Author Blog: Kate Welshman

Kate Welshman's debut novel, Posse is currently beautifying the shelves here in Australia. She has kindly agreed to be spotlighted this week, allowing me to ask many (possibly painfully annoying) questions and set her the task of writing a guest blog. Take it away Kate!

Writing young adult fiction is a treat. The best thing about it is telling the story through a young adult mouthpiece. In my opinion, it’s the age of the narrator that determines whether a book is for the young adult market. The themes don’t matter that much, as long as events are described from a young adult’s point of view.

I loved my narrator, Amy, and her friends, the ‘posse’. Like many young adults, Amy has a realistic but optimistic view of the world. She’s physically mature, has sexual desire, and isn’t blind to the negative aspects of human nature. Her voice is strong, lively and sometimes quite sarcastic. I don’t know why sarcasm gets such a bad rap. In my opinion, it’s far from the lowest form of wit. It may, in fact, be the highest.

In the best young adult fiction, main characters evolve. They are not exactly the same at the end of the book as they are at the beginning. In Posse, the action takes place over just a week, but Amy’s world is turned upside down. Though most teens probably don’t experience events as tumultuous as those in Posse, change does happen quickly at that age. Big realizations occur. People are not who you thought they were. What was good becomes bad. The world isn’t as simple as it was when you were a kid.

The pleasure of writing young adult fiction is approaching the development of the character away from the child toward the fully-fledged adult in a positive and funny way. What I love about Amy is that she handles her crisis with style and elegance. She processes the changes without compromising herself or becoming disillusioned. That, in my view, is the essence of the young adult hero or heroine.

At the moment I can’t imagine writing in another genre. Young adult fiction is uplifting and transforming, for both reader and writer.

Thank you so much to Kate and Yae for making this possible. It's been a honour to present a great, new YA voice to the blogging world.

Competition - Remember that you need to comment on each of Kate's Author Spotlight posts this week (Reader's Snapshot, Interview and today's guest blog) to be in the running to win a copy of the awesome Posse. International. Winner will be posted Sunday so have your comments written asap.

Interview - Juliet Izatt (Walker Books Australia)

Part of Aussie Month here at Persnickety Snark has been sharing debut Aussie authors and showing off all the great people I get to communicate with regularly from the Australian publishing industry. Juliet Izatt is the publicist at Walker Books Australia and is a crazy busy, always lovely lady who's has a great book recommendation for me.

What's is a normal day for you at Walker Books?
Wading through/ and answering a hundred emails a day! Many aspects of author care – I’m their first point of contact for any queries they may have (with the exception of editorial queries!), writing press releases, organising media mailout packs of books to review, keeping my media database up-to-date – always adding new publications to send books to and tracking editor / reviewer staff changes, keeping abreast of all published reviews (we don’t use a clipping service!) reading and filing them away, keeping tabs on any upcoming children’s festivals and writing events and pitching our authors for them and sending them our marketing material, contacting booksellers and organising our books to be sold at such events, calling the media and pitching interviews and bookpack giveaways, liasing with both authors and booksellers and schools to organise book launches, author school visits etc!

What do you believe are the popular themes in YA at the moment?
Stephenie Meyer and Cassandra Clare’s vampire/demon series have had huge success recently proving that gothic urban fantasy is definitely where it’s at for now! Fantasy has always been popular for teens and I expect to see it still going strong with similar genres such as futuristic techno-thrillers such as Brainjack (coming out in September) and The Tomorrow Code by Brian Falkner, stories set in dark underworlds such as Cassandra Clare’s new The Infernal Devices coming out next year (www.theinfernaldevices.com) or manga/comic book heroes.

The storylines and character development in Young Adult novels over the last few years has been appealing more and more to an adult readership – the content can be quite advanced – typical books that have what is called ‘cross-over opportunities’ have been written by Mal Peet and MT Anderson. Other popular themes go into territory that previously few Young Adult novels feared to tread such as mental health issues (Letters for Leonardo by Dee White – out in July) and caring for ageing parents with Alzheimer’s/dementia (Pearl Verses the World).

What do you believe is the future direction of YA?
YA will always really have to connect with its readership and it is important that the language appeals and never underestimates the intelligence of its audience. YA also needs to tackle the big issues, providing an outlet for the readership. Teens take on more responsibility all the time and this will be reflected in the books that we see. It is also important that the books don’t ‘talk down’ to young adults. Panels such as ‘Don’t tell the teenagers: Young Adult Fiction that’s Too Hard for Young Adults’ with participants Mal Peet and M.T. Anderson at this year’s Sydney Writers Festival demonstrate two authors who write nuanced, sophisticated, complex fiction for young adults.

