Marvelous Middle Grade Monday-Guest Posting with Shannon Messenger & Giveaway Winner

Morning all! Hop you are enjoying your MMGM so far. You'll find me over on Shannon Messenger's blog sharing my love of Helene B  latest installment in her REAL MERMAIDS series....can you say LOVE it? Hope you can check the post and, for sure, the book out. And now.................................................................the winner of MASK OF DESTINY is...................


Andrea Mack who btw the way has two great blogs you should check out >>>>  That's Another Story and MIG Writers.

See you through out the day as well blog hop and add to our middle grade reading pile! Speaking of blog hopping here are some fellow MMGM posters:

Shannon Whitney Messenger (a.k.a. Fearless Leader)-Ramblings of a Wannabe Scribe
Jennifer Rumberger-Children's Author
Joanne Fritz-My Brain on Books
Danika Dinsmore-The Accidental Novelist 
Shannon O'Donnell-Book Dreaming
Myrna Foster-The Night Writer
Natalie Aguirre-Literary Rambles
Brooke Favero-Somewhere in the Middle
Ally Beecher- Kid Lit Frenzy
Barbara Watson-Novel and Nouveau
Anita Laydon Miller-her middle grade blog
Michael G-G-Middle Grade Mafioso
Jessica Lei-her blog  
Pam Torres-So I'm Fifty
Akoss-Nye Louwon – My Spirit | a search for the writer in me
Gabrielle Prendergast-Angelhorn
Gina Carey
T.L. Conway

Courtney Summers: An interview plus a giveaway of THIS IS NOT A TEST

I have the opportunity to read the ARC for Courtney Summer's latest book, THIS IS NOT A TEST. Needless to say I jumped at the chance and needless to say I read it in one sitting. So. So. Good. Here is more about it from the author's website:

It’s the end of the world. Six students have taken cover in Cortege High but shelter is little comfort when the dead outside won’t stop pounding on the doors. One bite is all it takes to kill a person and bring them back as a monstrous version of their former self. To Sloane Price, that doesn’t sound so bad. Six months ago, her world collapsed and since then, she’s failed to find a reason to keep going. Now seems like the perfect time to give up.

As Sloane eagerly waits for the barricades to fall, she’s forced to witness the apocalypse through the eyes of five people who actually want to live. But as the days crawl by, everyone’s motivations to survive begin to change in startling ways and soon the group’s fate is determined less and less by what’s happening outside and more and more by the unpredictable and violent bids for life–and death–inside. When everything is gone, what doyou hold on to?



And to double up on the cool I was also given a chance to interview Courtney as part of her blog tour.  So, here is that interview. And, if you'd like to win of copy of Courtney's book, just leave a comment by the end of today. Midnight MST, that is.


Courtney, I've been a fan of yours since your first book. When I started to read THIS IS NOT A TEST and you dropped us into an apocalyptic novel (zombies no less!) I was amazed. I loved the premise. What if a teen who thought she had nothing to live for was thrown into a world where instinct would make her fight for her life. And once she started that fight, how would she (and could she) stop the fight. What made you decide to write this particular book? How did the idea come to you, in other words.

Thanks so much, Deb!  Everyone who knows me knows I've always been a fan of zombies, so writing a book about them wasn't much of a stretch for me.  After my editor gave me the
greenlight on the pitch, which was basically, "teens stuck in a high school during the
zombie apocalypse," I began to develop the idea.  I thought a lot about the zombie movies
I liked and one thing I noticed was that the main characters in those movies usually had
this unwavering will to live and I thought--would I be that person, if I was in the
zombie apocalypse?  Would I want to live in spite of it all?  When I took away the the
things that were important to me, I realized my answer wasn't so cut and dried.  I
thought it would be interesting to write about a character who doesn't want to survive,
who is determined to die, during the zombie apocalypse and it all sort of grew from there.

As you developed the story, what were some surprises the characters and plot had in store for you? For example....characters you knew for certain would survive who were suddenly not so fortunate. (If answering this question makes you think you might be in a position to spoil some of the book, we can totally skip it!)

