Welcome to the official yes-it’s-really-happening blog post about my newest novel, A Clash of Innocents.  The picture on the left is the first draft of the cover.  It will be tweaked some more, but I’m thrilled with the image which was taken by a young fellow-traveler, Elizabeth Lowey, who was a teenager during our Cambodian adventure and is now an art student in the States.  It shows a stall selling puppets with the giant central lake of Cambodia in the background.  I love the richness of the colours.  For me it really captures the beauty and innocence of the Cambodian people and takes you into the heart of my story about hope that perseveres beyond horror.  I’m also thrilled that Fiona Robyn agreed to read an advanced copy of the manuscript and I’m truly grateful for the lovely quote she gave us to use on the cover.  The official launch date isn’t until September 30, but Ward Wood has just made it available to pre-order.  Please go to their website here, read about the book, see Fiona’s review, and if so moved, feel free to be among the first (though not the first) to pre-order it. 
You’ll see that the publisher’s page is also set up to list readings and events that I’ll be doing to publicize the book.  I’m just beginning to schedule those now.  As I did with Tangled Roots, I’ll be happily traveling anywhere and everywhere to meet my readers and find new ones.  If any of you would like me to come talk to your book group or organization or have a contact at a local bookshop that might be interested in hosting a signing, do let me know.  I have to admit, I’m quite proud of this novel. I think it is a beautiful story, and I know that Cambodia is a sad and magical place which deserves our attention.