In my last post, I mentioned that I’d be sharing the book trailer my oldest daughter made for THE FAMILY WAY. We had a blast working on it together, long distance. It was challenging but fun. I hope you enjoy watching it as much as we enjoyed making it.
All posts tagged The Family Way
The Family Way Book Trailer
Posted by Laura Best on April 15, 2021
https://lauraabest.wordpress.com/2021/04/15/the-family-way-book-trailer/
Release Day for The Family Way
Release day has finally arrived. But what does that mean? What it means is that the book is just newly back from the printer and a few copies are being distributed. But what does that mean? That it will be awhile before THE FAMILY WAY is lined up on bookshelves, readily available. But soon, real soon. I promise.
Not only am I excited to have another Cammie book coming into the world, but I also have a brand new book trailer to share with all of you. But not just yet. My sources say Thursday. My daughter and worked on the trailer–long distance this time, choosing music, video clips and photos, editing and reediting and reediting the small bit of text. Believe it or not, the least amount of words seem to take the most amount of time. Condensing an entire novel into a few sentences is challenging as are all the other components involved. But we had fun working at it.
So, that’s it for today. I’ll be sure to share the trailer with you when it’s available. I hope in turn you’ll share it on your social media and beg ask others to share it as well.
Posted by Laura Best on April 13, 2021
https://lauraabest.wordpress.com/2021/04/13/release-day-for-the-family-way/
The Count Down Is On
Today marks a month until the release of my next book THE FAMILY WAY, a middle grade novel based on the true story of The Ideal Maternity Home and its tragic Butterbox Babies. The count down is on! It won’t be long now. As I mentioned before it can be pre-ordered through your local books store, directly from Nimbus Publishing, Chapters and Amazon. But you all know that.
Spring is around us and its fills me with hope. I even saw my first robin. While we still have some snow hanging around in my area, you don’t have to go far to see open fields without a single solitary flake.
Releasing a new book is always exciting, even during a pandemic. As with my last book, I expect things will be slightly different and much will depend upon the restrictions that are in place in the coming weeks. You can be sure that I’ll keep you updated.
Having sent my first round of editors off to my illustrious editor for A SURE CURE FOR WITCHCRAFT, I am back working on a YA novel I began some time ago. It’s so nice to be creating for a change and having a break from edits. There is always something to work at. I will keep you up on the news that might come along.
This weekend the time changes. I’m not a big fan of the spring-ahead thing. I often wished they’d leave the time one way or another. But since the “powers that be” don’t often check these things out with me, I am at the mercy of this time change like everyone else.
I hope you enjoy the weekend ahead!
Posted by Laura Best on March 13, 2021
https://lauraabest.wordpress.com/2021/03/13/the-count-down-is-on/
Saying Good Bye to THE FAMILY WAY
Just moments ago I said goodbye to THE FAMILY WAY. Honestly, I breathed a sigh of relief. This means, of course, that the files have now been sent off to the printer and we are coming into the home stretch. The April 13th release day is not that far away .
The Family Way is book #3 in the Cammie series. The first two books were of course FLYING WITH A BROKEN WING and CAMMIE TAKES FLIGHT.
Soon, I’ll be holding all our hard work in my hands. Yes, I did say “our hard work” because it takes many hands to get a book to publication. Can’t say enough good about the entire Nimbus team. Hard to believe this is my fifth book with them. I well remember when the publication of a book felt like an unattainable dream, one that I kept working toward even those times when I didn’t believe it would ever happen.
Here is the final cover, front and back. Call me silly, but I’m quite partial to the little pram on the book spine. Some of you might recognize the building on the front as The Ideal Maternity Home. The Blurb on the back was written by Hadley Dyer, a writer I admire greatly. We met many years ago when her book, JOHNNY KELLOCK DIED TODAY was published and she later gave me some wonderful advice that I never forgot. And the fact that she’s a “Valley girl” is an added bonus. We actually attended the same high school–in different centuries of course.
The Family Way can be pre-ordered right now directly from Me, the author (Yes, I’ll take pre-orders too if you’re in the area! Simply message me on Facebook or through the CONTACT page of this blog. )You can also pre-order from your local Independent bookstore, Nimbus Publishing. Indigo Amazon.ca Amazon.com
Posted by Laura Best on February 22, 2021
https://lauraabest.wordpress.com/2021/02/22/saying-good-bye-to-the-family-way/
Tracks in the Snow
I spent much of this snowy day writing and as I became aware of the mounting snow outside, I found myself remembering a winter poem from my childhood.
“Tracks in the Snow” by Marchette Chute.
In my memory I’m in grade one, and it’s winter, and the poem is something we’re required to memorize. Unfortunately, that is where the memory ends for the rest of the poem eludes me and I am left with nothing but a title and the author’s name. Thus is the reality of our memories, for many of them are vague and distorted, filled with gaps that we sometimes fill in ourselves with whatever seems to make sense at the time. Forget the fact that we do not always remember things the way they happened, to us the memories feel very real.
So, unable to remember any of the words to the poem in question, I turned to the all-knowing Internet and spent some time searching for this beloved poem. Eventually, I had to admit that I was wasting valuable time chasing after a memory over half a century old.
I went back to juggling edits for the final interior of The Family Way and work on A Sure Cure for Witchcraft that needs to ready for the ARCs to be printed in April. 
And as we finalize the edits for my next book, I can’t help thinking how grateful I am for this journey I’m on and how. for so many years, it felt as though I was chasing an impossible dream.
