<![CDATA[Alisse Lee Goldenberg

<![CDATA[Alisse Lee Goldenberg - Blog]]>Wed, 15 Apr 2026 11:42:18 -0700Weebly<![CDATA[The End of an Era]]>Thu, 23 Nov 2023 00:48:42 GMThttp://www.alisseleegoldenberg.com/blog/the-end-of-an-eraTwenty-seven years ago, at The Leo Beck Day School in Toronto, in English class I wrote a short story. The assignment was simple: Look at the tic tac toe board on the chalkboard and choose three elements in a line. We were to write a short story about them. Here's what I chose: Princess, Troll, Coin. Sound familiar? At the time, I didn't know what those three words would spark. But now? We're looking at two series, nine novels, hundreds of thousands of words, and so many characters, not all of whom will ever get a happy ending.

Hold on a minute... NINE novels?? That's right. The third book in The Children of Colonodona series is on it's last rounds of edits, and as of tonight, I wrote the very last words in what will be the very last book of that series. After nearly three decades of these characters bouncing around in my brain, I have written the very end of the Sitnalta saga.

It's hard to believe that what started as what we all wrote off as a silly school assignment would spiral out into this elaborate web of books. I remember feeling a rush of pride as my teacher at the time asked to keep a copy of my original story. Now, looking back at my own copy, thirteen year old me had some very cringy writing. Supmylo was constantly angry, and always in a rush, so his dialogue blurred together on the page, so I would have paragraphs that looked like this:

"Whatdoyoumeanthatthereisatrollintheforest.YouidiotsIcan'tbelievethatyouwouldn'tsearchformydaughterinthere.Youwillallbepunishedforyourdisrespect!"

That was a pain to read. But at the time, my editor (My dad), he pushed through such foibles and helped me polish it into something more readable. He believed in this story even to the point that he wanted to name our first family dog "Najort". I won that argument. We named her "Buffy" after the vampire slayer, naturally.

From there, the character of Kralc grew in my mind before the others did. I wrote more short stories in school all the way through high school with familiar titles such as The City of Arches, and The Wizard's Apprentice. What those stories have in common with the novels that eventually followed were the following important elements: They featured Kralc. One of them also had a deaf character and magical arches, and in the other, Kralc indeed had an apprentice. Everything else? Tossed.

This ending is bittersweet for me. I suppose that until I actually hold what will be called The Depth of Darkness in my hand, it won't be real. But it's done. I wrote an actual ending, and for these particular characters, this story is at an end. I don't really know how I feel about that. Let's see what my editor says.

The Sitnalta novel was the true starting point for this saga. I wrote that over several years in fits and starts. At the time, I wasn't even sure how far I wanted to take this. All I know was that these characters wouldn't let me go. Writing has always been my dream. I suppose that my teacher asking to keep that story all those years ago actually may have been the spark that told me I could do this. So, Mr. Maliss, wherever you are? Thank you.]]><![CDATA[Well... I Don't Really Know What to Say...]]>Sat, 21 Oct 2023 17:33:16 GMThttp://www.alisseleegoldenberg.com/blog/well-i-dont-really-know-what-to-sayCW and TW - antisemitic slurs and language

I am honestly at a loss for words. This past week has been difficult to say the least. I was supposed to be excited about so many things. I was at New York Comic Con for the first time as an author in their inaugural Writer's Block. I had a cover reveal that was for a cover I am so much in love with. A new book I wrote is now available for preorder. I should be out there sharing links, posting lighthearted stories, and jumping for joy. But I'm not.

Let me preface this with a little personal history. Online recently, someone I had considered an ally, a friendly acquaintance, someone I had worked with once upon a time, jumped all over me and asked me if I was a Zionist. He asked this in an angry, befuddled, and accusatory way. The truth was that I wasn't sure how to answer him. If being a Zionist meant that (according to his misguided and horrifically uneducated definition) I supported Fascism, and was a racist, bigot, and blindly supported the current Israeli government and all of their actions, then no. I was not. But if being a Zionist meant that I supported Israel's right to exist, and supported my family members hiding in their shelters, and the country of our Torah, and Theodore Herzl's vision from the 1897 First Zionist Council, then yes I was. So, here I was stuck. Here was someone who could sit at home, safe from death threats, and literal people banging on their door screaming antisemitic slurs, and he was calling me disgustingly accusatory things and him doing that was apparently okay. But the second I told him that his language may be inflammatory and vaguely antisemitic, he started accusing me of "bullying". I'm so sorry random man who knows better than an actual Jew.

