Meg's Diary

Allie Finkle + Susanna Hoffs = Love

It turns out I have a new book out in stores. The first book in my new series for middle grade readers, Allie Finkle’s Rules For Girls: Moving Day, is apparently already for sale in US shops and on online retailers!

I guess there was some confusion because I had Allie down as a March book. But March is the month it officially goes on sale, not the month it actually goes on sale.

So….

Allie Finkle’s Rules For Girls: Moving Day is in US stores everywhere (except, apparently, Costco and Wal-Mart, but it should be there by next week). Just in time for Valentine’s Day!

If you get the audio version, there’s an exclusive bonus story written by “Allie,” and read by me, my audio debut. It’s about zombie hands. So romantic!

A lot of people have wanted to know, “Meg, why did you start writing books for 8-11 year olds?”

The answer is very simple. It is David Levithan’s fault!

So, you can just blame him. Please do, in fact.

See, author David Levithan, who has co-written such books as Nick and Nora’s Playlist and Naomi and Ely’s No Kiss List, asked me to contribute to an anthology about friends with Ann M. Martin and many other talented authors, and I wrote about my fourth grade teacher, Mrs. Hunter, whom I loved and who was very inspiring to me in many ways (plus, she was psychic. And probably still is, wherever she is).

Afterwards, David said, “You seem to enjoy writing about nine year olds. Why don’t you write a middle grade?”

And I said, “Are you kidding? Nine year olds don’t go to proms. And they don’t even like kissing.”

But the idea stuck in my head. It became a kind of challenge. I sort of got obsessed with it, actually.

And so Allie Finkle and her notebook of rules was born (don’t worry, she doesn’t go to prom, and she doesn’t like kissing). The next Allie book, The New Girl, will be out in August.

Yes. It’s a series. Shut up! I love Allie! I really hope you will, too.

See what you started, David Levithan???

In a few days, Allie’s website will be up and fully functional as well. In the meantime, keep an eye out for her in stores. Maybe you’ll even spot the official Allie displays where you can write your own rules on a dry erase board (please, if you see that some BOY has written something dirty there, erase it) or the Allie contest postcards where you can submit your own rules and possibly win a free copy of the book!

Finally, in non-Allie related news, I was in Faustos Food Palace (one of our local Key West grocery stores) the other night when suddenly this song began blaring over the loudspeakers. I swear everyone–from the tourists buying sunscreen to the butcher behind the meat counter to the cashiers behind the registers to the locals buying their dinner–started bopping up and down. It was one of those fantastic moments you don’t expect, but you never want to end.

So I’m sharing it with you:

Have a great weekend!

More later.

Much love,

Meg

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