Shannon Messenger's Blog, page 45
June 18, 2012
Marvelous Middle Grade Monday: Walk Two Moons, by Sharon Creech--plus a giveaway!
For this week's MMGM I'm covering what many consider an absolute classic: WALK TWO MOONS, by Sharon Creech.
Here's how the publisher describes it:
"How about a story? Spin us a yarn."
Instantly, Phoebe Winterbottom came to mind. "I could tell you an extensively strange story," I warned.
"Oh, good!" Gram said. "Delicious!"
And that is how I happened to tell them about Phoebe, her disappearing mother, and the lunatic.
As Sal entertains her grandparents with Phoebe's outrageous story, her own story begins to unfold—the story of a thirteen-year-old girl whose only wish is to be reunited with her missing mother.
In her own award-winning style, Sharon Creech intricately weaves together two tales, one funny, one bittersweet, to create a heartwarming, compelling, and utterly moving story of love, loss, and the complexity of human emotion.
This is another one of the books I read while prepping for BEA (I was lucky enough to be on a panel with the lovely Sharon Creech--and she is every bit as amazing in person!) I have no idea how I missed it all these years, but I'm so glad I found it now.
And I'm not really sure how to explain what's so special about it--but I'm not sure I NEED to. I mean, check out some of the accolades it's racked up over the years:
Winner of the 1995 Newbery MedalA 1995 ALA Notable Children's BookSchool Library Journal Best Book of 1994Winner of a 1994 Bulletin Blue RibbonA Notable Children's Trade Book in the Language Arts (NCTE)Winner of the 1997 Heartland Award for Excellence in Young Adult Literature Winner, 1995 Newbery MedalNotable Children's Books of 1995 (ALA)1995 Notable Trade Books in the Language Arts (NCTE)Children's Book Award for Longer Novels (Great Britain's Federation of Children's Books Groups)Outstanding Books of 1994 for Middle School-Aged Teens (V)Best Books 1994 (SLJ)Bulletin Blue Ribbon Books 1994 (C)
So clearly this is an amazing book. Which is a really good way to describe it: AMAZING. The characters, the writing, the emotions--all absolutely breathtaking. Oh, and yeah, like many Newbery winners this one WILL make you cry. I sobbed. Twice. Even though I knew both things were coming, the way Sharon lays the feelings on the page is just so real and honest that yeah, I dare you not to cry. I DARE YOU.
But it's worth the tears, I promise!
In fact, to prove it, I'm giving away a copy to one lucky winner.
If you would like to enter, leave a comment on this post by 11:59 pm pacific time on Saturday June 23rd. I'll draw one random winner and post their names on Sunday, June 24th. International entries welcome.
For more awesome middle grade recommendations, check out these other MMGMs floating around the blogosphere.*
If you would like to join in the MMGM fun, all you have to do is blog about a middle grade book you love (contests, author interviews and whatnot also count--but are most definitely not required) and email me the title of the book you're featuring and a link to your blog at SWMessenger (at) hotmail (dot) com. (Make sure you put MMGM or Marvelous Middle Grade Monday in the subject line so I see it)
NOTE: I used to not have a cut-off time for adding links to the post, but with how insane my schedule is right now, if you don't email me by Sunday evening (usually around 11pm PST is when I put the links together) I can't guarantee I'll have a chance to add you. BUT, you are welcome to add your link in the comments on this post so people can find you!
*Please note: these posts are not a reflection of my own opinions on the books featured. Each blogger is responsible for their own MMGM content and I do not pre-screen posts ahead of time, nor do I control what books they choose. I simply assemble the list based on the links that are emailed to me ahead of time.
Here's how the publisher describes it:
"How about a story? Spin us a yarn."
Instantly, Phoebe Winterbottom came to mind. "I could tell you an extensively strange story," I warned.
"Oh, good!" Gram said. "Delicious!"
And that is how I happened to tell them about Phoebe, her disappearing mother, and the lunatic.
As Sal entertains her grandparents with Phoebe's outrageous story, her own story begins to unfold—the story of a thirteen-year-old girl whose only wish is to be reunited with her missing mother.
In her own award-winning style, Sharon Creech intricately weaves together two tales, one funny, one bittersweet, to create a heartwarming, compelling, and utterly moving story of love, loss, and the complexity of human emotion.
This is another one of the books I read while prepping for BEA (I was lucky enough to be on a panel with the lovely Sharon Creech--and she is every bit as amazing in person!) I have no idea how I missed it all these years, but I'm so glad I found it now.
And I'm not really sure how to explain what's so special about it--but I'm not sure I NEED to. I mean, check out some of the accolades it's racked up over the years:
Winner of the 1995 Newbery MedalA 1995 ALA Notable Children's BookSchool Library Journal Best Book of 1994Winner of a 1994 Bulletin Blue RibbonA Notable Children's Trade Book in the Language Arts (NCTE)Winner of the 1997 Heartland Award for Excellence in Young Adult Literature Winner, 1995 Newbery MedalNotable Children's Books of 1995 (ALA)1995 Notable Trade Books in the Language Arts (NCTE)Children's Book Award for Longer Novels (Great Britain's Federation of Children's Books Groups)Outstanding Books of 1994 for Middle School-Aged Teens (V)Best Books 1994 (SLJ)Bulletin Blue Ribbon Books 1994 (C)
So clearly this is an amazing book. Which is a really good way to describe it: AMAZING. The characters, the writing, the emotions--all absolutely breathtaking. Oh, and yeah, like many Newbery winners this one WILL make you cry. I sobbed. Twice. Even though I knew both things were coming, the way Sharon lays the feelings on the page is just so real and honest that yeah, I dare you not to cry. I DARE YOU.
But it's worth the tears, I promise!
In fact, to prove it, I'm giving away a copy to one lucky winner.
If you would like to enter, leave a comment on this post by 11:59 pm pacific time on Saturday June 23rd. I'll draw one random winner and post their names on Sunday, June 24th. International entries welcome.
For more awesome middle grade recommendations, check out these other MMGMs floating around the blogosphere.*
- The Mundie Moms are always part of the MMGM fun (YAY!). Click HERE to see their newest recommendations. And if you aren't also following their Mundie Kids site, get thee over THERE and check out all the awesome!
- The lovely Shannon O'Donnell always has an MMGM ready for you! Click HERE to see what she's featuring this week!
- Karen Yingling also always has some awesome MMGM recommendations for you. Click HERE to which ones she picked this time!
- Pam Torres always has an MMGM up on her blog. Click HERE to see what she's spotlighting this week.
- Author Claire Legrand joins the MMGM fun with an awesome new series called Middle Grade Memories. Click HERE to see Phoebe North discuss a book she loved growing up--with a GIVEAWAY!
- Gina Carey is in love with MALCOLM AT MIDNIGHT. Click HERE to see why.