For future direction of YA – books in which the majority of the main characters are adults, not kids – for example Exposure by Mal Peet – the main characters are the sports star, the sports reporter, the sports agent, the sports star’s singing-star wife, plus politicians and policemen and the smarmy worlds of celebrity, crime and corruption and opulent, rich society. Definitely gritty and not for the faint-hearted!

Which Australian authors get you excited?
Boofheads) and Dee White (author of Letters to Leonardo – publishing July) both write as great contemporary voices for boys. I also can’t wait to start promoting Surfache by Gerry Bobsien – a surfing novel for girls coming out later this year in November.

Your big recommendation at the moment?
Surfache – Gerry Bobsien Nov 09, Letters to Leonardo – Dee White – July 09, Mortal Instruments series – Cassandra Clare – all available, The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness and its sequel The Ask and the Answer coming out in July 09.
(Adele - Andrew Finegan aka LibrarianIdol recommended Ness' two titles last night to me - I think it's a sign.)

What are some of the upcoming releases that readers should be chomping at the bit to read?
Definitely Ask and the Answer and most definitely Surfache !

We have some three fabulous first time authors this year; Elspeth Edgar has written The Visconti House - told in effortless prose - the story of two teenagers who - as they discover the mystery and romance behind the house one of them lives in - also discover they have much in common and are not the outsiders they each thought they were – it has such lovely writing. Dee White has written Letters To Leonardo; a boy turns fifteen, gets a card from his supposedly dead mother and realises - with serious consequences - that life and the choices people make for love, art or their better judgement aren't always clear cut. Gerry Bobsien's Surfache lures and immerses the reader, as well as the protagonist away from her comfort zone of ballet, life in Melbourne and old friends, to the magic of a new school and new friends and new world of surfing in beachside Newcastle.

Thanks so much to Juliet for allowing me to interview her!

Next up we have Penny Hueston from Text Publishing.

Walker Books Australia

Loathing Lola / William Kostakis

Summary - Fifteen-year-old Courtney Marlow didn't exactly think it through. She thought the offer to have her life broadcast on national television was the perfect solution to her family's financial troubles.
She was wrong.
Mackenzie Dahl, the show’s producer, promised to show Australia a real teenager. Courtney was going to be a positive role model, someone on television without a boob job and an eating disorder.
Soon, everyone wants their 15 minutes of fame via a little bit of Courtney – especially her conniving friend Katie, and her stepmother, Lola. And Courtney is just beginning to realise that ‘ordinary’ does not translate to ‘entertaining’…

Review - There are some authors that have a specific turn of phrase, rhythm and humour that appeal to me...William Kostakis is one of them. Unlike some YA authors, he's actually got his finger on the pulse of the teens that he's writing about as he's pretty much their age (19). He's not recollecting that time in his life, adding some modern vocab and pretending to know about the teens of today - he is the audience. I liked that, I liked it a lot.

That being said, it started off bumpy for me. The depiction of Chloe as the wannabe girlfriend of Courtney's deceased boyfriend unsettled me, primarily due to the that fact that she was overweight. Then I got over it when the characters begin a competition to out-mourn one another at a funeral. This book has a very healthy, snarky, sardonic sense of humour that appealed to me greatly - my blog's title is purposeful. Teens today are extremely jaded and both the humour and the voice of this novel was very true to the age group that it was depicting, while being accessible to those who aren't.

Kostakis' characters are all realistically flawed. It's these flaws, and that of the protagonist, that provide most of the basis of the insults that induced my too-loud cackling. What can I say? I have a mean sense of humour. Katie, a character that I loathed on sight, was one that flip flopped and had endeared me by the end. Jackson, an inclusion I was highly suspicious of, turned out to be not what I expected and Chloe, well she just cracked me up. All these characters, including Courtney, were highly identifiable, relatable and rounded. I do wish that Tim got a little more page time, as he's a character that I very much related to.

Loathing Lola has a cracking pace that feels feather light with the occasional king hit of a joke. While on the surface it may sound like it's a run of the mill, contemporary, teen dramedy, there are some great observations on the cost of fame, the basis of friendship and moving on (whether from grief, anger or guilt). Some elements I could see coming but there were story turns that I didn't anticipate, which really drew me into Courtney's life.

