Marissa Burt: STORYBOUND

Marissa Burt writes middle grade fantasy and is represented by Laura Langlie of the Laura Langlie Literary Agency. She grew up in Portland, Oregon, and drifted eastward, living in Colorado, Illinois, Tennessee, and South Carolina, before coming back home to the Pacific Northwest.

Along the way, she studied Sociology, Ancient Languages, and Theology and clocked hours as a social worker, barista, 5th grade teacher, bookseller, faculty assistant, and reference librarian. But not all at the same time.

Marissa now lives in the Seattle area with her husband and three sons where she enjoys time spent around family, friends, and good books.

DEBUT: STORYBOUND (HarperCollins Children's, Winter 2012)

Una Fairchild, a shy twelve-year-old misfit, feels invisible most of the time. But when a mysterious book transports her to the Land of Story, she only wishes she could blend in.

In an otherworld where characters from books enroll at Perrault College with the hope of being cast into a Tale of their own, Una finds herself juggling classes like Villainy and Outdoor Experiential Questing and navigating the challenges of life with her snooty new roommate, all while dodging the notice of Story's rulers.

Una must unravel the realm's secret Backstory in order to discover who has written her in and why. Her quest lands her smack dab in an ongoing battle between good and evil as she unearths the real reason she's always been STORYBOUND.

FIVE PICTURE BOOKS FOR THE APOCALYPSE:

IF YOU GIVE A ZOMBIE A BRAIN
CURIOUS GEORGE GOES UNDERGROUND
THE VERY HUNGRY PERSON
PAT THE COCKROACH
GOODBYE MOON

Photography by: Barry Gregg