But let's go back a few years. When I was a student at York University, I wore my hamsa with pride. I had been taught to be proud of my Jewish identity. At this point, conflict in Israel rose. On my university campus, the student unions and various student groups started protesting Israel's response. I thought that they were well within their rights of free speech. I too believed in a two state solution, and that the Palestinian people deserve their own freedom. (I still do.) I believed in their right to speak their mind on campus, until this speech bled over into my Canadian Jewish History exam being disrupted by the protestors in Vary Hall. My professor, Irving Abella left the room, face red with anger. We all trailed after him as we watched in horror as students brandishing swastikas protested "Zionism" by screaming things like "Hitler was right" and "Death to the Jews". The sight was seared into my brain. Not long after this, a boy I went to high school with was beaten on campus so badly he was sent to the hospital. His crime? Wearing a kippah. That year, I was grabbed in the parking lot after a night class, thrown down and called a "Kike bitch" when they saw my hamsa. I started wearing high neck shirts to school to hide it. I felt a deep shame that I had to hide who I was in order to get an education. I questioned wether or not I even wanted to go to school.

For me, antisemitism was something I horrifically had to get used to. It was a depressingly normal thing to be asked if I wore hats to hide my horns. But over the years I deluded myself into believing it got better. Why? The answers are depressingly slight. My kids got through several years of going to a Jewish Day School without a bomb threat. How's that for a reason? I got to wear my necklace (a much smaller hamsa than my original) without foul words being thrown my way. I even felt comfortable enough to get a hamsa tattoo on my ankle (a place I could easily hide if necessary). The fact was that as I was growing up, every time conflict an ocean away started, I would miss school due to bomb threats and death threats being issued against my school and against us as children. Take a moment to let that sink in...

You done?

Okay. People saw another country fighting another country in the Middle East and decided that grade school, and high school children in Toronto should be threatened with death and destruction because of their cultural and religious identity. Now tell me that the protests I witnessed at York and elsewhere weren't antisemitic.

Let's look at now.

On October 7, Hamas terrorists attacked a music festival. They attacked kibbutzim, and they murdered, tortured, and raped Jewish people. 203 men, women and children were taken hostage. One of whom was a girl who went to my daughter's overnight camp. My 12 year old daughter is helping her friends through their grief. I have no words for this. Was Israel's response proportionate? Do I agree with how they have handled everything? I do know that I disagree with cutting off food, water, and power to the people living in Gaza. I do know that I disagree with any and all human rights abuses on both sides. I do know that empathy is NOT a finite human resource. My heart is big enough to weep for all civilians, men, women, and children made to suffer in this bloody conflict. I do know that I shouldn't even have to say this. That being said, the fact that people around the world saw the events of October 7th, and within days, if not hours we saw a harsh uptick in antisemitism around the world.

Tell me that protests in Australia where people scream "gas the Jews" and "F*ck the Jews" are only about Palestinian liberation. Tell me that New Yorkers giving the finger to pictures of Jewish hostages and laughing as they tear them down is only about Israeli politics. That them defacing Jewish owned businesses in the Upper East Side with swastikas is only about the conflict. Tell me that synagogues in Berlin being firebombed, a synagogue in Tunisia being burned to the ground, a Jewish man in London being stabbed to death, and my own home in Toronto being targeted because of our mezuzah has nothing to do with antisemitism. Tell me this, and I will tell you that you are a liar.

