I’m thrilled to have Donna join me today to talk about her new book, LOON COVE SUMMER.

I reviewed the book yesterday on Marvelous Middle Grade Monday. There you can find out why I loved this story. Before I get to the interview and a GIVEAWAY opportunity, here’s a little bit about Donna:

Donna Galanti is the author of two middle-grade book series, Unicorn Island and Joshua and the Lightning Road, and the paranormal suspense Element Trilogy for adults. She has lived in fun locations including England, her family-owned campground in New Hampshire, and in Hawaii where she served as a U.S. Navy photographer. Donna is an avid outdoor adventurer and nature lover. She volunteers for the Old-Growth Forest Network and the National Audubon Society. When Donna’s not wandering the woods seeking magic and wonder, you can usually find her biking or kayaking. For more information on her books, school visits, and events, visit her at: www.donnagalanti.com.

Welcome Donna! Your previous middle grade books, Joshua and the Lightning Road, Joshua and the Arrow Realm, and the Unicorn Island series were great fantasies for young readers. Your newest book though is a contemporary story, Loon Cove Summer. Was it a challenging transition to write in a different genre?

I do love writing fantasy, especially fantasy set in the real world. I hadn’t planned to write a contemporary, yet the story called to me to be written. It’s a love letter to a magical part of my childhood. The story is set in a New England campground by a lake—and in the 1970s, my parents owned and operated a campground in New Hampshire by Squam Lake (where they filmed the movie On Golden Pond!).

For me, it wasn’t a challenging transition to write this contemporary story as it flowed out of me from my personal experience. Years ago, I went back in time to visit the campground for a book research trip. It was an emotional trip as my mother had since passed, but also a nostalgic and healing one. That trip influenced much of the plot and characters arcs throughout Loon Cove Summer, infused with my past and present.

From idea to publication, how long did it take to finish this story and what were the toughest roadblocks?

I started this story way back in 2013 and after many years of working with my former agent and multiple editors and making revisions, I finalized it in 2024! The book began as a young adult for teens but soon morphed into middle grade for younger audiences to embrace the wonder of that time in our youth.

I also struggled with creating a teen voice and early on I realized the story was a middle grade one, for several reasons. Tweens often want to be loyal to their family but crave independence. They want to define themselves with their own identity but simultaneously want to fit in. They can feel a yearning to grow up and make big choices but also want to feel safe and have things decided for them when life gets tough. All of this is what thirteen-year-old Sarah, my main character, is going through.

This youthful time in our lives is also about having many new adventures for the first time. Especially, with things we once believed about ourselves, friends, and family (like maybe you once thought your parents were perfect and invincible). All these things are threaded throughout Loon Cove Summer and reflected in Sarah.

How did you come to choose the beautiful state of Maine as the setting for your story?

Funny enough, the story originally started off set in New Hampshire—just like where I lived in a campground as a young girl. However, logistically I had to change the setting to the adjoining state of Maine because the Appalachian Trail is featured in the story along with the trail’s end-point atop the fierce and mighty Mount Katahdin.

I also love Maine and have a personal connection to it with special memories. When I was a little girl, every summer my parents and I vacationed in Bar Harbor, Maine. We’d camp, hike through Acadia National Park, and take a ferry to bike on remote islands. Recently, I created new memories with my husband and son on a family vacation there.

Finally, I wanted a place that evoked the awe of nature and included a habitat for one of my favorite birds with their haunting, beautiful tremolos—the common loon. Maine is also full of natural beauty, and it was the ideal place to create a story that features kayaking, camping, hiking, and bird rehabilitation and conservation.

Sarah Richardson is the endearing 13-year-old main character. What was your process for creating her backstory and personality?

Sarah is basically me! She’s an only child like me and a blend of memories from my youth and adulthood. The story is not just personal because of the setting, but also because Sarah and her father have shared grief over the loss of Sarah’s mother—similar grief my dad and I shared after my mom passed away. The disconnect, anguish, and ultimate re-shaping of my relationship with my own father is reflected in Sarah’s story.

My dad died in 2023, and it’s bittersweet I can’t share this story with him. He would have had such fun revisiting this campground setting as it had been his dream to own and operate such a place. However, in a way I’m glad he cannot read the story as much of what Sarah and her father go through mirrors exact painful events and dialogue my dad shared through navigating our loss.

Is there a specific middle grade reader that Loon Cove Summer is targeted for?