- Ruth Donnelly is raving about CAMO GIRL. Click HERE to see why she thinks you'll love it too.
- Michelle Isenhoff is cheering for THE ISLAND STALLION. Click HERE to learn more about it.
- Susan Olson is championing PRINCESS IN THE PIGPEN. Click HERE to see her review.
- Natalie Aguirre is interviewing Lynda Mullaly Hunt and GIVING AWAY a copy of ONE FOR THE MURPHYS. Click HERE to check it out.
- Andrea Mack is dishing about THE HUGO MOVIE COMPANION. Click HERE to learn why.
- Michelle Mason is back with a feature on THE DEAD GENTLEMAN. Click HERE to see what she thought of it.
- Gabrielle Prendergast is caught up in THE FREEDOM MAZE. Click HERE to see her review.
- Rosi Hollinbeck is celebrating SEEING CINDERELLA--with a GIVEAWAY! Click HERE for all the details.
- Deb Marshall is spreading the love for THE MASK OF DESTINY--with an ARC GIVEAWAY! Click HERE for all the details.
- Barbara Watson is featuring the 2012 Newbery winners! Click HERE to learn more about them.
- Dorine White is enchanted by THE CABINET OF EARTHS. Click HERE to see what she loved.
- Laurisa Reyes has an interview with author Tina Nichols Coury--plus a GIVEAWAY! Click HERE for details
If you would like to join in the MMGM fun, all you have to do is blog about a middle grade book you love (contests, author interviews and whatnot also count--but are most definitely not required) and email me the title of the book you're featuring and a link to your blog at SWMessenger (at) hotmail (dot) com. (Make sure you put MMGM or Marvelous Middle Grade Monday in the subject line so I see it)
NOTE: I used to not have a cut-off time for adding links to the post, but with how insane my schedule is right now, if you don't email me by Sunday evening (usually around 11pm PST is when I put the links together) I can't guarantee I'll have a chance to add you. BUT, you are welcome to add your link in the comments on this post so people can find you!
*Please note: these posts are not a reflection of my own opinions on the books featured. Each blogger is responsible for their own MMGM content and I do not pre-screen posts ahead of time, nor do I control what books they choose. I simply assemble the list based on the links that are emailed to me ahead of time.
June 17, 2012
CRUD--forgot the winner!
Yikes--I don't know WHERE this weekend went, but I totally forgot to announce the winner of last week's blog contest. SORRY.
But, figuring its better late than never, the winner of ALL THESE LIVES by the fabulous Sarah Wylie is...
CStakey!
Yay!
*tosses confetti*
If that's you, please email me at SWMessenger (at) hotmail (dot) com with your mailing address and I will send you your prize!
To everyone else, luckily, ALL THESE LIVES is available in stores and libraries RIGHT AT THIS VERY SECOND. I highly recommend picking up a copy. :)
HOPE EVERYONE HAD A GREAT WEEKEND!
But, figuring its better late than never, the winner of ALL THESE LIVES by the fabulous Sarah Wylie is...
CStakey!
Yay!
*tosses confetti*
If that's you, please email me at SWMessenger (at) hotmail (dot) com with your mailing address and I will send you your prize!
To everyone else, luckily, ALL THESE LIVES is available in stores and libraries RIGHT AT THIS VERY SECOND. I highly recommend picking up a copy. :)
HOPE EVERYONE HAD A GREAT WEEKEND!
June 14, 2012
Bookanista Review: ALL THESE LIVES, by Sarah Wylie
I am SO excited for this weeks Bookanista Review, because it's for a book I've been waiting to gush about for months--YEARS even. ALL THESE LIVES, by the incredibly talented Sarah Wylie.
Here's how the publisher describes the story:
Sixteen-year-old Dani is convinced she has nine lives. As a child she twice walked away from situations where she should have died. But Dani’s twin, Jena, isn’t so lucky. She has cancer and might not even be able to keep her one life. Dani’s father is in denial. Her mother is trying to hold it together and prove everything’s normal. And Jena is wasting away. To cope, Dani sets out to rid herself of all her extra lives. Maybe they’ll be released into the universe and someone who wants to live more than she does will get one. Someone like Jena. But just when Dani finds herself at the breaking point, she’s faced with a startling realization. Maybe she doesn’t have nine lives after all. Maybe she really only ever had one.
Now, those of you who've been following my blog for a while probably know that Sarah is actually one of my Critique Partners--and therefore might suspect this feature will be a wee bit biased. BUT, I can assure you, it's not.
Not only is this a cancer book (which... those of you who know me know I have a hard time with those, having lost a few friends to cancer) but Dani's voice--to anyone who *knows* Sarah--is kind of unexpected. In real life Sarah is all candy and adorableness. Dani, on the other hand, is all angst and attitude. So my love and adoration of one has nothing to do with my love and adoration of the other.
I love this book because it's freaking amazing. Plain and simple.
The writing. Sarah's uncanny ability to infuse each page with just the right amount of emotions. Watching Dani--clearly so sad and broken--struggle to save her sister and battle with her own guilt and anger it's just... well, the word brilliant comes to mind.
I KNEW I would cry reading this book--and of course I did. But Sarah tempers the sadness with Dani's strength and sarcasm/wit, making the book just heartbreaking enough without making you want to throw yourself off the nearest bridge. It's beautiful, powerful, and an absolute must read and I highly recommend it to all of you.
Which is why I'm giving away a hardcover to one lucky winner! (And the rest of you are lucky too, because ALL THESE LIVES is finally in stores--you can go buy your own copy any time!)
To enter: leave a comment on this post by 11:59pm on Saturday, June 16th. I'll draw one random winner and post their name on Sunday, June 17th. International entries welcome.
That's it--that's all there is to it. Though I do also *hope* that whoever wins will end up posting a review for the book somewhere--or blogging/tweeting/FB-ing about it--to help spread the love and get some more mileage out of the prize. I can't require that for entry. But I'm hoping the winner will feel inspired to. :)
Ready?
GO!
For more fabulous book recommendations, check out what my fellow Bookanistas are talking about:
Stasia Ward Kehoe is blown away by DINOSOARINGJessica Love celebrates SECOND CHANCE SUMMERNikki Katz is crazy about Holly Black’s Curse Workers seriesShelli Johannes-Wells shares a guest post by SURRENDER author Elana JohnsonGennifer Albin swoons for A MIDSUMMER'S NIGHTMARE.
June 12, 2012
BEA Shannon Style!
It's highly possible that I'm the last person in the blogosphere to do a BEA recap--but even a few days later I'm still trying to process the absolutely amazing experience.
I wish I had taken more pictures, but thanks to my hectic schedule I didn't have a lot of time. So here's a few of my favorites--some of which I've shamelessly stolen from Twitter/FB (so if one of these was taken by you, THANK YOU!), and I'm posting them in order, so you can sort of feel like you're reliving it all with me (and warning, I did a LOT, so this will be a LONG post! Brace yourself).
