MMGM~The Secret Files of Fairday Morrow Is Having A Birthday!!!

I'm back in the lineup for Shannon Messenger's MMGM, today, and I have an exciting new middle grade release for you, plus words from the authors themselves!

Jessica Haight                                              Stephanie Robinson

Meet middle grade authors Jessica Haight and Stephanie Robin as they welcome you into the mystery of the Begonia House. 

Hi Jessica & Stephanie! It's wonderful to have you visit the Alleyway. How did you write a book together?  A question often asked of authors who decide to collaborate on writing a story. The underlying truth of what they are really asking is, “How did you manage to not end up hating each other during the process?” The answer to this is simple, it’s not about the ego; it’s about the book. We decided this first.
Makes sense. The story above all! What was a surprising thing you learned while writing your book? Jessica: I learned a lot about myself and about discipline in writing. I am sort of a free-form writer, and it's absolutely essential to keep everything in tune and orderly to progress. Stephanie is the master of organization, so I am very lucky to have her as my co-author. Most of the time, instructions and lists sound to me like the adults in Charlie Brown, whoh, whoh, whoh. However, after working on this with my awesome writing partner, I embrace the list.
Stephanie:  I have been surprised by the amount of time Jessica and I spend discussing Fairday and her friends and coming up with ideas. Most of our conversations center around our writing and blog. I never knew how exciting it would be to write a book with someone who shares my vision and makes work fun. Also, I have been pleasantly surprised to find support for my book in places I never expected. Thanks to all of our supporters.
As a writer myself, this is a question I've always wanted to ask co-authors: How'd you do it? What was the writing process like? We started off brainstorming about our characters and the basic plot. Our daily conversations were about Fairday and the DMS. We flushed out characters, story lines, and everything else both in person and on the phone. Our meetings were always productive. Using Google docs for an online format allowed us to post a chapter or two at a time that we could work on together. What an amazing tool! Being able to make changes to our book from any location opened up our world of writing and our story was written in Poland, Yellowstone, from our town libraries, and the comforts of our own homes. Usually one of us would start a chapter and the other person would go in and start working their magic- adding, deleting, and crafting the writing until it was a blended expression of both of our ideas.
Wow! So interesting that you used Google docs collectively. Sounds like you devised a road map and stuck to you. Good for you! Now, let's share this fabulous story with your readers. 

GOODREADS

THE SECRET FILES OF FAIRDAY MORROW by Jessica Haight & Stephanie Robinson
Release date: DECEMBER 1, 2015 Publisher: Delacorte Press/ Random House Kids Books                     MIDDLE GRADE/ ages 10 and up Illustrator: Roman Muradov Pages: 272 Description: Fear Not the Unexpected. 
Eleven-year-old Fairday Morrow is less than thrilled that her family is moving thousands of miles from civilization to the quiet country town of Ashpot, Connecticut, where she’s absolutely certain she’ll die of boredom.

As if leaving New York City and her best friend, Lizzy, the only other member of the elite Detective Mystery Squad (DMS), weren’t bad enough, Fairday is stuck living in the infamous Begonia House, a creepy old Victorian with dark passageways, a gigantic dead willow tree, and a mysterious past.

Before she can even unpack, strange music coming from behind a padlocked door leads Fairday up a spiral staircase and into a secret room, where an ancient mirror, a brass key, and a strange picture of a red-haired lady are the first in a series of clues that takes the members of the Detective Mystery Squad on an amazing adventure.

"Mixing realism and fantasy, Haight and Robinson’s debut opens with 11-year-old Fairday’s move from Manhattan to a small town in Connecticut, where her relentlessly cheerful parents plan to turn a dilapidated Victorian into a bed and breakfast. No sooner has the family arrived than eerie sights and sounds begin to haunt Fairday. The house turns out to hold dark secrets that everybody in town suspects but nobody can explain: a perfect mission for Fairday and her best friend Lizzy’s Detective Mystery Squad (DMS)."

~ Publishers Weekly 

Jessica Haight is a true New Englander, with a deep desire to be near the ocean and a love of the four seasons. She enjoys drawing while standing up and cultivating magic in her garden. She easily floats away in the pages of a good story and is still waiting for her owl from Hogwarts. Jessica lives in Connecticut with her charming fiancé, James.

Stephanie Robinson lives with her husband in a quiet town, though not as quaint as Ashpot. After teaching fifth grade for almost fifteen years, she is now enjoying her role as a school media specialist. One of the many benefits of her job is that she learns something new every day. When Stephanie isn't working, she spends her time creating stories, getting lost in books, and traveling to new places.

Fairday's Blog | Fairdayfiles.com | @DMSfiles

a Rafflecopter giveaway 
Marvelous Middle-Grade Monday is where authors and bloggers get to show off some pretty sweet middle grade reads! And we all know that this is the season for giving, right? Why not give a middle grade book! 

Click HERE for the other MMGM participants.

Have you ever co-authored a book or short story? Would you like to?

Due to my deadline with my MG edits, this is most probably my final post before the end of the holiday season. (Also, I'll be slow with blogging, but I promise to get to it by the end of the week! I want to know what you have to say.)
Wishing each one of you a blessed & safe holiday season!  And to my fellow Christmas-teers, Merry Christmas!!!