2009 Debutantes

LIBRARIANS! thank you for your wonderful
response to the L. K. Madigan Book Love for Libraries,
courtesy of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. This giveaway
is now closed!

i wanted to take the time to thank everyone on
behalf of the debs for the outpouring of support and
Book Love i've seen for lisa in our debs giveaway.
thank you so much! please do continue to help
get the word out about lisa's books. <3

in keeping with this, lisa's wonderful publisher,
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, is matching our debs
giveaway by donating FORTY sets of lisa's novels
as well. Flash Burnout and The Mermaid's Mirror
will be donated to forty PUBLIC or SCHOOL
libraries in the United States.

as a fellow book lover with an endless To Be Read pile(s),
i know how many books are competing for our attention.
but for the librarians who enter, please do help us spread
LK Madigan book love in some way--be it reading the books
yourselves, recommending to readers, displaying face out, etc.

i'm over half way through The Mermaid's Mirror (i began
reading yesterday) and lisa is simply such a wonderful
storyteller. and i find myself caught up in this novel as much
as i was in Flash Burnout, even though the stories are
quite different--her voice shines through.

again, thank you for helping us show lisa how much we love her
and her books!!

Flash Burnout was one of the top five books i read
in 2009. this is saying a lot, because i tend to favor
fantasy novels. it's simply a personal preference, as
indicated in my own writing. but i happened to pick up
an arc of Flash Burnout at ALA in chicago that summer,
read it, and gave lisa's debut novel this short five star
review on goodreads:

stayed up till past 1.30am to finish lk madigan's
FLASH BURNOUT. brilliant. funny, touching, sad,
and utterly real. i love blake. RECOMMEND!

the way madigan channeled a boy teen with a sense
of humor and heart--capable of mistakes like
all of us--is nothing short of amazing.

a terrific read!

then i had the pleasure of meeting lisa at the
scbwi national conference in los angeles. and
proceeded to fangirl her enthusiastically. maybe
i stalked her a little too. =) i couldn't get past the
fact that this charming, mild-mannered woman had
the spirit of a teen boy hidden inside her. we sat on
a table we probably weren't meant to sit on at the end
of the gala and lisa told me about the mermaid book
she was writing. but she wouldn't say anything else
about it. (i'm like that too with my new projects.)

Flash Burnout went on to win the Morris Award in 2010,
given to the best young adult debut novel written in the past
year. i was so thrilled for lisa, for her novel, and for Blake,
the narrator of her story.

this week, lisa shared very difficult news on her blog.
bravely. eloquently.
words fail to express how we, the debs, as a group
have reacted. we've been through so much together
since our publication year, so many ups and downs,
triumphs and tribulations, and i don't think any of us
can imagine news more devastating than this.

so how can we best express our love and support for
lisa during this time? through the celebration of her books.
only a fellow writer can know the angst and turmoil associated
with creating stories--because we put so much of ourselves in them.
won't you help us in spreading L. K. Madigan Book Love?

i already told you how amazing Flash Burnout is, and i've
got a copy of The Mermaid's Mirror winging its way to me.
the debs are giving away FORTY sets of lisa's books. each
winner will receive both Flash Burnout and The Mermaid's Mirror.
and to enter, you simply have to help spread the love.

how, you ask? consider:

1. adding her books onto your goodreads shelf.
2. blogging. linking, tweeting about this giveaway.
3. adding reviews to sites or on your blog if you've
read lisa's novels. vlog about it!
4. if you've already blogged about lisa's books, why
not do so again? =)
5. telling your friends about lisa's books if you've read them.
6. buying her wonderful books for yourself, for a friend.
7. checking them out from your local library, requesting them
if they aren't carried.
8. generally spreading the Book Love, however and any
way you can.

then comment in this post on how you shared the Book Love
(with appropriate links to blogs, twitter, goodreads, etc)
to enter for a chance to win one of forty sets we're giving away.
this contest is open to US mailing addresses only and will run
through MONDAY, JANUARY 31, when winners will be chosen by
random. though i may favor entries that took more thought
and effort. good luck! please help us show lisa how much we love her!




Click.

Telephoto lens. Zoom. In a shutter release millisecond,
Blake’s world turns upside down. The nameless woman
with the snake tattoo is not just another assignment.
“That’s my mom!” gasps Marissa.

Click.

Saturated self-portrait: Blake, nice guy, class clown,
always trying to get a laugh, not sure where to focus.

Click.

Contrast. Shannon, Blake’s GF. Total. Babe. Marissa,
just a friend and fellow photographer. Shannon loves him;
Marissa needs him. How is he supposed to frame them both
in one shot?

Click.

Chiaroscuro. Lightdark. Marissa again, overexposed.
Crash and burn.

Talk about negative space.

Click.



Lena has lived her whole life near the beach — walking for
miles up and down the shore and breathing the salty air,
swimming in the cold water, and watching the surfers rule
the waves — the problem is, she’s spent her whole life just watching.