Sunday:
After an awesome afternoon of real NY pizza (SO GOOD) and a matinee of NEWSIES (EVEN BETTER) I headed to the Hudson Terrace for the S&S Teen Blogger Preview, a private YA-related event featuring me, Lenore Appelhans, Jenny Han, Tonya Hurley, Carmen Rodrigues, and Siobhan Vivian--all of whom were every bit as lovely, funny, and amazing as you'd expect them to be.
I wish we'd taken a group shot of all of us, but instead all I have is photos of me during my interview time:
Jenny asked the BEST questions and made the event so much fun--even if I did totally mishear her at one point and answer that I wanted to marry Nagini (the evil snake from Harry Potter) (yeah... don't ask--it was a total Shannonfail).
I've been to dozens and dozens of these kind of events, so it was SO SURREAL to be on the "author" side of the experience, waiting in the green room, being up on stage--oh, and this:
The GORGEOUS display S&S did behind the bar with all of our covers. I still have a hard time believing that one of those is MY COVER for MY BOOK with MY NAME. It's kind of amazing I didn't jump over the bar and hug it.
S&S also gave out goody bags with all of our ARCs, plus the coolest LET THE SKY FALL swag EVER:
It's a battery powered fan WITH A WIND PUN ON THE LABEL!!!! I <3 S&S so much.
Monday:
The day started cold and rainy, so I spent the morning racing to Macys to find tights to go with my dress so I wouldn't freeze that night. Then it was off to the S&S Building to meet with Liesa Abrams, my editor--and to meet even more of my amazing S&S team:
Then we walked to the New York Grand Central Library where I got to be on a panel with Brandon Mull, Rebecca Stead, and John Stephens, and spent most of the time thinking HOW DID I GET HERE??? To say I've been fangirling those amazing authors for years is a bit of an understatement, and to get to sit with them like an equal was definitely one of those *moments*. Alas, I have no pictures of it, but I have plenty of memories to make up for it.
After that, I got to have a nice, relaxing dinner with Laura Rennert, my incredible agent, and Lara Perkins, her lovely and insightful assistant--which I ALSO don't have pictures of because they came out blurry--but that just means we'll have to re-create the experience again next year. ;)
Tuesday:
This was the day I'd been most nervous for. Not only did I have a LOT of things on my itinerary--but it was also the day they would be giving away these:
I'm told there were two of these towers, but I never actually saw them (my marketing manager emailed me this pic the night before). By the time I got to the Javits they were nothing more than strange patterns in the carpet. I'm told they were gone in about 20 minutes. I don't even know how to wrap my head around that.
My morning started with my first ever KEEPER OF THE LOST CITIES signing in the autographing area, and I was SO SCARED that no one was going to come to my line. So you can imagine my surprise when I was waiting in the green room and the woman in charge came over to congratulate me on how insanely long my line was. It's AMAZING I didn't start crying right there.
Instead, I followed her in a daze to my table covered in KEEPER ARCs, with a line so long I couldn't see the end of it. Sadly, I couldn't get a picture of the full line, but these sort of give you some slight perspective on the experience:
And my favorite picture from the whole week:
Getting to sign my middle grade novel to an actual middle grade reader--THAT, my friends, is what we call, THE DREAM.
Even more surreal was that THEY HAD TO CAP MY LINE. I have no idea how many books I signed, but I know it was enough to make my wrist tired. And I only messed up one!
After that I rushed back to the S&S booth to sign another box of ARCs, and then it was time to grab a quick coffee with my agent and editor--the first time all three of us met up in person. We took pics, but none of them came out so I won't share. Thankfully we tried again on Thursday, which I'll get to in a minute.
I had a welcome break for an hour--which I spent with Sara McClung, CP Extraordinaire and general lifesaver--and then it was time for the Apocalypsies event--which was WAY bigger than I'd ever imagined. Look at all of these amazing authors:
I wish I had a picture of how packed the room was, but alas, I haven't found one (though I'm SURE some are out there). All I know is that I signed what felt like a billion of these super cool dance cards:
After that, it was off to an S&S Cocktail party where I got to mingle with people like Robin Wasserman, Matt Myklusch, T.R. Burns, and James Dashner and TRY not to reveal myself for the crazy fangirl I am. Then I had a late dinner with my editor and it was FINALLY time to go back to my hotel to get some rest for the next day.
Wednesday:I didn't spend long at the Javits, but I did stop by so I could personally thank Becca Fitzpatrick for blurbing LET THE SKY FALL and saw her HAWT cover:
And then I went to Shake Shack for lunch with my publicist. I had a few hours to myself that afternoon, so I went and explored Central Park a bit, and then changed and met my editor back at the Javits for the (Mostly) Silent Children's Auction, where I got to spend the evening with all kinds of cool industry people.
It was pouring rain when I left, but I didn't even mind because my editor and I walked together, and she was far too adorable with her Batman Umbrella. (And I'll save the story about the creepy old guy who tried to hit on both of us for another day.) :)
Thursday:The last day of BEA and the day of my most intimidating panel: on the Uptown Stage with industry legends Sharon Creech, Judith Viorst, and Lauren Oliver:
I'd been more than a little worried that these amazing ladies would look at me like, how did YOU end up on this panel???? (and I wouldn't have even blamed them!) But they were so sweet and smart and funny and made me feel right at home with them!
Afterward there was an informal signing of some KEEPER ARCs
And then I FINALLY got the picture I'd been wanting since I sold my books last May. Me, flanked by my agent and editor, the lovely Laura Rennert and Liesa Abrams:
After that I went back to the S&S booth to say goodbye to everyone, and I had another of those surreal moments when one of my all time favorite authors was there with his wife, and they took an ARC of KEEPER and had me sign it to their daughter!!! (Crazy, CRAZY surreal). Then that night I had dinner with some amazing book people--some of whom had already read KEEPER and told me they loved it. So you could definitely say my BEA experience ended on a high.
Friday:
I made one last trip back to S&S to record a podcast with Matt Myklusch for The Other Side of the Story, which will air closer to KEEPER's release (and should be interesting, given how hoarse my voice was at that point):
I spent the rest of the day soaking up what little of NY I could, then packed up and flew home the next morning, where I've been battling jet-lag ever since.
Phew--you guys still with me? *taps on the computer screen*
I know, it was a LOT. And like I said at the beginning of this post, I'm honestly still trying to process all of that amazingness. Every single moment of last week was equal parts nerve-wracking, exciting, and humbling. But I guess the feeling that lingers the most is gratitude.
I am so incredibly thankful for my awesome team at S&S who made it all possible, for the fabulous authors who treated me like an equal, for time I got to spend with my agent and editor, and for all the people who took the time to come to my events/signings. THANK YOU for making last week a total dream come true.
