Yay! For Middle Grade Books: Interview With Dianne K. Salerni!

Hi, everyone! Today I'm happy to present an interview with Dianne K. Salerni, the author of The Carrefour Curse, which is out now! She is also the author of multiple other books, including the Eight Day trilogy, which is also out now.

Would you please tell us a little about your book, The Carrefour Curse?

The Carrefour Curse was primarily inspired by Dark Shadows, the supernatural soap opera from the 1960s and 70s. I was fascinated by this show as a kid, watching it in reruns, and I was delighted by its brief 1990s revival (although critics were not). As for the modern Johnny Depp movie version, let’s pretend that doesn’t exist, okay?

In my book, Garnet Carrefour and her mother, Emerald, are summoned to the family estate to witness a transition of power. Garnet’s great-grandfather, Jasper, is supposedly dying—although this is not the first time an illness should have carried him off. On that prior occasion, Jasper miraculously recovered while several members of his family died or vanished. This time, the entire family finds themselves trapped on the grounds of Crossroad House, the semi-sentient family mansion. While the family squabbles, Garnet discovers doors that lead to other times, revealing snippets of Carrefour history. Crossroad House is trying to tell Garnet something important—but what is it and how can it help them?

Do you have plans for any more books featuring the Carrefour family?

When I wrote this book, I intended it to be a standalone story. But I have been asked this question often enough that I am reconsidering that idea. The time travel element allows me to explore many decades of Carrefour history. I’d only need to uncover more secrets and a story that needs telling!

Random Question! What’s your favorite color?

I tend to be drawn to blue, although I occasionally like a splash of orange!

If you’re able to talk about it, what are you currently working on?

Keep an eye out for an announcement about my next MG book, coming soon! In the meantime, I am toying with several first drafts, wanting to see which one I fall in love with.

What are some of your favorite MG books you've read recently? And what are some that you're looking forward to reading?

Some of my recently read favorites are The Jumbies by Tracey Baptiste, The Clackity by Lora Senf, The Marvellers by Dhonielle Clayton, and The Polter-Ghost Problem by Betsy Uhrig. One book I’m really looking forward to is No One Leaves the Castle by Christopher Healy, which comes out in August.

Thank you so much to Dianne K. Salerni for participating in this event!

Author Bio: DIANNE K. SALERNI is the author of eight YA and middle grade novels, including Junior Library Guild Selections Eleanor, Alice, & the Roosevelt Ghosts, Jadie in Five Dimensions, and The Carrefour Curse, as well as the state award nominated Eighth Day series. Dianne was a Pennsylvania public school teacher for 25 years before leaving the profession to spend time hanging around creepy cemeteries, attending ghost hunting classes, and climbing 2000 year-old pyramids in the name of book research. In her spare time, she volunteers at her local animal rescue shelter, walking dogs and serving the needs of the feline overlords. 

Here Are A Few Links:

Her Website

Her Twitter

Yay! For Middle Grade Books 2023: Interview With Leah Cypess!

Hi, everyone! Today I'm happy to present an interview with Leah Cypess, the author of The Piper’s Promise, which is out now! Her next book, The Last Rose, releases in December.

Would you please tell us a little about your book, The Piper’s Promise?

The Piper's Promise is a sequel to the fairy tale "The Pied Piper." This book is about the Pied Piper's little sister, Clare, who comes to Hamelin after she hears rumors that her brother has kidnapped all the children. Clare loves her brother, who has always protected her, and she knows he couldn't possibly be guilty of such a terrible crime. Or could he? In order to save the children of Hamelin, she will have to face both her brother's secrets and her own...

The Last Rose, the 4th book in the Sisters Ever After series, releases in December. Can you tell us anything about it?

The Last Rose is a retelling of Beauty and the Beast, told from the point of view of Beauty's little sister. I'm not going to say too much more about it... yet!

Random Question! What’s your favorite color?

This is an easy one for me! Blue.

If you’re able to talk about it, what are you currently working on?

I can talk about it, but it's a little confusing, because what I'm working on now is Book #6 in the Sisters Ever After series. Random House does things *very* far in advance, and has also accelerated the publication of these books, with the end result that I'm writing Book #6 right after Book #3 came out! So: As you know, Book #4 is going to be a retelling of Beauty and the Beast. Book #5 (I might as well tell you!) is going to be a retelling of Rapunzel. And Book #6, which I'm drafting now, is a retelling of The Little Mermaid.

