale tour off the coast of the Washington goes horribly wrong. Travis and Marina will have their grit and teamwork tested to the extreme. Perfect for fans of Lauren Tarshis’ I Survived series.

Coming July 4, 2017

pre order the book:

Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Amazon

The next cover SURVIVOR DIARIES - Avalanche! Is stunning. Can't wait to show you that one. 

To recap, here are my next releases coming out in 2017

Survivor Diaries - Overboard! July 4, 2017

Falcon Wild - September 19, 2017

Sled Dog School - October 3, 2017

Survivor Diaries - Avalanche! January, 2018

Check the website for more information on these upcoming novels!

New Series!

I finally get to share my big news.
I know, MORE BIG NEWS?? How is that possible?

I've had an incredible year, and been very very lucky.

This is what I've been working on lately. From Publishers Weekly:

Christine Krones at HMH has acquired the first four books in a fictional series of young chapter books called Survivor Diaries by Terry Lynn Johnson. Each book will feature a different survival story about kids who get lost in the wilderness and are able to survive using their knowledge and skills in climates ranging from snowy Wyoming backcountry to tropical Costa Rican rainforest. Publication of the first title, Overboard, is scheduled for spring 2017; Caryn Wiseman at the Andrea Brown Literary Agency negotiated the deal for world rights.

An example of "never give up":
Survivor Diaries has been super fun to write. I felt blessed each day during my recent leave of absence from work that I got to stay home and do something I love. 
But before that, I had started to wonder if my writing career was over. I hadn't sold anything in four years. Not since ICE DOGS. 
Now suddenly, with the 4-book SURVIVOR DIARIES series added to my other contracts (FALCON WILD is the new official title of my falconry novel coming out next fall, and SLED DOG SCHOOL coming out Feb. 2018), that makes six books sold in one year! Publishing can be like that. I'm just so grateful to be writing again.


We've recently returned from a research trip hiking in Montana and Wyoming, so here are a few pictures while we wait for the book covers to arrive. 

Yellowstone Park, Wyoming

Grand Canyon of Yellowstone

hiking Sphinx Mountain, Montana

Another new book deal!

I'm excited to share more news - I have another dogsledding novel coming out next year!

Here's the announcement from Publisher's Weekly:


Ann Rider at Houghton Mifflin Harcourt has acquired a middle-grade novel by Terry Lynn Johnson. Sled Dog School tells the story of a lonely 11-year old boy who starts a business teaching dog sledding to fulfill a class assignment, but his lessons don't work out the way he expected. Publication is scheduled for fall 2017; Caryn Wiseman at Andrea Brown Literary Agency did the deal for world rights.  

I'm also sitting on even bigger news, but can't spill yet. Soon! 

For now, here's a few photos from our latest adventure - kayaking, snorkelling in Baja Mexico

No one knows why Grey Whales bring their babies to meet us, Magdelena Bay.
That's me wearing the Canadian bandana

Humpback whales feeding in La Paz Bay

Grey Whales coming for a scratch, they have fleas that look like white  ticks

spy hopping

snorkelling with juvenile whale sharks!

snorkelling with sea lion pups

New book deal

Lots of book goodness happening around here. 

Photo credit here

First, here's the latest book deal I can share from Publishers Weekly:

Julie Bliven at Charlesbridge has bought Birds of Prey by Terry Lynn Johnson. It's a middle-grade survival story about 12-year-old Karma's quest to rescue her dad after a car accident leaves him trapped in the desert. Karma has only the help of her trained falcon and a troubled runaway boy, who may or may not be a friend. Publication is slated for 2018; Caryn Wiseman of the Andrea Brown Literary Agency did the deal for world rights. 

I'm so thrilled to finally get to share this story with you. I've had a fascination with raptors for years - seriously, look at that face, doesn't everyone?

You can check here for updates and more on my research for this project. The photo is a hint for exactly what kind of falcon is in the story. Can you guess?

Next, the paperback edition of ICE DOGS is out! I had a giveaway for my mailing list subscribers. Congrats to the following who won signed copies:

Cara Falcetti

Margaret Black

Kathleen Byrd

If you purchase a copy and want it signed, send me a self addressed envelope and I'll mail you a custom bookplate with little sled dogs on it!

I have one more thrilling bit of news that will have to wait till next month to share. I hope that you may come back to join the celebration. Thank you, everyone for sticking with this blog! 

Best vacation - Whales in St. Lawrence, Quebec

I still can't tell you my big news.

But I do have more happy photos to share of our latest adventures.

Three weeks kayaking St. Lawrence and the Saguenay Fijord in Quebec.
Very French. Very WHALE.

little fuzzy, but here's me taking the above photo. This minke whale got a might close but the best part I wish I could share with you is the noise they make coming out of the water and blowing. Spectacular! 

Beluga Whales!

Grey seal - heavy breathers when following your kayak! 

stayed in this tent for three weeks!
Notice the tide markers in front on the beach. Sneaky coming up 14 feet during the night, had to keep an eye on it.

Two minke whales in a feeding frenzy. This photo was taken just before they got way too close erupting out of the water in a chaotic fashion and we had to back paddle post haste. Notice we are already rafted together with our kayaks to feel more stable and safe.

Note: "safe" being a relative term while sitting in a plastic tube on freezing water with mammals the size of busses underneath you.