News: January 2008 Archives

I had tea with GalleyCat the other day (and the mental image of a tabby cat sipping from a china cup springs immediately to mind), and this nice, albeit revealing article about the depths of my geekiness is the result. Please also note yet another reason to reject an author (now sadly unavailable to me for future submissions):

I told him I preferred to date him rather than represent him.

Thanks once more to Justine for linking to another nice review for FIRST KISS (THEN TELL), with a story by Alyson Noel, this time from Teen Book Review. An excerpt:

First Kiss (Then Tell) is an anthology filled with the true first-kiss stories from a number of fantastic YA authors, including Deb Caletti, Justine Larbalestier, David Levithan, Alyson Noel, and Scott Westerfeld. The stories are told in different forms - stories, plays, comics, poems (Scott Westerfeld writes a haiku! I love haiku) - and are very different stories, from the funny to sweet and awkward to disgusting. Overall, this book is a lot of fun! [...] It's a well-executed project, though; great concept, great title, great lineup of authors! And there are quite a few awesome stories here. It's certainly worth reading!

Check out the whole thing!

Maureen Johnson's debut novel with her new publisher Point/Scholastic won't be published until May, but devoted readers of her blog won early copies, and the reviews are fabulous. Little Willow (yes, that is a Joss Whedon reference, and so I love her) writes:

Maureen Johnson's sixth novel - and Scholastic debut - is not to be missed. Johnson's trademark wit is here ("Before, liking Eric was like a mirror - it was just a shiny thing, and it only went one way") as is her ability to capture simple truths. There are many truths to be told here about families, first loves, careers, living in New York City, and simply growing up.

And a teen librarian from the Kinnelon Public Library writes:

I cannot overstate how much I love all of Maureen's books. In an age of mindless chick lit for girls, Maureen writes novels where the heroines are smart, spunky, and with fierce independent streaks. But the books are also pretty breezy and light as well, and you can generally count on a big old dollop of romance mixed in, too. What more can you ask for?

For more SUITE SCARLETT news, check out Maureen's blog, or insideadog, where she's guest blogging now through February 15th.

A great review from Booklist for the anthology FIRST KISS (THEN TELL), with a contribution by Alyson Noel. Thanks to Justine Larbalestier for sharing this on her blog.

This entertaining collection of true "first kiss" stories by popular YA authors arrives just in time for Valentine's Day. The risk of veering into groan-worthy, "when-I-was-your-age" territory always exists when adults reminisce about their teen years, but these authors treat their own stories with the same freshness and respect with which they approach their YA novels. The stories include Deb Caletti's thrilling and empowering kiss, "as right as warm sidewalks and plums bought at roadside stands"; Cecil Castellucci's secret and slightly shameful smooches with a bad boy; and Justine Larbalestier's disgusting yet hilarious drunken kiss on a floating dock. Some stories are poems, one is a play, and a few are in comic form; despite the reality-based entries and mix of forms, the collection is classified as fiction. Kissing quotes and facts are interspersed, making this a good collection for browsing. The reader will finish this volume and know that whether a first kiss is anticipated or unexpected, dreamy or forgettable, this rite of passage provokes a complex mix of fear, excitement, and relief.

Buy yours today!

The floodgates have opened, and the queries have just been pouring in. We're thrilled! Please note, however, that our official first day of business is February 1st. We'll be doing our level best to get to your emails as soon as possible, but do expect some minor delays as we finish setting up our shop.

Alyson Noel is giving away a signed copy of First Kiss (Then Tell), a wonderful anthology to which she contributed a great story. Head over to the Teen Fiction Cafe, where Alyson is guest-blogging, to try to win a copy.

Ellen Booraem is a proud member of the Class of 2k8, a group of writers whose first middle grade and YA novels are debuting in 2008. Check out her blog, or the Class of 2k8 website or blog. You'll be hearing a lot more about Ellen, and her brilliant novel THE UNNAMEABLES, soon!

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