I have no idea what the rest of this crazy roller coaster ride toward launch is going to be like, but I can definitely say this--if BEA is any indication, it's going to be AWESOME.
I wish I had taken more pictures, but thanks to my hectic schedule I didn't have a lot of time. So here's a few of my favorites--some of which I've shamelessly stolen from Twitter/FB (so if one of these was taken by you, THANK YOU!), and I'm posting them in order, so you can sort of feel like you're reliving it all with me (and warning, I did a LOT, so this will be a LONG post! Brace yourself).
Sunday:
After an awesome afternoon of real NY pizza (SO GOOD) and a matinee of NEWSIES (EVEN BETTER) I headed to the Hudson Terrace for the S&S Teen Blogger Preview, a private YA-related event featuring me, Lenore Appelhans, Jenny Han, Tonya Hurley, Carmen Rodrigues, and Siobhan Vivian--all of whom were every bit as lovely, funny, and amazing as you'd expect them to be.
I wish we'd taken a group shot of all of us, but instead all I have is photos of me during my interview time:
Jenny asked the BEST questions and made the event so much fun--even if I did totally mishear her at one point and answer that I wanted to marry Nagini (the evil snake from Harry Potter) (yeah... don't ask--it was a total Shannonfail).
I've been to dozens and dozens of these kind of events, so it was SO SURREAL to be on the "author" side of the experience, waiting in the green room, being up on stage--oh, and this:
The GORGEOUS display S&S did behind the bar with all of our covers. I still have a hard time believing that one of those is MY COVER for MY BOOK with MY NAME. It's kind of amazing I didn't jump over the bar and hug it.
S&S also gave out goody bags with all of our ARCs, plus the coolest LET THE SKY FALL swag EVER:
It's a battery powered fan WITH A WIND PUN ON THE LABEL!!!! I <3 S&S so much.
Monday:
The day started cold and rainy, so I spent the morning racing to Macys to find tights to go with my dress so I wouldn't freeze that night. Then it was off to the S&S Building to meet with Liesa Abrams, my editor--and to meet even more of my amazing S&S team:
Then we walked to the New York Grand Central Library where I got to be on a panel with Brandon Mull, Rebecca Stead, and John Stephens, and spent most of the time thinking HOW DID I GET HERE??? To say I've been fangirling those amazing authors for years is a bit of an understatement, and to get to sit with them like an equal was definitely one of those *moments*. Alas, I have no pictures of it, but I have plenty of memories to make up for it.
After that, I got to have a nice, relaxing dinner with Laura Rennert, my incredible agent, and Lara Perkins, her lovely and insightful assistant--which I ALSO don't have pictures of because they came out blurry--but that just means we'll have to re-create the experience again next year. ;)
Tuesday:
This was the day I'd been most nervous for. Not only did I have a LOT of things on my itinerary--but it was also the day they would be giving away these:
I'm told there were two of these towers, but I never actually saw them (my marketing manager emailed me this pic the night before). By the time I got to the Javits they were nothing more than strange patterns in the carpet. I'm told they were gone in about 20 minutes. I don't even know how to wrap my head around that.
My morning started with my first ever KEEPER OF THE LOST CITIES signing in the autographing area, and I was SO SCARED that no one was going to come to my line. So you can imagine my surprise when I was waiting in the green room and the woman in charge came over to congratulate me on how insanely long my line was. It's AMAZING I didn't start crying right there.
Instead, I followed her in a daze to my table covered in KEEPER ARCs, with a line so long I couldn't see the end of it. Sadly, I couldn't get a picture of the full line, but these sort of give you some slight perspective on the experience:
And my favorite picture from the whole week:
Getting to sign my middle grade novel to an actual middle grade reader--THAT, my friends, is what we call, THE DREAM. Even more surreal was that THEY HAD TO CAP MY LINE. I have no idea how many books I signed, but I know it was enough to make my wrist tired. And I only messed up one!
After that I rushed back to the S&S booth to sign another box of ARCs, and then it was time to grab a quick coffee with my agent and editor--the first time all three of us met up in person. We took pics, but none of them came out so I won't share. Thankfully we tried again on Thursday, which I'll get to in a minute.
I had a welcome break for an hour--which I spent with Sara McClung, CP Extraordinaire and general lifesaver--and then it was time for the Apocalypsies event--which was WAY bigger than I'd ever imagined. Look at all of these amazing authors:
I wish I had a picture of how packed the room was, but alas, I haven't found one (though I'm SURE some are out there). All I know is that I signed what felt like a billion of these super cool dance cards:
After that, it was off to an S&S Cocktail party where I got to mingle with people like Robin Wasserman, Matt Myklusch, T.R. Burns, and James Dashner and TRY not to reveal myself for the crazy fangirl I am. Then I had a late dinner with my editor and it was FINALLY time to go back to my hotel to get some rest for the next day.
Wednesday:I didn't spend long at the Javits, but I did stop by so I could personally thank Becca Fitzpatrick for blurbing LET THE SKY FALL and saw her HAWT cover:
And then I went to Shake Shack for lunch with my publicist. I had a few hours to myself that afternoon, so I went and explored Central Park a bit, and then changed and met my editor back at the Javits for the (Mostly) Silent Children's Auction, where I got to spend the evening with all kinds of cool industry people.
It was pouring rain when I left, but I didn't even mind because my editor and I walked together, and she was far too adorable with her Batman Umbrella. (And I'll save the story about the creepy old guy who tried to hit on both of us for another day.) :)
Thursday:The last day of BEA and the day of my most intimidating panel: on the Uptown Stage with industry legends Sharon Creech, Judith Viorst, and Lauren Oliver:
I'd been more than a little worried that these amazing ladies would look at me like, how did YOU end up on this panel???? (and I wouldn't have even blamed them!) But they were so sweet and smart and funny and made me feel right at home with them!
Afterward there was an informal signing of some KEEPER ARCs
And then I FINALLY got the picture I'd been wanting since I sold my books last May. Me, flanked by my agent and editor, the lovely Laura Rennert and Liesa Abrams:
After that I went back to the S&S booth to say goodbye to everyone, and I had another of those surreal moments when one of my all time favorite authors was there with his wife, and they took an ARC of KEEPER and had me sign it to their daughter!!! (Crazy, CRAZY surreal). Then that night I had dinner with some amazing book people--some of whom had already read KEEPER and told me they loved it. So you could definitely say my BEA experience ended on a high.
Friday:
I made one last trip back to S&S to record a podcast with Matt Myklusch for The Other Side of the Story, which will air closer to KEEPER's release (and should be interesting, given how hoarse my voice was at that point):
I spent the rest of the day soaking up what little of NY I could, then packed up and flew home the next morning, where I've been battling jet-lag ever since.
