June 2010

2010-06-01T00:00:00-04:00

NEW AND NOTEWORTHY

J.G. Sandom writes his Young Adult titles under the pen name T.K. Welsh.

For the first time ever, THE UNRESOLVED is available as a paperback and in eBook form. If you held off buying that expensive hardback, now's your chance to read the "author's cut." Click here to purchase your paperback edition for only $7.99. Click here for your eBook (Kindle) version, priced at only $2.75 — for a limited time only.

Ranked one of the Top Ten Children's Books by the Washington Post, which called the novel a "subtle gem," THE UNRESOLVED was named an Association of Jewish Libraries Notable Book for Teens by the Sydney Taylor Book Award Committee, nominated for a Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) Teen's Top Ten, a Cybils literary award, and one of only a handful of books selected as a Best Books for Young Adults (BBYA), by the American Library Association (ALA). Most recently, the novel was added to Horn Book's list of Recommended American Historical Fiction.

RESURRECTION MEN is also going to paperback and eBook soon. Keep an eye out!

CALLING ALL TEACHERS and SCHOOL LIBRARIANS!

Have your students read one of my YA historical novels and then bring me directly into your media or music lab to talk about the book. Using Skype and a webcam, a PC video call is easy and free, and it makes a real difference to the students when they can pose their questions directly to the author.

In fact, participants of any Book Club or Book Circle with ten members or more who purchase one of my books--like THE UNRESOLVED or RESURRECTION MEN--can contact me at tkwelsh@gmail.com to set up a similar FREE Skype Book Reading & Conference.

Invite me into your living room, and I'll invite you into mine. Rather than simply discussing a book amongst yourselves, as usual, imagine having the author right there to answer your questions directly.

RESURRECTION MEN is my third Young Adult (YA) novel, published under the pen name T.K. Welsh. If you're planning to buy a copy, hold tight: It will be available in paperback and eBook form in only a few weeks.

RESURRECTION MEN was recently featured in Curriculum Connections ("Murder and Mayhem Under Grey skies" by Joyce Adams Burner), a joint venture publication between School Library Journal and TeachingBooks.net that reaches more than 60,000 educators and librarians around the country every month. Click here to hear me speak about the pen name T.K. Welsh through the TeachingBooks.net "Name Pronounciation Guide".

Check out the latest in-depth author interview at Wordswimmer. See what inspires me to write my YA novels, and learn something about my writing process.

RESURRECTION MEN was previously named a Junior Library Guild selection.

Publishers Weekly called RESURRECTION MEN, “A haunting tour of London's underclass during the 1830s . . . Teens will likely be both captivated by Victor's harrowing story as well as his ability to prevail in the face of harsh injustices." BIG A, little a called the novel, “A moody, evocative tale . . . T.K. Welsh is fast becoming one of my favorite writers. His work transcends genre and audience classification.” VOYA said, "Teen readers will thoroughly enjoy the hair-raising suspense in this historical thriller." Kirkus Reviews called RESURRECTION MEN perfect for, “audiences that relish historical fiction." TeensReadToo termed it, “an intense, dark work of historical fiction . . . I highly recommend this book.” KLIATT said, "Like M.T. Anderson's The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, this look at sinister events in history makes the era come alive and lingers in the memory." Jen Robinson's Book Page called the novel, “Gripping and fast-paced, filled with intriguing historical details . . . The ending is utterly satisfying and consistent. Highly recommended for fans of historical fiction." The Miss Rumphius Effect said, “T.K. Welsh, where have you been? I loved this book . . . Pick it up and you'll find it hard to put down.” And School Library Journal said, “Part historical fiction and part adventure story, the novel brings excitement to Victorian England . . . Readers will be on the edge of their seats.”

Inspired by the 1831 "Italian Boy trial" of body snatchers in London, England, RESURRECTION MEN is a spine-tingling murder mystery that pits a beggar boy named Victor against a nefarious group of Resurrection Men. In this tumultuous dark underworld, where a fresh subject can fetch as much as nine guineas — the yearly salary of a working man — Victor must risk his life to uncover the identity of the murderer who is at the heart of London's furtive trade in human corpses.

For a sample chapter of RESURRECTION MEN, click here.

If you already own a copy, click here to access a secret section of the site...just for you. [NOTE: Make sure to enter the name Secret (S-e-c-r-e-t) and the correct Password, printed at the rear of the book.]

To purchase your copy of RESURRECTION MEN, click here!

The UNRESOLVED is my second Young Adult (YA) novel, published under the pen name T.K. Welsh . . . and, of all my novels — YA or otherwise — one of my personal favorites. It is now available in paperback and in eBook form. Click here to get your copy of the "author's cut" version of what the Washington Post called a "subtle gem."

THE UNRESOLVED was ranked one of the Top Ten Children's Books by the Washington Post, and nominated for a Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) Teens' Top Ten, the only book award recommended and awarded solely by teens. The novel was previously named an Association of Jewish Libraries Notable Book for Teens by the Sydney Taylor Book Award Committee, which recognized only six works in Jewish teen literature that year. THE UNRESOLVED was also nominated for the Cybils literary awards, named one of only a handful of Best Books for Young Adults (BBYA) by the American Library Association (ALA), and recently added to Horn Book's list of Recommended American Historical Fiction.

The Washington Post said, "Welsh writes with a precision and delicacy unusual for YA fiction." School Library Journal said, "THE UNRESOLVED tells a remarkable story in a remarkable way." Horn Book Magazine called THE UNRESOLVED, "A decidedly unconventional ghost story . . . (and) a tightly wound novel." Kirkus Reviews termed it, "A remarkable account." Romantic Times said, "THE UNRESOLVED is a book you shouldn't pass up." Midwest Book Review called THE UNRESOLVED, "a wonderfully different kind of ghost story." And Bookslut.com said, "THE UNRESOLVED scores on several levels, most notably as a drama that blows apart all preconceived notions of how history can be retold."

Inspired by the tragic events of 9/11, THE UNRESOLVED reaches back into history to explore what was, until recently, the greatest disaster in New York City history. Mallory Meer had just turned fifteen when, thanks to the only boy she ever loved, she would be dead, a victim of the General Slocum steamship disaster.

Bound by love to her grieving family, and outraged by the multitude of senseless deaths, Mallory haunts those responsible for the tragedy, determined to see that justice is served.

Based on the real-life sinking of the General Slocum steamship — which caught fire in the East River, New York, in 1904, resulting in the death of over 1,000 mostly German immigrants on a Lutheran church outing — THE UNRESOLVED is at once a ghost story, a courtroom drama, an examination of immigrant life, and a tale of love, redemption and revenge. The novel dramatizes how a single life — and death — can have a powerful influence on history.

For a sample chapter of THE UNRESOLVED, click here.

To purchase your copy of THE UNRESOLVED, click here!

Official T.K. Welsh YA Author Blog & Website

June 2010