Jen Calonita's Blog: Pinning

The Isle of Ever

This Tuesday my new middle grade mystery-adventure series will be out in the world and I am giddy just waiting to see it in readers' hands! I've never written anything like this before--a story that takes place in two times: 1825 and now, following two girls as they try to solve the mystery of an island and a cursed pirate treasure. Think pirates, fountain of youth, riddles, clues, and a story that feels very Inheritance Games with pirates! This book is also the kickoff to a three-book mystery that honestly was inspired by my childhood. My grandparents lived near the beach and always told me to dig for pirate treasure as Captain Kidd, a famous pirate, once buried treasure near their home. I never found anything, but I always wondered: Why can't I find any treasure??? Could it be the treasure is hidden somewhere the world can't see? Like on an island that only appears every few hundred years during a rare Blood Orange Moon? From that conversation with my grandmother, a story was born. It's one I hope you will enjoy and I can't wait to go on this adventure with you! There is a cliffhanger ending to book one, but I promise, you'll find out what you need before you wait for book two. Happy reading! XO Jen

Hi everyone! How is your summer going? I've been tied to my laptop so much that I actually risked bringing it to the beach so I could get some sun. I was terrified I'd drop it in the sand, but I'm happy to report the secret book I'm working on stayed safe and I think the sunshine did me good. I've been freaking out because the kick-off to an all-new Disney YA series, The Enchanters' is coming out September 3rd, 2024 and I wrote it. It's FAIRY GODMOTHER. And by Fairy Godmother I mean the OG. Disney's ultimate Fairy Godmother-- Cinderella's fairy godmother!

Each book in the Enchanters' Series is going to follow a different magic maker in a Disney story. Just like Serena Valentino's Villains series shares a villain's story in each book, the Enchanters will follow someone new with each story. The books are not linked. They can be read as standalones, but I hope you will enjoy them as much as you do Twisted Tales and Villains.

I have LOVED getting to to dive into Fairy Godmother's backstory. That's what each book is -- an origin story with a deep look at who this character was BEFORE we met them in their movie. Who are they? Where did they come from? How did their magic begin?

For Fairy Godmother, the idea began with a rewatching of the animated Disney's Cinderella. I started to wonder: What's with magic ending at midnight? Where did the glass slippers inspiration come from? Why does FG use a pumpkin for a coach? What is Bibbidi Bobbidi Boo really? Why does FG have no wings? Why is she so forgetful?

What if there was a way to answer those questions? And so using all the classic Disney tropes and Easter Eggs I hope you all love as much as I do in Disney stories, I set out to figure out who FG was. Turns out she's a teen-- Renee Dubois-- who is fated to become the most famous fairy godmother the world has ever known. I hope you'll read her story and enjoy the magic. XO JenFairy Godmother: An Enchanters Tale

Hi friends!
I'm excited to share that my new Disney YA series, The Enchanters is coming this fall with book one: FAIRY GODMOTHER! And guess what? You can now read all about FAIRY GODMOTHER on Goodreads (and if you're a reviewer, you can request the book now over on Netgalley).

The Enchanters' books are different from the Twisted Tale and Villains' series you love in that they focus on the magic makers in each Disney world. Book one will focus on who Fairy Godmother is, and how she came to be. I've always wondered why, in Cinderella, she was so distracted, so pressed for time, and why she had no wings! It's a story that I hope you will cherish as much as I do. There's romance, adventure, and I adore Renee Dubois and hope you will too. Can't wait to hear what you think of The Enchanters: Fairy Godmother. It will be available everywhere September 3, 2024.






The Enchanters: Fairy Godmother

Sing it with me: I'm feeling 22....
That's me right now, dancing around my house to Taylor Swift celebrating the fact that I have a new book out in the world. If you're a fan of the movie "13 Going on 30" like I am, you'll love "12 to 22." When a girl makes a wish on a TikTok filter to be the perfect age--22 (Hey, Taylor Swift seemed to like it!), she winds up in her 22-year-old self's body with an incredible job working for her favorite influencer, amazing clothes, a great apartment...and yet 22-year-old her doesn't seem that happy. What went wrong?

"12 to 22" is about being true to who you are, finding yourself in the social media age, and about how friendships grow and change. Plus there is some magic!

I hope you'll consider reading "12 to 22" and adding it to your TBR pile on Goodreads. Happy reading!

--Jen

The Retake

Hi everyone! Happy holidays!
If you read my last post, you might be wondering: Where is THE RETAKE? It was coming out 12/1! Like many books in 2020, it has jumped to 2021 -- 2/23/21 to be exact. I'm actually thrilled with this move because it has given me the chance to set up a fun presale with my friends at Children's Book World in Haverford, PA.

