Other Secret News!!!

No--it's not another book deal, I promise. :)

And speaking of which--thank you all SO MUCH for all the comments, tweets, FB sharing, and general well-wishing and congratulating yesterday. You made what started out as ... kind of a stressful day (PW was 12 hours late posting the deal and I was like AHHHH WHAT'S GOING ON--DID I MESS UP THE ANNOUNCEMENT??????) into seriously one of the most overwhelmingly awesome days ever. Even more so than when I announced KEEPER, because I know a lot of you probably never expected me to write YA (me either, honestly) so to have such a warm welcome and enthusiasm for my secret series ... well ... it means a LOT.

(and for those of you going, "Huh? Did I miss something?" Yes, yes you did. Go HERE) :)

Also, a couple of quick housekeeping things you may want to know about:

LET THE SKY FALL is on already on Goodreads. If you want, you can add it HERE

I've also added a longer description for the plot to my BOOKS PAGE

And book bloggers/reviewers can request an ARC HERE

But right--the secret news!

Another thing I did on the DL these last few months was join a group blog I'm VERY excited about, not just because it's a group of incredibly sweet and talented 2013 YA Authors, but because it is SUCH a fun idea.

(Yep--I was  the "Mystery Author to be revealed"--though we have more to come!)

Not sure if you've seen me tweet about it--or if you've already discovered its awesomeness--but the basic concept of the blog is this: every Friday one of us tackles a Truth or Dare submitted by our followers. Natalie Whipple and April Tucholke have already gone--along with a hilarious guest post by Kiersten White--and we have many more crazy-awesome things to come.

And since I'm *technically* the newbie, they've decided I get to take an EXTRA TURN RIGHT AWAY. So that means next week I will be tackling a likely terrifying and humiliating TRUTH or DARE. And the best part for you guys is that there's still time for one of you to be the one to dare me!

Any Truths or Dares submitted go into a pool and can be selected by anyone any time (and there are some evil and awesome ones already in there). But I haven't picked one yet, so if you go submit one there's a good chance I might pick yours--which means YAY YOU GET TO TORTURE SHANNON!
(And if that's not enough incentive for you, I'll also be offering a special prize to whoever I select. Trust me when I say its one you WANT to win)

So yeah, if you're smart--and slightly evil--go HERE and fill out the form with as many Truths or Dares as you want (there's no limit to how many you can submit). I'll be picking by Friday so I have a few days to tackle my assignment before it goes live next week. (*MEEP*) Maybe it will be one of you!

*is afraid to see what you guys come up with*

The Announcement you probably never saw coming...

So... remember that time I kept a BIG secret from you guys for five months???

Well...

I *kinda* did it again...

Messenger’s YA Novels Get Six Figures at S&S

Laura Rennert of Andrea Brown Literary Agency sold North American rights for Shannon Messenger’s debut young adult novel, Let the Sky Fall, and a sequel. The six-figure deal went to Liesa Abrams, executive editor at Simon & Schuster for the Simon Pulse imprint. Let the Sky Fall, slated for March 2013 publication, is about a 17-year-old boy who has no idea how he survived the category five tornado that killed his parents. Though his memory has been erased, he is haunted by dreams of a beautiful, dark-haired girl. Now, years later, he finds out the girl is real: she’s his guardian sylph, an air elemental, who harnesses the power of the wind.

(You can see the complete article HERE)

And from Publisher's Marketplace:

Children's: Young Adult

Shannon Messenger's debut young adult novel LET THE SKY FALL, about a teen who survives a deadly tornado but loses his memory, only to discover that the beautiful girl who haunts his dreams is both real and the key to the mysteries of his past, to Liesa Abrams at Simon Pulse, in a good deal, for two books, in a pre-empt, for publication beginning in spring 2013, by Laura Rennert at Andrea Brown Literary Agency (NA). ljrennert@mac.com

And I know a lot of you are probably re-reading those and  thinking... wait--YA? 

Did it say YA???????????

Yes, yes it does--THAT IS NOT A MISTAKE!

Believe it or not, I, Shannon Messenger, am now officially a middle-grade AND a YA Author.

!!!!!!

I know--it's totally unexpected. Believe me, I was just as surprised as you. In fact, I'm probably the most accidental YA author EVER. But ... it's really happening. The book is already written and edited--and I promise I will tell you more about how that all played out in another post, when my head isn't spinning so much.

