Category Archives: Feature

Feature: Get ready for The Great Gatsby

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Today we’re excited to countdown to Friday’s release of the new movie gatsby poster1adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s timeless classic, The Great Gatsby. This new movie version starring Leonardo DiCaprio as the titular hero looks stunning — and while I still love the original movie with Robert Redford, I’m excited to see how this edgy new adaptation turns out.

All this week, we’ll be bringing you some fun goodies, but today, bask in the glory of The Great Gatsby movie trailers and you’ll get a taste for the eye candy in store when this hits the big screen in just a few days!

For the comments: Tell us your thoughts on The Great Gatsby, and whether you’ll be checking out the new movie on Friday!

Most Anticipated Middle Grade Releases of 2013

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2012 has given us some fantastic adventures in Middle Grade. Now we’re looking forward to another year of magic, mystery, and fun!

Below you’ll find a list featuring many of this year’s most anticipated new MG books!

January

Seek n Find by Teresa McKinley               

Jinx by Sage Blackwood

Hokey Pokey by Jerry Spinelli

Eye spyjinxHokey Pokwy

February

The Golden Rectangle by Gillian Neimark

Destiny Rewritten by Kathryn Fitzmaurice

Beholding Bee Kimberly Newton Fusco

The Fellowship for Alien Detection by Kevin Emerson

Golden RectangleDestiny RewrittenBeholding BeeThe Fellowship of Alient Detection

March

Bot Wars by J.V. Kade

The Legend Thief by E.J Patten

Through the Skylight by Ian Baucom,Justin Gerard

Bot WarsThe Legend TheifThrough the Skylight

April

The Ability by M.M Vaughan

The Girl from Felony Bay by J.E Thompson

The Hero’s Guide to Storming the Castle by Christopher Healy

The Key and the Flame by Claire M. Caterer

Rump by Liesl Shurtliff

Story’s End by Marissa Burt

The AbilityGirl from Felony BayHero's Guide to Storming the CastleRump

RumpStorys End

May

Doll Bones by Holly Black

Platypus Police Squad Jarrett J. Krosoczka

Loki’s Wolves by K.L. Armstrong

The Lightening Catcher by Anne Cameron

The Rithmatist by Brandon Sanderson

Doll BonesPatapus Polic SquadLokis WolvesThe Lightning Catcher

The Rithmatist

June

Sidekicked by John David Anderson

Starbounders by Adam Jay Epstein

The Wig in the Window by Kristen Kittscher

SidekickedStarboundersWig in the Window

July

Artemis Fowl: The Last Guardian by Eoin Colfer

The Everafters: Of Witches and Wind by Shelby Bach

The Scorpions of Zahir by Christine Brodien-Jones

Artemis Fowl Last GuardianOf Witches and WindThe Scorpions Zahir

August

Rise of the Elgen by Richard Paul Evans

The Secret of the Fortune Wookie by Tom Angleberger

The Spy Princess by Sherwood Smith

Rise of the ElgenSecret of the Fortune WookieeSpy Princess

September

Legends of Zita the Spacegirl by Ben Hatke

Necromancing the Stone Lish McBride

Legends of Zita the SpacegirlNecromancing the Stone

October

Don’t Feed the Boy by Irene Latham

Geek, Girls, and Secret Identities by Mike Jung

The Girl Who Fell Beneath Fairyland and Led the Revels There by Catherynne M. Valente

Keeper of Lost Cities by Shannon Messenger

The Spindlers by Lauren Oliver

Don't feed the boyGeek, GIrls and Secret IdentitiesThe Girl who Fell Beneath FairylandKeeper of Lost Cities

The Spindlers

November

Graveyard Scavenger Hunt by Brian Barnett

Jim Morgan and the King of Thieves by James Matlack Raney

Graveyard Scavenger HuntJim Morgan and King of Thieves

December

Magicalamity by Kate Saunders

Magicalamity

What The Spell: Countdown to Release Contest

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Today, we are thrilled to kick off our first contest of 2013 for the upcoming new release What The Spell by Brittany Geragotelis.

On sale January 29th, you can read a free preview of What The Spell on Facebook here — and right HERE, you can enter to win a signed copy of the book and a What The Spell lipgloss, courtesy of Simon & Schuster.

what the spellKeep reading for details & more information about the book:

About What The Spell:

A teenage witch juggles popularity and romance while keeping her powers a secret in this spellbinding debut.Almost-sixteen-year-old Brooklyn feels invisible, but she desperately wants to be pretty, to be popular, to be adored by a cute guy. Luckily for her, she’s a witch about to come of age—so she’s only a few spells away from making it all happen.