This past week I was at New York Comic Con. This past week I wore leggings under all my dresses to hide my tattoo. I wore my high neck clothes to tuck in my necklace. I spoke to my children on the phone as they stayed home on October 13 due to fear of their school being targeted on the Day of Rage. I went to the bathroom and wept as we learned about the young girl from my daughter's camp, washed my face in the sink and went back to my table, pretending everything was okay. I did this and I was ashamed. Not of being Jewish. I am proud of that. I was ashamed I felt the need to hide it.

My kids go to a school surrounded by police, security guards, and parent volunteers doing safety patrols. All other Jewish schools across the city are in the same state. Many have received bomb threats, threats against the kids who go there. My kids have learned through the news and through their friends learning of and grieving dead relatives murdered and tortured overseas that people would cheer their own deaths. They have learned things I also learned in grade school and I grieve their innocence. I grieve and you tell me I shouldn't call you antisemitic when you enable those who want my babies dead.

For the record, that last sentence was not hyperbole, and this is not me bullying you.
]]><![CDATA[Updates and Upcoming Appearances]]>Tue, 19 Sep 2023 17:10:34 GMThttp://www.alisseleegoldenberg.com/blog/updates-and-upcoming-appearancesHey! Quite a bit has happened since I last posted. I was at the annual Pirate Festival in Guelph, I ran a panel on World Building at Toronto FanExpo, and I received some great updates on some upcoming books that I have coming down the pipeline. So, where do I begin?

FanExpo was a lot of fun this year. The panel I ran featured myself, and fellow authors Jen Frankel and Sarah WaterRaven. If you haven't had a chance to check out their work, please go and do so. Seriously. These ladies are extremely talented. Our panel ended up being standing room only, which I was completely gobsmacked to see. (Imposter syndrome, I see you.) My daughter, Hailey was with me, and she turned to me to say "These people are here for you?" Children, keeping you humble. It was an amazing experience, where we ended with a great Q&A with the people who came to see us. We talked about where to begin building a world when writing, if characters influence the world you create or vice versa, and then we talked about how to apply these skills to gaming or being a DM. After the day at the con, we all went to dinner where the conversation continued, and I truly got to catch up with everyone. All in all, a great con.

While all this was happening, I got some fantastic updates from my publisher for The Ghost in the Garden, Crimson Dragon. I can not wait to have this book be out and about in the world! Ghosts in Stratford. I have been slaving away on my Canadian ghost story, and I have seen it's cover! It is truly one of my favourite things, and I cannot wait to do a full on cover reveal for this little book baby. Also, I have seen the interior layout. The truth is, I have never before realized how a layout can truly influence a reading experience. This book is beautiful. I literally ran around the house showing everyone the glory that is the little swoopies that are section breaks, the font, the paragraph spacing, and since this is a modern day story with modern day teenagers in it who love their cell phone... TEXT BUBBLES! Yes, I got excited over text bubbles. But it's the little things that make a big thing like a novel come to life on the page. So... stay tuned for more on this. I will probably be screaming about text bubbles some more down the road.

Speaking of down the road, (not my best segue. I know.) I have some news. See how I title this post Updates and Upcoming Appearances? Well, let's talk about those upcoming appearances, shall we? From October 12-15 I will be a part of New York Comic Con's inaugural Writer's Block! I am so excited for this. I will be at table 7 at NYCC for all four days of the con with all of my released books (as well as some surprises!) and I couldn't be happier about this! So, please, if you're in the area, come on by and say hello. See what I have in store for the Big Apple. As my daughter's favourite singer says "Welcome to New York!"

]]><![CDATA[GusGus- Forever Loved]]>Tue, 22 Aug 2023 16:26:53 GMThttp://www.alisseleegoldenberg.com/blog/gusgus-forever-lovedIt has been a hard few weeks over here. It is never easy for anyone to say goodbye to a pet. It is even harder when you're a child, and the pet in question is wholly your own.

On October 31, 2021, the wonderful organization Teeny Snoots Rat Rescue came to our home. Joseph was going to be adopting two rats. He climbed right into the playpen with them, and was on cloud nine. The first rat to approach him, climb him, and ultimately choose him was a large grey dumbo rat. Joseph adored him. This rat would be then named GusGus. GusGus was everything a kid could possibly want in a pet. He loved to cuddle, be pet, and would take treats from Joseph's hands. Joseph called him his "chonky boy". This little animal was bright-eyed, intelligent, and loved to give kisses to the tips of your fingers, and to the tip of Joseph's nose.