As a reality television addict, I really gelled with the use of it to further complicate a complicated teen's life. Courtney is a teen who wasn't ever going to confront her father about his mistreatment of his family and yet Real Teens created a great foil to push it to the fore. Loathing Lola is a great story with a relatable protagonist, snappy dialogue and a grasp on the random and ridiculous. Guaranteed to make you chuckle and ponder on the machinations of reality television!

Published: 2008

Format: Paperback,

Publisher: PanMacmillan

Origin: Australia

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William Kostakis' website

William's Twitter

Sarah Dessen May Project

Most of you know that I am the Sarah Dessen Diariast, as well as being the Snarktress.  Here's what's happened on the first nine days of the Sarah Dessen Birthday / Along for the Ride Celebration.

Day 1 - Shalonda - The Newbie

Day 2 - Melissa Walker - Chapel Hill Compariots

Day 3 - Janssen - Sisterhood

Day 4 - Sara Zarr - Beacon of Hope

Day 5 - Jordyn - I Want To Be Sarah Dessen

Day 6 - Amanda Ashby - How To Deal

Day 7 - SarahBear -  Dessen, The Best Medicine 

Day 8 - Lindsey Leavitt - Dessen Boys 

Day 9 - Khy - The Dessen Boys Report Card

And we have well over twenty posts from authors and bloggers left!  Make sure to drop by and leave a comment!

Interview - Kristen Young (black dog books)

Kristen Young is the sparkling publicist for black dog books. She joins the other lovely publishing personnel, from different Australian publishing houses, that have allowed me to interview them.

What's is a normal day for you at black dog books?
I’m the publicist at black dog books so a normal day for me consists of talking to people about our books - that’s right – someone actually pays me to talk about books I love! The Fools!

But seriously, my role is to try and get some attention in the media (and that includes any type of media – print, radio, blog) for our books and our authors. So I spend a lot of my day on the phone, on the email and at the post office sending books out! It isn’t always easy, but it is pretty fun and there is a really good team here who make it a lot easier!

What do you believe are the popular themes in YA at the moment?
I think we are seeing people talking about some really interesting things in YA at the moment – certainly more interesting then ten years ago I would say. But it seems to me that one of the prevalent themes in YA (maybe in all lit) is that sense of place, finding somewhere that you belong – whether that is driven by a catastrophic event or a major change that makes the character reassess things – it just seems to be a theme that people really respond to.

What do you believe is the future direction of YA?
Our French intern gave us the best term ever –“Bit Lit” – for the current trend toward vampire novels but I am kind of hoping that we move away from that! There seems to be a big resurgence in romance and historical romance in particular at the moment which I am finding interesting.

But maybe you are better off asking someone in America what they think – cos if the parallel importation laws get changed that’s what will be reading!

Which Australian authors get you excited?
Well, I am biased but Karen Tayleur, Sue Lawson, Charlotte McConaghy and Lili Wilkinson of course. And I think because I am new to black dog I get to say that!

Aside from our own I think Julia Lawrinson, Melina Marchetta and James Roy are very exciting authors.

Your big recommendation at the moment?
I think might get some agreement here – The Strangers of Paragor Book 1: Arrival. Epic saga, epic battles, romance – what more do you want!

Thank you to Kristen for taking the time to answer my many questions about her role at bdb. Make sure you drop by the black dog books website to check out their titles. For those in the teaching profession, bdb also have a range of support materials that are great to refer to!

Next up - Juliet Izatt from Walker Books Australia.

Black Dog Books

Interview - Kate Welshman

Kate's back again to tell us about Posse! Remember you are required to comment on each Kate Welshman-related post this week to be in the running to win a copy of this fantastic debut effort.

How much did editing change your initial draft of Posse?
Editing didn’t change the original plot or the characters much at all. It did smooth some of the rough edges. Some of the sexual references had to be removed to make the book acceptable to the market.

You are a mum, a barrister and a published YA author - when do you have time to write?
Sometimes I’m not as busy at work as you might think. When one of my cases settles, I get a few days off. Also, the courts are closed for a fair chunk of the year. When a day or more opens up, I either do administrative work or write. I also write at night when my kids are asleep and at the weekend. If you want to write, you can always find the time.

What motivated you to use field hockey as Amy's sporting talent?
I played hockey at school and I was really, really bad at it. I was scared of the stick. I was scared of the ball. I was scared of Amazonian hockey players like Amy. I think hockey’s a tough, hard sport. It’s confrontational and easy to get hurt. You have to be strong and brave to be good at it, and in that sense it suited Amy’s character.

