Morgan Shamy's Blog

 Hey guys! 

I keep forgetting to post! I keep most of my updates on my website. But for my blogger friends, I recently celebrated the release of The Stricken!! 

This book has been an incredible journey. I first wrote the book 13 years ago. After having 4 agents, and countless rewrites, I finally found a home for this book! 

The book was recently on the cover of Publishers Weekly, has been on Barnes & Nobles Bestseller list a few times, a #1 New Release on Amazon, already had a second print run, has had amazing trade reviews, and I had a successful B&N signing! Hollywood superstar Katherine Heigl even purchased a signed copy! 

It's been an amazing release. But more than anything, nothing is greater than receiving such incredible reviews from readers. I'm so grateful this story is out in the world! I'll post purchase links below. But first... some pictures! 

Some links! 
AmazonBarnes and Noble CamCatBooks
I hope you will purchase to support! The hardbacks are beautiful!!!
~Morgan 

 THE DOLLMAKER is OUT TODAY!!!

 

Jack the Ripper retelling. 1920s. Ballet. Murder. Mystery. Romance. I’m so proud of this book and it’s a dream to have it out in the world! So much thanks to my agent and publisher for making this happen!!! The book is available pretty much everywhere! I’ll post the links below. Thank you for supporting me today!!

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

CamCat Books Website

Target

Walmart

It's been such a great summer! I traveled through Europe for a few weeks, and also traveled to the location where my trilogy takes place. It was so fun to see the places I wrote about! Here are a few highlights:

St. Paul’s Academy of the Arts isn’t your usual boarding school....

When November Huntington is sent away to live with her long-lost family, she’s forced to attend a music school for the gifted—which wouldn’t be a problem if November were musical. She’s an athlete through and through, and hates being different.

The kids at the school don’t welcome her; they’re wary of her presence, especially Vincent, a brooding teenage boy involved with dark spirits, who can make time stop when he plays his piano. In fact, all her classmates are all obsessed with playing their instruments. And odd things happen when the do.

But something is off about the school. Deaths have occurred through the years, students showing up dead the same way November's parents were killed—with their throats ripped out.

A killer is on the loose.... November must figure out a way to stop whoever it is, balance her feelings for Vincent, and solve her parents' past before she, too, is numbered among the dead.

You can purchase the books here. 

Thank you all for supporting me!!!

The audiobook for THE REDPOINT CRUX just dropped!! It’s SO much fun! It’s weird to have these fun little moments after years of hardship... 😭🩰👻🔪🧗‍♀️✨ 

To support me, here’s the link: Click here 

Love you guys!!! 

I'm so delighted to share two of my recent blurbs for The Redpoint Crux!!!One is from Evelyn Skye, New York Times bestselling author of The Crown’s Game, and the next is from Wendy Higgins, New York Times Bestselling Author.  I've posted the blurbs below!!!



Aren't they lovely??? I'm so excited for June 9th and it'll be out in the world!!! If any of you would like to share and promote, that would mean the world to me! Thank you!
Add on Goodreads: Here PreOrder Link: Here 
Thanks guys!!! Hope you are all wonderful! 

I'm so happy to post my cover reveal of THE REDPOINT CRUX!!!

This book means a lot to me. It's gone through so much. From signing with my first agent, to going on submission. To signing it with another agent, and going on submission again. I finally submitted to publishers, and signed a deal with The Parliament House. I've loved working with them!

This book holds many pieces of me. From ballet. To rock climbing. To a haunted theater. All my favorite things!

Here's the blurb:


When Megan Van Helsburg gets kicked off the U.S.A. Climbing Team, she has no choice but to return home and leave her climbing career behind. With no coach, no money, and no prospects, she joins the corps de ballet determined to improve her strength and agility. ​But the ballet theater is in dire straits. Not only do a series of murders break loose, but the ballerinas are becoming deathly thin and brain-dead. As Megan investigates, she meets Bellamy, a tortured young man who lives beneath the depths of the theater. Megan falls hard and fast for Bellamy, who becomes her mentor, but something is off about him. ​It isn't until the company announces they're doing Giselle for the fall performance that Megan realizes the parallels between the ghost story and the lives around her. Megan must find a way to not only save her climbing career, but stop the murders and dying girls before she too, is numbered among the dead.
And without further ado: ...............
Here it is!!!!
I hope you love it. 
And please, please, PLEASE will you add on Goodreads? It would mean a lot to me!!! Here's the link: Goodreads. 
Thank you so much for visiting! 
~Morg 

Once upon a time… there was a nerdy writer girl who didn't have any friends on twitter:

Nerdy scared girl.
But then she met a friend who was super nice and had the same writerly aspirations/interests as her. (Wanting to take over the universe by using orbital death rays, inventing cake vending machines, respect for evil overlords who executed rebels… yanno, the usual)
Yay Friends!
The two became great friends and even beta read for each other. The girl had beta read some scary books in her day, so she was relieved when her friend had real talent. 


The friends even went to fun conferences together and plotted how some day they would be successful authors and teach classes on world-building, perseverance, and how to turn normal words into slang by adding apostrophes. 

Aside from writing, these two friends were like-minded in other ways. Like how they felt about sports:

Or the questions about ninjas that kept them up at night:

Then something fabulous happened. The girl's friend signed a three-book-deal with Jolly Fish Press and she was SO happy she got to reveal his cover on her blog!!! 