GusGus and his brother Loki would spend the time out of their cages in a playpen that Joseph had for them, running around a cardboard rat maze, and while Loki isn't particularly good at staying still, GusGus would love to perch on Joseph's shoulder, much like a pirate's parrot.

Little ratty kisses

They say that a pet's life is never long enough, but it feels as if we didn't get even close to enough time with our GusGus. It was ultimately discovered that the weird honking sounds he sometimes made when he breathed were due to cancer in his lungs. A cancer that had spread to grow into a tumour on his foot.

Even though he still gave us kisses, and took treats from our fingers, he began to spend more and more time hiding under the blankets in his cage. Joseph and I made a last trip to the vet, and we had to ultimately say our goodbyes to our beloved chonky boy.

Eating a favourite treat of challah

This rat, along with his brother Loki, inspired Joseph. They taught him responsibility, how to care for an animal on his own, and they were and are a comfort in his room. They inspired him to write, and he is grateful that GusGus will live on in some way in his story Lucky at Bat.

But what ultimately hurts is that Loki no longer has his brother, and Joseph is missing his piratical friend. Seeing Loki look to see where GusGus has gone, while not understanding what has happened is so sad. Joseph wishes he could explain. Now, what Joseph wants is for more understanding for these animals. They are intelligent, caring, and cuddly. Nobody who witnessed Loki watching over GusGus through his last days could possibly deny that.

GusGus and Loki cuddling in good times

What we want is for GusGus's influence to live on. So please, if you can, donate in his name. Maybe even adopt some of these wonderful animals yourself. If you aren't close enough to Teeny Snoots area, look up the rescues closest to you. Help in any way you can.

Here's the link- Teeny Snoots Rat Rescue

We will forever miss our cuddly chonky boy, GusGus.

One of Joseph's favourite pictures

The first night we got him

GusGus

]]><![CDATA[I'm a Sports Mom]]>Sat, 22 Apr 2023 16:39:07 GMThttp://www.alisseleegoldenberg.com/blog/im-a-sports-momWhen I pictured myself as a parent many moons ago (not admitting to how many moons that is), I pictured myself as many things. I saw myself in the audience of school plays, community theatre productions, dance recitals, and maybe even gymnastics meets. What I didn't picture is learning all the rules to baseball, understanding the difference between a shooting guard and a point guard in basketball, and knowing the names and stats of a whole bunch of players in a whole bunch of sports. We can ignore my sojourn on the Leo Baeck Day School's girls' basketball team. To be honest, I only got on because every grade 8 was put on the team if they wanted, and the position I played was bench warmer.

As a kid, I knew a little bit about hockey, because well, I'm Canadian, live in Toronto, and my dad liked to take me to Leafs' games. I consider myself to be a semi-realistic fan of the Toronto Maple Leafs. I want them to win, but I understand how highly unlikely that is to ever actually happen. I like to blame the referees, but I also acknowledge that I don't have a lot of understanding of what truly happened in the game, but it is fun to yell along with my kids.

My children have not just waded in, but dove headfirst into the wonderful world of sports. I am very much being dragged along for the ride. My foray into baseball is not just for show, so that I can write convincingly for Lucky At Bat, but because my sons play the game. They are on a team this year, (positions to be announced soon, I think?) and we also have tickets to the Blue Jays. Joseph is convinced that this is our year. I say, we'll see. I know several players on other teams. Phillip also plays Rep basketball, and has been thrilled with his first year playing at this level. His enthusiasm is something else, especially considering his team's record of 0-34. Let's go Avengers!

I truly hope that nothing changes Phillip from who he is. He likes what he likes, loves what he loves, and doesn't care what others think of it. To give an example: he is the only one I know who will attend a Toronto Raptor's game wearing a Golden State Warriors' Stephen Curry jersey. Were we even playing the Warriors that day? Nope. He just loves his favourites that much. The day we attend a Jays vs. Padres game this season, he will be surrounded by his family wearing our Jays gear wearing a Fernando Tatis Jr. Padres jersey with pride. Never change, Phillip.

