Happy Pub Day to Don Zolidis and Kayla Cagan!

It’s a big double pub day today– congrats to Don Zolidis on his debut novel, THE SEVEN TORMENTS OF AMY AND CRAIG, and to Kayla Cagan on her follow to Piper Perish, ART BOSS!

“Appealingly realistic… Outrageously funny… Full of humor and heart, this refreshingly unromantic romance is highly recommended for most collections.”―School Library Journal

Janesville, Wisconsin (cold in the sense that there is no God)

1994

The worst thing that’s ever happened to Craig is also the best: Amy. Amy and Craig never should’ve gotten together. Craig is an awkward, Dungeons & Dragons-playing geek, and Amy is the beautiful, fiercely intelligent student-body president of their high school.

Yet somehow they did, until Amy dumped him. Then got back together with him. Then dumped him again. Then got back together with him again. Over and over and over.

Unfolding during their senior year, Amy and Craig’s exhilarating, tumultuous relationship is a kaleidoscope of joy, pain, and laughter as an uncertain future-and adult responsibility-loom on the horizon.

Craig fights for his dream of escaping Janesville and finding his place at a quirky college, while Amy’s quest to uncover her true self sometimes involves being Craig’s girlfriend, and sometimes doesn’t.

Seven heartbreaks. Seven joys. Told nonsequentially, acclaimed playwright Don Zolidis’s debut novel is a brutally funny, bittersweet taste of the utterly unique and utterly universal experience of first love. (Disney-Hyperion)

“There may not be another book published … that is more perfect for artistic [readers] who love stability yet crave adventure.” —Teen Vogue

Debut author Kayla Cagan breathes new life into fiction in this dynamic, authentic book. Warhol-obsessed Piper will have readers asking big questions along with her. What is love? What is friendship? What is family? What should I wear?

Piper Perish inhales air and exhales art. The sooner she and her best friends can get out of Houston and get to New York City, the better. Art school has been Piper’s dream forever, and now that senior year is halfway over, she’s never felt more ready. But in the final months before graduation, things are weird with her friends and stressful with three different guys, and Piper’s sister’s tyranny thwarts every attempt at happiness for the Perish family. Piper’s art just might be enough to get her out. But is she brave enough to seize that power when it means giving up so much? (Chronicle Books)

—

Order SEVEN TORMENTS OF AMY & CRAIG and ART BOSS today!

Julie Murphy’s DUMPLIN’ to Netflix!

Fantastic news, friends: the film adaptation of Julie Murphy’s #1 New York Times-bestselling YA novel, Dumplin’ (HarperCollins/Balzer+Bray), will be released on Netflix later this year! The movie stars Danielle Macdonald (PATTI CAKE$) as self-proclaimed fat girl Willowdean Dickson, and Jennifer Aniston as Will’s mom, a former beauty queen who now runs her small-town pageant. Will signs up for her mom’s pageant as a protest that escalates when other contestants follow in her footsteps, revolutionizing the pageant and their small Texas town. With starry Texas nights, a swoon-worthy romance, red candy suckers, and a Dolly Parton soundtrack, the book–and now the movie–will be sure to steal your heart.

Anne Fletcher (The Proposal) directed the movie, with Dolly Parton recording new versions of her classic songs with collaborators such as Sia and Miranda Lambert in addition to six new original songs co-written by Parton and Linda Perry. The debut single from the soundtrack, “Here I Am,” will drop on September 14th.

For more information on the movie, check out the press release from the Hollywood Reporter! And congratulations, Julie!

—

Pre-order PUDDIN’ on Barnes & Noble & Amazon, or read DUMPLIN‘ before you see the film!

Hafsah Faizal’s WE HUNT THE FLAME gets a cover!

In case you missed it, last week Entertainment Weekly offered a sneak peak at Hafsah Faizal’s May 2019 debut, WE HUNT THE FLAME! I highly recommend you check out the article, since Hafsah has some really beautiful things to say her cover and what it means to her as an #ownvoices author.

Chances are you’ve seen the cover (it’s been all over the internet by now), but in case you haven’t, check it out!

Zafira is the Hunter, disguising herself as a man to kill in the cursed forest of the Arz to feed her village. Nasir is the Prince of Death, assassinating men foolish enough to defy his autocratic father, the king. If Zafira were exposed as a girl, all of her achievements would be rejected; if Nasir showed any of the pity or compassion he felt, his father would dismiss him as weak. Both are legends in the kingdom of Arawiya — but neither of them want to be. Their paths cross when Zafira embarks on a quest to uncover a lost artifact that can save their cursed world, and Nasir is sent to kill her. But an ancient evil stirs, and the prize may pose a threat greater than either can imagine.

Find WE HUNT THE FLAME on Goodreads, and visit Hafsah online at HafsahFaizal.com and on twitter @hafsahfaizal.

