News! Photos! Updates! Oh my!

Wow, I am SO BEHIND on updating you guys about all the STUFF and THINGS that have turned the last few months / weeks / days (who can tell anymore--it all feels like one big never-ending blur--kind of like this sentence!) into a whirlwind of AIYEE!!!!!!!!

(and warning, there will be a lot of exclamation marks in this post!)

First up: LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This is me, at the SIBA Trade show in Naples, Florida last week, signing one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen--FINISHED COPIES OF KEEPER OF THE LOST CITIES!!!!!!!!!!!! 

I still don't really know how to process it. I had no idea that's what I'd be doing there, and then I got to the signing and they were unpacking all these beautiful, shiny hardcovers and it was like EXCUSE ME WHILE I HAVE A MOMENT HERE, PEOPLE! It's amazing I didn't cry! (and yeah, I totally did later in my hotel room when I got to really page through one)

While I was there I also got to do a super fun panel with Adam-Troy Castro, Ellis Weiner, and Irene Latham:

(Huge thanks to Irene for taking the picture, which I totally stole from her awesome blog)

AND, I got to have one of those, "wow--this two series at once thing is REAL" moments when I had to change badges to say "Shannon Messenger: Let the Sky Fall" and sign these:

*stares at the stack of ARCs, trying not to worry about people hating them...*

I've also been really bad about announcing the events I have coming up, so let's fix that right now! I have two events this weekend that I'm SUPER excited about:

Bridge to Books

September 15th, 10:30am

McKinley School, 325 S. Oak Knoll Ave., Pasadena, CA 91101

A middle grade event with Lisa McMann, Margaret Peterson Haddix, and Helen Stringer. Admission is free and books will be available to purchase on site from Once Upon a Time Bookstore. But you will need to register online. Info can be found at bridgetobooks.org.

SCIBA Children's Books and Literacy Brunch

September 16, 10:30 am

Hilton San Diego/Del Mar

I'm so honored to be a speaker, along with the amazing Jenny Han & Siobhan Vivian and Diane Lang. Full event details can be found HERE.

I've also updated my Appearances page, so you can find all the details about all the other things I have coming up HERE.

Another thing I've been TOTALLY remiss about is revealing EXCITING FOREIGN THINGS! 

In case you can't read that, the quick sum-up is: Germany, Spain, Italy, and Brazil! I seriously don't know how to wrap my head around the fact that my books are going to be published in languages I can't understand, but I am so honored and humbled and grateful at the warm welcome my characters have gotten. And should I have any more news on that front I promise to keep you guys posted.

Hm... I'm pretty sure that catches you up--and even *I'M* sick of me and all my giddiness by now--so I think that's enough for today.

But I will be revealing something else--something I am SO INSANELY EXCITED ABOUT on Friday so check back for that. And thank you for reading all of this and sharing in my excitement.

In fact I want to take a second to thank all of you for your amazing support and patience with me. I know I've been a bad blogger, and I know I've gotten really bad about replying to comments and emails and lost touch with so many of you. But I promise I'm still here and I'm still reading everything you guys say and I am hoping to get better about some of those things soon because I really miss interacting with you guys. In the meantime, THANK YOU for understanding and supporting me and generally just being there as I try to keep my head straight through all of this crazy chaos. (also: come hang with me on Twitter--that's the one place I'm pretty good about staying current with my replies).

I knew this year was going to be an adventure and I'm trying to keep up with it all as best as I can. But I really appreciate you all sticking by me as I muddle through. I know I'm not doing it all perfectly, but I'm trying my best. And I could not do this without you guys!

((BLOG HUG!!!!!!))