On her milestone birthday, Brooklyn’s conservative parents finally unbind her powers, which include the ability to magically match couples with a love spell. Brooklyn uses her special skills to get a makeover, new friends, and the attention of her crush, Asher. But the popular clique Brooklyn wants to infiltrate puts her in the same precarious position as her Salem ancestors: If she’s found out, she could be vilified—and lose Asher in the process. Can she make the most of her magic, or will she be luckless and loveless? Be careful what you witch for!

Contest:

Fill out the Novel Novice + What The Spell Contest Entry Form for your chance to win!

The Prize:

One (1) winner will receive a signed copy of What The Spell and a What The Spell lipgloss.

The Rules:

  • U.S. Only
  • Use the entry form
  • One entry per person only

Deadline:

All entries are due by midnight (PT) on Monday, January 28th

Questions? Leave ‘em in the comments & we’ll reply!

New YA Releases Coming in 2013

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There are so many new books heading our way in 2013, it’s pretty much impossible to keep track of them. But we’ve done our best to compile as many of the new 2013 YA releases as possible right here — all in one place — just for you. Because of how publishing schedules are released, you’ll notice the list of new releases is a bit scarce for the latter half of 2013 … that’s just because the books and release dates haven’t all been announced yet. And feel free to mention any books we failed to include in our list in the comments section below!

In the meantime, start making your wish list for 2013 now by browsing the upcoming new YA releases below:

