I'm so excited to join fellow middle grade fantasy authors Kaela Rivera, Alysa Wishingrad, Shakirah Bourne, and G.Z. Schmidt, along with fabulous teacher and Book Dragon, Alexis Ennis, to talk about world building in fantasy! Our pre-recorded panel airs on August 7th at 11 AM EST as part of Middle Ground Book Fest. 

More details about the festival and how to watch are on their website. ​https://www.middlegroundbookfest.com/ 

I had a blast hanging with Alexis and Tiffany from Legit KidLit as well as fellow authors Kaela Rivera and Alysa Wishingrad. You can catch the replay of our live event on the Legit KidLit YouTube channel and watch us do a scavenger hunt, play two truths and a lie, and laugh along as we craft a brand new story together one word at a time. 

LINK: ​https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K6oMPwc-NAg 

I’m so excited to share the cover for my second middle grade novel: THE TARNISHED GARDEN!

For those who loved The Gilded Girl, get ready for new adventures, more house dragons (kittens!), and Maeve’s wild magic in my spin on The Secret Garden. -- Coming April 2022!

Thank you to the artist, Geneviève Godbout, for another stunning illustration. She got the details so perfectly right that my jaw dropped when I saw it. The shadowy figure on the fire escape in the background, the school uniform and Maeve's messy braid, the kittens and their shadows! Thank you to the designer, Aurora Parlgreco, and the team at FSG Books for Young Readers & Macmillan Kids for being so wonderful to work with. I'm one happy author!

You can now ADD THE BOOK ON GOODREADS. 
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More about The Tarnished Garden:
The Manhattan School for Magic is the newest kindling school in New York, but Maeve O’Donnell knows she doesn't deserve her place there. Though her sister, Izzy, is one of the school's founders and a hero to those who can now kindle, Maeve can't control her magic and she lives in fear of anyone—especially Izzy—finding out.

When Maeve’s worst fears come true and her magic goes rogue, it damages not only the new school but Izzy’s reputation as well. While trying to repair what she’s broken, Maeve discovers a mysterious garden in the tenement neighborhood of the Tarnish, a hidden place where her magic actually works. As her magic and confidence grow, she befriends the others for whom the garden is a haven: a litter of talking kittens (house dragons, of course) who need Maeve’s help to find their missing mother. But someone else is searching for the kittens, too, someone who doesn’t care how many magical sites they have to destroy to stop magic’s expansion. And Maeve’s unstable magic might be the only way to save her sister’s school from being snuffed out next.

Thank you to everyone for your support! It's wonderful to have The Gilded Girl out in the world and where I always wanted it to end up: in the hands of readers. I love hearing from readers who enjoyed the book! It's been such a wonderful experience to get messages as people finish reading. 

Here's a slideshow from my "book birthday."  I had a wonderful day filled with middle grade author friends! I signed books at The Village Well and Barnes & Noble, had a virtual launch party filled with Julie Abe (and special guest, Lorelei Savaryn) and celebrated outside with Melissa Seymour and Karina Evans. Thank you to my family, friends, and readers for making this the debut day of my dreams!