When you preorder the book from them (they have a link right on their website for it), you'll receive:
--a personalized, signed copy of the book
--a THE RETAKE sticker, bookmark and pin
--AND a sneak peek at the first chapter, emailed to you as soon as you send proof of your presale purchase to info@jencalonitaonline.com

And if you order before 12/24, you'll even receive a personal video message from me!

I hope you all have a wonderful holiday season. Bring on 2021! We're ready for it!

Hi guys! Happy summer! I hope you've been enjoying the warmer weather and reading a ton. I've been enjoying books by Elin Hilderbrand, Jennifer Weiner, Ally Carter, and just finished The Heir Affair, which was so much fun!

While winter and December seem far off, I wanted to share some news about my next middle grade -- it's coming this 12/1 from Delacorte and is called THE RETAKE! This one is contemporary with a touch of magic. It follows Zoe's journey through middle school and a rough patch with her best friend. When a strange new app appears on her phone that has all her social media picture posts in it, Zoe learns she can click on any image and go back in time to that moment. Desperate to fix things with her BF, she starts to use the app to go back to key moments in their friendship to try to change things, but...we all know how time travel works. :)

I hope you'll enjoy this new one and consider adding it to your "to be read" shelves. :)

Happy summer!

Jen

The Retake

Hi friends! First of all, I hope you're all staying safe and doing well during these strange times. I know I'm doing a lot of reading these days and my TBR pile is growing shorter for the first time in YEARS! Books really take me away and that has been a wonderful thing of late!

Which is another reason I'm popping on to say hi. Guess what? The sixth Fairy Tale Reform School book, CURSED is out! Gilly and her friends are racing across Enchantasia to keep Rumplestiltskin from getting the final ingredients for his curse that will change the world as they know it. Oh, and the kids also have a lot of homework to do while they try to save the world. Just your normal day in Enchantasia!

I'm so excited that so many of you are reading CURSED and enjoying Gilly's latest journey. Please be sure to fill out the form on my website (www.jencalonitaonline.com) if you purchase CURSED because with proof of purchase, you can download a FREE Jax short story called Jax of all Trades! This was a presale promotion that we are continuing so that we can share it with as many readers as possible!

Thank you all for sharing in Gilly's journey. I can't wait to hear what you think!

XO Jen



Cursed

Outlaws

Have you seen the new Royal Academy Rebels covers? It's as if a (nice) fairy godmother waved her magic wand and gave the series a beautiful new glow. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the paperback cover for MISFITS (coming 9/1) and the cover for OUTLAWS (coming 10/1). While the series is set in the same world as Fairy Tale Reform School, readers know it's an entirely different school with different issues and different villains. If you've read MISFITS, you know that Princess Devin and her other rebel princesses and princes have been banished from Royal Academy for taking issues with the way the traditional (and secretly evil) fairy godmother runs the school. What princess wants to wait in a tower to be rescued? And what prince wants to spend his entire day wooing girls when he could be off on some great adventure with friends? These rebels want to see some changes happening at Royal Academy. With the aid of Robin Hood and Red Riding Hood they might be able to make it happen in OUTLAWS. I hope you'll add this book to your "to be read" shelf. And guess what? Readers that preorder OUTLAWS will receive a limited edition character card and a signed bookplate! Details can be found on my website: www.jencalonitaonline.com. Happy reading! Jen

Hi everyone!
I can't believe we've made it to March and winter is (hopefully) giving us its last blast of cold. That would be my wish at this moment: I wish winter would be over and it would be summer once more!

But that's the funny thing about wishes. If you had a magic lamp and could make a wish, would the wish turn out the way you expected? What would you wish for?

In the latest Fairy Tale Reform School, WISHED, Gilly's good friend Maxine wishes for everyone at school to be happy, and that wish DOES NOT go as planned!

I am quite fond of book five in the series. It's so fun and unexpected and cool to throw Darlene the genie in the mix. I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed writing it!

WISHED comes out this Tuesday, March 5th, and I can't wait to hear what you all think! XO JenWishedWished

Switched

Hi all!
Wow, it's been a long time since I've posted, and I apologize for that, but I'm back with good news: there are more Fairy Tale Reform School books in the works along with ways you can get a sneak peek at my new fairy tale series, Royal Academy Rebels.

In Switched (aka Fairy Tale Reform School #4), Gilly has to climb a magic beanstalk with the help of Jack, of the Jack and the Beanstalk fame, to try to stop Rumplestiltskin who has semi-sort-of-it's-complicated run off with his new minions that include Gilly's little sister. There's new characters (including Allison Grace, Beauty and the Beast's mysterious daughter) and new fairy tale mischief to be had when the book comes out on March 6, 2018.

Don't want to wait to start reading it? If you preorder Switched, you can get a sneak peek at the book AND get a sample from Royal Academy Rebels, my Enchantasia spin-off series, which won't be out till September 2018. For preorder info, use this link:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FA...

See you on the road!
XO
Jen