January

The Essence by Kimberly Derting

Falling for You  by Lisa Schroeder

Empty by K.M. Walton

Teeth by Hannah Moskowitz

essence, the falling for you empty teeth

Love Is All You Need by Deb Caletti

The Madman’s Daughter by Megan Shepherd

Prodigy by Marie Lu

Crash by Lisa McMann

love is all you need madman's daughter prodigy crash

Then You Were Gone by Lauren Strasnick

Victoria Rebels by Carolyn Meyer

The 13th Sign by Kristin O’Donnell Tubb

Level 2 by Lenore Appelhans

  then you were gone victoria rebels 13th signlevel 2

What the Spell by Brittany Geragotelis

Through the Ever Night by Veronica Rossi

Revolution 19 by Gregg Rosenblum

Catherine by April Lindner

what the spell through the ever night revolution 19 catherine

Return to Me by Justina Chen

Altered by Jennifer Rush

Shades of Earth by Beth Revis

Dragonswood by Janet Lee Carey

return to me altered shades of earth dragonswood

Just One Day by Gayle Foreman

Paper Valentine by Brenna Yovanoff

Rise by Andrea Cremer

Salvation by Anne Osterlund

just one day paper valentine rise salvation

Slated by Teri Terry

Try Not To Breathe by Jennifer Hubbard

Everbound by Brodi Ashton

Boundless by Cynthia Hand

slated try not to breathe Everbound boundless

Asunder by Jodi Meadows

Shadows in the Silence by Courtney Allison Moulton

Ravage by Jeff Sampson

Uses for Boys by Erica Lorraine Scheidt

asunder shadows in the silence ravage uses for boys

February

Unravel Me by Tahereh Mafi

Sever by Lauren DeStefano

Mind Games by Kiersten White

Mistle Child by Ari Berk

unravel me Sever mind games mistle child

Scarlet by Marissa Meyer

Kissed by Cameron Dokey

The Gathering Dark by Christine Johnson

Arcadia Burns by Kai Meyer

scarlet kissed gathering dark arcadia burns

Pivot Point by Kasie West

Etiquette & Espionage by Gail Carriger

Midwinter Blood by Marcus Sedgwick

The Goddess Inheritance by Aimee Carter

pivot point Etiquette and Espionage midwinter blood goddess inheritance

The Indigo Spell by Richelle Mead

The Madness Underneath by Maureen Johnson

Out of the Easy by Ruta Sepetys

The Ruining by Anna Collomore

indigo spell madness underneath out of the easy ruining

The Sweet Revenge of Celia Door by Karen Finneyfrock

Fragments by Dan Wells

Pieces by Chris Lynch

Pulse by Patrick Carman

sweet revenge of celia door fragments pieces pulse

Crash and Burn by Michael Hassan

crash and burn

March

Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare

Legacy of the Clockwork Key by Kristin Bailey

Fox Forever by Mary E. Pearson

Unremembered by Jessica Brody

clockwork princess legacy of the clockwork key fox forever unremembered

The Murmurings by Carly Anne West

Poison by Bridget Zinn

Thirst No. 5 by Christopher Pike

Let the Sky Fall by Shannon Messenger

murmurings, the poison  thirst no 5  let the sky fall

Everafter by Elizabeth Chandler

Requiem by Lauren Oliver

Panic by Sharon M. Draper

Mila 2.0 by Debra Driza

everafter requiem panic mila 2.0

Spellcaster by Claudia Gray

Pretty Girl-13 by Liz Coley

Flowers in the Sky by Lynn Joseph

Trinkets by Kirsten Smith

spellcaster pretty girl-13 flowers in the sky trinkets

When We Wake by Karen Healey

17 & Gone by Nova Ren Suma

Wasteland by Susan Kim & Laurence Klavan

Imposter by Jill Hathaway

when we wake 17 and gone wasteland imposter_slide

April

The Program by Suzanne Young

Vengeance Bound by Justina Ireland

True by Hilary Duff

Light: A Gone Novel by Michael Grant

program-the Vengeance Bound true light

The Rising by Kelley Armstrong

Rise by Anna Carey

Furious by Jill Wolfson

Taken by Erin Bowman

rising, the rise_anna carey furious taken

Dead Silence by Kimberly Derting

This is What Happy Looks Like by Jennifer E. Smith

Fearless by Cornelia Funke

Rapture Practice by Aaron Hartzler

dead silence this is what happy looks like fearless rapture practice

Game by Barry Lyga

Zom-B City by Darren Shan

The Elite by Kiera Cass

The Silver Dream by Neil Gaiman & Michael Reaves

game zom-b city elite silver dream

Unbreakable by Elizabeth Norris

Life After Theft by Aprilynne Pike

The Boyfriend App by Katie Sise

The Ward by Jordana Frankel

unbreakable life after theft boyfriend app ward, the

Darius & Twig by Walter Dean Myers

It’s Our Prom (So Deal with It) by Julie Anne Peters

Naturals by Tiffany Truitt

darious and twig it's our prom naturals

May

The Last Princess by Galaxy Craze

Invisibility by David Levithan & Andrea Cremer

Isla & the Happily Ever After by Stephanie Perkins

Reboot by Amy Tintera

Towering by Alex Flinn

last princess Invisibility reboot towering

If I Should Die by Amy Plum

Parallel by Lauren Miller

Truth or Dare by Jacqueline Green

The Originals by Cat Patrick

if i should die parallel truth or dare originals

Thousand Words by Jennifer Brown

The Lucy Variations by Sara Zarr

Icons by Margaret Stohl

The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey

thousand words lucy variations icons 5th wave

Our Song by Jordanna Fraiberg

Five Summers by Una LaMarche

Firecracker by David Iserson

Imposter by Susanne Winnacker

our song five summer firecracker imposter

All I Need by Susane Colasanti

Goddess by Josephine Angelini

September Girls by Bennett Madison

The Dark Shore by Kevin Emerson

all i need goddess september girls dark shore

Golden by Jessi Kirby

The Book of Broken Hearts by Sarah Ockler

golden book of broken hearts

June

The Elementals by Saundra Mitchell

Infamous by Lauren Conrad

Severed Heads, Broken Hearts by Robyn Schenider

Another Little Piece by Kate Karuys Quinn

elementals infamous severed heads, broken hearts another little piece

A Trick of the Light by Lois Metzger

Born of Illusion by Teri Brown

Elegy by Tara Hudson

Rules of Summer by Joanna Philbin

a trick of the light born of illusion elegy rules of summer

Boy Nobody by Allen Zadoff

The Watcher in the Shadows by Carlos Ruiz Zafon

When You Were Here by Daisy Whitney

Defy the Dark (Anthology)

