I'm thrilled to have the amazing Natalie Bahm here to discuss her amazing new MG book, The Secret Underground. As some of you know, Natalie is donating all the profits of this book to a wonderful little boy and his family...
A few years ago, I wrote a middle grade adventure called The Secret Underground. It’s about a
group of kids who dig a tunnel to an abandoned steel mill. There’s danger and fun and friendship
and a few scary bank robbers (think Goonies). It’s always been really special to me
because it was the first book I finished that I was really proud of.
About a month ago, The
Secret Underground was finally released. All of the profits will go to a
sick baby named Jayden and his family.
Jayden is a sweet two-year-old with major health problems.
He's the same age as my youngest child, but he’s only half his size. Jayden struggles to put on weight and
is constantly in the hospital because he has no reserves when he gets
sick. He’s been near death more
than once, but has shown that he’ll fight to hang on.
His family has been through so much. Along with the stress and anxiety of
dealing with Jayden's condition, they're also struggling financially, due to
the massive burden of caring for a chronically ill child.
Jayden’s grandmother is my critique partner. When she told me about the trials that
Jayden and his family were facing, I knew I needed to do something to help. I
called up agent, Sara Megibow, and asked if we could do a book for him. She thought it was wonderful idea, so
with the support of Nelson Literary Agency, we published The Secret Underground.
You can read more about the project and Jayden here. The paperback
version of The Secret Underground is
available on Amazon
(and should be available at most other online retailers soon). The eBook can be purchased just about
anywhere eBooks are sold. The
audiobook is available on Audible,
Amazon
and iTunes. The paperback will be in more online
bookstores soon.