It's hard to tell you what surprises the characters and plot had in store for me without
giving anything away.  I will say that going into this zombie novel, I knew there HAD to
be a body count and I knew that I didn't want every death to be entirely expected.  I had
a pretty clear idea of who was and wasn't going to make it from the beginning--except for
one character.  That particular character ended up rewriting their fate.  But I'm not
saying who it was. ;)

Every single character you created was compelling and so, so real. It was like a cross
section of kids from high school. They also represented, for me, different aspects of
family relationships-sibling to sibling, child to parent. How did your settle on the
characters you chose and I'm curious who came first in terms of their development. Anyone not make in into the final draft?

I'm so glad you found them compelling and real!  The characters revealed themselves to me
as I wrote.  The first draft of TINAT was about finding their voices and the second draft
was about fine-tuning their motivations.  The character that came first in terms of
development was Sloane.  She always had the same background with her father, but how that defined her and how she interacted with other characters because of it evolved from one
draft to the next.  In the first draft of THIS IS NOT A TEST, there were eight teens who
made it to the school:  Sloane, Rhys, Trace, Grace, Cary, Harrison... and Sabrina and
Will.  Sabrina and Will were two characters too many and they really watered down Grace
and Harrison arcs.  So when I wrote the second draft of the book, I combined Sabrina and
Grace and Harrison took on some, but not all, of Will's traits.

I'd love for you to share your zombie research. How'd you establish the rules for them in this world? Favorite movies? Book of rules for zombies we could go check out, too? Although the ending is completely satisfying (and oh so _well_ done. When I was done reading I just had to sit and think for bit. Loved it.). I could totally see a sequel to
this book or another book set in this world. Is this a possibility?

In terms of research, I mostly looked into the ways power and technology would fail and
how water could continue to run in the school.  I also did a lot of research relating to
how I wanted the school to be designed--I wanted the place to be easily fortified since I
knew most of the conflict would be interpersonal, so I looked up windowless schools,
various kinds of lighting schemes, things like that.  In terms of the zombies--the
characters don't know how the outbreak started but I do.  :)  I'm keeping that under my
hat for now, though.  I did decide on some fundamental basics for my zombies right away,
however.  They had to be fast moving because I wanted the outbreak to take people by
surprise--no time whatsoever to prepare for it, just instant chaos.  I wanted how fast
people became zombies to depend on the bite--that's a pretty classic zombie rule.  I
didn't read a book of zombie rules to establish the way my zombies operated so I can't
rec one but I can tell you my favourite zombie movie is Night of the Living Dead (a
classic for a reason!).  For now, it's best to think of THIS IS NOT A TEST as standalone
though I can't promise I'll never revisit zombies again.  :)

Thanks for having me on your blog, Deb!


Thanks for being here and double thanks for writing the books you do. Happy touring.


More books from Courtney, you know you want to check them out and so you should because she is one talented writer!

 When “Perfect” Parker Fadley starts drinking at school and failing her classes, all of St. Peter’s High goes on alert. How has the cheerleading captain, girlfriend of the most popular guy in school, consummate teacher’s pet, and future valedictorian fallen so far from grace? Parker doesn’t want to talk about it. She’d just like to be left alone, to disappear, to be ignored. But her parents have placed her on suicide watch and her counselors are demanding the truth. Worse, there’s a nice guy falling in love with her and he’s making her feel things again when she’d really rather not be feeling anything at all. Nobody would have guessed she’d turn out like this. But nobody knows the truth. Something horrible has happened, and it just might be her fault. 

When Eddie Reeves’s father commits suicide her life is consumed by the nagging question of why? Why when he was a legendary photographer and a brilliant teacher? Why when he seemed to find inspiration in everything he saw? And, most important, why when he had a daughter who loved him more than anyone else in the world? When she meets Culler Evans, a former student of her father’s and a photographer himself, an instant and dangerous attraction begins. Culler seems to know more about her father than she does and could possibly hold the key to the mystery surrounding his death. But Eddie’s vulnerability has weakened her and Culler Evans is getting too close. Her need for the truth keeps her hanging on… but are some questions better left unanswered?