boy nobody watcher in the shadows when you were here defy the dark

Phoenix: A Black City Novel by Elizabeth Richards

Star Cursed by Jessica Spotswood

Proxy by Alex London

How to Not Find a Boyfriend by Allyson Valentine

phoenix star cursed proxy how to not find a boyfriend

Ashes on the Waves by Mary Lindsey

The Hidden Summer by Gin Phillips

This Side of Jealousy by Lili Peloquin

The Moon & More by Sarah Dessen

ashes on the waves hidden summer this side of jealousy mooon and more

Tarnish by Katherine Longshore

The Saturday Boy by David Fleming

The Keep by Veronica Wolff

In the After by Demitria Lunetta

tarnish saturday boy keep, the in the after

The Taming of the Tights by Louise Rennison

Seige & Storm by Leigh Bardugo

siege ands torm

July

The Strange and Familiar Place by Rachel Carter

Half Lives by Sara Grant

Belladonna by Fiona Paul

No Easy Way Out by Dayna Lorentz

strange and familiar place half lives belladonna no easy way out

Shadow of the Mark by Leigh Fallon

Earthbound by Aprilynne Pike

A Darkness Strange and Lovely by Susan Dennard

Enders by Lissa Price

shadow of the mark earthbound darkness strange and lovely Enders

August

The Dark Between by Sonia Gensler

Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock by Matthew Quick

Wise Young Fool by Sean Beaudoin

Flicker & Burn by T.M. Goeglein

Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea by April Genevieve Tucholke

forgive me leonard peacock wise young fool flicker and burn between the devil and the deep blue sea

September & Beyond

The Coldest Girl in Coldtown by Holly Black

Unbreakable by Kami Garcia

Divergent #3 by Veronica Roth

Mistwalker by Saundra Mitchell

Spellspinners 4 by Heidi Kling

Frozen by Melissa de la Cruz

For the comments: What 2013 YA releases are YOU most excited about? Also, be sure to tell us about other 2013 YA releases we forgot to include in our list above!

Exclusive Book Trailer Debut: Falling For You by Lisa Schroeder

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Today, we are SO thrilled to be one of just a few blogs exclusively revealing the book trailer for Falling For You by Lisa Schroeder. Lisa’s new book comes out on Tuesday, January 1st (what a way to ring in the New Year!!!) and you can pre-order it HERE.

And now, on with the show …

falling for youHere’s more about Falling For You:

Rae’s always dreamed of dating a guy like Nathan. He’s nothing like her abusive stepfather—in other words, he’s sweet. But the closer they get, the more Nathan wants of her time, of her love, of her…and the less she wants to give.

As Rae’s affection for Nathan turns to fear, she leans on her friend Leo for support. With Leo, she feels lighter, happier. And possessive Nathan becomes jealous.

Then a tragedy lands Rae in the ICU. Now, hovering between life and death, Rae must find the light amid the darkness…and the strength to fight for life and the love she deserves.

Links:

About Lisa:

lisa schroederLisa Schroeder is the author of four teen verse novels including I HEART YOU, YOU HAUNT ME and its companion, CHASING BROOKLYN, FAR FROM YOU, and the Oregon Book Award finalist, THE DAY BEFORE. Her latest book for teens is a combination of prose and poetry and is titled FALLING FOR YOU. She’s also the author of the middle grade novels IT’S RAINING CUPCAKES and SPRINKLES AND SECRETS. Her books have been translated into several languages and have been selected for state reading lists. She lives in Oregon with her husband, two sons, and the most adorable dog and cat in the entire world.

Interview with Vessel author Sarah Beth Durst — Part 2

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What’s next for Sarah Beth Durst? And what dream vacation do we both have in common? Read on for more! (And check out part 1 of our Q&A here.)

sarah beth durstCan you tell us a bit about what you’re working on next?

I am working on a YA novel called SWEET NOTHINGS (though the title will most likely change).  It’s about a girl in the paranormal witness protection program, who, haunted by dreams of carnival tents and tarot cards, must remember her past and why she has strange abilities before a magic-wielding serial killer hunts her down.  It’s coming out in fall 2013 from Bloomsbury/Walker.

And I am also working on a contemporary fantasy trilogy for adults called THE LOST, THE MISSING, and THE FOUND about a woman who runs from her empty life and is trapped in a town full only of lost things and lost people.  The first book is coming out in fall 2012 from Harlequin/Luna.

FLASH QUESTIONS:

Living or dead, who would you like to have dinner with?

My husband.  He’s always my favorite person to have dinner with.  :)

Pizza toppings?

None.  (But I like a lot of sauce.)

Private concert: who’s playing?

John Williams conducting the Boston Pops playing the music from all the Star Wars movies.  Preferably in my living room with a copious supply of snacks.

Perfect vacation?

Disney World with zero lines.

Look at your desk right now. Name five things within reach.

A pen.  A print-out of the latest draft of my work-in-progress.  My to-do list.  A stone carving of a polar bear.  And a bag of Raisinets.

Thanks so much for interviewing me!

Interview with Vessel author Sarah Beth Durst – Part 1

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Today, we are thrilled to bring you the first part of our two-part interview with Vessel author Sarah Beth Durst.

sarah beth durstVESSEL is such a breathtaking novel — I was completely swept up in the world, the romance, the characters, the setting … how did the novel come together for you? What came first, and what followed?