Phew--you guys still with me? *taps on the computer screen*
I know, it was a LOT. And like I said at the beginning of this post, I'm honestly still trying to process all of that amazingness. Every single moment of last week was equal parts nerve-wracking, exciting, and humbling. But I guess the feeling that lingers the most is gratitude.
I am so incredibly thankful for my awesome team at S&S who made it all possible, for the fabulous authors who treated me like an equal, for time I got to spend with my agent and editor, and for all the people who took the time to come to my events/signings. THANK YOU for making last week a total dream come true.
I have no idea what the rest of this crazy roller coaster ride toward launch is going to be like, but I can definitely say this--if BEA is any indication, it's going to be AWESOME.
June 11, 2012
Marvelous Middle Grade Monday: Links for the Week
I'm still recovering from the amazingness of BEA (I promise an update with pics SOON) and the jet-lag is intense, so I have no MMGM this week. But here's links to the awesome bloggers carrying the MMGM torch for me*:
If you would like to join in the MMGM fun, all you have to do is blog about a middle grade book you love (contests, author interviews and whatnot also count--but are most definitely not required) and email me the title of the book you're featuring and a link to your blog. (Make sure you put MMGM or Marvelous Middle Grade Monday in the subject line so I see it)
**NOTE**I used to not have a cut-off time for adding links to the post, but with how insane my schedule is right now, if you don't email me by Sunday evening (usually around 11pm PST is when I put the links together) I can't guarantee I'll have a chance to add you. BUT, you are welcome to add your link in the comments on this post so people can find you!
*Please note: these posts are not a reflection of my own opinions on the books featured. Each blogger is responsible for their own MMGM content and I do not pre-screen posts ahead of time, nor do I control what books they choose. I simply assemble the list based on the links that are emailed to me ahead of time.
- The Mundie Moms are now part of the MMGM fun (eee!). Click HERE to see their newest recommendations. And if you aren't also following their Mundie Kids site, get thee over THERE and check out all the awesome!
- The lovely Shannon O'Donnell always has an MMGM ready for you! Click HERE to see what she's featuring this week!
- Karen Yingling also always has some awesome MMGM recommendations for you. Click HERE to which ones she picked this time!
- Author Claire Legrand joins the MMGM fun with an awesome new series called Middle Grade Memories. Click HERE to see librarian Rita Meade discuss a book she loved growing up--with a GIVEAWAY!
- Pam Torres always has an MMGM up on her blog. Click HERE to see what she's spotlighting this week.
- Gina Carey is cheering for the books on the middle-grade buzz panel at BEA. Click HERE to see what they are.
- Brennan and Meyrick Murphy are in love with GREGOR THE OVERLANDER (The Underland Chronicles). Click HERE to see why they enjoyed it.
- Ruth Donnelly is raving about EBENEZER'S LOCKER. Click HERE to see why she thinks you'll love it too.
- Michelle Isenhoff is showcasing GATHERING BLUE. Click HERE to learn more about it.
- Barbara Watson is showcasing THE GREAT WALL OF LUCY WU--with a giveaway! Click HERE to see her thoughts.
- Gabrielle Prendergast is gushing about THE RELUCTANT JOURNAL OF HENRY K. LARSEN. Click HERE to see why.
- Melanie Conklin joins the MMGM fun with a feature on HORRID HENRY. Click HERE to welcome her to the group!
- Michelle Mason ALSO joins the MMGM fun, with a feature on THE FOURTH STALL PART II Click HERE to welcome her to the group!
If you would like to join in the MMGM fun, all you have to do is blog about a middle grade book you love (contests, author interviews and whatnot also count--but are most definitely not required) and email me the title of the book you're featuring and a link to your blog. (Make sure you put MMGM or Marvelous Middle Grade Monday in the subject line so I see it)**NOTE**I used to not have a cut-off time for adding links to the post, but with how insane my schedule is right now, if you don't email me by Sunday evening (usually around 11pm PST is when I put the links together) I can't guarantee I'll have a chance to add you. BUT, you are welcome to add your link in the comments on this post so people can find you!
*Please note: these posts are not a reflection of my own opinions on the books featured. Each blogger is responsible for their own MMGM content and I do not pre-screen posts ahead of time, nor do I control what books they choose. I simply assemble the list based on the links that are emailed to me ahead of time.
June 3, 2012
Where's Shannon: The BEA Edition!
Pretty sure you guys know this by now, but if you need me, I'm not here.
I'M IN NEW YORK FOR BEA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
(Hee. Can you tell I'm EXCITED????)
Not only have I never been to NY before, but thanks to my amazing publicity team at S&S I have a CRAZY-awesome schedule. If any of you are going to be there, here's some of the places where you can find me:
Insane schedule, right????
Hope to see some of you guys there!!! (and PLEASE don't take it personally if I don't recognize you--I am SO bad at that!!!)
Anyway, with all that craziness I naturally won't have time to blog. But I promise an update--hopefully with photos--as soon as I'm back (and recovered from the chaos). And I'll try to tweet/FB updates throughout the week so keep an eye out for those.
And--this probably doesn't come as a surprise--but I won't have time to put together the MMGM links this week. (I know, SORRY) But here's a list of the people who've participated in the past few weeks, so they'll probably be participating again. Feel free to check out their blogs and see what they're talking about:
Mundie Moms & Mundie Kids
Shannon O'Donnell
Karen Yingling
Myrna Foster
Claire Legrand
Barbara Watson
Brennan and Meyrick Murphy
Michelle Isenhoff
Gina Carey
Tricia Conway
Laurisa Reyes
Natalie Aguirre
Susan Olson
Jennifer Rumberger
Danica Dinsmore
Rosi Hollinbeck
Chelanne Green
Andrea Mack
Kim Aippersbach
Gabrielle Prendergast
Michael Gettel Gilmarten
Julie from "That's Swell"
I'M IN NEW YORK FOR BEA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
(Hee. Can you tell I'm EXCITED????)
Not only have I never been to NY before, but thanks to my amazing publicity team at S&S I have a CRAZY-awesome schedule. If any of you are going to be there, here's some of the places where you can find me:
Sunday 6/3: I'll be on a panel with Lenore Appelhans, Jenny Han, Tonya Hurley, Carmen Rodrigues, and Siobhan Vivian at the S&S Teen Blogger party, talking about LET THE SKY FALL, among other things. (this event is invitation only, so you know who you are if you're going).
Monday, 6/4, 5:00 pm NY Grand Central Library: I'll be on a panel with fellow middle grade authors Brandon Mull, John Stephens, and Rebecca Stead. (yeah, I'm as amazed as you.) Event information is HERE.
Tuesday, June 5th, 10:30 am - 11:00 am: I'll be signing ARCs of KEEPER OF THE LOST CITIES in the Javits autographing area, booth 8. You can find details on that HERE.
