Today, I’m over at Shannon Messenger’s blog with a guest post in her Marvelous Middle Grade Mondays series! Come check out my review of Adam-Troy Castro’s upcoming middle grade novel Gustav Gloom and the People Taker, as well as an interview with the author and an ARC giveaway!
Tags: Adam-Troy Castro, ARCs, GIVEAWAYS, Gustav Gloom and the People Taker, Interviews, Marvelous Middle Grade Mondays, Middle Grade Fiction, Shannon Messenger
This summer, every Monday and Wednesday, I am hosting a series of guest posts here on my blog, a series called Middle Grade Memories. In this series, authors, agents, librarians, and editors talk about their favorite childhood middle grade books. I’m beyond thrilled to share their middle grade memories with you.
Below is the second post in the series, by Sarvenaz Tash, middle grade author of The Mapmaker and the Ghost. Read on as Sarvenaz talks about one of her favorite childhood middle grade books, The Witches. Then check out our giveaway!
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Reading was one of my favorite pastimes as a kid. This is probably not surprising given what I do now! But it was a little surprising, I think, for my family back then. With the exception of my dad (who’s big into history and non-fiction books,) no one in my family was particularly into reading fiction.
I discovered books when my 2nd grade teacher read Beverly Cleary books to us in the classroom. At first, I wanted to buy the books, too, so that when I played teacher with my stuffed animals, I would be doing so more faithfully. (I was a stickler for accuracy.)
But then I discovered the joy of reading them on my own. There were all sorts of stories, all sorts of people to meet and places to go, and they were just waiting for me on thousands and thousands of pages. Even though my family wasn’t big into reading themselves, they sure encouraged my voracious love of it. (Thanks Mom and Dad!)
If I had to pick one author who influenced me and my childhood reading (and my writing later on), it would have to be Roald Dahl. The Witches, in particular, was my favorite book of his. But, really, I loved them all. I loved his dark and dry sense of humor. I loved how the adults in his book were at the very least a little twisted and, more often than not, rather sinister. I loved how it never felt like he condescended to kids, like his books always were telling you that–in some ways (like recognizing witches)–kids knew more than adults did.
I think that’s an extremely powerful message when you’re a kid, when it feels like most things are out of your control and like your choices are mostly those of your parents or teachers or other adult figures. There’s something wonderful about being let into a secret club or being told there are some things that are meant just for you.
Roald Dahl passed away when I was nine. And I 
remember when I heard about it being so sad, because I knew there were only a finite amount of his books I could ever read. I doled them out to myself over the next two years, only taking one out of the library for every other five or six books I checked out. The last one I read of his (for the first time) was The Giraffe and the Pelly and Me. I remember that distinctly.
And I’ve never forgotten what his books meant to me. I know that a lot of the humor and adventure in The Mapmaker and the Ghost, my debut middle grade book, is inspired by him and his work. And maybe, even, a sinister adult or two.
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ABOUT SARVENAZ
Sarvenaz Tash was born in Tehran, Iran and grew up 
on Long Island, NY. She received her BFA in Film and Television from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts. This means she got to spend most of college running around and making movies (it was a lot of fun). She has dabbled in all sorts of writing including screenwriting, copywriting, and professional tweeting. Sarvenaz currently lives in Brooklyn, NY. The Mapmaker and the Ghost is her debut novel.
Photo by: Corinne Ray
website | blog | twitter | facebook | goodreads
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GIVEAWAY
To win copies of The Witches and The Giraffe and the Pelly and Me, as well as a The Mapmaker and the Ghost bookmark, signed bookplate, and sticker set, simply comment below and tell us about your favorite Roald Dahl book! Have you read and loved The Witches? What are your middle grade memories?
For an extra entry, tweet about this post and include the link to your tweet in your comment.
This giveaway begins now and ends next Tuesday, May 22 at 5:00 p.m. EST. The winner will be announced shortly thereafter. This giveaway is U.S./Canada only.
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Love Middle Grade Memories? Check back on Mondays and Wednesdays throughout the summer for more in this series!
You can view previous Middle Grade Memories posts below:
Tags: GIVEAWAYS, Middle Grade Fiction, Middle Grade Memories, Roald Dahl, Sarvenaz Tash, The Giraffe and the Pelly and Me, The Mapmaker and the Ghost, The Witches
This summer, every Monday and Wednesday, I am hosting a series of guest posts here on my blog, a series called Middle Grade Memories. In this series, authors, agents, librarians, and editors talk about their favorite childhood middle grade books. I’m beyond thrilled to share their middle grade memories with you.
