Don't forget to check out the Middle Ground Book Fest this weekend, August 7-8th! I'm one of the four founders, and all panels will be posted to our YouTube channel throughout the weekend. These videos are PERFECT to use in the classroom, so teacher friends - don't miss out. Some of the topics include witches, folklore, crushes, book covers - and so much more. We're also doing a bunch of giveaways for books and Owl Crate Jr. box subscriptions. Stock up those libraries! 

Hi friends! Can you believe it's almost the end of July?? I hope you're having a lovely summer!

I want to take a second and chat about the importance of scary books. 

You may know that I'm one of the founders of the Middle Ground Book Fest, a virtual, free literary festival that focuses on the 8-14 year old reader. We recently recorded a panel devoted to scary books, and one of the discussions was about why scary books are incredibly valuable to have in the classroom. As a middle school Language Arts teacher, I think about this topic A LOT. I've heard many English teachers say that they only want "important" books in their classrooms. This is usually code for contemporary realistic fiction. Books with buzz and a shiny sticker on the cover. And while I also love these kinds of books, it's a disservice to kids if we don't open their eyes to ALL kinds of literature - including the scary stuff. 

Middle grade horror books can often times be the key to getting reluctant readers to WANT to go to the library. An important goal for all teachers is to foster a love of reading. Genre fiction can be an integral part of this. I had a Language Arts teacher in fifth grade who had a CABINET dedicated to RL Stine books. She would read Goosebumps to us for read-alouds. Even kids who claimed they "hated" to read were begging her to keep turning the page. It was magic. It brought us all together, kind of like the campfire effect. 

The benefit of scary stories doesn't stop there. They are also great for model lessons on the mechanics of plot, pacing, building suspense, and crafting vivid descriptions. They can also be used to teach kids how to make inferences. 

So if you're an educator or parent and feeling a bit nervous about giving scary stories to your child, give it a try! And be sure to check out the Middle Ground Book Fest panel on August 8th at 2pm EST; they'll be chatting more about this topic, and it's a great way to discover more spooky reads! 

​Hi friends! 

I'm currently running a multiple book giveaway this week on my socials. If you don't follow me on Twitter or Instagram, then you can enter here by using the CONTACT page of this website. 

Tuesday's prize: a new paperback copy of THE STITCHERS.
Wednesday's prize: an annotated hardcover copy of THE STITCHERS.
Thursday's prize: a pre-ordered hardcover of THE COLLETORS.
Friday's prize: a paperback copy of THE STITCHERS. AND!! a hardcover of THE COLLETORS: both books! 

Winners will be announced on Sunday, July 11th. 

Happy haunting!
​Lorien

It's finally summer! If you've read my bio, you probably already know that I'm a middle school English teacher. Today we finally said goodbye to this disjointed, stressful schoolyear. Now that I'll have more time, I hope to update this page a little more often, including details about my recent projects, giveaways for THE COLLECTORS, and much more. Stay tuned!

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If you've been following me on social media, you probably already know this BUT!!!
FRIGHT WATCH is getting a third installment! 
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I hope you all had a safe and peaceful holiday season. I can't believe we're almost to 2021! This year has been awful in so many ways, and amazing in others. I mean, MY BOOK CAME OUT! Seeing THE STITCHERS on shelves has been a lifelong dream realized. I've made such amazing friends in my debut group, and I've had the please of speaking with readers, teachers, librarians, and other authors. 

And the sequel, THE COLLETORS, is almost done! So much of my heart went into this book, and I can't wait to share it with all of you. Look for it in fall 2021 (actual date TBD). And keep checking back here: I'll be sharing the cover soon! 

Until then, have a happy and healthy beginning of 2021!

Hi friends!

Just posting a little check-in. Hope everyone is doing OK. I'm getting some lovely messages from readers who are enjoying THE STITCHERS. Thank you to everyone who has read, shared, posted a review, or tagged me on social media. I LOVE hearing your thoughts and seeing pictures of my book out in the wild!

I recently handed in my edits for the sequel, which is called THE COLLECTORS. Look for it next fall! This week I got a sneak peak of the cover, and it's absolutely creeptastic! Can't wait to share!

Now I'm diving into an all new, top secret project for the month of November, which is NANOWRIMO month (National Novel Writing Month; OR! Write a novel in a month...) We'll see what I can draft! 

Hope you're staying safe and well. 
​:-)

Hi friends!

I've got TWO giveaways happening right now. One is a StoryGram Kids tour. This is basically when book bloggers take pretty pictures of a book. Find the details on my IG page: @LorienLawrence for your chance to win a copy of THE STITCHERS! 

And the second one is from Trick or Reaters - this one lets you win 20 spooky MG books! Don't miss out! 

Announcing my first giveaway for the month! 

And this one is very special to me. About a year and a half ago, I got to spend the day with special effects artist, Tyler Green. I had reached out to him while doing some book research, and he was so kind as to let me come to his studio and ask him my 50,000 questions. He recently came out with a line of monster-making kits for kids; these seemed like the PERFECT giveaway partner for my monster book.

​SO.... I'm giving away a signed hardcover of THE STITCHERS, and Tyler's zombie Monster Kidz Box! (There may be some extra spooky swag thrown in as well!)

To enter simply fill out this form, and make sure you're following Tyler and me on social media. 

The giveaway is US only and will run between October 1-11th. The winner will be notified through email. 

Good luck, everyone!