My husband and I had a lot of fun this morning The Morning Blend, the TV talk show on Milwaukee’s NBC station. My hubby, Jeff, is a professional illustrator and did the art for the entire book, including 13 black-and-white drawings within. Some of that art was highlighted on the big screens behind us during our talk.
Hosts Molly Fay and Tiffany Ogle are a hoot and great to talk to, as always. Enjoy the talk by clicking here or on the thumbnail image below. Cheers!
http://www.silviaacevedo.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Jeff-Miracola-and-Silvia-Acevedo-on-The-Morning-Blend.png8121420Silviahttp://www.silviaacevedo.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/logo_1024x156.pngSilvia2025-08-28 21:31:092025-12-05 21:42:58Monsters on The Morning Blend
I’ve been posting a whole lot lately about my new book, but posting is how we get word out about our stuff, right? So now I want to say THANK YOU to all of you who’ve reached out with congratulations and to support the book. You’ve given so much love, in fact, that Mail-Order Monsters hit a huge milestone its first day: an Amazon orange banner as the #1 new release for children’s robot stories. WHOOP, WHOOP! Sound the alarm! That is sooo much bigger than you may think, and I seriously thank y’all so much.
Being a genre bestseller is big because, when you search on Amazon for, say, “vampire stories,” the results you see are books with that content. And you better believe those results are ranked. Being #1, however briefly, is nothing short of amazing, even more when many of the other books in the category have the word Robot right in their title or they’ve ranked high for a very long time.
Mail-Order Monsters also hit #5 in new releases for children’s books on bullying and #14 in new releases for children’s Hispanic and Latino stories. I mean, amazing. I’m floored and so very grateful.
Anyway, release day was an orange banner day, and today I saw friends and had an orange-ish latte (my first pumpkin spice of the season). I’m going to hold y’all and these past few days very close to my heart. ?
Hey friends! Today is RELEASE DAY for my latest book, MAIL-ORDER MONSTERS: CRASH COURSE! It’s the story of a ten-year-old boy who’s so desperate for a new best friend that he orders monsters from an ad in the back of a comic book. Hijinks ensue. It’s a tale of friendship breakups and makeups, of monsters and robots, and of racing and chasing. Kirkus Reviews’s verdict is to get it! Perfect for ages 7-12. There’s even a little Spanish sprinkled in.
If you’re thinking about buying, please consider doing so TODAY because good first-day sales boost a book’s entire trajectory.
Thanks friends, and I hope the kiddos in your life love it!
http://www.silviaacevedo.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/MOMCC-on-sale-now.jpg10001000Silviahttp://www.silviaacevedo.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/logo_1024x156.pngSilvia2025-08-26 21:09:222025-12-05 21:28:11Release day for Mail-Order Monsters
I had an interesting conversation with a friend about “crashing” books and how we don’t recommend it for self-published authors. Crashing is an industry term for publishing on a timeline waaay faster than the norm. An example might be rushing to publish an exposé ahead of an election.
Big publishing houses have the resources to rush manufacturing and market the title on a shortened timeline. But most individual authors don’t have said resources. The thing is, they can publish quickly. But gaining marketing traction? Oof, tall order. In today’s media landscape, it’s hard for seasoned marketing teams to get eyes on their titles, and they’re juggernauts, comparably. It’s much harder for a single person to draw attention without help or major lead time.
Soooo, yeah. If you’re thinking about self-publishing your book and want to push the outer boundaries of the normal timeline, weeeelll, you could, but I wouldn’t recommend you give yourself that heartburn. My two cents.
Three years ago, I planted a cherry tree knowing it would need time to establish itself before producing a lot of fruit. This year it’s yielding its first bumper crop, and the inaugural pie I made from it is positively faaaabulous.
Since planting that cherry tree, I’ve added three raspberry bushes and one blueberry bush to my backyard. I plan to add more as I’ve found the benefits outstanding:
fresh, organic fruit that’s much tastier than store-bought
the pleasure of watching something grow, over time, in all conditions, yet succeeding
a nearly daily harvesting once the plant is yielding, creating “forced” time outside in the sun, doing me so much good, keeping me away from tech and incessant doomscrolling
the yummiest of baking
So, yes, I recommend you plant a fruit tree if it’s within your realm of possibility. Even if you don’t care to harvest, you’ll help pollinators. A win-win. But as you can see from the below pic, I won too. Homemade pie is just the absolute best.
http://www.silviaacevedo.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/baked-cherry-pie.jpg15362048Silviahttp://www.silviaacevedo.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/logo_1024x156.pngSilvia2025-06-30 15:58:022025-11-08 16:19:15Seriously, plant a fruit tree
I am thrilled to share that I’ve received a positively epic review for MAIL-ORDER MONSTERS: CRASH COURSE, my new middle grade fantasy. Kirkus Reviews, which is the industry gold standard and premier reviewer for stores and libraries, gave my book a verdict of GET IT.
They called my story “an entertaining fantasy romp that mixes uproarious japes with wise insights into friendship and forgiveness.” PLUS, they loved my writing style (!), saying, “Acevedo’s prose is colorful and evocative, with lots of rambunctious energy. Tweens will get a kick out of the spiky characters and vigorous storytelling.”
