Blog Tour With Review and Guest Post by Donna Galanti author of Loon Cove Summer, Unicorn Island and Joshua and The Lightning Road series

I'm really excited today to be a part of the blog tour for Donna Galanti's latest book, Loon Cove Summer.    Be sure to check out all the other tour stops at the bottom of the post and Donna's link to her tip sheet for the book.  There's also a giveaway and my review.  

Loon Cove Summer by Donna Galanti
Publisher:  Wild Trade Press
Format:  E-ARC
Number of pages:   286 pages
Publishing:  May 6th, 2025
Source:  Author in exchange for an honest review
Reading level: middle-grade, 8 - 12 years

Book Tip Sheet to Download 

Where book is available:  Amazon, Barnes and Noble,  Bookshop, On Goodreads  

Donna’s website

Keywords:
friendship, grief and loss, environmental causes, family, Appalachian Trail, lakes, camping, nature, adventure, coming-of-age, bird conservation

Audience:

·   Nature and science lovers

·   Outdoor adventure seekers

·   Readers of survival stories

·   Fans of environmental causes

·   Youth in bereavement

Opening Line: "My first Monday of summer vacation was a total fail."

 Here is the summary of Loon Cove Summer:

Thirteen-year-old Sarah Richardson is determined that her life will finally get unstuck this summer. She just knows it. Her to-do list? Brave the lake again. Save the loons. Stop missing Mom. Her one bright spot: volunteering at the local wild bird rehabilitation center.

 

The summer looks even brighter when Sarah meets Theo, the boy staying at her family’s Maine lakeside campground who cares about protecting the loons just like she does. But when Sarah’s family may have to move, she adds a new to-do item: save their home. And when she suspects Dad is dating Theo’s aunt, the naturalist helping research environmental dangers to the loons, Sarah is caught in a new world of grief.

 

With the looming reality of losing her dad, her home, and the loons, Sarah must make a big statement to take control of her life. Capturing inspiration from her late mother’s Appalachian Trail hiking journal, she boldly plans a solo wild adventure. But as her challenges mount, she wonders if her courage will earn her the voice she seeks—or if she’s made a reckless choice that just might claim her life.

Guest Post:  The Twisty Journey of Getting a Book Published by Donna Galanti

I love writing fantasy, as made evident by all my other books. With writing fantasy, there’s a freedom to create any world you want—a world without boundaries. I hadn’t planned to write a contemporary, yet my newest novel, Loon Cove Summer, called to be written in the real-world. It’s a love letter to a magical part of my childhood where I lived, in a New England lakeside campground. For me, it wasn’t a challenging transition from fantasy to writing this contemporary story as it flowed out of me from personal experience.

The book began as a young adult for teens as I explored a romantic element in it, but the story soon morphed into middle grade for younger audiences. I struggled with a teen voice and realized it wasn’t working for me because I love to embrace the wonder of being a tween. Being a tween is a time in our lives when we straddle two worlds, one foot grounded in the magic of childhood and one foot stepping into young adulthood. This time as a youth is about having many new adventures for the first time. These ‘first’ experiences are threaded throughout Loon Cove Summer and reflected in Sarah, the main character.

Most authors I know have several creative projects in the works. I’m no different. I still have my first (practice!) novel sitting in a shoe box that will never be published. I also have seven completed books that all need various stages of revising, three novels to finish drafting, and five novels in a series outlined with the first book begun.

When one project feels stalled, I move to another. I started Loon Cove Summer way back in 2013. After many years of stalling on it, cheating on it with writing other books, working on it with my former agent and several editors, and rewriting it, I finished the story in 2024. Finally, 12 years later it’s being released on May 6th!

There’s a dedication required to getting a book to print—draft it, rewrite it, revise it (multiple times), then figure out the path to publication (which includes more rejection than acceptance). At times, it seems like an impossible mountain to climb!

Loon Cove Summer was no different … here’s a 17-part snapshot of the journey:

1. Began writing it in 2013.

2. Finished a polished draft in 2019.

3. Let my current agent go (amicably) to acquire a new literary agent for it.

4. Had a Big 5 publisher interested. Made edits with them. Added in more emphasis on the loons and conservation, per their request.