It's funny. I thought announcing the news would be less emotional this time, since I just did this a few months ago for my middle grade series. But that actually makes it MORE overwhelming.

I am so humbled and stunned that I get to share both of my series with the world--and that I get to work with my incredible editor on both of them. In fact, I get a little teary every time I really let myself think about how amazing that is--and believe me, no one is more grateful, or shocked, than me.

My sincerest thanks go to Laura Rennert for always believing in me and working tirelessly to help get me to this point. HUGE thanks also must go to Liesa Abrams--and Simon & Schuster--for trusting me enough to buy so many of my books. And of course I also have to thank all of you, for your unfailing support and enthusiasm. I'm so honored to have you all along with me for this crazy publishing ride. (Strap yourselves in--the next year is going to be CRAZY!)

And... I'm starting to sound like a lame award show acceptance speech (and I'm getting a bit choked up, typing this) so I'm going to stop here for today. But I'm SO glad the news is FINALLY out there. I've been stuck sitting on the secret since July. (yes, JULY!!!!)

So *phew*--I don't have to keep quiet anymore. Once again I made it through the endless waiting without leaking anything important. It was torture, you guys. TORTURE.

But I did it!

AND NOW NO ONE CAN CLAIM I CAN'T KEEP SECRETS EVER AGAIN!!!!!!!!

*collapses*

Why my cover made me cry--the GOOD kind of tears!

Seeing your cover for the first time--especially when it's for your first book--is a very emotional experience for an author.

There's a whole lot of hands shaking, butterflies flapping around in your stomach excitement--but also a whole lot of OMG-What-if-I-hate-it?????? panic. (In case you don't know, authors don't get to design their own covers. We get a *little* input--but on the whole, the publisher is the one with all the say).

And sometimes, there's even the happy tears that come when you open the file from your editor and see something as gorgeous as THIS:

There were many reasons why I cried. Like how the characters look so uncannily like how I imagine them that I wondered if the artist somehow crawled inside my head. Or how there's my name--MY NAME--on the cover of MY BOOK. Or the fact that S&S somehow managed to give me something that is so much better (SO much better) than anything I'd ever envisioned on my own (hm... that's probably why authors aren't the ones to design their covers...)

But there was actually a much bigger reason it had such a strong affect.

Not sure how many of you follow my facebook updates, but a few months ago you might have seen when I posted this:

But what you don't know is that a few hours after I posted that my phone beeped with a text message. I'd assumed it was my husband texting me from work. But instead it was Liesa (my editor), and the message said this:

Just saw your FB post about Jason Chan. 
Um... guess who I booked for your cover months ago?? :)

Yeah--after I read it a few dozen times and texted her back asking if she was serious (she assured me she was) and called my husband to tell him the news--I totally sank to the floor of my bedroom and cried like a baby.

Not only am I a huge, HUGE Jason Chan fangirl and never, EVER thought I'd be lucky enough to have him as my cover artist. But... Liesa and I hadn't ever talked covers. We weren't really to that point yet (shoot--we still hadn't even announced my book deal). So to have her pick my favorite artist--and not because I'd requested him (or begged and pleaded and offered my firstborn child in exchange)--but because he was the person she'd thought of too was just... it was so... 

See ... selling you book is actually a pretty terrifying thing when you think about it, because you are taking something that's deeply personal to you to--that you've poured years of your life into--and handing it over to someone else, HOPING they treat it with the same love and care that you do. 

And of course I knew I wanted to work with Liesa from the very first phone call, but still ... I didn't really realize what I'd found until the moment I got that text. 

I'd found the perfect home for my series. 

To have my editor's vision and S&S's vision and my vision so precisely on the same page is truly an amazing thing.

And months later, to see those visions overlap in a cover that is not only perfect for the book but perfect for ME--and 10,000 times better than I ever could have imagined--is just the most incredible gift. 

So when I look at my cover I see more than just amazing composition and gorgeous colors and OMG-OMG-OMG-Jason-Chan-drew-a-scene-from-my-book-OMG!!!! I see proof that my book is in very good hands. And that is a truly remarkable--happy tears inducing--thing. :)

Behold--THE SHINY COVER!!!!!

There are a million things I could say about how exciting it is to reveal the cover of my first book. And there are a million things I could tell you about how much I love it and how perfect it is and why it made me cry when I saw it (happy tears, of course).

