Spring 2025: The Italian translation of Just Maria — Semplicemente Maria (Uonovero, translated by Sante Bandirali) — is named as a finalist for the Premio Strega Ragazze e Ragazzi book awards in two categories: Best First Book and 11+ fiction. The award winners will be announced December 5, 2025, at the Più libri Più liberi ceremony in Rome.
Spring 2025: Just Maria is added to the National Library Service catalog, as DB 125548. Now BARD patrons can listen to a professionally produced audiobook, narrated by Kristin Allison. Enjoy!
March 2023: We launch our new nonprofit, BRAVO (Blue Ridge Adventures ~ Vision Optional), providing outdoor experiential education for youth with blindness and low vision, including some fabulous summer camps. Check us out.
November 2022: Regal House sells the Italian print and audio rights for Just Maria to the Italian publisher Uovonero. Maria will be available in Italian soon. Are you kidding me?
July 2022: Teachingbooks.net posts an updated listing for Just Maria, complete with an audio author interview and blog post. (You’ll need a log-in to see everything; basic access is always free.)
June 6, 2022: I emboss the first physical braille copy of Just Maria for summer reading for a rising sixth-grader in North Carolina. It’s a thick book! (Braille users can emboss their own copies, or download a digital file, from Bookshare.)
May 9, 2022: Paths to Literacy, a website maintained by the Perkins School for the Blind, features Just Maria on their blog. Paths to Literacy is a great resource for students, teachers, and families, so take a spin around and see what you find!
March 21, 2022: Just Maria added to the Bookshare collection! Now my readers who are blind can download braille files if they wish, or convert to audio if that’s their speed.
March 2, 2022: Another sweet review, this time from Jeff Minick of Smoky Mountain News.
February 18, 2022: A lovely review in the School Library Journal (subscription required). SLJ‘s verdict: “Readers will learn much as they fall in love with Maria and JJ. A terrific title that will be popular.”
January 12, 2022: Author reading at Asheville’s beloved Malaprop’s bookstore. This hybrid event was co-hosted by the acclaimed YA author Allan Wolf. The event is over, but you can still watch on YouTube here.
January 7, 2022: Interview with the author published on Cliff Garstang’s blog I’ve Got Questions.
January 7, 2022: Official publication date of Just Maria. Order now from Regal House Publishing, Malaprop’s, Bookshop.org, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or wherever you get your books!