Tuesday, June 5th, 3:00 pm - 5:00 pm: The Apocalypsises: Meet the authors of 2012's Must Reads. Javits Center: Room 1E02/1E03. Details on who will be there and why you want to stop by can be found HERE.
Wednesday, June 6th, 5:00 pm - 8:00 pm: ABFFE's (Mostly) Silent Children's Art Auction. Details are HERE.
Thursday June 7th from 11am - 11:30 am: I'll be on a panel with Sharon Creech, Lauren Oliver, and Judith Viorst discussing "Writing Strong Female Characters in Middle Grade Fiction" in the Javits on the Uptown Stage. More details can be found HERE. And I'm told I'll be signing KEEPER OF THE LOST CITIES ARCs afterward.*Phew*
Insane schedule, right????
Hope to see some of you guys there!!! (and PLEASE don't take it personally if I don't recognize you--I am SO bad at that!!!)
Anyway, with all that craziness I naturally won't have time to blog. But I promise an update--hopefully with photos--as soon as I'm back (and recovered from the chaos). And I'll try to tweet/FB updates throughout the week so keep an eye out for those.
And--this probably doesn't come as a surprise--but I won't have time to put together the MMGM links this week. (I know, SORRY) But here's a list of the people who've participated in the past few weeks, so they'll probably be participating again. Feel free to check out their blogs and see what they're talking about:
Mundie Moms & Mundie Kids
Shannon O'Donnell
Karen Yingling
Myrna Foster
Claire Legrand
Barbara Watson
Brennan and Meyrick Murphy
Michelle Isenhoff
Gina Carey
Tricia Conway
Laurisa Reyes
Natalie Aguirre
Susan Olson
Jennifer Rumberger
Danica Dinsmore
Rosi Hollinbeck
Chelanne Green
Andrea Mack
Kim Aippersbach
Gabrielle Prendergast
Michael Gettel Gilmarten
Julie from "That's Swell"
June 2, 2012
A big post of winners!!!!
Whew--I have a LOT of winners to announce today.
First up, the winner of an ARC of SURRENDER, by Elana Johnson:
Kayleen Hamblin!
YAY!
The winner of WHEN YOU REACH ME, by Rebecca Stead is:
Elise
Double YAY!
The winner of their choice of book from Becca Fitzpatrick and Kiersten White is:
Christina
Triple YAY!!!!(who picked CRESCENDO and ENDLESSLY--but please confirm that')
And the THREE winners of the ARCs of KEEPER OF THE LOST CITES are:
LarissaMartha RamirezAdamG
QUADRUPLE YAY!!!(And also EEP--I hope they like it!!!!)
Phew--that is a LOT of winners. And if one of those is you, here's what you do:
Make sure you email me by Sunday, June 10th at SWMessenger (at) hotmail (dot) com with your mailing address--and please put something like "Winner of (insert prize here)" in the subject line. If I haven't heard from you by the 10th I'll be forced to choose a replacement winner. And if I have heard from you, your prize still won't be shipped out until after the 10th, because I will be out of town for BEA until then. (you also may not get a reply to your email until after that--but don't worry, I won't give anyone's prize away until I check my email and make sure I haven't heard from them).
And on a personal note, I just want to thank you all for the excitement and support for my KEEPER contest. I wish I could send ARCs to all of you, but alas, they are limited. HOWEVER, I can promise that this won't be the only KEEPER ARC contest I'll do. There will be at least a couple more. Plus I'm sure some will start popping up throughout the blogosphere.
But in the meantime, thank you so much. I really appreciate all your enthusiasm and I hope you enjoy KEEPER when you have a chance to read it (and if you don't, um... maybe don't tell me?) :)
Hope everyone has a great weekend!
First up, the winner of an ARC of SURRENDER, by Elana Johnson:
Kayleen Hamblin!
YAY!
The winner of WHEN YOU REACH ME, by Rebecca Stead is:
Elise
Double YAY!
The winner of their choice of book from Becca Fitzpatrick and Kiersten White is:
Christina
Triple YAY!!!!(who picked CRESCENDO and ENDLESSLY--but please confirm that')
And the THREE winners of the ARCs of KEEPER OF THE LOST CITES are:
LarissaMartha RamirezAdamG
QUADRUPLE YAY!!!(And also EEP--I hope they like it!!!!)
Phew--that is a LOT of winners. And if one of those is you, here's what you do:
Make sure you email me by Sunday, June 10th at SWMessenger (at) hotmail (dot) com with your mailing address--and please put something like "Winner of (insert prize here)" in the subject line. If I haven't heard from you by the 10th I'll be forced to choose a replacement winner. And if I have heard from you, your prize still won't be shipped out until after the 10th, because I will be out of town for BEA until then. (you also may not get a reply to your email until after that--but don't worry, I won't give anyone's prize away until I check my email and make sure I haven't heard from them).
And on a personal note, I just want to thank you all for the excitement and support for my KEEPER contest. I wish I could send ARCs to all of you, but alas, they are limited. HOWEVER, I can promise that this won't be the only KEEPER ARC contest I'll do. There will be at least a couple more. Plus I'm sure some will start popping up throughout the blogosphere.
But in the meantime, thank you so much. I really appreciate all your enthusiasm and I hope you enjoy KEEPER when you have a chance to read it (and if you don't, um... maybe don't tell me?) :)
Hope everyone has a great weekend!
May 30, 2012
THE COVER THAT WILL BLOW YOU AWAY!!!!
I hope you guys can handle posts with excessive amounts of all-caps and exclamation marks (and nerdy wind puns in the title) BECAUSE THERE WILL BE A LOT OF THEM IN HERE!!!!
The amazing team at S&S have truly outdone themselves with this cover and I am SO EXCITED that I can finally share it with you!
LOOK!!!!!
(WARNING: You *might* drool.)
Holy Hotness, RIGHT????
I could go on and on about how much I love it and why I love it and how this gorgeousness came to be. But if you guys are anything like me, you're probably too busy staring at the shiny to bother reading any of that right now.
*stares*
*stares more*
So for now, I'll leave you with the jacket copy (in case you're curious about who the smexy falling couple is):
- You can add it to your Goodreads shelves HERE
- Or you can "like" it on Facebook HERE.
(Remember, every time you do either of those things HOT GUYS--OR GIRLS--FALL FROM THE SKY AND TELL YOU HOW AWESOME YOU ARE!!!!! #justsayin)
*goes back to staring at the precious*
(Also, if you're noticing the Becca blurb, yes--I announced that yesterday (along with the other blurb)! And I have a contest to celebrate. Go HERE to enter)
The amazing team at S&S have truly outdone themselves with this cover and I am SO EXCITED that I can finally share it with you!
LOOK!!!!!
(WARNING: You *might* drool.)
Holy Hotness, RIGHT????
I could go on and on about how much I love it and why I love it and how this gorgeousness came to be. But if you guys are anything like me, you're probably too busy staring at the shiny to bother reading any of that right now.