But... you guys are just going to skip all that and scroll straight down to the shiny (which is totally what I'd do too!)

So I will gush and tell stories another time. For now I'm just going to say... LOOK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

HOW INSANELY COOL IS THAT???????????

Bookanista Review: Double, by Jenny Valentine--AND AN ARC GIVEAWAY!!!!

For this week's Bookanista Review, I'm featuring DOUBLE, by Jenny Valentine--a book I'm betting a lot of you haven't heard of yet. 

Here's how the publisher describes the story:

When the sixteen-year-old runaway Chap is mistaken for a missing boy named Cassiel, his life changes dramatically. Chap takes on Cassiel’s identity, gaining the family and friends he’s always dreamed of having. But becoming someone else isn’t as easy as he hoped—and Chap isn’t the only one hiding a secret. As he teeters on the brink of discovery and begins to unravel the mystery behind Cassiel’s disappearance, Chap realizes that he’s in much deeper danger than he could have imagined.

After all, you can’t just steal a life and expect to get away with it.

Award-winning author Jenny Valentine delivers an explosive mystery where dark secrets, betrayal, and loss pave the way for one teen’s chance at redemption.

I'll confess, when I found this ARC in my TBR pile I'd never heard of it. In fact, I couldn't even remember where I got it--if a publicist sent it to me or if I picked it up at one of the conventions I went to last year. But that was why I decided to bump it up the pile--I was looking for something different--something where I hadn't already heard all there was to hear about it from reviews and buzz and whatnot. And I'm SO glad I did.

This book was addicting. I read it in one day, even though I was sick and even though I really needed to be writing. I just couldn't put it down. I had to know how Chap was going to get out of the crazy situation he'd gotten himself into--and I had to know what the heck was really going on. The voice was fresh, the writing was clean and riveting, and while I can't say that the ending was a *complete* surprise--it definitely had a few twists I didn't see coming. 

But I think what I love best is that DOUBLE reminded me that there are tons of amazing books out there that aren't necessarily plastered over every single blog/tumblr/twitter/facebook feed. Its so easy to get caught up in all the BIG books--and many of those books *are* amazing. But there are plenty of incredible books floating slightly lower on the radar too. And I'm going to make a bit more of an effort to find them.

Which is why I've also decided to share my ARC with one of you. To enter, make sure you follow my blog (so you'll know when I post the winner) and leave a comment on this post by 11:59pm PST on Saturday, January 21st. I'll draw one random winner and post their name on Sunday, January 22nd. International entries are--as always--welcome.

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:

Christine Fonseca  introduces some fabulous reads for 2012

Stasia Ward Kehoe takes a shine to A MILLION SUNS and UNDER THE NEVER SKY

Veronica Rossi  adores EVERNEATH

Debra Driza is in a frenzy over LARKSTORM with giveaway!

Katy Upperman  sings the praises of BEFORE I DIE

The kind of author I want to be

As I've eased into the beginning of my debut year as an author, I've spent a lot of time thinking about what kind of author I want to be--and I don't mean what kinds of books I want to write, or how many books I hope to sell. Of course those things are on my mind, but really... what feels more important is ME. How do I want to act? How do I want to be?

Being published is a strange, super-limited kind of fame where only a very specific group of people have any idea who you are (which is what I love about it). But within that small community you are still a "public figure." And while I can only be myself, I also have to take into account that everything I say and do will be weighed, measured, and used to shape people's opinion of me, whether they be 'peers' or 'fans'.

So I've thought a lot about the authors I look up to--not just for their talent but also the things they say and do. They're all different people, and they all do things their own way, but at the heart of it, what makes me admire them is their kindness. They care. About their readers. About other writers. And they do what they can to show that they care whenever possible.

That doesn't mean they give free swag or books to everyone who asks, or  follow everyone back on Twitter or Facebook, or respond to every single email or blog comment, or critique everyone's pages, or become best friends with every person they meet. I'm sure they wish they could--but that just isn't possible. So they do the best they can.

Which is the goal I've set for myself this year. To do the best I can.

It's a humble goal, I realize--but in no way does it mean I'm going to give myself permission to neglect my responsibilities. It means I'm going to do whatever I can, whenever I can, as much as I can.

I KNOW I won't be perfect. And there's a chance I might even let some of you down. But I promise I'm going to try my best to not let that happen. Here's hoping I succeed.