First, I think it will appeal to nature lovers, outdoor adventurers, and fans of environmental causes. I would love for it to inspire middle-graders to seek nature and engage with it, in effect expanding their world. This is a coming-of-age story and includes many new encounters we can go through as a tween, some joyous and some sad. I hope that young readers can relate to what Sarah goes through, and perhaps if they are going through something similar—to provide them with the comfort of feeling not so alone in their experience.

What’s next for you as a writer?

I’m revising my next contemporary middle grade manuscript, The Secret Winner’s Club, told in three alternating points of view. In the story, Sunny, a thirteen-year-old girl with a visible autoimmune condition, bands with other immune deficient friends to create a secret winner’s club. Tired of always being in second place in school competitions, they help each other become #1 before middle school is over—but they quickly discover crossing the line and hurting others can make them even more visible and even more of an outsider.

I have several auto-immune conditions, some visible, like the characters in this story. I can relate to how it feels to look different with one of these conditions—and strive to stand out for something other than your appearance.

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Thanks for joining me today, Donna. Your thoughtful answers are much appreciated and I hope you have a HAPPY LOON COVE SUMMER BOOK BIRTHDAY!

GIVEAWAY: In celebration for the release of LOON COVE SUMMER, you can enter HERE for a chance to win $50 Barnes & Noble Gift Card Giveaway: Runs 5/6/25 – 5/13/25.

Sophie and family have moved to Boston. This includes a mom and two Jack Russell terriers.

There’s both good and not so good things about the move. The bad happens when her new classmates make fun of her Vermont overalls. Sophie also worries about a neighbor who hates barking dogs and could file a complaint to have them evicted.

The good part includes not being the only brown kid in the neighborhood anymore and meeting Juno, an older teen next door. Juno’s hard to resist pug named Bonney becomes the focus of the story. The cute dog needs surgery that costs $3000 which neither of them can afford.

But leave it to Sophie and Juno to come up with a plan. They write and illustrate the first newspaper for dogs written by dogs: THE BARKING PUPPY. The challenge is how to sell this newspaper and make enough to pay for Bonney’s surgery.

The first person narration by Sophie is engaging throughout the 33 chapters. Her character is based on a real live Sophie you can meet in this fun video introduction of THE BARKING PUPPY…

Many fun illustrations are included in the book along with a few photos. THE BARKING PUPPY has a perfect cast of diverse characters along with the setting in Jamaica Plain, MA. Young readers may not be familiar with a newspaper, but this tale might motivate them to create their own. THE BARKING PUPPY is a heartwarming story for dog lovers and anyone who has ever had to relocate into a new neighborhood.

PAGES: 248 BOOK BIRTHDAY: April 22, 2025

ABOUT THE AUTHOR/ILLUSTRATOR

Lori Lobenstine and her goddaughter, Sophie Canon, have been collaborating on the original Barking Puppy newspaper since Sophie was ten years old. The Barking Puppy is Lori’s first children’s book, and Sophie was her chief creative consultant. Like some of her characters, Lori is a twin, has a dog named Summitt, and lives in Jamaica Plain, MA. She is proud of having been editor-in-chief of her fourth-grade newspaper back in the day. For more on Lori and Sophie’s real life Barking Puppy adventures, check out thebarkingpuppy.com.

Il Sung Na has illustrated several acclaimed books, including Welcome Home, Bear, and My Tree. Currently based in Kansas City, Il Sung spends time teaching illustration courses at the Kansas City Art Institute (KCAI) and working on new books. In his downtime, Il Sung hits the flea markets to expand his collection of old and interesting items, which he then takes home to show off to his wife and small dog.

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It’s almost time for another Marvelous Middle Grade Monday. Won’t you join us? It’s here I share highlights from other individuals blogging about middle grade books. Many of the posts will have reviews, interviews, and tips on writing. Take a look at PAST MMGM POSTS.

It’s easy to get a spot in the lineup. Email me the title of the book or feature and a link to your blog at gpcolo[at]gmail[dot]com

Make sure you put MMGM or Marvelous Middle Grade Monday in the subject line so it gets sorted accurately–and don’t forget to say what you’re featuring) You MUST email me your link by Sunday evening (11 PM Eastern Time) in order to be included in the list of links for that week’s MMGM.

*Please note: these posts are not a reflection of my own opinions on the books featured. Each blogger is responsible for their own MMGM content and I do not pre-screen reviews ahead of time, nor do I control what books they choose. I simply assemble the list based on the links that are emailed to me.