One of the most exciting things about being an author is not only seeing my own books in print, but seeing other books by authors I know in the bookstores. So, I was pleasantly surprised to see all of these books face out at one of the local Barnes and Noble here in Austin:
Eternal (Candlewick, 2009) by Cynthia Leitich Smith. The summary: At last, Miranda is the life of the party: all she had to do was die. Elevated and adopted by none other than the reigning King of the Mantle of Dracul, Miranda goes from high-school theater wannabe to glamorous royal fiend overnight.
Meanwhile, her reckless and adoring guardian angel, Zachary, demoted to human guise as the princess’s personal assistant, has his work cut out for him trying to save his girl’s soul and plan the Master’s fast-approaching Death Day gala.
In alternating points of view, Miranda and Zachary navigate a cut-throat eternal aristocracy as they play out a dangerous and darkly hilarious love story for the ages.
With diabolical wit, the author of Tantalize revisits a deliciously dark world where vampires vie with angels — and girls just want to have fangs.
Golden Girl: A Bradford novel (Simon Pulse, 2009) by Micol Ostow. The Summary: Spencer Grace Kelly has it all, and then some…especially with two new arrivals at prestigious Bradford Prep: Spence’s ex-boyfriend and first love, Jeremy, and Regan Stanford, a frenemy with a mysterious past.
Micol, a recent graduate of the Vermont College of Fine Arts MFA Program for Writing for Children and Young Adults, is also the author of Emily Goldberg Learns to Salsa (Razorbill, 2006) and So Punk Rock (And Other Ways to Disappoint Your Mother) (Flux, 2009).
Shadowed Summer (Delacorte, 2009) by Saundra Mitchell. The Summary: Nothing ever happened in Ondine, Louisiana, not even the summer Elijah Landry disappeared.
His mother knew he ascended to heaven, the police believed he ran away, and his girlfriend thought he was murdered.
Decades later, certain she saw his ghost in the town cemetery, fourteen-year-old Iris Rhame is determined to find out the truth behind “The Incident With the Landry Boy.”
Enlisting the help of her best friend Collette, and forced to endure the company of Collette’s latest crush, Ben, Iris spends a summer digging into the past and stirring old ghosts, in search of a boy she never knew.
What she doesn’t realize is that in a town as small as Ondine, every secret is a family secret.
So, go out and buy books. Support the chains and the independents (like Bookpeople and The Flying Pig).
And be sure to check out 28 Days Later at The Brown Bookshelf. We’ll be profiling established and up-and-coming African-American authors all during the month of February!
Hey–thanks for the shout-out! I’m going to post the pic on our Facebook fan page. (Come join the group, if you haven’t)!
Ooooh – I have been tempted to read GoldenGirl. It looks a little Gossip-Girl-y, which isn't my style. But it also looks more meaty/fun.
And yay for Cyn's new book. She rocks. I'm so excited for her event with Kathi Appelt in April. I'm so jealous of all your Vermont College types, getting to hang out with her ALL THE TIME. <3
Embarrassed to say that while I have seen your name and face around, I didn’t really check you out till now. (Sorry, I read mostly women). Of course, I love quality literature and when I read a review of your debut novel, I was hooked. Looking forward to reading it and getting a copy for our shelves.
I run a library with zero funding at a non-profit.
I wish you success with you book and future titles to come.