by kmessner

Summer Update

I have to admit that when summer rolls around, all the rules go out the window at our place.  Everyone stays up too late and eats too  many s’mores.  Other than posts for Teachers Write, the virtual summer writing camp I started for teachers & librarians, I haven’t been blogging as regularly as I usually do, but I’ve been busy doing other stuff.

I launched a book.

CAPTURE THE FLAG came out July 1st, and is a Junior Library Guild Selection and won a Parents’ Choice Award.  People have been saying nice things about it, and some teachers have blogged about their plans to share it aloud with students, which makes me smile and smile.

I found out one of my other books is a finalist for an award.

OVER AND UNDER THE SNOW is up for the Cardozo Award for Children’s Literature. There are other beautiful books up for the award, too, and I’d love it if you’d click here and vote for your favorite – it doesn’t have to be mine – to support their program.

I wrote a book.

It is about a third grader named Marty, which means that I can finally answer all the people who have been asking, “Is there going to be another Marty McGuire book?” Yes. Yes indeed.  I’ll share more about Book 3 when I have all the details about launch dates and final titles and whatnot.  But for now…yay!

I caught this fish.

I caught some other ones, too, but they were mostly tiny and so no one went running for the camera when they showed up.

I revised a book.

HIDE AND SEEK is the sequel to CAPTURE THE FLAG and has gone off to copy edits. It comes out in April ’13.

I’m revising another book now.

WAKE UP MISSING is my middle grade thriller set in the Everglades, and it comes out in Fall 2013.  Which is really soon. So I’d better get back to it.  If you need me, I’ll be revising, or hanging out here.

Hope you’re having a great summer, too!

18 Replies on “Summer Update”

  2. Your productivity is inspiring! Congratulations on Capture the Flag! I really enjoyed it and can’t wait to share it with the 4th grade teachers at my school. l’m looking forward to your new books, too. Enjoy the rest of your summer!

  5. I am so excited about the upcoming books! Can’t wait to share with my class this fall!

  6. Kate,

    Congratulations on a successful (and fun) summer! I am so happy to hear about Marty – my daughter and I will make room on her bookshelf for #3. It also sounds like we need to make more room for others – :)!

    Thank you for Teachers Write!
    Keep on enjoying the summer!
    Andy

    1. Thanks for the kind words, Andy – and I’ve been wanting to let you know how much I appreciate your enthusiastic participation in Teachers Write, too – I think you’ve been a real inspiration to a lot of people this summer.

  8. Congratulations, Kate! Your productivity is amazing.

    Is there a place I can go to read what your daily writing schedule is? If not, I am asking a similar question in today’s Q&A for Teachers Wriite. Thanks.

    1. Thanks, Wendi~ I will head over to Q and A Wednesday and talk a little about my writing schedule (or…not-so-much-a-schedule in summer, as the case may be)