As her sixteenth birthday approaches, Lena vows she will
no longer watch from the sand: she will learn to surf.

But her father — a former surfer himself — refuses to allow
her to take lessons. After his near drowning years ago, he
can’t bear to let Lena take up the risky sport.

Yet something keeps drawing Lena to the water . . . an ancient,
powerful magic. And one morning Lena catches sight of this
magic: a beautiful woman — with a silvery tail.

Now nothing can stop Lena from seeking the mermaid, not
even the dangerous waves at Magic Crescent Cove.

And soon . . . what she sees in the mermaid’s mirror will
change her life forever.

A few weeks ago I said I'd done a radio interview and that the person asking the questions had brought up the issue that YA wasn't necessarily just for YA readers, that more mature readers could enjoy the books.

Here's my interview. Thought you might like to hear what was said about widening the reading audience for our books. I loved the opportunity to speak about that.

http://champagnesundaysmagazine.com/PrincessOfLasPulgas.html

Hey Debs fans,

In case you haven't heard, a bunch of us will be in New York this Saturday, hanging out at Books of Wonder, signing books and chatting with readers. I suspect there will also be swag. Stop by and grab a book for yourself or early holiday shopping, and maybe score some inside info on our upcoming releases!

Full details...

Who: Megan Crewe, Jenny Moss, Jon Skovron, Rhonda Stapleton, J.A. Yang, and Michelle Zink
Where: Books of Wonder, 18 West 18th Street, NY
When: Saturday, November 20th, 6pm - 8pm

Hope to see you there!

The Debs thank everyone who spoke loudly during this Banned Book week, and stood up for our freedom to read. All winners have been notified in our 100 TWENTY BOY SUMMER giveaway.

If you entered with your Livejournal or Facebook account, please check the message systems to see if you won, and to provide your contact information.

If you haven't claimed your prize by October 5th, we will regretfully have to award your prize to another entrant.

Banned Books Week has special significance for the Debs this year. Our own Sarah Ockler and her debut novel, TWENTY BOY SUMMER, are under challenge right now in Republic, MO, along with Kurt Vonnegut's SLAUGHTERHOUSE 5 and Laurie Halse Anderson's SPEAK.

TWENTY BOY SUMMER is a moving novel about grief and love. Anna and her best friend Frankie plan to spend their vacation at the beach, in search of their first romance. But what Frankie doesn't know is that Anna already had her first love- the summer before, with Frankie's brother Matt. Their romance was a secret, a secret sealed when Matt died unexpectedly. Now this summer, the secret is going to have to come out.

As Debs, we're biased- we think TWENTY BOY SUMMER is extraordinary. But we're not the only ones:

"Anna's authentic voice and some lyrical writing will satisfy fans of Sarah Dessen, while the mix of romance, drama, and tragedy will be a draw for teen readers of Nicholas Sparks and Jodi Picoult."
- Heather Brooks, Booklist

"Ockler's debut is often poetic and the girls' friendship authentic, making for a poignant summer read."
- Publishers Weekly

"Ockler deftly combines the sadness of the situation and her characters with humor and lightness… This humor along with several sweet and sensitively written love scenes will surely make this intelligent, heartfelt novel a favorite of many older middle school and high school girls."
- Paula Brehm-Heeger, VOYA

"Ockler’s strong debut has a plot predicated around a tragedy, but the story rises above gloom and doom and is just a lovely, heartfelt novel."
- Romantic Times

Now you can decide for yourself. To celebrate the freedom to read, the Debs and Little, Brown are giving away ONE HUNDRED copies of TWENTY BOY SUMMER in paperback throughout Banned Books Week. To enter, just leave us a comment in this post between now and October 2, 2010 about the freedom to read. We'll select ONE HUNDRED winners on October 3rd.

Anyone may enter, open internationally. If you're not using a LiveJournal account to enter, please include an e-mail address where we can notify you if you win. Because the challenge is taking place in Missouri, if you're from MO, let us know in your comment, and we'll give you an extra entry.

Whether you enter or not, we do hope that you'll celebrate your freedom to read this week- write a blog post, write a letter to an editor, read a banned book and always, always speak loudly!

It was great to meet Carrie at her book signing in San Francisco. And here are some other Debs who also got together for dinner and the signing. (L to R) Cheryl Herbsman, Daisy Whitney, Sarah Quigley, Malinda Lo, and me.

 
When I was least expecting it ....

... my FB friend Fausto sent me a book trailer for My Invented Life!

You can check it out here!

Fausto is not only a talented videographer, he's also writing his first YA novel.

I'm his newest fan.

Congratulations, Carrie! Great interview in PW:

www.publishersweekly.com/article/453489-Q_A_with_Carrie_Ryan.php

Hi, all! I'm thrilled to announce that the second book in my STUPID CUPID trilogy is now out! You can find FLIRTING WITH DISASTER in most neighborhood bookstores. Or, check out my website here for links to your favorite online bookstore!

YAY, thanks for celebrating with me!!!