*stares*
*stares more*
So for now, I'll leave you with the jacket copy (in case you're curious about who the smexy falling couple is):
Vane Weston should have died in the category five tornado that killed his parents. Instead, he woke up in a pile of rubble with no memories of his past—except one: a beautiful, dark-haired girl standing in the winds. She's swept through his dreams ever since, and he clings to the hope that she's real.
Audra is real, but she isn't human. She's a sylph, an air elemental who can walk on the wind, translate its alluring songs, even twist it into a weapon. She's also a guardian—Vane’s guardian—and has sworn an oath to protect him at all costs.
When a hasty mistake reveals their location to the enemy who murdered both of their families, Audra has just days to help Vane unlock his memories. And as the storm winds gather, they start to realize the greatest danger might not be the warriors coming to destroy them, but the forbidden romance growing between them.And if that sounds like something you'd want to read (or you just like making nerdy authors happy):
- You can add it to your Goodreads shelves HERE
- Or you can "like" it on Facebook HERE.
(Remember, every time you do either of those things HOT GUYS--OR GIRLS--FALL FROM THE SKY AND TELL YOU HOW AWESOME YOU ARE!!!!! #justsayin)
*goes back to staring at the precious*
(Also, if you're noticing the Becca blurb, yes--I announced that yesterday (along with the other blurb)! And I have a contest to celebrate. Go HERE to enter)
May 29, 2012
LET THE SKY FALL has been blurbed--twice!!! (And a celebratory contest!)
Since I'm revealing the cover for LET THE SKY FALL tomorrow (yes--TOMORROW!!!!) I wanted to use today to share the amazing blurbs its gotten, since one of them is on there and I don't want it getting overlooked as you're all staring at the HOTNESS. (of which, there is a LOT)
I have to say, these blurbs are especially meaningful to me--and not just because the authors are hugely successful authors (though they are) or because they described my book exactly the way I'd hoped people would (though they did).
See ... the thing is, I've been EXTRA nervous about LET THE SKY FALL.
Not only is it my "accidental YA"--and a story I never thought I'd have the writing chops to pull off--but it's also the most personal book I've ever written. Sure, it's about two teenagers who control the wind--but beyond that, there's a whole lot of Shannon in there.
The setting is the area I grew up in, and there are so many moments and details and references that I ripped straight out of my own life. And even though 99.9% of readers won't know that or be able to recognize those things, *I* know they're there. So letting people read this book feels very exposing,
So when my manuscript went out to these amazing ladies there was an even bigger moment of, Oh-Holy-Crap-What-If-They-Hate-It-PANIC!!!
And there were MANY stunned-happy tears when these blurbs arrived:
"Charged and romantic—a whirlwind of a love story.” —Becca Fitzpatrick, New York Times bestselling author of the Hush, Hush Saga
"Funny, fast-paced, and slyly romantic, Shannon Messenger's YA debut dazzles.” —Kiersten White, New York Times bestselling author of Paranormalcy and Supernaturally
*sniffles*
*sniffles more*
Becca and Kiersten--if you're reading this--THANK YOU for taking the time to read my book and for liking it enough to blurb it. I'm not sure I'll ever be able to properly express how much it means to me!
And to celebrate, I'm giving away a some of these ladies' amazing books!
But I'm doing things a *little* differently this time, since I know a lot of you probably own some of their books already. The winner will get TWO BOOKS--one by each author. But they'll get to CHOOSE which books they want:
For Becca Fitzpatck, you can pick from:HUSH, HUSHCRESCENDOSILENCEFINALE**If you choose FINALE, your prize will be a pre-order, not an ARC
For Kiersten White you can pick from:PARANORMALCYSUPERNATURALLYENDLESSLY**If you choose ENDLESSLY, you prize will be a pre-order, not an ARC
To enter, leave a comment on this post by 11:59 pm pacific time on Friday June 1st. I'll draw one random winner and post their name on Saturday, June 2nd.* International entries welcome.
And remember, you'll win one book by each author if you're chosen, so make sure you let me know in your comment which one you would want from each list. (Does that make sense? I hope so. If not, ask away in the comments)
*Sorry, I won't be able to email the winner to let them know they won. Not only do I not have time to do that anymore, but I'll be out of town for BEA that week and with limited access to internet. So I *highly* recommend you follow my blog in some way/form so that you won't miss the "winner" post and have me give your prize to someone else--but its up to you! That's not a requirement!
Ready?
Go!
AND DON'T FORGET TO COME BACK TOMORROW FOR THE SHINY COVER REVEAL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I have to say, these blurbs are especially meaningful to me--and not just because the authors are hugely successful authors (though they are) or because they described my book exactly the way I'd hoped people would (though they did).
See ... the thing is, I've been EXTRA nervous about LET THE SKY FALL.
Not only is it my "accidental YA"--and a story I never thought I'd have the writing chops to pull off--but it's also the most personal book I've ever written. Sure, it's about two teenagers who control the wind--but beyond that, there's a whole lot of Shannon in there.
The setting is the area I grew up in, and there are so many moments and details and references that I ripped straight out of my own life. And even though 99.9% of readers won't know that or be able to recognize those things, *I* know they're there. So letting people read this book feels very exposing,
So when my manuscript went out to these amazing ladies there was an even bigger moment of, Oh-Holy-Crap-What-If-They-Hate-It-PANIC!!!
And there were MANY stunned-happy tears when these blurbs arrived:
"Charged and romantic—a whirlwind of a love story.” —Becca Fitzpatrick, New York Times bestselling author of the Hush, Hush Saga
"Funny, fast-paced, and slyly romantic, Shannon Messenger's YA debut dazzles.” —Kiersten White, New York Times bestselling author of Paranormalcy and Supernaturally
*sniffles*
*sniffles more*
Becca and Kiersten--if you're reading this--THANK YOU for taking the time to read my book and for liking it enough to blurb it. I'm not sure I'll ever be able to properly express how much it means to me!
And to celebrate, I'm giving away a some of these ladies' amazing books!
But I'm doing things a *little* differently this time, since I know a lot of you probably own some of their books already. The winner will get TWO BOOKS--one by each author. But they'll get to CHOOSE which books they want:
For Becca Fitzpatck, you can pick from:HUSH, HUSHCRESCENDOSILENCEFINALE**If you choose FINALE, your prize will be a pre-order, not an ARC
For Kiersten White you can pick from:PARANORMALCYSUPERNATURALLYENDLESSLY**If you choose ENDLESSLY, you prize will be a pre-order, not an ARC
To enter, leave a comment on this post by 11:59 pm pacific time on Friday June 1st. I'll draw one random winner and post their name on Saturday, June 2nd.* International entries welcome.
