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The day I found out I was losing my agent was also the day we got an offer on my latest book! It was heaping plate of Sweet and Sour Pork, served steaming hot. Joy and sorrow combined under one silver dome. And I’m not great with chopsticks.The journey with More Than A Thief started in 2010, after my book Best Friends Forever: A WWII Scrapbook came out. Marshall Cavendish (the original publisher) was interested in another historical scrapbook. Having always been fascinated with the Lizzy Borden case, I decided to set the story in Fall River, Massachusetts and got to work. The story started out as a contemporary novel with the main character keeping a scrapbook about the Borden murders. There was a ghost/graveyard element too, and a very tragicyet handsome ghost boy. I wrote a chunk and sent it to the lovely Robin Benjamin, my editor at Marshall Cavendish. We talked, we planned. I wrote more. It was grand.And then.Marshall Cavendish was bought by Amazon and Amazon was not going to be publishing historical fiction. Also, somewhere in there, my first agent (let’s call her Agent A) and I parted ways. I wrote on, and looked for a new agent. Fifty-some rejections later, I found two agents who loved my story. Hooray! I picked Agent B. One very frustrating and silent year later, I realized I should have gone with Agent C. I let Agent B go and signed with Agent C, who, after one more year, was the one who finally sold this book. Hooray! But then Agent C left the business and I am now feasting on the aforementioned Sweet and Sour Pork.But that is life, isn’t it? Taking the good with the bad, the sweet with the sour.The sour? Back on the hunt for Agent D.The sweet? The wonderful and talented people at Owl Hollow Press who are hard at work on my book! They have been a joy to work with and I cannot wait to see the magic they do with MORE THAN A THIEF.If you’d like to get a behind-the-scenes peeks at cover design, advanced reviews, and whatever else the future holds for this crazy journey, jot down your email and I’ll keep you in the loop.Until then, stay well.And look for the sweet

Beverly Patt

HISTORY REPEATS ITSELF When I began writing my middle grade novel which dealt largely with the unjust treatment of the Japanese Americans during World War II, I never dreamed we’d ever be back in that place again. Today, while the government is not forcing citizens to leave their homes and be incarcerated in horse stalls, many Asians have recently been targets of vicious hate crimes all over the world. Education is key, starting with our youngest citizens. BEST FRIENDS FOREVER: A WWII SCRAPBOOK “This heartwarming tale of steadfast friendship makes a wonderful access point for learning more about World War II and Japanese internment.” --School Library Journal, Starred Review “Because this novel is written in the form of letters, artwork, and clippings for a scrapbook, readers will be in for a real treat with what feels like a firsthand perspective. Issues such as what does an American look like, racism, poverty, and more are encountered by these two best friends feeling their way through a complicated time.” —VOYA “Their account of wartime terror is made more poignant by their resolution to make their lives beautiful and meaningful. The faux-diary format is sure to appeal.” --Kirkus “Setting the intense personal story of friends and enemies against the big World War II events is a great way to tell the history.” --Booklist — History Repeats Itself

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Beverly Patt

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Beverly Patt

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