5. Got turned-down from this Big 5 publisher as they had a similar title recently released.

6. Changed the book title and went on submission again to publishers via my new agent.

7. Rewrote again and re-submitted to Big 5 publisher above as the editor wanted to give it one more try. Nope.

8. Got rejected by other publishers on submission because it’s “too quiet”, “needs more conservation in it”, “we don’t do middle-grade books that have a crush in it” (seriously).

9. Changed the title again and went on another round of submissions to publishers via my agent.

10. In the meantime, I got a 2-book deal for my paranormal suspense Element Trilogy for adults, wrote it, and had it release with a publisher.

11. In the meantime, I was hired to write a 3-book series, Unicorn Island, for another publisher and wrote all 3 books and had them all release.

12. Had an imprint with a Big 5 publisher super excited about Loon Cove Summer! “This is the best thing I’ve read in so long! I couldn’t put it down. I laughed, I cried!”

13. Revised the first 5 chapters with the editor of this imprint.

14. Get the revised version to an acquisitions meeting. Rejected by Sales and Marketing as my book sales (20,000) of my most current book was not enough to take a risk on this

next book of mine. :(

15. Had differences with my second agent and let her go. Queried new agents. Several requested the manuscript of Loon Cove Summer. Ultimately, they all echoed the same

reasons above for choosing not to take it on.

16. August 2024. Decide no more agents. No editors. No more gatekeepers. No more squelching my creativity and passion as a storyteller. I’m 55 years old and taking control of my own publishing destiny. I don’t want to be remembered for dozens of books written just sitting in a shoebox! So … I created Wild Trail Press and produced Loon Cove Summer on my own, the first title of 15 books to publish (and counting).

17. The End (or really, just the beginning!)

 

My Review: 

I really enjoyed Loon Cove Summer's focus on nature and Sarah's desire to bring a loon expert to her lake and research why the loon's were disappearing.  The story shows what the determination and perseverance of one person can do.

Having the story centered at a campground was also a real highlight for me as it's one of my favorite pastimes over the summer.  There's something about being outside in the woods, near a lake that is comforting, and bringing Donna's book along for a re-read would be perfect.

Sarah makes for a lovely main character, she's so full of emotions the nervousness and excitement of meeting Maggie, the new to her, warm cozy feelings she feels with Theo.  Even her jealousy when her dad begins to show an interest in Maggie.  The kind of big feelings that a reader can easily relate to.  Sarah is so sweet and sparks this instant connection with Theo and Maggie, a connection that she isn't ready to share with her dad. 

There's the difficult topics of the death of a mother and possible moving away from a place that you love, but it is written from a place of great sensitivity.   I love how Sarah is given time to process her feelings about her mom's death and to come to terms with all the changes happening around her.  How she is able to use her mom's trail journal not only to read about her mom's experiences but also to write back to her to express her own thoughts.    

This is a beautiful, feel good, heart warming story that I enjoyed reading immensely.  The idea of being "custodians" for the loons really resonated with me.  It makes me want to read more adventure stories and books about environmental activism and reminded me a lot of Terry Lynn Johnson's books, like Rescue at Lake Wild.  The after thoughts from Donna were much appreciated and I especially loved how she explained why she chose to write a contemporary book and talked about her shared lived experience. I highly recommend Loon Cove Summer to readers interested in animal activism, or any animal/nature enthusiast.  

**A huge thank you to Donna Galanti for visiting my blog today, and providing me with a review copy of her book.  ***          

Praise for Loon Cove Summer:

“A warm-hearted novel that balances profound loss with humor and hope.”
– Kate Allen, author of The Line Tender

“As sparkling, refreshing, and mysterious as a Maine lake in summertime.”
– Cathy Carr, author of 365 Days to Alaska

“An original and fun read from start to finish … unreservedly recommended.”
– Midwest Book Review

“A page-turning read set in the wilds of Maine.”
– Paul Greci, author of Surviving Bear Island

“The cast of unforgettable characters and tender relationships stays with you.”
– Jessica Rinker, author of The Dare Sisters  

$50 Barnes & Noble Gift Card Giveaway: Runs 5/6/25 – 5/13/25

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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.