I look out at the snow hanging heavy on the trees outside my window and I quickly remind myself that dreams do come true. I may never be able to track down this beloved poem from my childhood, and quite possibly the memory is not all what I remember it to be. But who knows, perhaps one day someone who has the words to Tracks in the Snow by Marchette Chute will stumble across this blog post and reach out to me, because dreams to come true and I refuse to give up even on snowy winter days in January.
How are you spending this wintry January Day?
Posted by Laura Best on January 22, 2021
https://lauraabest.wordpress.com/2021/01/22/tracks-in-the-snow/
Butterboxes and ARCs
Back in the early 90’s Bette Cahill broke the story of the Butterbox Babies. Until that time it had been a 
well-kept secret. While people nearby knew of The Ideal Maternity Home, many of them had no idea of the atrocities that were taking place there.
It was while I was writing FLYING WITH A BROKEN WING, the story of a visually impaired girl who is determined to find her mother, that I realized she was, in fact, a survivor of the Ideal Maternity Home. While this fact is revealed in CAMMIE TAKES FLIGHT, we still do not discover who Cammie’s mother is or the circumstance surrounding her birth.
But all that will be revealed in April when my upcoming book hits the bookshelves. I hope readers will continue the journey with Cammie as we go back in time to when Cammie was born. While the book will answer many questions for readers, it’s important to know that THE FAMILY WAY is also what we call a stand alone novel, meaning that you don’t have to have read the first two novels in order for this one to make sense. It can be read on its own.
I want to give a shout-out to Sue Slade manager of the Dartmouth Book Exchange for sending along this photo. In case you are wondering, that is a butterbox in the background, similar to the ones that came from the LaHave Creamery and served as small coffins for the newborns that died at the home.
Thanks, Sue.
Posted by Laura Best on January 16, 2021
https://lauraabest.wordpress.com/2021/01/16/butterboxes-and-arcs/
Special Delivery, Unveiled.
Days before Christmas I mentioned here on my blog that Miss Charlotte had received a special delivery from my awesome publisher, complete with a special note. I was feeling a little down that she wouldn’t be able to come to our home for Christmas this year, something she’d been doing for the past ten years. So, it was such a wonder gesture on my publisher’s part.
Needless to say, she was one happy girl. Miss Charlotte likes the cover as it is but it has yet to be finalized at this time, so we may see some changes when the book actually comes out.
What’s the book about? Well, for those of you who are familiar with the Cammie series, this book is the prequel to those. Readers will finally find out who Cammie’s mother is. Much of the book is set at the Ideal Maternity Home in East Chester, the infamous home of the Butterbox Babies. Here’s the back cover blurb.
Set in 1930 and based on true events, this middle-grade novel explores family secrets, set at the Ideal Maternity Home.
Tulia May lives in rural Nova Scotia with her mother, who works in the laundry of the nearby Ideal Maternity Home. It’s a place where unwed mothers can discreetly give birth, a place where adoptions by rich Americans can be quickly arranged. Tulia doesn’t think about the workings of the home much; mostly she hates being roped in to helping scrub the endless diapers. Her friend Finny Paul has suspicions that the home is holding sinister secrets — the worst being that unadoptable babies are being buried in butterboxes — but Tulia thinks he’s being ridiculous. When Tulia’s sister Becky ends up in the home, Tulia truly starts to consider Finny’s concerns. And when she and Finny discover what’s really going on there, she knows she has to act quickly to keep Becky’s baby safe.
Based on the true story of the Ideal Maternity Home, and its tragic Butterbox Babies, The Family Way is a thoughtful and engaging exploration of family and of Nova Scotia’s history. A stand-alone middle-grade novel, it also serves as a prequel to the critically acclaimed Cammie novels, Flying With a Broken Wing
Release date for The Family Way is April 2021. That’s only four months from now. I’m so looking forward to sharing the rest of Cammie’s story with you all. In the mean time, I’ll be hard at work on the edits for my next novel, A Sure Cure for Witchcraft.
Posted by Laura Best on December 28, 2020
https://lauraabest.wordpress.com/2020/12/28/special-delivery-unveiled/
Update on the Good Mothers Don’t Update
With all that’s been going on in the world, with the pandemic and all, it seems our lives are constantly being updated. We hear one thing and then suddenly that has changed. It’s no wonder. Fighting an invisible enemy, one we have never come up against before, makes it that much more challenging. We are all trying to do the best we can.
In an earlier post I mentioned that my novel, GOOD MOTHERS DON’T was scheduled for release on April 30th. But there’s been a change of plans…Sorry, I know how most of you dislike change. I’ve received a new book update and I wanted to let you all know that the release date has now been pushed ahead to June 1st. While I know this might be disappointing to some of you, I feel that under the circumstances, with the pandemic still shaking up our lives, it’s for the best.
That means you’ll have several more weeks to wait but I hope you will consider the wait worthwhile.
In the meantime, in case you missed it, there’s a lovely article on the book, written by Allison Lawlor, HERE that appeared in the Chronicle Herald.
I will try to keep you in the loop if anything new comes along or if there are further changes to this.
I should also mention that my Cammie prequel, originally scheduled for publication this fall, has been pushed ahead to Spring 2021. I can also confirm that the title is THE FAMILY WAY. I’m really excited for this book as we finally, finally learn who Cammie’s mother is. There are also a few surprises along the way, things even I didn’t initially know when I started writing the book.
That’s it for now: stay home, stay safe, stay well, stay reading..
Posted by Laura Best on April 25, 2020
https://lauraabest.wordpress.com/2020/04/25/update-on-the-good-mothers-dont-update/
coming April 13 2021
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