An older title sees new life

My very first book, After Pa Was Shot, was published in 1978 by William Morrow & Co., then a major NY publisher, now swallowed up by conglomerates. It was reprinted by Ellen Temple Books in Texas, went out of print, and now sees new life as a digital and paperback from Speaking Volumes. I am thrilled and love the cover.

Here’s the blurb, and some nice review comments:

After her pa is shot in a turn-of-the-century Texas gunfight, 12-year-old Ellsbeth James has no time to go chasing off after the killer. She has to buckle down and take care of her mother and siblings, B.J., Little Henry, and Maggie.

"Time and place come to life in Alter's bright, atmospheric novel set in Center,
Texas during the early 1900s."
—Publishers Weekly

"Minor characters are exceptionally well drawn, and the whole concoction is as full
of old time Texas flavor as a piece of Ellsbeth's special chicken-fried steak."
—New York Times

The story is based on a true incident, from an older friend’s mother who lived it. She was four at the time. Late in life she sat down at a typewriter and wrote, “The Story of My Life.” At the time I was fresh out of graduate school, trained to document everything, and I thought fiction was over there on another shelf. But that proverbial light bulb went off in my head, and I thought, “That’s what I can do. I can make the girl fourteen instead of four and tell the story from her viewpoint.” I had no idea I was writing young-adult fiction—I was just telling a story. But that novel pigeon-holed me as a young-adult author for too many years.

I called it A Year with No Summer because Ellsbeth didn’t get to do the things kids did in the summer back in the day—fish, skip rocks in the stock tank, wander barefoot. She had to help her mother in their new boardinghouse and take care of the younger children. The marketing people at Morrow said that the words “year” and “summer” were intangible, and kids wouldn’t identify with them. So they called it After Pa Was Shot. My mother threw up her hands and said, “More violence,” and I found it wasn’t easily understood. When I told people the title, they inevitably said, “Pardon me?”

Speaking Volumes has also reprinted three other titles: Katie and the Recluse, Callie Shaw, Stableboy, and Maggie and a Horse Named Devildust. All four are available on Amazon.

I couldn't steal covers from Amazon and haven't gotten them from the publisher yet, but if you want to see them--they're wonderful!--here are the links:
After Pa Was Shot - 

https://www.amazon.com/After-Was-Shot-Judy-Alter-ebook/dp/B077ZJGSRW

Maggie and a Horse Named Devildust -  https://www.amazon.com/Maggie-Horse-Named-Devildust-Book-ebook/dp/B079YVXC59

Callie Shaw, Stableboy - https://www.amazon.com/Callie-Shaw-Stable-Judy-Alter-ebook/dp/B075RD681K

Katie and the Recluse - https://www.amazon.com/Katie-Recluse-Judy-Alter-ebook/dp/B079QNJSN3

Busy days

Some in my family--one in particular whom I won't name--accuse me of leading too sedentary a life, indoors too much, because I spend so much time at my desk. In my own defense, I want to say that this morning I did an hour and a half at physical therapy, took an adventurous drive down a street I wanted to explore, went to the grocery, unpacked groceries, took out three loads of garbage, and fixed lunch--my low back was screaming at me, but, hey, I was in motion.
Today I officially began a hiatus from physical therapy. The therapist agreed that I had increased both my strength and balance, and he had no qualms about turning me loose. For me part, I want to see how I do in the outside world because I know I do all right in the therapy room. Also I felt I was focusing too much on how I felt, etc. I still have appointments to schedule, and I will go back occasionally but this is an experiment...and a respite from having to get up at six-thirty.
Yesterday I mailed the first edits of my Chicago novel back to the editor and am now ready to switch gears to the chili book--and that's a real gear switch. I also corresponded with the publicity person at the company that reprints my older novels--we were choosing cover art for the reprint of Jessie (Jessie Benton Fremont) which will appear as a digital book sometime this summer. So it's been a busy couple of days but I feel like I've really accomplished things.
Last night I was up several times with the dog and bathroom trips--Sophie was snuffling so that it woke me, and I got her a Benedryl. Then she wanted to go out. I went back to bed for an hour but then got up to see if she wanted to come in. She didn't. Looked at me like, "Really?" By then it was five, and I had to get up at six-thirty, so I left her. I do hope she gets over this middle of the night potty-call soon.
I plan to sleep soundly tonight. Sweet dreams, y'all.