Cover reveal: When You Have to Wait!

I’m so excited to share the cover for When You Have to Wait today! You can read more about it on Leah’s twitter announcement. Be sure to add it on Goodreads!

Announcing CRUSHED

My next middle grade novel has just been announced! CRUSHED is coming Winter 2024. You can add it on Goodreads here. More details to come soon!

Watch the trailer for A PERFECT MISTAKE

A PERFECT MISTAKE Book Trailer from LB School on Vimeo.

Add A Perfect Mistake on Goodreads!

Preorder A Perfect Mistake from [words] Bookstore!

 

Happy Anniversary, EVERY MISSING PIECE!

It’s been 2 years since EVERY MISSING PIECE published! Releasing a book during the pandemic wasn’t easy. I kinda felt like I was tossing Maddy’s story into the abyss. No book tour, no events, no MAIL. May 2020 was rough.

Thank you to everyone who has supported this book. Your reviews are priceless. I’m so grateful that even in a pandemic, you made time for Maddy. I’ll never forget that. ❤️❤️❤️

Now out in paperback 🙂

Add Every Missing Piece to your Goodreads TBR!

 

 
 
 
 
 
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A post shared by Melanie Conklin (@melanieconklinauthor)

Announcing A Perfect Mistake!

A moving, voice-driven novel about friendship, responsibility, and fighting against unfair expectations, for fans of Rebecca Stead and Erin Entrada Kelly.
 
Max wishes he could back in time: to before he was diagnosed with ADHD, before he grew to be the tallest kid in his class, and before he and his best friends went into the woods in the middle of the night. Max doesn’t remember what happened after he left his friends Will and Joey and the older kids who took them there. He’s not sure if he wants to remember. Knowing isn’t going to make Joey talk to him again, or bring Will out of his coma.
 
When the local authorities run out of leads, Max realizes that without his help, they may never know what really happened to Will. Charged by the idea that he may be the key to uncovering the truth, Max pairs up with classmate and aspiring journalist Sam to investigate what really happened that night. But not everyone in the community wants that night to be remembered.

Pre-order your copy of A Perfect Mistake here!

Order signed & personalized copies from my local indie!

Add it on Goodreads!

Now Booking for WRAD 2022!

Hello reader friends! I love World Read Aloud Day. This will be my SIXTH year participating in this day-long event that connects creators with students from around the world. This year, students will get to hear a preview of my next middle grade novel, A Perfect Mistake, releasing in summer 2022!

To reserve your spot, please enter your name and email me to confirm the details. If all spots are taken, email me to get on the wait list. I can’t wait to read together again!

CLICK HERE to book a WRAD 2022 virtual visit with author Melanie Conklin!

Writing Tips from a Published Author

Readers ask me for writing tips all the time, so I made a bunch of short videos on my Youtube channel with all of my best writing tips for home and school. I hope to add to this collection over time, but for now you can learn all about:

 

Each of these writing tips videos is under ten minutes long and provides specific actionable writing tools with visual examples. Check them out and let me know what you think! If there are any writing topics that you’d love to have a short video on for the classroom, just let me know! I’m happy to keep a running list.

You can reach me any time at melanie@melanieconklin.com, or just comment here!

Happy writing everyone 🙂

WRAD is Almost Here!

I love World Read Aloud Day! It’s so much fun to connect with students around the country and the world to celebrate our love of books together. This year, I’m chatting with nearly a dozen different classes on February 3rd, but as usual my slots filled up very quickly.

If your class would like to hear me read the first chapter of Counting Thyme or Every Missing Piece, I have those videos on my Youtube Channel for you to watch any time, and my 20min Q&A virtual visits are always free. Just drop me an email to schedule one!

I’m also launching a new series of short, fun Writing Tips videos this week, so make sure you subscribe to my channel while you’re there! Topics include:

  • How to Find Story Ideas
  • How to Revise
  • How to Use Post-its in Writing

Happy writing everyone!

The Educator Guide for Every Missing Piece is Here!

2020 has been an interesting year to release a new book, that’s for sure. Sometimes it feels a bit like tossing hardcovers into a black hole, but that’s just because we can’t see each other the way we normally would. No conferences, no festivals, no in-person author visits. It’s hard to connect.

Readers are still out there loving books, though. I see it on my social media feeds and hear it from friends. I’m so grateful to everyone who is out there reading, despite how tough it can be right now to focus. Books need readers.

In middle grade, this means we rely a LOT on educators and librarians to share new books with young readers. It’s such a tough year for that. Educators are under tremendous pressure, and it’s not easy to make time for author visits or book talks. I hope that the incredible new educator guide that Debbie Gonzales created for Every Missing Piece makes it a bit easier to incorporate this book into your teaching.

 

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Deb created the educator guide for Counting Thyme, too, and she has a real knack for identifying the heart of stories. Her questions make me think and her prompts fill me with opinions. I think that’s the sign of a quality educator guide. Be sure to check out Deb’s website and pinterest, where she has great common-core aligned guides for tons of books!

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You can download the educator guide for Every Missing Piece free from my website, and feel free to share it. Happy reading and best wishes to you all. I believe there are better times ahead.

lovemelwhitepink

Back to School Giveaway!

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Normally, Back to School season is a time of great joy for my educator friends, but 2020-21 is not your normal school year. We’re all stressed by COVID19 and the uncertainty of the future, so I wanted to give you something awesome to look forward to!

Thanks to my wonderful publisher @littlebrownyoungreaders I am thrilled to announce a giveaway of FOUR classroom sets (8 books) of EVERY MISSING PIECE!!! YAY!!! Enter via the Rafflecopter below.

BONUS: All entrants will receive a free copy of the educator’s guide to EVERY MISSING PIECE!

a Rafflecopter giveaway