And remember, you'll win one book by each author if you're chosen, so make sure you let me know in your comment which one you would want from each list. (Does that make sense? I hope so. If not, ask away in the comments)
*Sorry, I won't be able to email the winner to let them know they won. Not only do I not have time to do that anymore, but I'll be out of town for BEA that week and with limited access to internet. So I *highly* recommend you follow my blog in some way/form so that you won't miss the "winner" post and have me give your prize to someone else--but its up to you! That's not a requirement!
Ready?
Go!
AND DON'T FORGET TO COME BACK TOMORROW FOR THE SHINY COVER REVEAL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
May 28, 2012
FINALLY--A KEEPER OF THE LOST CITIES ARC CONTEST!!!!!!
So... Blogger--in ALL of it's awesomeness--decided to make my post for this magically disappear. (*grumbles inappropriate words*) BUT DON'T WORRY!!!! It does have a record of all of your comments and I'll be pasting all of them in as soon as this post goest live. Basically I'm rebuilding what I lost so everything will be okay!
But if you're worried, check back in about an hour and make sure your entry is there--and if not, enter again. SORRY!
**UPDATE**All comments SHOULD be in there now (and I was VERY careful to enter them in the same order.) So we should be back to where we started before blogger decided to be a pain. If you don't see yours, enter again. And if you haven't entered yet, new entries are totally still welcome!**~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Okay, I'll confess--this post is both exciting AND terrifying. I've done a zillion ARC giveaways on my blog--but I've never done one for MY book! There's a surreal sort of giddy panic that goes along with that!
I mean ... the winners will be able to READ MY BOOK!!!!! I don't even know how to wrap my head around that!
But Shannon-Panicking aside, I've been promising an Epic ARC contest for a while and you guys have been wonderfully patient with me. So it's time to be a girl of my word. And I promised the contest would be EPIC, so I'm giving away not one--not two--but THREE ARCs of KEEPER OF THE LOST CITIES.
Aren't they PRETTY?
I'll even sign and doodle in them if you want--'cause, yanno, that'll make them worth... well... nothing. BUT YOU CAN PRETEND THEY'RE WORTH SOMETHING. ;)
Here's how this works:
If you would like to enter, leave a comment on this post by 11:59 pm pacific time on Friday May 31st. I'll draw THREE random winners and post their names on Saturday, June 1st. Winners will then have one week to contact me, and if I haven't heard from them by Saturday, June 8th I'll pick replacement winners. International entries welcome.
(And sorry, I won't be able to email the winners to let them know they won. Not only do I not have time to do that anymore, but I'll be out of town for BEA that week and with limited access to internet. So I *highly* recommend you follow my blog in some way/form so that you won't miss the "winners" post and lose your prize--but its up to you! That's not a requirement!)
That's it--that's all you have to do. I wanted to make the contest simple and easy without a lot of hoop jumping and plastering my cover all over avatars and whatnot (though I'm certainly not going to stop you from doing that) ;)
HOWEVER, I realize that some of you might be fairly excited about this prize (and if you are, have I told you lately that I love you?). In which case those people *might* want a way to get some extra entries and improve their chances. SO, I'll give one extra entry for any of the following:
+ 1 if you add KEEPER OF THE LOST CITIES to your Goodreads lists+ 1 if you add LET THE SKY FALL to your Goodreads lists(poor LTSF gets sad when KEEPER gets all the attention, so you'd make it very happy)+ 1 if you "like" KEEPER OF THE LOST CITIES on Facebook+ if you "like" my new Shannon Messenger Author page on Facebook (even though that feels like a weird thing to ask people to do. Like me! Like me! *sigh*)+ 1 if you tweet a link to this contest+ 1 if you post a link on Facebook about this contest
So, if you did ALL of those things that would mean that you could have a maximum of 7 entries total (since you get one entry just for commenting). Just let me know what you did in your comment so I can tally your entries accordingly.
And... I think that's everything. But if I missed something, feel free to ask in the comments.
Ready?
Set?
GO!!!!!!!!
But if you're worried, check back in about an hour and make sure your entry is there--and if not, enter again. SORRY!
**UPDATE**All comments SHOULD be in there now (and I was VERY careful to enter them in the same order.) So we should be back to where we started before blogger decided to be a pain. If you don't see yours, enter again. And if you haven't entered yet, new entries are totally still welcome!**~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Okay, I'll confess--this post is both exciting AND terrifying. I've done a zillion ARC giveaways on my blog--but I've never done one for MY book! There's a surreal sort of giddy panic that goes along with that!
I mean ... the winners will be able to READ MY BOOK!!!!! I don't even know how to wrap my head around that!
But Shannon-Panicking aside, I've been promising an Epic ARC contest for a while and you guys have been wonderfully patient with me. So it's time to be a girl of my word. And I promised the contest would be EPIC, so I'm giving away not one--not two--but THREE ARCs of KEEPER OF THE LOST CITIES.
Aren't they PRETTY?
I'll even sign and doodle in them if you want--'cause, yanno, that'll make them worth... well... nothing. BUT YOU CAN PRETEND THEY'RE WORTH SOMETHING. ;)
Here's how this works:
If you would like to enter, leave a comment on this post by 11:59 pm pacific time on Friday May 31st. I'll draw THREE random winners and post their names on Saturday, June 1st. Winners will then have one week to contact me, and if I haven't heard from them by Saturday, June 8th I'll pick replacement winners. International entries welcome.
(And sorry, I won't be able to email the winners to let them know they won. Not only do I not have time to do that anymore, but I'll be out of town for BEA that week and with limited access to internet. So I *highly* recommend you follow my blog in some way/form so that you won't miss the "winners" post and lose your prize--but its up to you! That's not a requirement!)
That's it--that's all you have to do. I wanted to make the contest simple and easy without a lot of hoop jumping and plastering my cover all over avatars and whatnot (though I'm certainly not going to stop you from doing that) ;)
HOWEVER, I realize that some of you might be fairly excited about this prize (and if you are, have I told you lately that I love you?). In which case those people *might* want a way to get some extra entries and improve their chances. SO, I'll give one extra entry for any of the following:
+ 1 if you add KEEPER OF THE LOST CITIES to your Goodreads lists+ 1 if you add LET THE SKY FALL to your Goodreads lists(poor LTSF gets sad when KEEPER gets all the attention, so you'd make it very happy)+ 1 if you "like" KEEPER OF THE LOST CITIES on Facebook+ if you "like" my new Shannon Messenger Author page on Facebook (even though that feels like a weird thing to ask people to do. Like me! Like me! *sigh*)+ 1 if you tweet a link to this contest+ 1 if you post a link on Facebook about this contest
So, if you did ALL of those things that would mean that you could have a maximum of 7 entries total (since you get one entry just for commenting). Just let me know what you did in your comment so I can tally your entries accordingly.
And... I think that's everything. But if I missed something, feel free to ask in the comments.
Ready?
Set?
GO!!!!!!!!