Wow, I LOVE this. Kirkus’s “Recommended Reviews” are treasured by creators, for good reason, as they assure readers that MAIL-ORDER MONSTERS is a good bet. Click here or on the preview below for the whole review. And please do consider buying the book for a young person in your life! 🙂
http://www.silviaacevedo.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Kirkus-get-it.jpg151316Silviahttp://www.silviaacevedo.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/logo_1024x156.pngSilvia2025-06-24 16:35:352025-12-05 20:10:58A LOVELY Kirkus review–and what exactly that means
Monsters on The Morning Blend
/in In The News, Media / TV / Radio /by SilviaMy husband and I had a lot of fun this morning The Morning Blend, the TV talk show on Milwaukee’s NBC station. My hubby, Jeff, is a professional illustrator and did the art for the entire book, including 13 black-and-white drawings within. Some of that art was highlighted on the big screens behind us during our talk.
Hosts Molly Fay and Tiffany Ogle are a hoot and great to talk to, as always. Enjoy the talk by clicking here or on the thumbnail image below. Cheers!
An Amazon ORANGE BANNER day!
/in A Writer Writes, In The News /by SilviaI’ve been posting a whole lot lately about my new book, but posting is how we get word out about our stuff, right? So now I want to say THANK YOU to all of you who’ve reached out with congratulations and to support the book. You’ve given so much love, in fact, that Mail-Order Monsters hit a huge milestone its first day: an Amazon orange banner as the #1 new release for children’s robot stories. WHOOP, WHOOP! Sound the alarm! That is sooo much bigger than you may think, and I seriously thank y’all so much.
Being a genre bestseller is big because, when you search on Amazon for, say, “vampire stories,” the results you see are books with that content. And you better believe those results are ranked. Being #1, however briefly, is nothing short of amazing, even more when many of the other books in the category have the word Robot right in their title or they’ve ranked high for a very long time.
Mail-Order Monsters also hit #5 in new releases for children’s books on bullying and #14 in new releases for children’s Hispanic and Latino stories. I mean, amazing. I’m floored and so very grateful.
Anyway, release day was an orange banner day, and today I saw friends and had an orange-ish latte (my first pumpkin spice of the season). I’m going to hold y’all and these past few days very close to my heart. ?
Release day for Mail-Order Monsters
/in A Writer Writes, In The News /by SilviaHey friends! Today is RELEASE DAY for my latest book, MAIL-ORDER MONSTERS: CRASH COURSE! It’s the story of a ten-year-old boy who’s so desperate for a new best friend that he orders monsters from an ad in the back of a comic book. Hijinks ensue. It’s a tale of friendship breakups and makeups, of monsters and robots, and of racing and chasing. Kirkus Reviews’s verdict is to get it! Perfect for ages 7-12. There’s even a little Spanish sprinkled in.
If you’re thinking about buying, please consider doing so TODAY because good first-day sales boost a book’s entire trajectory.
Thanks friends, and I hope the kiddos in your life love it!
Crashing books
/in A Writer Writes /by SilviaI had an interesting conversation with a friend about “crashing” books and how we don’t recommend it for self-published authors. Crashing is an industry term for publishing on a timeline waaay faster than the norm. An example might be rushing to publish an exposé ahead of an election.
Big publishing houses have the resources to rush manufacturing and market the title on a shortened timeline. But most individual authors don’t have said resources. The thing is, they can publish quickly. But gaining marketing traction? Oof, tall order. In today’s media landscape, it’s hard for seasoned marketing teams to get eyes on their titles, and they’re juggernauts, comparably. It’s much harder for a single person to draw attention without help or major lead time.
Soooo, yeah. If you’re thinking about self-publishing your book and want to push the outer boundaries of the normal timeline, weeeelll, you could, but I wouldn’t recommend you give yourself that heartburn. My two cents.
Write on, Loves.
Seriously, plant a fruit tree
/in Uncategorized /by SilviaThree years ago, I planted a cherry tree knowing it would need time to establish itself before producing a lot of fruit. This year it’s yielding its first bumper crop, and the inaugural pie I made from it is positively faaaabulous.![]()
Since planting that cherry tree, I’ve added three raspberry bushes and one blueberry bush to my backyard. I plan to add more as I’ve found the benefits outstanding:
So, yes, I recommend you plant a fruit tree if it’s within your realm of possibility. Even if you don’t care to harvest, you’ll help pollinators. A win-win. But as you can see from the below pic, I won too. Homemade pie is just the absolute best.
A LOVELY Kirkus review–and what exactly that means
/in In The News, Media / TV / Radio /by SilviaFriends and neighbors,
I am thrilled to share that I’ve received a positively epic review for MAIL-ORDER MONSTERS: CRASH COURSE, my new middle grade fantasy. Kirkus Reviews, which is the industry gold standard and premier reviewer for stores and libraries, gave my book a verdict of GET IT.
They called my story “an entertaining fantasy romp that mixes uproarious japes with wise insights into friendship and forgiveness.” PLUS, they loved my writing style (!), saying, “Acevedo’s prose is colorful and evocative, with lots of rambunctious energy. Tweens will get a kick out of the spiky characters and vigorous storytelling.”
Wow, I LOVE this. Kirkus’s “Recommended Reviews” are treasured by creators, for good reason, as they assure readers that MAIL-ORDER MONSTERS is a good bet. Click here or on the preview below for the whole review. And please do consider buying the book for a young person in your life! 🙂