Below is the first post in the series, by Marissa Burt, middle grade fantasy author of Storybound (and its upcoming sequel, Story’s End). Read on as Marissa talks about one of her favorite childhood middle grade books, Where the Red Fern Grows. Then check out her generous giveaway!
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First, for those who aren’t familiar with the story or need a refresher, Marissa has provided a summary from Amazon:
In Where the Red Fern Grows, Billy and his precious coonhound pups romp relentlessly through the Ozarks, trying to “tree” the elusive raccoon. In time, the inseparable trio 
wins the coveted gold cup in the annual coon-hunt contest, captures the wily ghost coon, and bravely fights with a mountain lion. When the victory over the mountain lion turns to tragedy, Billy grieves, but learns the beautiful old Native American legend of the sacred red fern that grows over the graves of his dogs. This unforgettable classic belongs on every child’s bookshelf.
This was one of those books — the stories I couldn’t set down and instead finished in the wee hours of the morning. I remember tucking the flashlight back into its spot under my mattress and holding the volume to my chest, sobbing into the darkness. You would think it likely that a young girl living in suburbs of Portland might have a difficult time relating to a country boy and his coon-hunting dogs, but the drama of this tale and the powerful writing captivated my imagination.
I cried buckets of tears over Rawls’ masterpiece and reread the final chapters over and over, willing the story to end differently. I had read other books dealing with death before this, of course, but my animal-loving soul was struck by the finality of it all, especially in the face of the heroic courage of Old Dan and Little Ann. The themes in Where the Red Fern Grows are complex: the success of having worked hard for something good, the cruelty of the boys, the intensity of the hunt, and the heart-stopping moment with the axe are all woven together with explorations of human loneliness and the joy of animal companionship.
I revisited this book when I taught fifth grade, and I read it aloud to my class after lunch. This proved to be an ill-thought out choice when I found myself struggling to get through the final pages, my voice breaking even as I read the inevitable ending. I doubt there was a dry eye in the room, and the story stayed with us throughout the day as the children talked about death and loved ones and how that made them feel. I remember that the students’ desire to talk made me uncomfortable. I didn’t know what to say or how to listen and, for a moment, I regretted choosing that book for our read-aloud. You see, I had passed fully into grown-up land and felt the impulse to explain away the injustice of the story or at least to offer some sort of comforting platitudes. Looking back, I rather wish middle-grade me could have been in the class that day. What I really wish I could have done was to pass around the tissue box, sit down, and sob over the unfairness and ugliness of death and revel in the preciousness of life. This is one of the books crafted to make you feel things deeper than you can articulate or even fully understand, which might be one of the reasons why it is the perfect middle-grade read.
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ABOUT MARISSA
Marissa Burt writes middle grade fantasy and is represented by Laura Langlie of the Laura Langlie Literary Agency. She grew up in Portland, Oregon, and drifted eastward, living in Colorado, Illinois, Tennessee, and South Carolina, before coming back home to the Pacific Northwest.
Along the way, she studied Sociology, Ancient Languages, and Theology and clocked hours as a social worker, barista, 5th grade teacher, bookseller, faculty assistant, and reference librarian. But not all at the same time.
Marissa now lives in the Seattle area with her husband and three sons where she enjoys time spent around family, friends, and good books.
website | blog | twitter | goodreads
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GIVEAWAY
Marissa is giving away one copy of Where the Red Fern Grows and a signed hardcover of her middle grade fantasy novel, Storybound!
To win, simply comment below and share your thoughts about Where the Red Fern Grows. Did you read this book as a child? What are your middle grade memories?
For an extra entry, tweet about this post and include the link to your tweet in your comment.
This giveaway begins now and ends next Sunday, May 20 at 5:00 p.m. EST. The winner will be announced shortly thereafter. This giveaway is international.
EDITED 5/21: And the winner is . . .
Congratulations, Enbrethiliel! Please email me at clairelegrandbooks [at] gmail [dot] com with your mailing address.
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Love Middle Grade Memories? Check back on Mondays and Wednesdays throughout the summer for more in this series!
Tags: Fantasy, GIVEAWAYS, Marissa Burt, Middle Grade Fiction, Middle Grade Memories, Story's End, Storybound, Where the Red Fern Grows, Wilson Rawls
This is just a quick post to announce that my second middle grade book, The October Year, has a new title!