Cue cover reveal:


Amazon Pre-order link. 
Ryan is holding a contest! If you want to participate, here are the rules:

How would you fight a lightning storm? In one paragraph, tell us exactly how you’d do it, and don’t hold back! Get as crazy/silly/stupid/super-tough as you want. The sky is literally the limit. We’ll pick a winner from each participating blog, and I will send each winner a package containing an awesome secret clue to the central mystery in THE YEAR OF LIGHTNING. 
Thank you, Ryan, for letting me be part of your cover reveal. You're a wonderful friend and I'm so excited for your success!!! 
Red. Head. Out. :) 

We all know books can change your life.

But they can also completely disrupt your life… unless you know how to function *while* reading them… especially one you can't put down…


My experience with WOVEN…
Mr. Woven and I spent a few hours practicing the piano together…
We also spent some time on the treadmill together…

I managed to write and read at the same time… 
















My mad face when Mr. Woven beat me at Pictionary…

He even comforted me in the scary part of movies…


















I've lost count with how many different positions I read in…


















A day wouldn't be complete without watching the sunset together…


















And big smiles all around with what a fantastic book WOVEN is!!!!!!














I'm so proud of David Powers King and Michael Jensen. I don't know Michael well (but I know he's wonderful!), and I consider David one of my most favorite friends. He's not only a talented writer, but he's one of the kindest, most genuine people I know. (He's also married to a gorgeous red head, which automatically gives him huge bonus points) :)

My review:


Woven is such a beautiful story!!! This book contains the kind of magic I’ve been missing in stories for a while. I love the uniqueness of the fantasy world… I was sucked in from the start and immersed completely with the plot and characters.  Pacing was great. Writing was beautiful. It’s the kind of story that is timeless---where it will easily hold its own in today’s crowded market and for years to come. Action, adventure, ghosts, magic, romance… I thoroughly enjoyed this!!!
BUY WOVEN HERE. 
Thanks, DPK for letting me be a part of your Woven tour, and I'm so excited to see more Woven success!!!!
Red. Head. Out. :) 

As I’m rewriting the novel that holds my heart, I’ve had a lot of thoughts going through my head.  And one of the songs that’s been repeating in my mind as I’m rewriting, is Demons from Imagine Dragons. There’s a passage in the song that says, 

They say it's what you makeI say it's up to fateIt's woven in my soulI need to let you go

And while I definitely have my own personal opinions, I wanted to throw some thoughts out to you, wanting to know what YOU believe. Do you believe in fate? That you’re destined to do things? That there are things on this earth that only you are meant to accomplish? 
Or do you think the opposite? That everything we create and make of ourselves is determined only by us. That only we can pave our own paths. That there are such things as coincidences. Or is there a combination of both extremes? 
I don’t mean to get all deep on you. But I’m fascinated by the topic, and I really would be interested to know what you think. Would you share your thoughts? 

And if you don't feel like being open, you can just comment on how jealous you are that *I* have a copy of Ilima Todd’s REMAKE!!!!! I got a copy of her ARC yesterday and I’m FREAKING to read it! I'm going to start reading tonight!!! 

Cue: Cheesy picture: 
In other news, I just finished beta reading a FAB book by Kyra Lennon, so keep that on your radar--look for an announcement from her soon. And Jolene Perry also has a new book out under her Mia Joseph's pen name, called, Blurring The Lines, which is SO FABULOUS. And Julie Musil has a guest post coming next week that you will all love! 
Anything else worthy of report?
Red. Head. Out. :) 

I’m not sure what it is about the SCBWI LA conference, but each year I attend, I seem to find exactly what I’m looking for.
This is my fourth year going to the conference, and each time, I’ve been in a completely different place on this writing journey… whether with my emotional journey or my actual craft/ability/knowledge of the industry. And for some reason, the SCBWI has always been able to reach me—to know exactly what I need at the time and refuel my tank. I’m always able to find myself again. To find what it is I want and what I need and where I want to go.
As we all know, sometimes that "magic something” leaves us. We keep working without really remembering what it is that’s rooted inside of us—that reason why we’re writing in the first place. And I’ve been to conferences that focus only on craft or the industry or how to get from point A to point B. But the SCBWI is different. They seem to get it. They focus on the magic. The art. The heart. The reason why we pour our souls into our work and spent sleepless nights crying over whether we have the ability to really create.  They get that it’s not only about the change that takes place within ourselves, but it’s that books change people. (A concept I could go off forever about, but won’t) 
Recently, I’ve had to face some difficult decisions as far as writing goes, and it’s because of this 2014 LA conference that I’ve been able to block out all the different voices shouting at me and reaffirm my goals. I've found that no matter what you're looking for as a writer, the SCBWI has what you need. Including friends.  With the ridiculously talented Liz Briggs
I’ve connected with dozens of writers who really have become my best friends. (Each one of them much more talented and cooler than I) ;)

And now for fun pics!
And with Karen Grencik, who will always be so special to me!


If you're a YA, MG, or picture book writer, I highly urge you to become a SCBWI member. It's changed my life, opened up opportunities I never dreamed, and helped me take the necessary steps toward this crazy journey called publication. 
Red. Head. Out. <3