How much of Amy's mother and grandmother were based on actual cases you've witnessed in family court?
Unfortunately our adversarial legal system encourages parents to engage in what I call ‘the race to the bottom’, where they assassinate each other’s characters in an attempt to secure more time with their children. The fact of the matter is that people who behave badly prevail. There is no incentive to behave well. Brain washing by the custodial parent is very common and in many cases children end up having no relationship at all with the non-custodial parent.
Amy’s mother and grandmother are based on loosely on people I have come across in Family Court litigation, but they are vastly toned down from their real-life counterparts. I couldn’t have made them as odious as the real thing.

You have crafted some beautifully rounded teen girls within the Posse. Who were you most like as a teenager?
I wasn’t like any of the girls, although obviously Amy and I share a way of interpreting the world. Amy has much more integrity than I did. I was bored and naughty. I liked primary school but I didn’t enjoy high school. I saw it as a waste of my time and I only had a handful of friends (who I’m pleased to say I’ve kept). By the end of school I was quite withdrawn and preferred to spend time with my horses and horsy friends. In fact, I’m still like that.

Was Jo the one responsible for Amy's broken jaw years previous?
I don’t know. I hadn’t thought about it. That’s a good idea, actually.
(Adele-I love that she liked this idea lol)

What are you working on at the moment?
I have written two more manuscripts since ‘Posse’ and they are with my agent. One is a pony book. The other is a young adult book about a young religious man who is manipulated by a pretty girl he’s trying to seduce/evangelise. I would like to have a crack at an Aussie ‘Twilight’. Don’t worry, it won’t involve vampires – maybe demons of a different kind. It will be romantic, though. I like the idea of falling for someone who you know is bad for you. I have done it myself.

Thanks to Kate again for revealing her thoughts about the writing process and Posse itself. She will return on Friday for the guest blog portion of the Author's Spotlight.

Waiting on Wednesday (13)

It's Aussie month so I am picking a title from the big, brown, dry land that is my country. My pick today is threefold. There are three titles in the series and they are quite well known (and regarded). I have only read the first, way back when I was in the latter years of primary school.

The publishers are relaunched the series, written back in the late nineties, with a great new set of covers.

Here are the Gracey Stories - written by James Moloney and published by the University of Queensland Press.

Dougy is a young Aboriginal boy. "I'm nobody much," he thinks of himself. But when his little outback town erupts in violence and the brooding river breaks its banks, isolating the townsfolk, it is Dougy who must save his sister, Gracey.

Gracey - When Dougy finds some old bones on a building site, he has no idea how they will affect the lives of his sister Gracey and his brother, Raymond. It is Gracey, a champion athlete now attending boarding school in the city who questions her identity as an Indigenous Australian. Angela - Angela had been Gracey's closest friend at Hamilton College. Now as the pair head off to University, Gracey meets new Aboriginal friends while Angela is distracted by love. The friends begin to drift apart. Can a friendship like this survive? Each girl has things to learn about herself, her family and the past, things which will strengthen their friendship or break them apart forever.

Teaser Tuesday (13)

Continuing with my Aussie Month, here is my Aussified Teaser pick.

The concept? - To pick a random page, find a quote and tempt others with it's tastiness.

Title: Halfway to Good
Author: Kirsten Murphy

"What exactly constituted an emergency was a bit of a grey area in the Christofi household. Apparently essay-purchasing fell into this very category."

p. 23

My Extraordinary Life and Death / Doug MacLeod

Summary - What exactly is The Tight Trouser Club? Where do you buy children at bargain prices? How do you survive a father who buries you in the garden whenever you misbehave? And whom do you contact when your wife starts to shrink?
None of these questions are answered in My Extraordinary Life and Death, though what do you expect if the author is dead?
A roller-coaster of madness and surreal comedy awaits the reader brave enough to open the pages of this truly remarkable book.Based on a false story.

Review - A complete farcical romp, this book is lively and sure to appeal to children with a healthy sense of humour. MacLeod envisioned this book when he contemplated this his own life wasn't interesting enough to blog about for an Inside A Dog month stint. As such he created a new life to old, woodcut pictures with a heavy emphasis on the ridiculous and the humorous. My favourite section were the mentions of The Tight Trouser Club and the bear falling in love with him. I was chortling (and not quietly I might add.)

A definite tummy tickler!

