Welcome to SCBWI-MI's Book Birthday Blog!

Where we celebrate new books from Michigan's authors, illustrators and translators.

Congratulations to Melanie Hooyenga on the release of Chasing the Moon

How did you come up with the idea for your book? Is this part of a series?

Chasing the Moon is the third and final book in the Campfire series, so the inspiration for this book was a bit different than the start of the series. One of the main characters, Melody, tried to steal the spotlight in book two, Chasing the Stars, and I knew I wanted to tell a story with her perspective.

The series follows teens as they camp and fall in love during celestial events (solar eclipse, camping at a dark park, and now a lunar eclipse) and I’ve had my heart set on throwing people into the Grand Canyon and seeing what happens. SPOILER: lots of good and lots of bad happens.

What is something you hope your readers will take away from your book?

There are several themes in this book, but a key thing I hope readers take away is that life is full of surprises and most likely won’t go exactly as you plan — no matter how determined you are to stay on track. And that’s okay. Because the fun comes in the unexpected moments and that’s what makes things interesting.

What inspires you to write?

At the heart of everything I do, I love telling stories. Since I was a little kid, I’ve loved seeing the crack of a smile or hint of tears in someone’s eyes over something my brain came up with, and even though it can take months before I get that payoff because novels take so long to write, those reactions are what keep me going.

What are your marketing plans for the book?

As with all my books, I have a list of things planned:

sending advanced copies of the book to early readers in exchange for honest reviews
having a book launch party at my local independent bookstore (The Bookman in Grand Haven)
enlisting fellow YA authors to share news of my launch in their newsletters
submitting a press release to local newspapers
radio interviews at my two local stations
running Facebook and Amazon ads
posting on my social accounts

It's a little tricky with the end of a series, because as authors, we really want people to start with the first book, but it's important to share the news of each release!

What's next for you?

I’m torn between two book ideas. I’ve had one idea for well over a year now and that’s what I’ve planned on writing next, but then a shiny new idea interrupted my plans as I was finishing edits for Chasing the Moon, so now I’m not sure which I’ll write first.

I have a couple events in the last quarter of the year, including teaching a session called How to Write a Novel at a workshop hosted by my local library. I’m hoping that after a dozen novels, I have a few thoughts worth sharing. I’ll also be with SCBWI-MI in Ann Arbor at the beginning of December!

A little bit about the book . . .

Two best friends. One tiny tent. An attraction that's impossible to ignore.

Melody
Being a semi-famous science tokker epically rocks because I get to make science accessible for girls. Until I make a mistake and a jerkface tokker ridicules me to his fans. I need to prove I’m not a hack before my followers bail and I ruin my credibility—all before I graduate from high school.

Just one problem: my family’s hiking to the bottom of the Grand Canyon, where I won’t have signal for a week. Oh, and I’m sharing a tent with the Bestie Brigade—my two best friends—and I’ve crushed on one of them for longer than trends last on TikTok.

Dating Steph would make Jess feel left out and I vowed I’d never do that to her again. Do I risk hurting my closest friend for a chance at love?

Stephanie
Senior year was rolling along just great until my parents announced they’re getting divorced the same night I broke up with my girlfriend.

Spending a week offline in the Grand Canyon to watch the lunar eclipse with Jess and Mel is the perfect way to pretend my life isn’t falling apart. Except we’re camping with people who insist on talking through EVERY FREAKING PROBLEM around the campfire.

And I’m not ready to share.

The time away with Mel makes our connection even stronger, but I’m scared whatever she’s hiding could change our friendship forever.

Book 3 in the Campfire Series is filled with grand adventures, secret kisses, and an epic eclipse you won’t soon forget.

A little bit about the author . . .

Multi-award winning young adult author Melanie Hooyenga writes books about strong girls who learn to navigate life despite its challenges. She first started writing as a teenager and finds she still relates best to that age group.

Her award-winning YA sports romance series, The Rules Series, is about girls from Colorado falling in love and learning to stand up on their own. Her YA time travel trilogy, The Flicker Effect, is about a teen who uses sunlight to travel back to yesterday. The first book, Flicker, won first place for Middle Grade/Young Adult in the Writer’s Digest 2015 Self-Published eBook awards, and The Rules Series has won ten awards, including Finalist for MG/YA in the 2019 BookLife Prize. The first book in her newest series, Chasing the Sun, won gold for young adult general fiction in the Moonbeam Children’s Book Awards and was named one of the Best Indie eBooks of 2020 by Barnes & Noble Press.

When not writing books, you can find her wrangling her Miniature Schnauzer Gus and playing every sport imaginable with her husband Jeremy.

Website: https://www.melaniehoo.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MelanieHooyenga

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MelanieHoo

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/melaniehoo/