Which makes me wonder: what traits do you admire in an author, besides just writing great books?

The Book Babe Spotlight: Author Robin Brande

If you've been following my blog for a bit you're probably aware of how much I adore my awesome friend Faith, a.k.a. the Book Babe.

But what you might not know is that in addition to her being a mentor and cheerleader--and offering incredible editing services--she is also the most amazing source for book recommendations. In fact, I discovered several of my favorite authors because of Faith--and nothing makes me happier than one of her gushy emails telling me about a book I HAVE to read.

And I realized it isn't right to keep all those amazing book recommendations to myself. So Faith has been  awesome enough to agree to occasionally put together spotlights on some of her favorite authors, so she can tell you herself why you need to discover these fabulous reads.

So without further ado, I give you The Book Babe:

A huge giant thanks to Shannon for letting me guest blog. I am so excited to be able to do this!


I want to tell you all about the amazingness that is Robin Brande. She is an incredible person, a wonderful friend and she is also one of the best writers I have ever met. I am talking Top 10.


I first discovered her when she was a debut novelist with her book Evolution, Me and Other Freaks of Nature and I have been a stalwart fan ever since. Evolution was followed by Fat Cat, then DogGirl and then a series of short stories. Each novel better than the last.


One of my favorite things about Robin is her ability to take complex subjects and make them accessible to all of her readers, regardless of age. Her latest series, Parallelogram, has done that in more ways than I ever thought possible. She has somehow managed to break down Quantum Physics and make it easily understandable by anyone who reads it. The first title, Into the Parallel, follows Audie Masters, a girl who manages to catapult herself into an alternate reality. There she meets herself, albeit a different version named Halli, and the two become as inseparable as two girls from alternate universes can be. As Audie explores her new found ability, she learns much about herself and her alternate self and soon discovers that the smallest changes can literally make a world of difference.


Also, there is a super hot guy named Daniel. Which basically means that Robin has written a Quantum Physics love story!


Seriously, how amazing is that?!


Book 2, Caught in the Parallel, is just as good as the first one. I won't summarize for fear of ruining the ending of Book 1. But, I will say that Caught in the Parallel it is just as enjoyable as Into the Parallel.


This series is by far Robin’s best work, thereby earning it’s way into my heart and onto my list of All Time Favorite Series Ever.


I do realize that this series might not be for everyone. It is really only for people who like to read good books!


For all you teachers and librarians out there, all of Robin's books are appropriate for readers ages 13 and up. I highly recommend all of them!


All of Robin's books are available in print form as well as digital format. You can find more information on her website.

Happy Reading!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Faith Hochhalter, aka The Book Babe (so dubbed by James Owen and Stephenie Meyer), has been a Children’s Book Buyer for 9 years. She currently works as a Jr High Librarian and serves as the Chair of the Literature Advisory Committee for Kids Need to Read, a national Literary Non-Profit. In her spare time, she does freelance content editing in an effort to help bring new amazing authors to the book industry. You can find her online at iamthebookbabe.com or kidsneedtoread.org.

Marvelous Middle Grade Monday--Breadcrumbs (and a Giveaway!!!)

Yay--my first official MMGM of 2012!

*confetti toss*

I wanted to start the year off right, so I thought I'd feature a book I know several of the regular MMGMers have already gushed about, the amazing BREADCRUMBS, by Anne Ursu.

Here's how the publisher describes it:

A stunning modern-day fairy tale from acclaimed author Anne Ursu

Once upon a time, Hazel and Jack were best friends. But that was before he stopped talking to her and disappeared into a forest with a mysterious woman made of ice. Now it's up to Hazel to go in after him. Inspired by Hans Christian Andersen's "The Snow Queen," Breadcrumbs is a story of the struggle to hold on, and the things we leave behind.

I first discovered this book months ago, when the publicist contacted me, offering an ARC. I happily accepted (we all know how much I love a good fairy tale re-telling) and couldn't wait to start reading. But then deadlines happened and my ARC got buried under other things I had to take care of first and the next thing I knew the year was almost over and I still hadn't had a chance to read. Meanwhile, BREADCRUMBS was popping up on list after list of "Best of 2011" and I finally decided that I didn't care about deadlines or TBR piles, I WAS READING THIS BOOK. So I stayed up late and got started--and I am SO glad I did.