It’s not that the brilliant people at Simon & Schuster and I didn’t like the first title; nay, we ADORED it and think it’s just as beautiful as the new title. (This is what we crooned to the first title right before we kicked it out the door with a good-bye cupcake in hand.) It’s just that titles are tricksy little hobbitses, that’s all.
So, without further ado, here is the new title of The October Year:
Isn’t it wonderful?? I just love it. Lyrical, mysterious, hinting at sinister goings-on and a time of great change. In other words, absolutely perfect for the story of Olivia Stellatella.
Well? What do you think? 
Tags: ANNOUNCEMENTS, Middle Grade Fiction, Nuts and Bolts, Simon & Schuster, The October Year, The Year of Shadows, Title Change, Titles
Welcome to my stop on the YAmazing Race with MGnificent Prizes! aka, a HUGE blog hop put on by the 2012 debut authors of the Apocalypsies!
Over 50 authors. Over 50 books. Prize packs of ARCs, gift cards, swag, and MORE!
If you haven’t yet been to the Apocalypsies website, please click here to start from the beginning and read the complete rules. The race begins Wednesday, May 2 at noon EST and ends Tuesday, March 8 at noon EST.
Now on to the race!
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The Cavendish Home for Boys and Girls by Claire Legrand
Victoria hates nonsense. There is no need for it when your life is perfect. 
The only smudge on her pristine life is her best friend Lawrence. He is a disaster—lazy and dreamy, shirt always untucked, obsessed with his silly piano. Victoria often wonders why she ever bothered being his friend. (Lawrence does, too.)
But then Lawrence goes missing. And he’s not the only one. Victoria soon discovers that Mrs. Cavendish’s children’s home is not what it appears to be. Kids go in but come out . . . different, or they don’t come out at all.
If anyone can sort this out, it’s Victoria, even if it means getting a little messy.
You can also check out Cavendish at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books-A-Million, Indiebound, and Goodreads!
Now, hold all that information tight in that awesome brain of yours. You’ll need to remember it for the upcoming quiz!
But wait, there’s more! ANOTHER giveaway!
Updated (5/8): And the winner is . . .
Congratulations, Linda! I will contact you via email shortly.
Thanks to everyone who participated — in both the YAmazing Race with MGnificent Prizes and my own giveaway! Also, after reading through all your comments about what creeps you out, I’m seriously sleeping with the light on tonight!
~*~
That’s right!
See, there are a lot of bugs in Cavendish. And they’re not very nice. In fact, they’re downright gross and creepy. (I have this phobia about bugs, especially beetle-type bugs, so what better way to overcome that than to be alone in the middle of the night, in the dark, writing about swarms of them?? Oh, the logic of writers.)
ANYWAY. I have a couple of bugs here that are the exact opposite of gross and creepy. In fact, they are quite adorable and I love them so much that I kind of want to keep them for myself but I won’t. Nay, they are for you! WHAT? It’s my birthday and I’m giving presents to other people?? I KNOW, IT’S CRAZY AROUND HERE.
The first one is named Vincent. Here he is:
And here’s his buddy Jared:
And here they are together (they be rollin’):
(I found these bugs, by the way, at this Etsy shop, Gloombug.)
For a chance to win one of these two bugs, simply comment below and tell me what creeps YOU out — that’s it! This giveaway — like the YAmazing Race — ends Tuesday May 8 at noon EST. I’ll announce the two winners that afternoon!
Thanks for stopping by! Ready to move on to the next stop in the YAmazing Race? Click HERE.
Tags: Apocalypsies, Blog Hops, BUGS, GIVEAWAYS, Prizes, The Cavendish Home for Boys and Girls, YAmazing Race with MGnificent Prizes
So, there you are, minding your authorly business.
You may or may not be refreshing your inbox more than is strictly necessary because you are expecting An Email. You may or may not be putting off all other tasks by watching old Strong Bad Email videos. You may or may not be eating lots of cheese.
Then, it happens.
One of those thoughtless, knee-jerk refreshes summons forth from the cyberabyss An Email. Yes, That One.
It’s your edit letter. From your editor. An edit letter from your editor, who is editing that book you wrote.
At first, you stare at it. You don’t breathe much.
This hot, panicky feeling starts spiraling up from your bowels. You break out in a feverish sweat.
