Enter the magical land of Story in this sequel to Storybound, perfect for fans of Inkheart, The School for Good and Evil, and classic fantasy tales like Ella Enchanted and The Neverending Story. Kids who love fairy tales, dragons, magic, and more will be enchanted by Una Fairchild’s unforgettable adventure in Story’s End.
Story is a land of dashing Heroes, dastardly Villains, and epic quests—and once upon a time, a noble King. But the King vanished so long ago that even the memory of him is lost. Now a cruel Enemy plots to rewrite Story’s future, and an ordinary girl named Una Fairchild may be the only one who can stop him. As Una and her friends Peter and Indy race to defeat the Enemy, their quest will take them deep into the secrets of Story’s past . . . and Una’s own mysterious ties to this fairy-tale kingdom and its long-forgotten King.
Put your hands together folks and welcome the wonderful, the majestic, Marissa Burt!
Amie: I’m sure most of audience knows (and has read) your first book, Storybound. So tell us, what was different about writing your second published book than your first?
Marissa: STORYBOUND was the first book I wrote, so I definitely had the luxury of working at my own pace. Between the time that the duology sold and when my draft of STORY’S END was due, I had a baby. I wrote the second book while wrangling three boys under the age of four. Needless to say, that period of time is all a blur. Because of family responsibilities, I kept putting off my writing so I drafted STORY’S END evenings and weekends in the two months before my deadline and vowed to never do that again.
Content-wise, the book was challenging. While I usually have a loose outline, I end up changing a lot of things during the writing process, which means a lot of big revisions at the end. Happily, I have an outstanding editor who worked with me to make STORY’S END a cohesive sequel. With your first book, you’re hoping someone will buy it, read it, and like it, but it was a nice change to have eager readers counting down to release day, just as I was.
Amie: Having finished writing a sequel myself, I can attest that making sure everything is cohesive is the tricky part! Who is your favorite middle-grade book character and why?
Marissa: It will always be Anne Shirley for me. I love her so, and I am such a fan of all of LM Montgomery’s work that I re-read most of them annually. Runner-ups would have to go to Harriet the Spy, Karana from ISLAND OF THE BLUE DOLPHINS, and Solo from SOLO’S JOURNEY.
Amie: Ohhh! Good choice! What’s next on the docket for you?
Marissa: I am working on revisions for my next book A SLIVER OF STARDUST, due out in fall 2015. It tells the story of eleven-year-old Wren Matthews who has always known she was weird. Super-smart, happily solitary, and obsessed with astronomy, the only place Wren has ever fit in is at the regional homeschool conference. But when a mysterious visitor appears and invites Wren and her long-time science-rival Simon Barker to join the ancient guild of magicians known as the Fiddlers, things get a whole lot weirder. As apprentice Fiddlers, Wren and Simon have a lot to learn, but their ordinary stardust lessons are soon overshadowed by tainted legends of Mother Goose, battling alchemists, and dreams of the dangerous otherworld, the Land of Nod.
Amie: What an enticing premise! Can’t wait for it’s release! Last question – candy canes or licorice?
Marissa: Neither, I’m afraid. I’m weirdly not a big candy person, though I do love the smell of peppermint. So, if forced under duress to choose, I would take a candy cane. 🙂
About the author: Marissa Burt was forever getting notes sent home from teachers about reading novels during class. She grew up in Oregon, and drifted eastward through Colorado, Illinois, Tennessee, and South Carolina before coming back to the Pacific Northwest. She now lives in the Seattle area with her husband and three sons. You can visit Marissa online at:
Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads, Website, Project Middle-Grade Mayhem Blog
Want to win a copy of BOTH Storybound AND Story’s End? Then just fill out the rafflecopter form below!
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Amie Borst writes twisted fairy tales. Cinderskella is her first book and Little Dead Riding Hood releases October 2014! Visit her at her blog and facebook.
These books sound perfect for my taste!
I love these books. Nice addition to our book collection.
I would love to win a copy of this book so I can share these great books with more people. My son loved these books!
Not only do the stories sound charming, but what lovely books! I can imagine these being a big hit with our readers.
I have a lot of girls in my library who love grown-up fairy tales, but there aren’t a lot to choose from. These look great.
Hi
Oh, I absolutely cannot WAIT for your new book!
StoryBound and Story’s End are some of my favorite books EVER, and I absolutely adore Miss Marissa Burt!
I love fairy tales and enjoy reading them over and over
I love fairy tales–sounds lovely.
Fractured fairy tales are hot right now. I’ve loved them even before they were a trend – bring on the next one!
I love fairy tales and would love to read and share these books with my students.