It's hard to describe what makes this story so special. Maybe it's the beautiful simplicity of the prose, or the honest sincerity of the main character. Maybe it's that it touches on a theme I'm pretty sure all of us can relate to, that of belonging, and trying to fit into a world where we're just a little bit different. Maybe it's because it's about friendship and hurt feelings and struggling to keep going when the world starts to feel like a very cold, lonely place. Most likely it's all of those things, wrapped up in a story that feels familiar because it's one we've heard--and yet we've never heard it told quite this way before. 

I've heard people talk about "books with heart"--and BREADCRUMBS is bursting with it. It's one of those rare books where I was both happy and sad when it was over--happy because it ended just the way it should, but sad because I wanted to stay in the world longer, and now the story was done. It's the kind of book I would have LOVED growing up, would've read over and over and snuck out of bed at night if my parents tried to stop me in the middle of an important scene. But even now, it's the kind of book I want to read again, if for no other reason than to try and figure out just how she did what she did. And it's definitely a book I HIGHLY recommend to all of you.

Which is, of course, why I'm giving away a copy to one lucky commenter. To enter, make sure you leave a comment on this post by 11:59 pm PST on Saturday, January 14th. I'll draw one random winner and post their name on Sunday, January 15th. International entries welcome.

For more awesome middle-grade recommendations, check out the other MMGM's floating around the blogosphere today:

- The lovely Shannon O'Donnell always has an MMGM ready for you! Click HERE to see what she's featuring this week!


- Joanne Fritz is in love with THE ONE AND ONLY IVAN. Click HERE to see why.


- Barbara Watson has a special spotlight on the amazing Kate DiCamillo--with a SIGNED book giveaway! Click HERE for details.


- Pam Torres is swept up in A TINFOIL SKY. Click HERE to read her review.


- Ruth Donnelly continues to read and review potential Newbery candidates. Click HERE to see the ones she's featured.


- Akossiwa Ketoglo reminds us of the beauty of A WRINKLE IN TIME. Click HERE to see more.

- Karen Yingling has more fabulous non-fiction middle grade recommendations for you. Click HERE to see what they are.


- Jennifer Rumberger is gushing about THE YEAR THE SWALLOWS CAME EARLY. Click HERE to see what they were.


- Gabrielle Prendergast discusses some awesome "lower middle grade". Click HERE to learn more about it.


- Brooke Favero is caught up in THE BOOK OF ELSEWHERE. Click HERE to see why she thinks you should be too.


- Deb Marshall is gushing about A SINGLE SHARD. Click HERE to read her review.


- Andrea Mack joins the MMGM gang with a glowing review of TOMORROW GIRL. Click HERE to read all about it.


- Gina Carey joins the MMGM fun with her first feature--a spotlight on WAITING FOR NORMAL. Click HERE to welcome her to the group.

And if you want 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. It's easier if you email me before Monday, that way your link will be included in the post from the moment it goes live. But if you decide to spontaneously join the fun, I do update the post at several points throughout the Monday. Just email me a link and I'll add you when I do!

**Note: Thanks to a boatload of spam--and my missing a bunch of important emails because of it--I'm now using a new email address. So make sure you update your records because I'm slowly phasing the other address out. New email is: SWMessenger (at) hotmail (dot) com. Hopefully now I won't miss some of your MMGMs, like I have been.**

Happy Monday!

In which I give you my FEVER!

Sorry guys--couldn't resist one last FEVER pun. :)

And thank you all so much for all the 'get well soon' wishes. I'm not 100% better yet, but I am definitely on the mend, thanks to the lovely antibiotics my doctor prescribed.

But right--you're here to find out the winner!

The lucky winner of FEVER, by Lauren DeStafano (which I promise will NOT come laced with contagious fever germs) is...

Brandileigh 2003 (Blkosiner's Book Blog)!

Yay!

*tosses confetti*

If that's you, please email me at SWMessenger (at) hotmail (dot) com with your mailing address and I will send off your prize.

Everyone else--thanks again for all the sweet comments and check back next week, in which I'm going to ATTEMPT to return to normal blogging. (which of course means some new contests too!) 

Hope everyone's having a great weekend!

In which I try not to whine (but... whine a lot anyway) and give away a VERY awesome prize

In case you've somehow missed all my horribly pathetic recent facebook updates--yes, I'm sick. 