GIRLS ON THE VERGE explores the state of reproductive rights for teens in 2018 America

So you may remember I posted about this deal last year. Today I’m so jazzed to share the cover of Sharon Biggs Waller’s stunning contemporary YA debut GIRLS ON THE VERGE.

When 17-year-old Camille discovers she can’t obtain an abortion anywhere near her small hometown, she sets off for a Planned Parenthood clinic in the next state. Accompanied by Annabelle, the one-time star of her high school who has wound up stocking shelves, Camille embarks on a road trip of self-discovery in this coming-of-age story pitched as Going Bovine meets Thelma and Louise.

GOV is coming April 2019 from Holt, so stay tuned for more info about this moving and important story. In the meantime, you can check out Sharon’s historical YA, THE FORBIDDEN ORCHID (Viking Children’s Books) on Amazon, and Barnes & Noble, or check it out on Goodreads.

You can also find Sharon at her website, instagram, and on Facebook.

Happy Pub Day to Relative Strangers!

Guys, I’m so excited everyone can now get their hands on Paula Garner’s RELATIVE STRANGERS!

Why is there a gap in Jules’s baby album? 

Eighteen-year-old Jules has always wished for a close-knit family. She never knew her father, and her ex-addict mother has always seemed more interested in artistic endeavors than in bonding with her only daughter. Jules’s life and future look as flat and unchanging as her small Illinois town. Then a simple quest to find a baby picture for the senior yearbook leads to an earth-shattering discovery: for most of the first two years of her life, Jules lived in foster care. Reeling from feelings of betrayal and with only the flimsiest of clues, Jules sets out to learn the truth about her past. What she finds is a wonderful family who loved her as their own and hoped to adopt her — including a now-adult foster brother who is overjoyed to see his sister again. But as her feelings for him spiral into a devastating, catastrophic crush — and the divide between Jules and her mother widens — Jules finds herself on the brink of losing everything.

RELATIVE STRANGERS is a wry and beautiful coming-of-age novel about finding the truth in lies, salvaging hope in heartbreak, and making peace with missing pieces.

“This is a fast-paced, captivating novel from beginning to end. Readers won’t be able to put this book down. A must-have for YA shelves.”
—School Library Journal

“Jules’ hard-won insights into what families can give us and what we must find and create on our own make for a moving read.”
—Kirkus Reviews

“Garner (Phantom Limbs) weaves a complex story, with Jules gaining her foster family back only to risk losing them again: her former foster mother is dying of cancer. Garner sensitively explores the tensions that can arise between close friends, but she allows questions of what makes a family to remain the heart of Jules’s story.”
—Publishers Weekly

“Garner’s (Phantom Limbs, 2016) novel clearly illustrates the way one’s world can turn inside out in a heartbeat, cautioning readers to be careful what they wish for. Changing friendships, the need for validation, and the desire to be whole will strike a chord with readers who feel a part of their lives is missing.”
—Booklist Online

Congrats Paula!

You can find RELATIVE STRANGERS on Amazon, B&N, Indiebound, and Goodreads.

You can find Paula on her website and on twitter.

Happy Pub Day to A KISS IN THE DARK!

A huge congratulations to the wonderful and brilliant Gina Ciocca on A KISS IN THE DARK, available today from Simon Pulse!

When folks ask “do you represent romance?” I always point to Gina, one of my first ever clients. Gina’s writing is romantic, deep, surprising, beautiful, funny, and unforgettable, and A KISS IN THE DARK is one of my all-time favorites.

After being kissed by a mystery guy when the lights go out during a football game, Macy is determined to figure out which of three possible boys is the culprit in this funny, poignant, and achingly romantic novel from the author of Last Year’s Mistake.

When the lights go out at a Georgia high school football game, senior Macy Atwood finds herself in the arms of a boy who kisses her senseless—but he’s gone by the time the lights come back on. All she knows is that there was something special—and oddly familiar—about her mystery kisser.

Noah Granger, Ridgedale’s resident bad boy and newest transfer student, has no problem taking credit for the kiss, but Macy can’t shake the feeling that he’s lying. Especially since a photograph of Macy and former star football player Joel Hargrove resurfaced online moments before the blackout, a not-so-random reminder of how hard she fell for Joel last year. And how doing so ultimately sent her lifelong friendships with Meredith Kopala and Ben Collins up in literal smoke.

Soon last year’s wounds begin to reopen as Macy realizes the events that unfolded during junior year are somehow tied to her mystery kisser.

But the closer Macy gets to figuring it all out, the more she starts to worry that the boy who kissed her in the dark and the boy who is stealing her heart might be two very different people.

Congrats Gina!

—

Check out Gina’s awesome blog and follow her on twitter.