Climbing to the top of the social ladder is hard–falling from it is even harder. Regina Afton used to be a member of the Fearsome Fivesome, an all-girl clique both feared and revered by the students at Hallowell High… until vicious rumors about her and her best friend’s boyfriend start going around. Now Regina’s been “frozen out” and her ex-best friends are out for revenge. If Regina was guilty, it would be one thing, but the rumors are far from the terrifying truth and the bullying is getting more intense by the day. She takes solace in the company of Michael Hayden, a misfit with a tragic past who she herself used to bully. Friendship doesn’t come easily for these onetime enemies, and as Regina works hard to make amends for her past, she realizes Michael could be more than just a friend… if threats from the Fearsome Foursome don’t break them both first.

MMGM-THE MASK OF DESTINY by Richard Newsome {ARC GIVEAWAY}

Happy MMGM all! It's good to be back and sharing some of my favourite reads. And THE MASK OF DESTINY is one of my favourite favourites. It is the final entry to "The Archer Legacy" and now, when recommending it we can put all three into the hands of our young readers and writer, librarian, teacher friends. 

This is entire series is chock full of breath taking adventure and travels to exotic locals described with just enough details to put you there, but not so many the action is slowed down. Characters funny, scary, smart and evil (really really evil) populate the pages. Twists you don't see coming keep you at the edge of your seat. 

THE MASK OF DESTINY is no exception...in fact...it's the best yet. And it's all sprinkled with hints of magic, ancient prophecies. Kinda love it! I am so looking forward to reading more from Richard Newsome. If you are a fan or know someone who is a fan of 39 Clues, Harry Potter, The Griffins to name a few--I'd recommend the entire series.

Now-here's more about THE MASK OF DESTINY!

From IndieBound.Org:

Gerald, Sam, and Ruby are attending the murder trial of Sir Mason Green, hoping to see their longtime enemy put away for good. But just as the trial is about to begin, Mason Green is killed--and Gerald is framed for the murder. And he has only one choice: to run.














Do check this series out, okay? Okay!


I'm giving away my ARC of THE MASK OF DESTINY, btw. 


All you have to do is leave a comment to let me know you'd like to win. Contest ends next Sunday at midnight. Enjoy the rest of your day and as you have time check why not check out more MMGM marvelousness:


Shannon Whitney Messenger (a.k.a. Fearless Leader)-Ramblings of a Wannabe Scribe
Jennifer Rumberger-Children's AuthorJoanne Fritz-My Brain on BooksDanika Dinsmore-The Accidental Novelist 
Shannon O'Donnell-Book Dreaming
Myrna Foster-The Night Writer
Natalie Aguirre-Literary Rambles
Brooke Favero-Somewhere in the Middle
Ally Beecher- Kid Lit Frenzy
Barbara Watson-Novel and Nouveau
Anita Laydon Miller-her middle grade blog
Michael G-G-Middle Grade Mafioso
Jessica Lei-her blog  
Pam Torres-So I'm FiftyAkoss-Nye Louwon – My Spirit | a search for the writer in meGabrielle Prendergast-AngelhornGina CareyT.L. Conway

The Blog Break is Over, Over

Well.

I took a tad longer than I thought. Finding that balance between working full time {more on the job later}, writing, reading and blogging is tricky. Many do it and do it really well. I'm a still workin' on. But the fact is I love it all. The new job, the writing, the reading, the blogging.

The blogging balance is the trickiest. I sure wish I could do it all. But. I can't.  So am returning with just three features. Two old, Oh MG/YA Canada and MMGM. One new {for me}, Perfect Picture Book Friday.

So-let the blogging begin. Whoa. It. Is. GOOD to be back! Looking forward to some blog reading and writing, I must say.