Launch Day: Of Giants and Ice

Okay guys. I'm taking a five-second break from my pre-submission edits (read: Mandy's Late Summer Fit of Editing Madness) to highlight a debut release. But first let me tell you a little about why this novel is so special to me.

Around a year ago, when I was searching for Mirrorpass beta readers, I hooked up with the fantastic MG novelist Shelby Bach. We swapped sections of our respective WIPs. Shelby's middle-grade novel, Of Giants and Ice, blew me away. It was hilarious and unique and mature, and the main character, Rory, was the kind of kid I would have loved to hang out with when I was her age. Like, she fights dragons. With a real sword. And oh, her parents are celebrities. And--well, I'll just let you guys read the official synopsis:

When Rory realizes fairy tales are the real deal at Ever After School, she embarks on a classic quest to fulfill her destiny.

Rory Landon has spent her whole life being known as the daughter of a famous movie star mom and director dad. So when she begins a new after-school program and no one knows who her family is, Rory realizes something is different. And after she ends up fighting a fire-breathing dragon on her first day, she realizes the situation is more unusual than she could have imagined. It turns out the only fame that matters at Ever After School is the kind of fame earned from stories Rory thought were fictional. But as Rory soon learns, fairy tales are very real—and she is destined to star in one of her own.

(Look at that cover? Doesn't Rory (center) look so darn spunky?)

Since reading those first chapters, I've been dying to get my hands on the rest of Of Giants and Ice. I was so excited for Shelby when her book got picked up by Simon & Schuster, making it her debut novel. And now I'm even more exicted that her launch day has finally arrived. Congratulations, Shelby!

Simon & Schuster have a fantastic Of Giants and Ice preview up on their website, so check that out. And then head on over to Shelby's official website and wish her a happy launch. Then go out to a bookstore and get yourself a copy!

Shelby Bach grew up reading every book she could find and writing stories in battered notebooks. She also rarely came home with a clean shirt and had lots of accidents that ended with a hunt for Band-Aids. Nowadays she writes on her laptop rather than in a notebook, but not much else has changed. She's the author behind OF GIANTS AND ICE (THE EVER AFTERS #1). Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers released it on July 24, 2012!  You can learn more about her by visiting her website.