A Conversation with Patchree Jones and her middle grade debut, Skylight
Self-discovery, friendships, Thai fantasy, royal adventures.
Let’s celebrate an author making her debut in the middle grade world, Patchree Jones! Skylight is a fantasy novel with an asian female main character and features multiple points of view.
George Jreije, author of the Shad Hadid series shares his opinion here:
"With Skylight, Jones delivers a thrilling debut that transports us across realms. Readers are sure to cheer on heroes Sofia and Cara, both because of their unwavering friendship and the unique strengths they rely on to do what is right. I could not get enough of the Thai-inspired worldbuilding as well as the way this story challenges traditional views of good versus evil. I'm sure readers young and old will surely be demanding future installments of this unique and gripping series!"
GEORGE JREIJE ~ Author of the Shad Hadid series
Skylight (book 1 of the Mehk Light series)
For fans of Hayao Miyazaki, this middle-grade novel welcomes you to an immersive Thai fantasy where twelve-year-old best friends Sofia and Cara explore the boundaries of family, friendship, and learning to forge your own path.
Sofia Luana longs to fit into her Colorado hometown. Constantly bullied by her classmates, who see her as an outsider, Sofia only has her best friend, Cara Felicity, for support. When Sofia's parents suddenly decide to move to California, her only hope is Cara, who says her family's moving there, too.
On their plane ride halfway across the country, Sofia and Cara see a magical door in the clouds. The girls soon find themselves in a new land filled with a shapeshifting octopus, winged warriors, and the exiled sorceress Muet starting a war to take the throne.
With her best friend, Sofia must learn to embrace her royal Mehk lineage, figure out who can be trusted, and find the courage to make her own decisions to end the war--or else Muet and her Night Army will extinguish Sofia's skylight forever.
Publication Date: June 25, 2024
Age Range: Middle Grade
Genre: Fantasy
Themes: Female main character, multiple points of view, Asian main character
Take away: Learning to trust yourself (and in yourself) is the hardest but most worthwhile lesson.
Publication journey
I began writing "seriously" in 2017 and typed "The End" in 2021. My first draft was 103K words and I knew absolutely nothing about word counts, industry standards, or revisions! With bright eyes and hopeful ignorance, I queried this work for about six months before I realized NO ONE wants to read 103K words in middle grade!!!
I was very new to the idea of querying and publishing in general, but I was a quick learner. Turning to social media, I began participating in pitch contests and took about six months in 2022 to revise my manuscript after multiple rejections. With a newer, slimmer version of the book, I started querying again. Eventually, I was on the cusp of self-publishing when a publisher liked a tweet in the #Moodpitch event. I sent my query package in and received a request for a full. About a month and a half later, I received an "unofficial" offer from SORRA Books and the rest is history!
Just for Fun
