KEEPER OF THE LOST CITIES GOT ANOTHER BLURB!!!!
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"Keeper of the Lost Cities is a little bit Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, a little bit Lord of the Rings, and a little bit Harry Potter. And it's all fun!"
--New York Times bestselling author Michael Buckley
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Every time I read that I have to remind myself that he's talking about MY book--and not just because of the incredible and humbling comparisons he makes.
Mainly it's because I might be Michael's #1 Fan (AND I WILL TAKE ON ANYONE WHO TRIES TO CLAIM OTHERWISE).
(ahem)
All of his books are amazing. (Seriously, AMAZING!). But his Sisters Grimm books are not only some of my all time favorite middle grade books--they're also a big part of the reason I decided to write middle grade in the first place.
When I'd first had the idea for KEEPER and was trying to decide if I wanted to try writing it, I went to the bookstore for research. And I walked out with three books: ELLA ENCHANTED, by Gail Carson Levine, THE LIGHTNING THIEF, by Rick Riordan, and THE FAIRY TALE DETECTIVES, by Michael Buckley. And after reading those three I knew I had to give middle grade writing a try.
I loved each of those books for different reasons. But what I loved about Michael's books (oh yes, I went straight back to B&N and bought all the rest of the Sisters Grimm series and devoured every word) was the way he melded humor and heart. He also has two strong, kick-butt girls as his main characters and yet tells the story in such a way that it will appeal to ALL kids. And his creativity and imagination absolutely blew me away. (Puck is also one of my favorite characters EVER!)
So years later, to have him read and blurb MY book is just the most incredible thing...
Yes, it totally made me tear up. And yes, I wished I could reach through the screen and hug him (alas, I couldn't--but he's coming to Cali for an event soon and HE'D BETTER WATCH OUT. AN AWKWARD SHANNON HUG WILL BE HAPPENING!)
In the meantime, I just want to say, Michael, if you happen to see this, THANK YOU. Not just for your blurb, but for your fabulous books that have inspired me in more ways than you know. I can't wait for book 9, even if it also breaks my heart a little to see the series end.
And to celebrate my blurb--and give you guys a chance to experience some of Michael's incredible work--I'm giving some of his books away!
**CONTEST DETAILS REMOVED BECAUSE THE CONTEST IS OVER**