6 days until BREAKING THE ICE!

Today I'm over on the Fearless Fifteeners' blog, answering questions about ogres and unicorns and my most embarrassing childhood memory. Check it out here.

Also, I'm on the Debut Dish here. And you can win my very last ARC, which I've annotated with all kinds of fun notes.

6 days and counting...

Launch Party for BREAKING THE ICE!

If you're in Louisville, this is your official invitation to come on down for my launch party on Saturday, January 17th! It'll be at Carmichael's bookstore, starting at 4 p.m. I'll be reading a little from the book, and there might even be a few yummy things to eat.

Hope to see you there!

Details can be found here: http://www.carmichaelsbookstore.com/event/gail-nall

Giveaway for BREAKING THE ICE swag!

Happy Thursday, everyone! My writer friend E.M. Caines (who wrote a fun YA called WILL THE REAL PRINCE CHARMING PLEASE STAND UP?, which you should totally read if you haven't already) made me these adorable little mini-book ornaments:

Isn't that the cutest thing ever? So, guess what... I have 20 of these ornaments that I would love to send out! To you, and your critique partner, and your middle grade reader, and your favorite teacher, and your local librarian, and well, pretty much everyone you know. I'll even write you a (teeny tiny) note inside and sign them!

Plus, I'm going to include a BREAKING THE ICE postcard and two bookmarks (one to keep, one to give away!).

So how do you enter this most awesome giveaway? Easy! You pre-order a copy of BREAKING THE ICE (either the print copy or the ebook), and then enter the Rafflecopter below.

If you win, you'll email me a screenshot (or forward the email pre-order confirmation) dated the day or you entered or earlier (so, yup, if you pre-ordered waaay back in August, you can enter!), and then I'll send you:

1) one super-cute, personalized and signed BTI ornament,
2) two BTI bookmarks, and
3) one BTI postcard

You can pre-order from any online or bricks-and-mortar store, but I'll throw in a plug here for my amazing local indie, Carmichael's. If you pre-order from them, you can indicate in the comments that you want a signed and personalized copy.

That's it! I have 20 of these babies to give away, and I can't wait to send one to you! The giveaway will end on Monday, December 15th at 11:59 p.m. US only, please!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Cover reveal for Ronni Arno's RUBY REINVENTED

My fellow MG Beta Reader and publisher sister, Ronni Arno, had her cover reveal yesterday! Here's the blurb for RUBY REINVENTED:

When 12-year-old Ruby Miller learns that her BFF’s are only friends with her because of her famous parents, she finds a place far from celebrity-crazy Hollywood--a Maine boarding school.

In her panic to distance herself from her star-studded folks, Ruby tells her new friends that she’s an orphan. She feels awful lying to her weird but wonderful roommate Summer (the first real friend Ruby has ever had), but not awful enough. In fact, now that nobody’s comparing her to her remarkable parents, Ruby can finally let her unique talents as a dress designer take center stage.

But when Ruby finds herself connecting with a boy who really did lose his parents, she’s torn between who she is and who she’s pretending to be. And with Parent’s Weekend approaching, she must find a way to keep her secret... without losing her new best friend, the trust of her first crush, and the chance to shine as the designer of her own fashion show.

So cute, right?! The book will be out next year, but for now, go check out the adorable cover and enter Ronni's giveaway on Kidliterati.

Publishers Weekly Reviews BREAKING THE ICE!

Publishers Weekly reviewed BREAKING THE ICE! I'm not gonna lie, this review made my entire week. :)

You can find it here.

ARC giveaway for BREAKING THE ICE!!

If you're on Goodreads, be sure to enter the giveaway for a signed ARC of BREAKING THE ICE! But hurry, because the giveaway is only open for six days!

Goodreads Book Giveaway

Breaking the Ice

by Gail Nall

Giveaway ends November 11, 2014.
See the giveaway details at Goodreads.

Enter to win

PitchWars 2014

It's that time again! This is my second year as a mentor for Brenda Drake's PitchWars contest. In case you're unfamiliar with it (if so, where have you been??), it's a contest in which agented/published writers and industry professionals mentor up and coming writers. The mentors work with their mentees on revisions and pitches, and starting tomorrow, the mentees' entries will be posted on Brenda's blog for agents to peruse and make requests!

In August and September, the mentors chose one mentee and one alternate to work with. My little inbox received 92 (!) submissions from fellow middle grade writers. I was humbled (and maybe a little overwhelmed), but I carefully read through each entry. I finally whittled the 92 down to 5. And from there, it was an almost excruciating choice to pick just two. I'm thrilled with the two writers I picked, and these past couple of months have been so much fun!

I'd like you to meet:

Marilee Haynes - I chose Marilee as my mentee. Her manuscript, AMELIA FOOTE ROLLS ON, is a fun, contemporary, younger MG about a girl on a quest for a best friend. Marilee has been a dream to work with, and I'm so proud of the revised manuscript she now has to send to agents. She has two previously published MG books through a small press. I can't wait for her current manuscript to find a home with an agent. AMELIA just oozes voice and personality. I'm so happy I chose Marilee to mentor!

Laurie Bryant - I picked Laurie as my alternate. Laurie's entry is entitled TOMBOYS, and is a historical set in 1930s America on a cross-country train journey. The main character is (you guessed it!) a tomboy, who meets her heroine on the train and must decide whether to follow her dream of becoming a professional athlete. It's well-written, exciting, and I love the way the historical details are so easily woven into the narrative. Laurie is a published playwright and a former college athlete. Laurie, too, has been great to work with, and I can't wait for her entry to go up in the Alternate's Showcase on Thursday (on Dee Romito's blog).

And that's all! See you in the PitchWars this week!

(Okay, not quite all! Watch for a Goodreads giveaway for a signed ARC of BREAKING THE ICE, starting this Wednesday! I'll post here and on Twitter with a link when it goes up!)