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!)

What's new....

My favorite local indie bookstore, Carmichael's, will host my book launch party in January! But if you can't make it, you can pre-order a copy of BREAKING THE ICE from them. You can even ask that it be personalized and signed (note this in the comments section when you order)! It'll be like you never missed the party. ;)

In other great news, RSVP is now available for pre-order on Amazon!

777 Meme...Not Quite Paradise

Fellow MG Beta Reader, Kidliteratian, and SCBWI Midsouther Brooks Benjamin tagged me for the 777 meme!

What this is: Go to the seventh page of your WIP, count down seven lines, and post the next seven lines. (I'm gonna go with full sentences because that makes a lot more sense!)

So this is from Not Quite Paradise, which is about a girl who goes with her friend's family on a cruise vacation...except the ship isn't exactly your average cruise ship. It's more of a five year old's princess dream ship. But when the ship offers a free cruise to whoever can win a scavenger hunt contest, Ella convinces her BFF to join her team. Even if it is a floating palace of fluff, Ella needs to win this contest to give her family a much-needed break from life.

Not exactly the most exciting part of the book, but this is where Ella and her friend find out about the contest...

"Calling all Little Highnesses!

“Ugh,” Riley says.

Are you the most royal of them all?

Enter the Prince and Princess of the Ship Contest!

Contest will consist of five parts – one for each day of your fabulous Little Highness cruise.

Please come to the Palace Theater for more information at 9:00 a.m. on Day 2 of your cruise.

You don’t want to miss this!"

If I can think of someone to tag, I'll come back and add to this. (aka: let me know if you want to be tagged!)

Tagging:

Manju Howard

RSVP Cover Reveal!

Today, Jen Malone and I unveiled the cover for RSVP! The book is due out in May 2015, and follows four twelve-year-old friends who form their own party-planning business in a small North Carolina beach town.

This book was SO much fun to write, and I think the cover totally shows that. We were lucky to snag the cover designer, who answered some of our questions and shared original cover sketches. Check it all out here.

You can add RSVP on Goodreads, too, if you want! (We'll still love you even if you don't, though!)