What are some of your favorite MG books you've read recently? And what are some that you're looking forward to reading?

Now this is a hard one! I recently read The Guardian Test by Christina Soontornvat, which is younger MG (ages 8-10, probably), and which I liked a lot -- it's absolutely perfect for its audience. I love how she handles her world-building. I just started Creatures of the In Between by Cindy Lin, which I'm really enjoying so far. As for what's ahead, I am really looking forward to The Museum of Lost & Found by Leila Sales, who is one of my favorite authors. I also really want to find the time to re-read the first 3 books in Jessica Townsend's "Nevermoor" series before the fourth book comes out in October! I have to admit, my prospects don't look great, but I'm going to try.

Thank you so much to Leah Cypess for participating in this event!

Here Are A Few Links:

Her Website

Her Twitter

Her Instagram

Yay! For Middle Grade Books 2023: Interview With Sarah Henning!

Hi, everyone! Today I'm happy to present an interview with Sarah Henning, the author of Monster Camp, which releases today! She is also the author of multiple YA novels, including It's All In How You Fall, which is out now.

Would you please tell us a little about your book, Monster Camp?

The pitch for Monster Camp is that it’s a fish-out-of-water mash-up of Ghost Squad and Hotel Transylvania about a human girl who must put on the performance of her life when she realizes what she thought was a LARPing summer camp is full of real monsters!

A little more unofficially, it’s a super fun spooky summer camp book about being yourself and finding belonging. With monsters:) Sylvie, the main character, struggles with bullying and anxiety in addition to general pushback about her favorite pastime, LARPing. There's a mouthy werewolf named Chad, ghosts who are total sugar freaks, and more than one hike with a very friendly (and very huge) Yeti.

You’ve written a bunch of YA novels, however this is your first MG book. How did you decide to write Monster Camp?

Honestly, I really like the energy of middle grade and had been trying to find the right project. My son is in middle school (at least for the next two weeks before he’s a rising ninth-grader) and it’s such a fun and interesting time in a person’s life. That’s really what draws me to YA too, but I wanted the challenge of writing for a new, younger audience.

Random Question! What’s your favorite color?

Blue! It’s just calming, and I think my eye is always drawn to it. I own a lot of blue clothing, have entire rooms in my house that are blue, and my school (the University of Kansas) has it as one of its main colors.

If you’re able to talk about it, what are you currently working on?

I’m not able to talk about it yet! I feel like I’ve been talking around this book for a year. LOL. Hopefully I’ll be able to say something more descriptive soon but at the moment I can say I have another young adult coming out in Fall 2024 with Tor Teen and that it’s a contemporary fantasy. I’m anxiously awaiting my first edit letter on it—perhaps after that arrives I’ll be able to talk about it. Fingers crossed.

What are some of your favorite MG books you've read recently? And what are some that you're looking forward to reading?

I loved Sarah Cannon’s Oddity from a few years ago—the voice is just amazing. Recently, I got a chance to read Ciera Burch’s middle grade debut, Finch House (out in September), and it was just fantastic. She also writes YA and I’m stoked to get to read her across genres. Speaking of YA authors, I’ve really loved reading middle grades from Emily Lloyd-Jones, Roseanne A. Brown, Dhonielle Clayton, Natalie C. Parker, and so many others who also write YA. 

Thank you so much to Sarah Henning for participating in this event!

Author Bio: Sarah Henning is a recovering journalist who has worked for the Palm Beach Post, Kansas City Star and Associated Press, among others. When not writing, she runs ultramarathons, hits the playground with her two kids, and hangs out with her husband Justin, who doubles as her long-suffering IT department. Sarah lives in Lawrence, Kansas, hometown of Langston Hughes, William S. Burroughs, and a really good basketball team. 

Here Are A Few Links:

Her Website

Her Twitter

Her Instagram

Yay! For Middle Grade Books 2023: Interview With Evelyn Skye!

Hi, everyone! Today I'm happy to present an interview with Evelyn Skye, the author of Princess Private Eye, which is out now! She is also the author of multiple YA books, including Damsel, which released earlier this year. Her debut Adult novel, The Hundred Loves of Juliet, releases in August.