*coughs*

*sniffles*

*whines*

It's just a head cold--nothing major. But it's been hanging on for more than a week, so I'm now thoroughly convinced that either:

• my body has no immune system
• this virus is alien or some sort of weaponized superbug and I need a "scientist" (preferably one that's equal parts genius and buffed-out-Hottie Hotterson) to swoop in with a secret "cure"
• none of this is really "real" and I will awaken days from now and learn the fever made me lapse into a coma

(if you're wondering, yes, I really am THIS overdramatic)

(my poor husband...)

SO...

Since I'm behind on like EVERYTHING (especially writing book 2--*MEEP*) and probably shouldn't be trusted to Fever Blog (you should SEE some of my typos and mistakes in recent texts and emails) I've decided to take the rest of the week off blogging. 

BUT, since I don't think that's necessarily the best way to kick off a new blogging year, I've decided to reward your patience (and your suffering through all the above whining) with a giveaway. AND I HAVE THE PERFECT PRIZE!!!!

My shiny ARC of FEVER, by Lauren DeStefano!!!

(Hee--Get it? Get it?)

Rhine and Gabriel have escaped the mansion, but they’re still in danger. Outside, they find a world even more disquieting than the one they left behind. Determined to get to Manhattan and to find Rhine’s twin brother Rowan, the two press forward, amidst threats of being captured again . . . or worse.

The road they are on is long and perilous—and in a world where young women only live to age 20 and men die at age 25, time is precious. In this sequel to Lauren DeStefano’s harrowingWither, Rhine must decide if freedom is worth the price—now that she has more to lose than ever.



To enter, make sure you follow my blog in some way shape or form (so you'll be able to see when I post the winner--not because I am trying to force you into being one of my minions) (I prefer my minions to be willing volunteers, thank you very much) and leave a comment on this post by 11:59pm PST on Saturday, January 7th. I'll draw one random winner and post their name on Sunday, January 8th. International entries welcome

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. :)

And... that pretty much covers it (but if you have any questions ask away in the comments)

Ready? 

Set?

GO!*

*Shannon will return to her regular blogging schedule starting Monday

(assuming her immune system FINALLY starts working)

(assuming she actually HAS an immune system)

Marvelous Middle Grade Monday: A Shiny New Button and Links!!!

Okay, I know this is NOT the best way to kick off a new year, but thanks to the Head-Cold-Monster who refuses to leave me alone (going to the doctor tomorrow, I promise) I don't have an MMGM this week. *sob*

BUT, I have something that might even be better. The lovely and amazing Deb Marshall (a regular MMGM contributor and the genius behind the awesome middle-grade read-a-thon) has gone to the trouble of making us an MMGM Button. HOW COOL IS THAT?????

It feels so official now. MMGM is like a THING!  

So please, feel free to steal away and plaster that bad boy all over your blogs and posts (and if you'd rather I send you the file shoot me an email and let me know). You certainly don't HAVE to use it to participate in MMGM, but why wouldn't you want to???? :)

And speaking of participating, check out these awesome MMGM's floating around the blogosphere today:

- The lovely Shannon O'Donnell always has an MMGM ready for you! Click HERE to see what she's featuring this week!

- Deb Marshall brings you MMGM 2012 and a Marvelous Middle Grade Read-A-Thon! Click HERE for all the details.

- Joanne Fritz has an interview with the lovely Caroline Star Rose--and a Giveaway! Click HERE to learn more about MAY B.

- Jennifer Rumberger has a preview of her upcoming MMGM features. Click HERE to see what they are.


- Jemi Fraser joins us again with a feature on THE WHITE ASSASSIN. Click HERE to see why she loves it.


- Danika Dinsmore analyzes middle grade series that grow into YA series. Click HERE to learn more about them.


- Gabrielle Prendergast is championing Madeline L'Engle's Time Trilogy. Click HERE to see what she thinks.

And if you want 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. It's easier if you email me before Monday, that way your link will be included in the post from the moment it goes live. But if you decide to spontaneously join the fun, I do update the post at several points throughout the Monday. Just email me a link and I'll add you when I do!


**Note: Thanks to a boatload of spam--and my missing a bunch of important emails because of it--I'm now using a new email address. So make sure you update your records because I'm slowly phasing the other address out. New email is: SWMessenger (at) hotmail (dot) com. Hopefully now I won't miss some of your MMGMs, like I have been.**

Happy Monday!