A couple weeks ago, I drove Phillip to Niagara Falls for his first ever basketball tournament. Yes, they lost every game. But you know what? They played hard, and I couldn't have been prouder of his effort, his optimism, and his spirit. I think it's just as important for a kid to learn how to take a loss (or 34) as it is for them to learn how to win graciously. When the tournament was over, Phillip wore his commemorative sweatshirt with pride. His take away was that they lost the last game by 30-35, but the first couple games of the season, they lost 53-9 and 85-14 respectively. To him, this was certainly a win, and it's an attitude I wish I had some days.

We celebrated by wandering Clifton Hill, and Phillip went to his first wax museum, I continued his losing streak by crushing him at air hockey, and at a shooting game, and then at a rousing game of dinosaur mini golf. His strategy of shooting like Happy Gilmore backfired spectacularly, but he didn't care. As it should be, it was all about having fun.

As a triplet mom, it's rare to get these moments where it's just me and one of the kids. I treasure them when they come. Come this baseball season, the boys will be playing baseball on the Twins, Hailey will continue horseback riding, and I will be cheering them all on, win or lose, no matter their team's stats, as I should be.

The happiest team at the tournament. Avengers Assemble!

An action shot. He's #5 because Santiago Espinal is his favourite Blue Jay.

Demonstrating the moves for his favourite song of all time- Thriller

How he poses with a dinosaur

The most violently green sweatshirt I've ever seen. He loves it.

Phillip taking a selfie of us on the Sky Wheel with the Falls in the background.

]]><![CDATA[Help! (Wanna Write an Application For Me?)]]>Sat, 18 Mar 2023 17:12:35 GMThttp://www.alisseleegoldenberg.com/blog/help-wanna-write-an-application-for-meDo you want to know something funny? When you tell people that you're a writer, they kind of assume that you can write just about anything. Need a contract drawn up? Well, that person is a writer! They can do it! Need a lease written? Ask the writer! Business email? The writer will whip one up for ya! How about a grant application? Writer! Well, I'm here to tell you that this is very much not true. (At least it isn't for me. If there's some sort of wünderkind out there who can do it all, I very much envy you and hate you at the same time.)

Currently, I am up to my eyeballs in filling out some serious applications. Yes, it has to do with my writing, but writing about my writing? It is both ugh, and help! My problem is that I have this innate need to turn everything into a story. I get descriptive, and flowery, and in the process of using all this lovely language, I lose the focus required to actually answer the question! If this was a story writing competition, I feel it would be in the bag. But it's not. It is my two least favourite things:

1. Sell us on your work.
2. Sell us on yourself.

So... help!

Literally a picture of me right now. (It works because he's a writer too!)

So, here I am at my daughter's riding class trying to fill out an... application... and instead turning to this blog to vent my frustration with it. And this is a couple months before I need to turn to *gulp* grant writing! I know there are others out there who feel my pain. How do I condense literally years of writing and rewriting, edits and workshops into little sell yourself bite size businessy quote-ables that fit into boxes that cut you off when you reach an arbitrary character count?

Merida feels my pain about the cutoff.

I don't know how the successful do it! For me, the cutoff comes just as I'm getting to the meat of my point. The I get to do the fun bit. (Said in all sarcasm.) I get to go through what I've written so far, and cut out all the lovely language I've spent ages anguishing over, and make myself sound dry and to the point. They say to kill your darlings, but this feels like a mass murder. By the end of the process, I don't even know if what I've written makes a lick of sense. Also, the applications and grants that don't tell you the word or character counts in the little boxes? I hate those! So you go along writing your answers, thinking "Finally! I can say exactly what I want, how I want!" And then, all of a su-

He gets me. This is me right now.

You see my point? Once, I was writing an answer on one of these things, and I didn't even look at the screen. Just tap tap tapping along, and I didn't even notice it had cut me off. A whole paragraph of text went by, and I hadn't even realized that none of it had registered. I felt mighty stupid that day.