Would you please tell us a little about your book, Princess Private Eye?

I'd love to! Princess Private Eye is like The Princess Diaries meets Nancy Drew, and the book introduces Disney's new princess, Genevieve Sun. Gen is just an ordinary foster kid in NYC—okay, an ordinary kid who happens to be an awesome hacker—when she finds out she’s actually the long-lost princess of a country called Raldonia! But when the secret agents whisk her away to her new kingdom, she finds out there’s a curse that’s supposedly tied to her arrival… When things start to go very, very wrong, Gen will need to get to the bottom of the mystery and catch the real criminals who are sullying her name, before the Queen decides to cancel Gen’s coronation and send her packing back to New York.

You’ve written a lot of YA books, however this is your first MG book. How did you decide to write Princess Private Eye?

It's funny because this book actually happened because of a failed YA. I had written an outline and some sample chapters of a YA rom com involving a princess, and my agent shopped it to some publishers. Disney read it and said that although they weren't interested in my YA, they loved my voice and thought I'd be perfect for a new MG novel they were coming up with. So the tables kind of turned and they sent me their outline to see if I would want to work on the book. I loved the idea of a smart, spunky princess who has to learn how to be properly royal while also sneaking out of the castle to solve mysteries. The result is a clever story with plenty of laugh-out-loud moments, and it was so much fun to write.

 Random Question! What time of year is your favorite?

Summer! Because of cherries, berries, peaches, and all the delicious pies you can make with them. Plus, I just feel like the world feels a little lighter when it's summer. Maybe because the kids are out of school and their vacation joy permeates the air? I don't know, but summer is my favorite... as long as it's not humid!

If you’re able to talk about it, what are you currently working on?

My next book is The Hundred Loves of Juliet. It's adult fiction that comes out on August 1st of this year, so I'm starting to do publicity for that. The Hundred Loves of Juliet is like Romeo & Juliet meets The Time Traveler's Wife: What if Shakespeare got it wrong? What if Romeo never died, but Juliet did, and she has been reincarnated over and over. And in every lifetime, Romeo is doomed to meet her, fall in love, and watch her die, again and again. Fast forward to present-day... 

What are some of your favorite MG books you've read recently? And what are some that you're looking forward to reading?

Since May is AAPI Month, I'll shout out a couple of great MG books by AAPI authors:

 I loved Winston Chu vs The Whimsies by Stacey Lee. Honestly, I love everything Stacey writes. She's so witty and her humor works so well in this new middle grade series. 

And I'm excited to read Momo Arashima Steals the Sword of the Wind by Misa Sugiura. It's on my shelf and Misa is a lovely person, so I'm really looking forward to that one.

Thanks so much for having me here today, Jessica! And thanks for being such a wonderful advocate for books!

Thank you so much to Evelyn Skye for participating in this event!

Author Bio: Evelyn Skye is a New York Times bestselling author of books for adults, young adults, and children. Her highly anticipated forthcoming novels include Damsel (which will also be a Netflix film starring Millie Bobby Brown, Robin Wright, and Angela Bassett) and The Hundred Loves of Juliet.

Evelyn is a graduate of Stanford University and Harvard Law School. She lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her husband and daughter.

Here Are A Few Links:

Her Website

Her Twitter

Her Instagram

Yay! For Middle Grade Books 2023 Launch Post!

Hi, everyone! Today I am so happy to present the schedule for Yay! For Middle Grade Books 2023! I look forward to having this event every year, and I can't wait for you all to read the interviews!

May

7th Launch Post!

8th Evelyn Skye, the author of Princess Private Eye

9th Sarah Henning, the author of Monster Camp

10th Leah Cypess, the author of The Piper’s Promise

11th Dianne K. Salerni, the author of The Carrefour Curse

12th Janet Sumner Johnson, the author of The Winterton Deception: Final Word

13th Lindsay Currie, author of It Found Us

14th Meg Eden Kuyatt, the author of Good Different

15th Elizabeth C. Bunce, the author of Myrtle, Means, and Opportunity

16th Jenna Yoon, the author Lia Park and the Heavenly Heirlooms

17th Wrap Up!

All of these authors' are wonderful, and I can't wait for you to read the posts! Be sure to come back every day this month, so you don't miss any! :)