Taut and emotionally wrenching… I couldn’t put it down. Josie Bloss is an author to watch.

Josie, take it away!

I was inspired to write Albatross after realizing something important from personal experience – the obsession that sometimes accompanies infatuation can be a terrible thing.

There are plenty of YA books that depict the intensity of first love as sweet and wonderful. I wrote about it in Band Geek Love, in which the main character, Ellie Snow, was drawn out of her defensive shell by devoted Conner. Even if Ellie and Conner weren’t meant to be together forever, it was a formative and positive relationship for Ellie and helped her become a better and more mature person.

But sometimes the object of our affection is not…deserving. Sometimes a crush is manipulative, knows the power he or she has and uses it to take advantage. If it involves the wrong person, sometimes an infatuation doesn’t fill us with light and happiness but instead drags us down into the worst parts of ourselves. Into jealousy and darkness and self-destruction where we molder away until we find the strength to climb out again.

That’s what happens to Tess, the main character of Albatross, when she moves to a new town after escaping her controlling and emotionally abusive dad. In the midst of that turmoil, Tess meets and becomes entranced by Micah, an intense and (literally) biting boy who knows exactly how to manipulate and push all of her buttons. Her intense pseudo-relationship with Micah progresses as he gives her just enough to keep her hanging on. Tess becomes obsessed with the girl she considers her competition for Micah’s affection, lies to her mom, and neglects all her other friendships. Because of her infatuation, Tess slowly turns into a version of herself that she despises. It’s only when she finds the strength to confront her dad that Tess is able to really face what her screwed-up relationship with Micah has become.

I sometimes joke with friends that writing this book-of-my-heart almost ended me, that I felt like I was going through every wretched minute of confusion and despair with Tess as she fought her way through her obsession with Micah and out the other side. But the payoff feels worth it. My favorite stories are about a girl casting off her demons and finding her inner-badass, which Tess most certainly does. And I still tear up (happily) whenever I read the last page. Tess is my hero.

Remember, you can win a copy of Albatross by commenting on yesterday’s post with a story about a high school experience that involved music. Or you can order your own copy at Amazon, B&N, or your favorite independent bookseller.

Bookshelves of Doom has a few words for Maureen Johnson. Namely:

ARE YOU TRYING TO MAKE ME INTO A CRAZY PERSON? How could you leave me hanging like that? Seriously? The only thing that stopped my agonized “GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!” from actually being verbalized was the fact that I was reading under the blankets with a flashlight, trying desperately not to wake my snoring husband. You, madame, are a monster. Also, I am way tired this morning. So thanks for that, too.

Also, is it gross that I’m kind of in love with Spencer?

For the record, no, not gross at all. Click through for the rest of the review.

Over on the Flux blog, they’ve got a great interview up with Josie Bloss about Albatross, and it’s similarities and differences with her previous Band Geek books. An excerpt:

FLUX: The tone in Albatross is more serious than your previous two books. Here, you’ve chosen a far darker story and style. What inspired this change?

JB: Though the story is darker, I think the themes of a girl finding her voice and her inner strength are quite similar to the Band Geek books. Honestly, this is a story that called to me and demanded to be written. I was going through a tough time in my personal life and when my world is upside down, it can be difficult to think or write about anything else. I borrowed significant parts of my own experiences for this book. In some ways, Albatross was my therapy and my method of productively processing these difficult experiences . . . and it’s a fist-bump to other people dealing with similar situations. Sometimes you just need to hear that you’re not alone.

Also included on the Flux blog is a excerpt — check it out!

But wait, there’s more! Author Elana Johnson on Ellen Booraem‘s The Unnameables: “Holy blazes, the woman knows how to use the right words to tell the story.”

And the pun-derfully titled Prose and Kahn says Powerless by Matthew Cody, “is an awesome debut novel and will not be a shelf sitter.” Woot!

And finally, the winner of a book of their choice on Tuesday’s entry is… *drumroll*… Comment #8 (thanks to Random.org). Jean, I’ll email you for your address and book preference!

Full disclosure: By my nature as a literary agent, I get a commission on sales of books by my clients, through any eventual royalties. My links to the Amazon pages of their titles also earns me a small fee, if you click through and buy a copy.

