About Shadowed Summer

Nothing ever happened in Ondine, Louisiana, not even the summer Elijah Landry disappeared.

His mother knew he ascended to heaven, the police believed he ran away, and his girlfriend thought he was murdered.

Decades later, certain she saw his ghost in the town cemetery, fourteen-year-old Iris Rhame is determined to find out the truth behind "The Incident With the Landry Boy."

Enlisting the help of her best friend Collette, and forced to endure the company of Collette's latest crush, Ben, Iris spends a summer digging into the past and stirring old ghosts, in search of a boy she never knew.

What she doesn't realize is that in a town as small as Ondine, every secret is a family secret.

Jacket Copy

Summer in Ondine, Louisiana is always predictible: hot and boring.

Not this one.

This summer, Iris is fourteen. This summer, she doesn't have to make up spooky stories for excitement, because a real one falls right in her lap.

Years ago, before she was born, a teenager named Elijah disappeared. All that remains of him are whispers. Until this summer. A ghost begins to haunt Iris, and she's convinced it's the ghost of Elijah.

What really happened to him? And why, of all people, has he chosen Iris?

Author Bio

A screenwriter and author, Saundra Mitchell penned the screenplays for the Fresh Films and Girls in the Director's Chair short film series. Her short story "Ready to Wear" was nominated for a Pushcart Prize, and her first feature film, Revenge Ends, debuted on the festival circuit in 2008.

Shadowed Summer was nominated for an Edgar Award in 2010, and is her debut novel. Her next novel, The Vespertine will be published in Spring, 2011.

In her free time, she enjoys ghost hunting, papermaking, and spending time with her husband and her two children. She lives in Indianapolis and welcomes you to visit her on the Web at www.saundramitchell.com.

Art Credit

Cover Art by Chad Michael Ward [Shannon Associates]

Cover Design by Trish P. Watts.

Press Kit

The Full Press Kit contains a high resolution, printable photograph of the author and a portrait thumbnail suitable for website display.

Also included is are high-resolution CMYK JPG images of the Shadowed Summer covers - both paperback and hardback, as well as medium and small RGB JPGs of the same covers, suitable for website display.

It contains Saundra Mitchell's bio Microsoft Word .doc and plain .txt formats, a brief synopsis of Shadowed Summer, current reviews from Horn Book, Midwest Book Review, Kirkus, School Library Journal, The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, JLG Monthly and Booklist, also in both formats. It also contains an author facts page, a 5 question instant interview, and contact information.

The Simple Press Kit includes bio, synopsis and current reviews, author facts and 5 question instant interview, and contact information for the author and her representation. There are no images included in this kit.

For other materials, please inquire.

Shadowed Summer has been chosen as a
2009 Junior Library Guild Selection!