In a frenzy, you start texting/calling/emailing/IMing everyone you know, whilst tweeting and posting to Facebook cryptic declarations of angst, whilst rotating between 1) digging through the cabinets for food, 2) nervous bathroom activity, and 3) every other task you have been putting off in favor of waiting for this letter, each of which is now infinitely more appealing than opening said letter.
None of these people you’ve texted/called/emailed/IMed **understand** what you’re going on about except for your fellow writers. You cling to them like those foam peanut things cling to every available surface, or like bad luck clings to the Stark family.
Finally, the moment arrives. You’ve done everything you possibly could have to delay doing it, but now you have to. You open the letter.
You read.
It starts out nicely, with a greeting from your editor. “Hay gurl!” the editor says. You smile fondly. “Oh, Editor,” you think. “You old so-and-so, you.”
The editor goes on to say how much he/she enjoyed the book, and how this character is awesome, and this part was really flippin’ cool, etc. This makes you feel a bit warm and fuzzy inside. “Oh, Editor,” you think. “LET’S GET CUPCAKES.”
Then you continue reading, and here’s where things get dicey, because the editor has softened you up, see, only to shortly thereafter RIP YOUR MANUSCRIPT TO BLOODY SHREDS (with bone bits hanging off of them!).
Said ripping can come in various ways. Perhaps via bullet points, or notes in the manuscript itself, or plain old paragraphs exhaustively detailing your book’s every flaw. Regardless of method, the point is that you are stupid and that thing called logic, that you thought your book was so full of? Yeah, it’s not, and you don’t have it. And your editor is probably laughing at you somewhere with all the other editors over vodka and macarons, and wondering what it is with writers that they can’t write books that make sense. Or at least, this one writer. You, that is. YOU can’t write a book that makes sense. (You realize, at this point, that your brain is going to unrealistically dramatic places, BUT YOU CAN’T STOP IT. You feel that stupid.)
At the end of your letter, a bajillion bullet points of things to fix later, there might be another little note from your editor, to soften the sting of what you have just read. Something like, “No, seriously! I really liked it!” And you KNOW that’s the case because your editor doesn’t owe you anything, and if your book blew chunks, your editor would tell you.
But it’s hard to pick yourself up from that overwhelmed little pool of stress and embarrassment. You wish that you could have written a better book from the start.
You, yes, probably eat more cheese. Or you eat ANYTHING, really.
You sleep. Part of you wants to dive right into revisions, but you know that’s a bad idea. That’s not how a winner plays skee-ball. Besides, once all that adrenaline’s left you, you kind of feel like a wrung-out banana peel. So, you sleep. And you probably dream of mangled manuscripts chomping on your nether bits, Editor cheering them on.
Then you wake up. The world has not ended. In fact, the world has kept on going, and the edit letter is still sitting on your computer, and you’ve still written a book good enough to get an editor, and that’s something, isn’t it? You can’t be entirely stupid, then.
So you open the letter back up. Maybe you even give your editor a call.
You take a deep breath. You print out your edit letter. You divide up all the bullet points and comments and questions into groups, and decide to work on only a little bit every day because that is what sane people do.
Then, you start to work.
Revisions are hard at first, and scary. But you take them one bullet point at a time, and pretty soon, just like with anything, you get into a groove. You see your manuscript getting shinier right before your eyes, and it’s kind of like when you start working out, and you’re doing squats and bicep curls and tricepfloodles and your body is like, “STOP IT I WILL DO ANYTHING PLEASE STOP IT STOP IT STO — oh wait, I see, this is actually quite nice and now I look hot.”
Yes, it’s like that. Because your book is getting better, bullet point by bullet point. You answer your editor’s insightful questions and start making smart changes to your manuscript, and it’s almost — almost — as though your editor likes you and your book and wants what’s best for both of you. It’s almost as though your editor doesn’t in fact think you’re stupid, but rather thinks you’ve written something really great, and knows how to make it even greater.
Huh.
Imagine that.