First, the School Library Journal ran one librarian’s “Open Letter to Kids’ Book Publishers.” Then, editor Andrew Karre wrote a rebuttal to her point about the length of books being published.

I don’t disagree that there are books out there that are too long, and I really love short novels, but I respectfully (but firmly) reject the notion that there is a meaningful general limit to length.

Today, he tweeted librarian (and author) Lisa Chellman’s response to the Open Letter, with a brilliant riposte to the original writer’s request for more books with books instead of girls.

Hey, listen up writers and editors! Any book that doesn’t specifically deal with breasts and periods and pretty, pretty princesses should be about boys. Because boys don’t see themselves reflected in literature, film, politics, science, or sports nearly enough. Because boys are the default. Because we’re lazy slaves to the patriarchy.

Excuse me while I barf.

Thinking of Andrew Karre, who was kt literary client Josie Bloss‘ first, brilliant editor makes me think of Josie herself, the cover of whose latest book Band Geeked Out is featured on Jacket Whys, picking up on another trend in cover design. A note for Jacket Whys: Band Geek Love had the same style design!

Then on to another kt literary client, S. Terrell French! Into the Wardrobe has a great interview posted, where Susannah talks about her inspirations and the rewards of writing Operation Redwood. There’s another short review from the King’s English Bookstore in Salt Lake City here, which calls Operation Redwood “intriguing and sensational”!

Next, a quick mention of Vacations From Hell in the Sacramento Bee — notable for being a list of fantastic summer titles not just for kids, but for all readers.

And I’m sure you already heard about the brouhaha around Alice Hoffman’s response to a bad review, but you should check out Jennifer Weiner’s blog about it in the Huffington Post.

And finally, I still want this.

What’s on your mind? Any links you want to share? Add ‘em in the comments!

But what should you buy? Well, the paperback edition of Suite Scarlett by Maureen Johnson is available now, as is S. Terrell French‘s debut Operation Redwood. And don’t forget Band Geeked Out by Josie Bloss, the sequel to Band Geek Love! Or #1 New York Times bestseller Evermore by Alyson Noel.

But say — for whatever reason — you want to expand the possibilities beyond kt literary clients. Well, then, why don’t you do as kt lit client Stephanie Perkins is, and take today as an opportunity to pick up one or more of those books you keep meaning to read, and haven’t gotten to yet. You know — the ones that embarrass you to admit you haven’t read yet.

What’s on MY list? To make it worse, they’re books that I already own, but haven’t read yet. Books like Tender Morsels by Margo Lanagan, Graceling by Kristin Cashore, and Extras by Scott Westerfeld.

*hangs head in shame*

So today, when I head to Tattered Cover to pick up City of Ashes and City of Glass by Cassandra Clare, keep me company and let me know what’s on your May reading lists, or what you’re going to buy today!

Readergirlz and guyz all over the country rocked the drop, leaving YA novels all over the place to teens to pick up.

Which is a great and fabulous cause, of course, but why am I mentioning it NOW? Well, remember back in November, when I gave away a copy of Let It Snow by John Green, Maureen Johnson, and Lauren Myracle to JenFW for her winning question for that month’s round of “Ask An Editor”? In fact, I also sent Jen a copy of Band Geek Love by Josie Bloss, and was pleased to share a few of my books with a reader.

Well, Jen did me one better, and after reading and enjoying both books, she dropped both Band Geek Love and Let It Snow in Operation TBD! Here’s her recap of the events, and here’s the readergirlz blog featuring Jen’s drops!

Way to go, Jen!

Did anyone else participate in Operation TBD ’09? I didn’t, officially, but I always try to leave some of my recent reads where they might be picked up by someone else whenever I can. Airports and airplanes are great for this! What about you? Do you ever leave books where you finish them, or try to pass them on some other way?

Homophones suck.

I really enjoyed this funny novel. True, Ellie is not always a likeable character. She’s bossy and controlling and totally unable to let some things go. Even though she proclaims not to care that she’s not popular, she’s wrapped up in what everyone thinks about her (which is understandable, considering the complete and total humiliation she was put through her freshman year). But all of that just made her feel more real to me. I knew girls just like her in high school. And she’s funny and interesting enough that I cared about her and wanted to read her story

Check out the whole thing, where Abby makes special note of some of Josie’s trademark sarcastic humor.