Find A KISS IN THE DARK on Amazon, B&N, Indiebound, and Goodreads.

You can also read a great interview with Gina here.

Cover Reveal Day! Christian McKay Heidicker’s THROW YOUR ARM ACROSS YOUR EYES AND SCREAM!

Today we bring you another pink-and-purple inflected cover, this time for the (fabulously titled) new YA by Christian McKay Heidicker coming this September from Simon & Schuster: THROW YOUR ARM ACROSS YOUR EYES AND SCREAM!

As  die-hard 50s Sci-Fi schlock fan, I just love this book so much. As with his debut, CURE FOR THE COMMON UNIVERSE, Christian manages to take a stock trope from pop culture and turn it completely on its head. Oh, and it’s also funny as hell.

Without further ado, here is the cover…

Phoebe Darrow is a lightning rod for monsters.

She and her mom are forced to flee flesh-eating plants, blobs from outer space, and radioactive ants. They survive thanks to Phoebe’s dad—an invisible titan, whose giant eyes warn them where the next monster attack will take place.

All Phoebe wants is to stop running from motel to motel and start living a monster-free life in New York or Paris. But when her mom

mysteriously vanishes, Phoebe is left to fend for herself in small-town Pennybrooke.

 

That’s when Phoebe starts to transform . . .

Christian McKay Heidicker returns with a book unlike any other, challenging perceived notions of beauty, identity, and what it means to be a monster.

Check out THROW YOUR ARM ACROSS YOUR EYES AND SCREAM on Goodreads, and preorder today!

—

You can find Christian online at http://www.cmheidicker.com/and https://twitter.com/cmheidicker, and get his debut CURE FOR THE COMMON UNIVERSE at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Indiebound.

“A plugged-in young adult comedy about the pain of unplugging… perfect for teen gamers and readers who are fans of Jesse Andrews and John Green.” (School Library Journal)

“Heidicker’s debut crackles with twitchy energy… this is a fun, absurdist romp through gaming culture, populated by zany characters and a quest narrative worthy of its own game.” (Booklist)

S.K. Ali Talks Family, Togetherness, and Ramadan at NBC News

So cool to see SAINTS AND MISFITS author S.K. Ali talking about blended families, togetherness, and Ramadan with NBC News.

“With my remarriage nine years ago, my single-parented family of three gained two appetite additions: the nuanced one of my gourmand husband and, for two to three months of the year, that of my teen stepson, Jochua, solidly rooted in good ol’ southern American fare.

Which, for him, being brought up as a Christian, includes bacon. (Thank Allah for quality halal beef bacon ready to do fill-in duty!)

You could say my son Hamza is also a meat ‘n potatoes kind of guy. Halal meat and turmeric-laced potatoes that is. My mother, an amazing cook, has nurtured his taste for good ol’ southern Indian fare.

And then my daughter, Bilqis, turned vegetarian four years ago. The kind of vegetarian who thrives on the sameness of her favorite foods, like veggie sushi rolls, with drizzled spicy sauce on top (i.e. she’ll eat it every day if she could).”

…See the full article here.

Check out SAINTS AND MISFITS (which has garnered three starred reviews!) on Goodreads, and pre-order on Amazon, B&N, and Indiebound.

Follow S.K. Ali on twitter at @sajidahwrites,

Chicago Public Library’s Best of 2015 feat Hannah Moskowitz and Tommy Wallach

So excited to see Tommy Wallach and Hannah Moskowitz (twice!) on
Chicago Public Libarary’s Best Teen Fiction of 2015 list. They’re in some great company, along with Folio Jr. clients Margo Rabb and Julie Murphy…

 

See the full list here

Pics, Posts, and Lists– Last Week’s Link Roundup

This spring Sharon Biggs Waller‘s debut y.a. A MAD WICKED FOLLY was selected as one of Booklist‘s Top Ten Historicals. This week FOLLY is back on their list of Top Ten Romance Fiction for Youth. Go Sharon! [10.25.14 Update: MAD WICKED FOLLY just made its *third* Booklist Top Ten List!]

Courtney Alameda‘s mind-numbingly terrifying SHUTTER will pub from Feiwel & Friends in January, but in the meantime, here’s Courtney on Scream Queens with a fabulous article about creating better scares with compelling protagonists.

It’s an author’s (and an agent’s) dream to spot one of your books in the wild– but it really doesn’t get much better than these two young readers with Ryan Gebhart’s THERE WILL BE BEARS (Candlewick Press, 2013) and Hannah Moskowitz’s ZOMBIE TAG (Roaring Brook Press, 2011).

 

 

—

A MAD WICKED FOLLY on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Indiebound, Goodreads
SHUTTER on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Indiebound, Goodreads
THERE WILL BE BEARS on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Indiebound, Goodreads
ZOMBIE TAG on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Indiebound, Goodreads