Sammy’s Attic
I am seeking publication for my book, Sammy’s Attic, a psychological fiction novelette of 9,000 words for middle grades.
Sammy’s hometown burned down in summer forest fires. Since the fires took his home, Sammy has developed an anger problem, which gets him into trouble at his new school. He invents a snowy, imaginary world and a friend, named Tu, in the attic of his new home to help himself heal from grief, terror, and anger. Tu helps Sammy find his way into a new life and new school, where Sammy must make friends and deal with a bully. Sammy can only make peace with these profound changes by following the smell of smoke from below the floorboards of his bedroom, where he finds a world, and himself, in flames.
Sammy’s Attic is a fresh take on perennial kid-problems, offering wisdom and a great story. It does not read as didactic or moralistic, but it does aim to teach emotional intelligence (especially to boys) by normalizing empathy, crying, restorative justice, and other aspects of well-being that masculine gender socialization often discourages. There is a nearly total absence of middle grades books published in the last five years (or longer) to address anger. Sammy’s Attic perfectly suits this untapped market and societal need. It will be loved and recommended by parents, teachers, school counselors, and (most of all) kids.
The full manuscript is available right here:
If interested, please contact me at ben@beboldebewyse.com
Poetry Collection: I Want to Meet Your Light
What my friends…I mean “readers” are saying:
“The poems in this collection are raw and earnest. Often conversational, sometimes beautifully minimal, and always honest. What threads them together is the expression of longing and desire in all of us to connect.”
– J. Yoon, Psychotherapist
“Most poetry leaves me unmoved; it doesn’t make me feel anything. Enter Ben Gallup with the most raw, original poetry I’ve read in years. Reading Ben’s poems will rip off emotional scars and twist a knife in your deepest aching, yet somehow leave you buoyed and filled with life. His simple words evoke beauty and love side-by-side with heartache and yearning. His preoccupations are life-and-death matters: rebirth, identity, meaning, alienation, trauma, nostalgia, growth. Ben makes you feel human. Ben makes you feel.”
-John Michael, Firefighter
The books I sell at performances and through consignment are not the same as he ones I sell on Amazon. I write the title and my name by hand, with metalic, gold paint and loving intention. Each book is individually charged with reiki.
From I Want to Meet Your Light
Young Love Forever
The old fisherman walks the shore
a bit before the sunset,
steady, patient, and quiet.
His wife has passed away
and his children are grown
and somewhere else
they have lives of their own.
Alone he must make his peace.
He is almost soft and empty enough,
at last,
for the fullness of life
to fit and breathe
comfortably inside of him.
But the old fisherman shakes his head
and smiles, a little sad,
as his longing taunts his surrender.
He gently steps along the line
where waves and sand
have playfully wrestled
in young love forever.
Book Description
Ben Gallup shares results from confronting the most relatable problems of human life: interpersonal connection, loneliness, truth, love, systems of oppression, ecological terror, and more. Gallup goes straight to the heart of things with sincerity, clarity, and insight. You will feel this book.
ISBN/SKU: 9781733966115
5.5 x 8.5 in or 216 x 140 mm
Perfect Bound on Creme w/Matte Lam
Page Count: 84
Spine Width: 0.20120 in
Weight: 0.261 lbs