Tags: edit letters, Editors, Manuscripts, Revisions, UNICORN, Writing
**Please note: Commenting on this post will not enter you in the Unraveling giveaway. Please click on the giveaway link near the bottom of this post to fill out the appropriate form and enter. Thank you!**
Today is the release day of fellow Apocalypsie Liz Norris‘s debut, Unraveling! Hooray! I thought I’d help celebrate by posting a little somethin’-somethin’. *eyebrow waggle*
More specifically, I’m answering THIS prompt (as part of a multi-blog celebratory event!):
In one scene of the novel Janelle and Ben get in a heated debate about a marriage proposal in the Dickens novel they’re reading in English class, a debate which echoes in the development of their relationship later in the novel. Do you have a favorite (or least favorite!) fictional declaration of love or proposal? (The entire movie LOVE ACTUALLY is not a proper answer. 
)
WELL. As much as I would have loved to answer Love Actually (since it is one of my all-time favorite movies), I guess that’s not allowed. (But my secret, unofficial answer is totally Love Actually. Look at me, I’m a rebel!)
My official answer is the following scene from the 2005 Pride & Prejudice. Just . . . first, just watch it (and swoon):
Technically, this comes right after Mr. Darcy pops the question, and the clip primarily consists of Elizabeth rejecting him, but I think it still counts.
Reasons I love this scene:
I think Lizzie Bennet and Janelle Tenner (the heroine of Unraveling) have more than a little bit in common. They’re both ferociously intelligent and unshakably dedicated to their families. They have exactly zero tolerance for crap and won’t take it from anyone (and especially not from the menfolk), and they expect a lot from their prospective partners — intelligence, loyalty, wit, and dedication to doing what’s right.
So now, a little bit about Unraveling:
Two days before the start of her junior year, seventeen-year-old Janelle Tenner is 
hit by a pickup truck and killed—as in blinding light, scenes of her life flashing before her, and then nothing. Except the next thing she knows, she’s opening her eyes to find Ben Michaels, a loner from her high school whom Janelle has never talked to, leaning over her. And even though it isn’t possible, she knows—with every fiber of her being—that Ben has somehow brought her back to life.
But her revival, and Ben’s possible role in it, is only the first of the puzzles that Janelle must solve. While snooping in her FBI agent father’s files for clues about her accident, she uncovers a clock that seems to be counting down to something—but to what? And when someone close to Janelle is killed, she can no longer deny what’s right in front of her: Everything that’s happened—the accident, the murder, the countdown clock, Ben’s sudden appearance in her life—points to the end of life as she knows it. And as the clock ticks down, she realizes that if she wants to put a stop to the end of the world, she’s going to need to uncover Ben’s secrets—and keep from falling in love with him in the process.
From debut author Elizabeth Norris comes this shattering novel of one girl’s fight to save herself, her world, and the boy she never saw coming.
You can read the first 90 pages of Unraveling here.
My initial reaction, posted on Goodreads:
What a fabulous, breathlessly exciting book! With a killer voice, a strong, whip-smart heroine, and a vivid California setting that pops off the page, UNRAVELING is a slick sci-fi thriller you won’t want to miss.
About the author, Liz Norris:
Elizabeth Norris briefly taught high school English and history before trading the southern California beaches and sunshine for Manhattan’s recent snowpocalyptic winter.
She harbors dangerous addictions to guacamole, red velvet cupcakes, sushi, and Argo Tea, fortunately not all together.
Her first novel, UNRAVELING (Balzer+Bray, April 2012), is the story of one girl’s fight to save her family, her world, and the one boy she never saw coming.
And finally, a giveaway!
Fill in the giveaway form here for a chance to win one of two copies of Unraveling. Giveaway open anywhere the Book Depository will ship.
Thanks for helping me celebrate the release of Unraveling! And good luck!
Tags: Apocalypsies, Elizabeth Bennet, GIVEAWAYS, Liz Norris, love, Love Actually, Mr. Darcy, Pride & Prejudice, proposals, science fiction, swoonish things, thrillers, Unraveling, YA Fiction
Claire is a Texan living in New York City! She writes fantastical stories, and her daemon is an ocelot but sometimes a unicorn. When presented with the choice to high five or not to high five, she will always choose TO HIGH FIVE. Her first novel, THE CAVENDISH HOME FOR BOYS AND GIRLS, due out August 28, 2012 from Simon & Schuster BFYR, will probably give you nightmares. Or at the very least make you buy a nightlight. Her second novel, THE YEAR OF SHADOWS, due out Fall 2013, also from S&S, involves several ghosts, a girl obsessed with Death, and a rather irascible cat. Her third novel, WINTERSPELL, due out in Fall 2014, also from S&S, is a young adult retelling of The Nutcracker, full of faeries, bloody swordfights, and forbidden romance.