Published: 2009
Format: Gatefold Paperback, 131 pages
Publisher: Ford Street Publishing
Origin: Australia

Reader's Snapshot - Kate Welshman

Last week I reviewed the terrific debut effort, Posse, from Australian author, Kate Welshman. I am very fortunate to host her as my Author Spotlight this week. Kate is an inspiration, she's a mother, a barrister and now a YA author - all at the age of 28 - way to make me feel unaccomplished!

Which book is memorable from your teen years?
I read Stephen King’s ‘Christine’ when I was thirteen. After that I was terrified of stepping in front of cars – even parked ones – for years. It was one of the first ‘big’ books I’d read, and I had no trouble getting through it because it was so enthralling.

Describe your high school English teacher in three words...
Generous. Quirky. Pungent.

Your book of the moment?
I’m barely willing to admit it, but ‘Twilight’ by Stephenie Meyer. I didn’t want to like it, but I really do. I enjoy teen romances. I would love a handsome vampire like Edward Cullen to fall in love with me on the basis of my smell alone. I’d also like to find out how to write a book that sells a million copies in a day.

What do you use to mark your page when reading?
Bookmark - I fold the corner of the page. I’m afraid I don’t have much respect for the physical integrity of books.

Favourite place to read?
Bed.

Favourite word?
Coax.

Favourite book store?
Dymocks in George Street, Sydney. I really like the café upstairs. It’s run by a Russian woman who cooks a mean chicken dumpling. I don’t like the fact that the children’s books are in the basement, though. For children’s books I like the Children’s Bookshop at Beecroft. That’s where I launched ‘Posse’.

Character you wish you had created?
Rupert Campbell-Black from Jilly Cooper’s ‘Riders’. He’s the man of my dreams. I wish I’d created him and then married him.

Bonus Question - If you had to choose - broken jaw or broken nose?
Definitely a broken nose. My nose is already on the flat side.

Competition - Many of you have been drooling over Posse and I will be giving away my copy to a person who comments on every Kate Welshman related post this week - good luck! This competition is open to everyone and the winner will be announced next weekend.

Surprise / Karen Andrews

Summary - Hamish, Alice, Meg and Thomas are four very different children with one thing in common - they love surprises!

And you'll love yours at the end of the story.

Review - Written by the fantastic blogger/twitterer, Karen Andrews, and illustrated by Kim Fleming, Surprise! is a little different than my normal review fare. (Hence I haven't given it a rating, just a review). I read many picture books to young kids so I know what kids respond to.

This picture book has many elements that kids will enjoy. Lots of dialogue so I can make the most of my repertoire of horrific voices. A plethora of characters that represent the different cultures that are typical of classrooms. Some crafty mentions of the book within the book. Lastly, a great little...you guessed it, Surprise! at the end of the book.

This book is great fun as it makes sport of borrowing and returning books, something we all should be encouraging from a very young age. Even better there's a cool little fold on the back page so kids can leave a surprise (in this case, a drawing) for the next borrower.

Love it!

Published: 2009
Format: Picture book
Publisher: Miscellaneous Press
Origin: Australia
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Karen Andrews' Website
Karen Andrews' Twitter

In My Mailbox - 10 May

Gifts
"Her babies" - thanks E!
Pip: The Story of Olive - Kim Kane
Allen & Unwin - Available
What happened to Olive wasn't because she'd only ever felt half. It didn't even happen because her house was full of crap-knacks and clutter, because she called her mother Mog, or because she knew of a man named WilliamPetersMustardSeed. It wasn't because she had a peculiar relationship with the number two, or because her skin was the exact colour of chicken loaf. Although there was never any doubt that it was a shake-it-all-about hokey-pokey of all these things, what happened to Olive couldn't have happened without Mathilda Graham.

Olive Garnaut likes things in pairs. But even with her own perfectly symmetrical family, birthday and bedroom, Olive has only ever felt half. How extraordinary, then, that one day Pip should appear...

I am kinda expecting this to rock my world since E was so enthusiastic. I will review and give my thoughts as soon as I am done.

Screw Loose - Chris Wheat
Allen & Unwin - Available
A motley group of teenagers try to navigate the school year:

I can catch tennis balls in my mouth

Matilda

You may sneer but they all adore me.

Chelsea Dean

She's kinda cute but if she bites, try rubbing her tummy

Craig R

Go Cockies!

A. Tarano - chick magnet

I do own an elephant.

Georgia

Sure, I threw up on his bedroom floor, but we're still an item.

Joshua Y

They shot me - but I don't know why.

