Guest Post by Kathryn Fitzmaurice and a Giveaway!

HAPPY RELEASE DAY TO KATHRYN FITZMAURICE AND DESTINY, REWRITTEN!

Today I have a great pleasure of welcoming Kathryn Fitzmaurice to my blog. Kathryn is the talented author of The Year the Swallows Came Early, A Diamond in the Desert and Destiny, Rewritten, which just so happens to be released today! If you haven't read my post from yesterday, stop by to read my thoughts on the book.

Not only is Kathryn a talented author, she is also a wonderful person and great friend. Her writing advice has been invaluable to me as I work on my own middle grade novel. I'm so excited to have her today! So, without further adieu, let me present - Kathryn Fitzmaurice!

     For my twentieth birthday, my grandmother, Eleanor Robinson, gave me a volume of Emily Dickinson poetry, THE COMPLETE POEMS OF EMILY DICKINSON.  In the front of it, she wrote, “E.D. is a revered poet.  Perhaps the same will be said of K.H. someday”. 

     The inscription was the starting point for DESTINY, REWRITTEN.  I felt as if her writing this was somewhat of a path to my own destiny, that she had perhaps predicted fate.  I was, at that time, in a poetry phase, which lasted a few years.  I never would have thought that someday I’d write for middle grade readers.  Which goes to show you that destiny is always there, a remarkable force that can curve along gently, continually showering blessings, or take a hard right turn when we least expect it, changing the course of our lives forever. 

Emily Dickinson wrote about destiny in this lovely poem:

In this short Life

That only lasts an hour

How much – how little – is

Within our power 

-Emily Dickinson, 1873

I was lucky enough to be granted permission from Harvard University Press to include this poem in the beginning of DESTINY, REWRITTEN.  I think it makes this little book so much better, having her words in front of mine, like a promise. 

Thank you, Kathryn, for insight into the background of your story! I'm also excited to share that Kathryn has generously offered me a signed, hardcover copy of Destiny, Rewritten to give to one lucky person. To enter, please use the Rafflecopter form below.  Only US or Canada entries please. Thanks for stopping by and I will announce the winner next Monday.

a Rafflecopter giveaway