I really should go back and finish what I started. But thank you for listening to me venting process. Have you dealt with this process? How did you cope with it? Any ideas to help a girl out? I'd love to hear from you.

]]><![CDATA[What? I Said I would be better at posting? I lied.]]>Sat, 11 Mar 2023 19:14:07 GMThttp://www.alisseleegoldenberg.com/blog/what-i-said-i-would-be-better-at-posting-i-liedOkay, so I suck at posting on a regular basis. So sue me. Actually, scratch that. Please don't do that. But really. I will try to do better. Is that fair enough?

Do I have anything to report in the world of writing? I do actually! There are two new developments. Development number one... Lucky at Bat is an official Finalist in the Book Excellence Awards! Cue happy dancing! Who would have thought that out of all of the books I've worked on, the little book about rats and baseball would be the winningest? (It's a word. I swear!)

Joseph. Joseph would have thought that, and he's here in my corner telling me "I told you so" in the loudest possible voice. I am really proud of my little weirdo.

In other, also very exciting news, my Middle Grade novel The Ghost in the Garden has been picked up by a publisher! Even after writing umpteen books, it's still a whole ordeal to get them placed in the right hands, and I still get the joy of dealing with submissions, cover letters, and the long wait. But I am very excited about this one. The Ghost in the Garden will be coming out with Crimson Dragon Publishing. And I can't wait to see their funky little logo on the spine of that book. I love writing weird tales about things that interest me, and finding out that I am not the only one to find these things interesting. In this particular case, this is a ghost story, but it's firmly set in Stratford, Ontario. I researched Stratford, and put some of my favourite landmarks in it, and talked about quirky things I've noticed about the place in the many many times I've been there. If you haven't been, I can't recommend it enough. And not even just for the theatre. All the places the characters go in the novel are real, and are awesome. I can't wait for the updates on this one, from cover art, to edits, and for it to finally get into readers' hands! According to my daughter (also known as my unpaid Beta reader), Sophie Madison is her favourite character that I've created. So, tons of pressure on me there for this book to succeed.

I am currently working on edits with Hailey on our novel The Kimmy Girls, and then it will be once again back to the land of submissions, cover letters, and waiting (not in that order. The cover letters come first!). It's a never ending cycle when you're a writer and my kids are learning this the hard way. Except for Phillip. Phillip is knee deep in basketball land. And that's great too! I believe in following one's passions, even if that is all things sports. I have learned a lot about sports from my kids. I think I can even passably ref a game or two if I had to. The hand signals are kind of fun. (Rolls hands to show 'travelling'). We will be heading out to Niagara Falls in April for a tournament, and then I get to show him the awesome weirdness that is Clifton Hill. Can't wait to show the pictures that will come from that day!

Until then! (Or sooner, if I get my act together.)]]><![CDATA[Playing Catch Up]]>Thu, 09 Feb 2023 21:37:15 GMThttp://www.alisseleegoldenberg.com/blog/playing-catch-upI really need to get better at updating here. We are in the midst of birthdaypalooza here, and the kids have turned twelve, and I have turned... forty (or as my friend calls it, 39+1). Since I've last updated, we went on vacation to New York to meet my new nephew, and Lucky At Bat has been out and has been garnering accolades much to my and Joseph's joy.

Our little ratty book has won the Mom's Choice Award and the Firebird Award! We are both so proud of our accomplishments so far. Joseph is thrilled that his idea has taken off in this way.

Joseph has now given his first radio interview, and I am hard at work on several projects. I always seem to have something up my sleeve.

Our trip to New York was something. It was the first time we's ventured out to the U.S. since the pandemic had started, and it was great to have a vacation as a family, and to meet my new nephew Ezra, and see family. The kids were especially happy to enjoy their winter break away.

As is usual for us, we saw some shows while in New York. I took Hailey to her first non-musical production, and we went to see Leopodstadt, which was an incredible experience for her. She was in awe at the kids onstage, and was taken in by the story and the history portrayed therein. It was an amazing night of theatre. Where were the boys? Well, that night the Toronto Raptors were in town, and they were at Madison Square Garden cheering them on as they defeated the New York Knicks! That's where.