Zeynep

I, like, kinda like cops

Khiem

One of the more awesome covers I have ever seen (will definitely be trying to interview the graphic artist). Another of E's babies that I was aware of. Can't wait to read. Cover attached because I am an idiot and forgot to shove it in the photo.

Review Copies
Halfway to Good - Kirsten Murphy
Penguin - 1 June, 2009
It's the first day of Term One, and Luke and Anna are on opposite sides of the student-teacher divide. School is the last thing Luke feels like - how can he feel halfway to good when his father is sick, his mother is sad and his older brother is painfully present?
Anna's life still revolves around love, friendship and homework, but she's a graduate teacher now. Can she cope with a bullying co-worker, a persistent ex-boyfriend and a class of unforgiving Year Elevens, and still find time to help Luke?

I am not the sharpest tool in the shed sometimes. I saw Kirsten Murray and didn't immediately think of Kirsty Murray - again, not that sharp. Update: So I am a dunderhead, not only isn't it Kirsty Murray, the author is Kirsten Murphy. I have confirmed my status as the dullest tool in the back shed! I love the cover art for this little lovely and as a teacher I am really excited to read the thoughts of a grad (I've been there.) Really excited to read it, hoping to have time before I head off for Reading Matters at the end of the month.

Siggy and Amber - Doug MacLeod
Penguin - 1 June, 2009
There is something strange at Tallis Point. Siggy knows, because he's seen it. And now the mysterious, non-blonde Amber want to see it too.
Should Siggy take Amber to Tallis Point? On the good side, he might end up with a girlfriend. On the bad side, he might explode. It's a tough decision.

Not sure, we'll see. Doesn't set me alight with the description but I love to be proved wrong.

Angel Cake - Cathy Cassidy
Penguin - May 2009
Anya used to dream of moving to Britain to start a brand-new life. But as she sits in a school where nobody understands her, she dreams of Polish summer skies and the place where she once belonged.Then Anya meets bad boy Dan. He's no angel, but she's sure there's a sweeter side to him. And when things begin to fall apart, Anya realizes she's not alone - how can Dan be such bad news when being with him feels like heaven?

Heard awesome things about CC, have yet to read a word. She will also be attending the Reading Matters conference, my reading is now taking on a desperate edge that frightens me.

A Madness of Angels - Kate Griffen
Hachette - June 2009
For Matthew Swift, today is not like any other day. It is the day on which he returns to life.
Two years after his untimely death, Matthew Swift finds himself breathing once again, lying in bed in his London home.
Except that it’s no longer his bed, or his home. And the last time this sorcerer was seen alive, an unknown assailant had gouged a hole so deep in his chest that his death was irrefutable…despite his body never being found. He doesn’t have long to mull over his resurrection though, or the changes that have been wrought upon him. His only concern now is vengeance. Vengeance upon his monstrous killer and vengeance upon the one who brought him back.

Doesn't sound like my normal gig but I am intrigued. The cover art is very cool.

Bought
(It's finally here - excuse me while I perform a celebratory jig)
Wicked Lovely - Melissa Marr
Rule #3: Don't stare at invisible faeries.
Aislinn has always seen faeries. Powerful and dangerous, they walk hidden in mortal world. Aislinn fears their cruelty—especially if they learn of her Sight—and wishes she were as blind to their presence as other teens.
Rule #2: Don't speak to invisible faeries.
Now faeries are stalking her. One of them, Keenan, who is equal parts terrifying and alluring, is trying to talk to her, asking questions Aislinn is afraid to answer.
Rule #1: Don't ever attract their attention.
But it's too late. Keenan is the Summer King who has sought his queen for nine centuries. Without her, summer itself will perish. He is determined that Aislinn will become the Summer Queen at any cost—regardless of her plans or desires. Suddenly none of the rules that have kept Aislinn safe are working anymore, and everything is on the line: her freedom; her best friend, Seth; her life; everything.

I am WAY excited, like really, really, really excited to read this. It was wroth every penny of the $21 I spent.

Lastly - I am attending the Reading Matters conference at the end of this month. It's an event that is run by the State Library of Victoria every second year where I will experience two days of stimulating presentations, panel discussions and performance, featuring leading authors and youth literature specialists.

Walker Books has arranged for me to have some face time with MT Anderson (Octavian Nothing books, Feed) and Mal Peet (UK author of many titles - Exposure, Keeper, etc) so if you have any questions please pass them on. I am literally shaking in my boots.

I also plan on stalking John Green. Just putting that out there, HarperCollins.

This is a concept originated in the super sweet minds of Kristi and Alea.