Who: Anyone with a U.S. or Canadian mailing address What: Win a summer prize pack featuring hardcover copies of THE SEASON by Sarah MacLean, SHADOWED SUMMER by Saundra Mitchell, TWENTY BOY SUMMER by Sarah Ockler, and tons of cute summer goodies to keep you warm this winter! It's the perfect holiday gift for the YA reader on your list! When: 11/30 through 12/15/09, winner announced 12/16/09. How: Leave a comment on the A Taste of Summer for a Winter's Night page. Where: For entry details and complete prize list, visit the A Taste of Summer for a Winter's Night page.

Today is the National Day on Writing, an officially-recognized initiative by the National Council of Teachers of English to "draw attention to the remarkable variety of writing we engage in and help make writers from all walks of life aware of their craft." In less than two weeks, more than 100,000 writers will put pens to paper to kick off National Novel Writing Month, a frenzied quest in which participants strive to complete a 50,000-word novel in a month. For those of us who write… Continue reading

Who: Librarians (public or school) everywhere What: Win a 46 book set of 2009 debut YA & MG books for your library! When: 10/18 through 12/31/09, winner announced 1/1/2010 How: Email a picture of yourself, your patrons, or your library cat with ONE Debut 2009 novel to enter. One lucky winner will be selected from all entries. Where: For entry details and complete book list, visit the 2009 Debut Library contest page!

This week, we’re celebrating Sarah Ockler’s debut! Sarah Ockler wrote and illustrated her first book at age six—an adaptation of Steven Spielberg's E.T. Still recovering from her own adolescence, Sarah now writes for young adults. After several years of wandering between New York City and Denver, she and her husband Alex now live in Upstate New York with lots of books and an ever-expanding collection of sea glass. TWENTY BOY SUMMER is Sarah's first novel. Visit her online at http://www.sarahockler.com. Here’s a little bit about TWENTY BOY SUMMER (Little, Brown). While on vacation in California, sixteen-year-old best girlfriends Anna and… Continue reading

WHO: Anyone with a U.S. mailing address. WHAT: Win the 20 Things grand prize, including 6 autographed debut books (Twenty Boy Summer by Sarah Ockler, Fairy Tale by Cyn Balog, Breathing by Cheryl Renee Herbsman, Prada & Prejudice by Mandy Hubbard, Models Don’t Eat Chocolate Cookies by Erin Dionne, and The Great Call of China by Cynthea Liu) and 14 fun summer goodies in the 20 Things in 20 Days blog scavenger hunt! WHEN: June 11-30, 2009 HOW: Complete clues/activities to earn points toward the grand prize. Complete all or some of the clues, in any order, any time now through June… Continue reading

As authors, how do we balance writing about the reality of teen sex with sensitivity toward younger readers and the parents, teachers, and booksellers who share our books with them? How much is too much? Is there such a thing as not enough? I struggled with this during the writing of Twenty Boy Summer, because sex is part of the reality of the story—one aspect of the physical and emotional journey two best friends follow in the wake of the tragedy that so defines them. I knew that I had to include the sexual content, but I also wondered how much… Continue reading

Who: U.S. residents What: TWENTY BOY SUMMER Beach Prize Pack full of summer goodies! When: Now through 6/30/09 11:59PM (EST) How: Send in a picture or video of TBS on the shelves at your local bookstore, kiosk, or library Where: Details & guidelines at http://tinyurl.com/p76sc2… Continue reading

Last weekend, author Mark Probst sparked a massive social-civil storm against giant online bookseller Amazon.com when he posted the following on his Livejournal: On Amazon.com two days ago... sales rankings disappeared from two newly-released high profile gay romance books… The very next day HUNDREDS of gay and lesbian books simultaneously lost their sales rankings, including my book “The Filly.” …Many of us decided to write to Amazon questioning why our rankings had disappeared. Most received evasive replies… As I am a publisher and have an Amazon Advantage account through which I supply Amazon with my books, I had a… Continue reading

Who: YA readers, teachers, librarians, reviewers, bloggers, authors, and anyone in interested in young adult books What: $25 book store gift card When: 03/22/09-04/05/09 until 12 midnight (EST) How: Answer a quick, anonymous survey on connecting with authors and books online - winner will be selected randomly from entries on 4/5! Where: Details and survey link here!

"Are you kidding me? What's wrong with you?" I know what it is to have my peers question my sanity in not-so-subtle ways. To be looked down upon. To be mocked, judged, and ridiculed. Confession: I don't have a TV. I've never seen Lost or Survivor or Heroes or Sex and the City. And though I've watched an occasional episode of The Simpsons and Friends, I can't chose a favorite or spew out witty best-of-the-best quotes. I'm not up on my celeb gossip, don't care who wore or won what at the Emmy's, and was never sought out as a companion for pop-cultural… Continue reading

Who: Anyone residing in the U.S. or Canada. What: 1 copy of HOT GIRL by Dream Jordan When: 2/20-2/25/09 until 11:59PM (EST) How: Leave a comment at the post linked below - winner will be selected at random on 2/26! Where: AuthorsNow: How Diverse is Your Bookshelf?

I read young adult fiction. A lot of it. Middle Grade stuff, too. Pages and books and entire libraries of it! But until recently, I hadn't given much thought to the diversity of my favorite bookshelves. Diversity, yanno? Nope, I'm not talking about showing equal love for vampires, faeries, and humans (which I never could, because in that arena I'm 100% unapologetically biased... Edward... *swoon*... I mean...  *cough*... um, where were we?) Right. Diversity. That is, consciously seeking out a great read by an author whose race, culture, or ethnic background is different from my own. If your book-buying (or borrowing) habits… Continue reading

• Publication Season/Year: Summer 2009
• Publisher: Little, Brown
• Release Date: June 1, 2009
• ISBN (hardcover):  978-0-316-05159-0
• ISBN (paperback): TBD

For Anna Reiley and Frankie Perino, the ingredients for the Absolute Best Summer Ever are simple: Two girls. Two bikinis. And twenty days in Zanzibar Bay, California. The best part? According to Frankie, if they meet one boy every day, there's a good chance Anna will find her first summer romance. Anna lightheartedly agrees to the fun, but there's something she hasn't told Frankie... she's already had her romance, and it was with Frankie's older brother, Matt, just before his tragic death last year. TWENTY BOY SUMMER is… Continue reading