As a family, we took the kids to see Wicked, which they all loved, and Into the Woods, which Phillip proclaimed had "too much singing." Dude, it's a musical. But he enjoyed the story.

New York has always been one of my favourite cities. There's just something about its energy, and what it offers. We took the kids to the Natural History Museum, and ate Schmackary's Cookies. We tried different restaurants, and the kids had a blast at the Stardust diner watching the singing staff perform. Honestly, I can't wait until our inevitable return to New York!

]]><![CDATA[Less Than a Week to Go!]]>Fri, 16 Dec 2022 19:48:39 GMThttp://www.alisseleegoldenberg.com/blog/less-than-a-week-to-goOkay, so it's a lot less than a week. It's actually... four days! Four days and one of my kids can call themselves a published author! That's right, on December 20, Lucky At Bat will officially be out, just in time for the holidays! It will be the third night of Chanukah, and four days before Christmas Eve. So, you all know you want to preorder your copy. Right? (*wink, wink, nudge, nudge*) So, hop on down to Amazon, or to Barnes and Noble and get your orders in. I mean, look at that little face. How can you say no to it?

There's also the added bonus that a portion of all proceeds is going to Teeny Snoots Rat Rescue. Doesn't that just give you the warm fuzzies? You get the gift of literature, and you get to help these adorable little animals. What's not to love about that?

In other bookish news, I have finished going through my substantive edits of The Crash of Worlds. So all followers of the Sitnalta saga are finally going to see what happens next in the Kingdom of Colonodona. This book has been a long time coming, and I have worked so hard on this particular manuscript. I can't wait to take the story where it's headed next. My plans for Book Four are quite different from anything else that my characters have had to face before. Could it be... Sitnalta the Horror Story? Or maybe more of a mystery? It's all a surprise. Revel in the suspense!

]]><![CDATA[December Update- Book Fairs Rock!]]>Tue, 06 Dec 2022 16:27:40 GMThttp://www.alisseleegoldenberg.com/blog/december-update-book-fairs-rockIt's December! In exactly two weeks, Lucky At Bat will have its official release. That's right, December 20, 2022 is the date that this book will be officially out in the world. As of right now, you can pre-order the book on Amazon and at Barnes and Noble. So, please do, and help the little ratties at Teeny Snoots Rat Rescue! Because, as I've said before, a portion of all proceeds goes to help them stay open, and help more of these little animals.

What's happening as we gear up for release day? Well, Joseph and I will be participating at the Leo Baeck Day School book fair! I am ridiculously excited for this. As a Leo Baeck alumni, the book fair was my absolute favourite time of the year. I would show up with my allowance, and a little extra from my parents, and I would browse the displays set up in the school gym, buying the latest Goosebumps or Fear Streets (when I was a bit older) as well as stickers and cool looking pencils. I never once thought that I'd be an actual part of it one day. But we will be there with all of my books, as well as a Leo Baeck exclusive! Joseph and I will be setting up with Advance Reader Copies of Lucky At Bat! So to help both the rats, and the Leo Baeck library, we will have ARCs on sale at the fair for whoever gets there first.

Joseph will also be doing readings for the first time ever. He is a bit nervous about this, and I completely understand. I still get butterflies every time I have to stand up in front of an audience and read from my books. But I know that he will be awesome.

Anyways, check out baby me!

Can you find me in this picture? Here. Let me help you a little bit...

I look ridiculously happy about something. I have no clue what it is. All I know is that I'm currently thrilled that ancient photographic technology means that this is in black and white, and you don't see my braces in this blur, or the fact that at age thirteen, I thought it was the height of fashion to match my braces elastics to the season. Since class photos were done usually in the Fall, I was probably wearing a pattern of Halloween black and orange on my teeth. Wasn't I the absolute coolest? (Insert eyeroll emoji here.)

But I digress. School book fairs were the best. Weren't they? I am definitely looking forward to tomorrow. The me in that picture would be beside herself with joy if she knew what her future held in that regard. Let's go!

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