I knew I wanted to write about a desert.  A few years ago, I’d written about the Arctic (in my polar bear fantasy novel ICE), and this time, I wanted to write about the sun and the heat.

So I researched the Gobi, the Sahara, and other deserts, and I melded them together and infused them with magic: gods that walk across the sand within human bodies, wolves made out of sand that hunt within sandstorms…

But the story didn’t come together until I had the idea for Liyana, a girl who is destined to sacrifice herself so that her goddess can inhabit her body and save her clan.  She started as a single image: a girl dancing barefoot on the desert sand.

For me, stories don’t come as massive lightning bolts out of the blue.  They come as sparks — lots of little ideas — that coalesce together to form a flame.

vesselThe opening chapter of VESSEL is really gut-wrenching. The emotion of willingly sacrificing one’s body for the greater good is so charged. Just reading about Liyana’s struggle made me tear up. What was it like writing such an emotionally charged passage?

I cried when I wrote the scene when Liyana says goodbye to her four-year-old brother.

Were the society or the gods in VESSEL inspired by anything? How did you develop the mythology of your world?

I love mythology, and I’ve read a ton of it.  So I’d have to say that the mythology of VESSEL was inspired by pretty much all the mythology that I know!  I tried to create a lore that felt rich and ancient by drawing on the rhythm of the stories, the universal themes, and the archetypes that pervade various cultures.

Only one god was directly inspired by existing mythology: Korbyn.  He’s a trickster god.  When Liyana first meets him, he offers to save her life, and she offers to skewer him.

VESSEL very much plays with the idea of destiny versus free choice. Talk a little bit about the interplay of these themes throughout the novel.

My debut novel had a free will theme too.  It was about fairy tale characters who escaped the fairy tale to live in secret in the real world but now the fairy tale wants its characters back.  I am endlessly fascinated by the concept of fate versus free will.  No idea why.  Maybe I was a teddy bear or a rock in a former life and am now obsessed with the ability to choose…

VESSEL is about what happens after you lose your destiny.  Liyana doesn’t want to die, but she’s willing to accept her fate if it means saving her family, especially her beloved baby brother… and then that choice is taken from her.  She has to shape her own future when she never expected to have one.

Tune in tomorrow for part 2!

Introducing Vessel by Sarah Beth Durst

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This week we kick off another feature for one of this year’s truly most amazing books — and easily one of my new all-time favorites: Vessel by Sarah Beth Durst. This week, I’ll share my rave review, an exclusive interview with Sarah, and give you an opportunity to win a signed copy!

In the meantime, here’s more about Vessel:

vesselIn a desert world of sandstorms and sand-wolves, a teen girl must defy the gods to save her tribe in this mystical, atmospheric tale from the author of Drink, Slay, Love.

Liyana has trained her entire life to be the vessel of a goddess. The goddess will inhabit Liyana’s body and use magic to bring rain to the desert. But Liyana’s goddess never comes. Abandoned by her angry tribe, Liyana expects to die in the desert. Until a boy walks out of the dust in search of her.

Korbyn is a god inside his vessel, and a trickster god at that. He tells Liyana that five other gods are missing, and they set off across the desert in search of the other vessels. For the desert tribes cannot survive without the magic of their gods. But the journey is dangerous, even with a god’s help. And not everyone is willing to believe the trickster god’s tale.

The closer she grows to Korbyn, the less Liyana wants to disappear to make way for her goddess. But she has no choice: She must die for her tribe to live. Unless a trickster god can help her to trick fate—or a human girl can muster some magic of her own.

For the comments: Have you read Vessel by Sarah Beth Durst? Share your comments below!

Fingerprints of You: For the Classroom

Though it deals with some mature subject matter, Fingerprints of You by Kristen-Paige Madonia is a stunning portrait of coming of age and would make the perfect addition to any upper high school classroom. Madonia, herself, is a teacher, too — so we thought it more than appropriate to offer a few suggestions on ways to bring this book into the classroom.

Here are our thoughts on essay and/or discussion topics for Fingerprints of You:

* Study the “bildungsroman,” or the “coming of age” genre. Compare Fingerprints of You to other staples of the genre, such as S.E. Hinton’s The Outsiders and J.D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye.

* What other coming of age novels would you compare/contrast with Fingerprints of You?

* Much of Lemon’s journey is about discovering what family means to her. Explore the various definitions of “family” today, and how that fits in with Lemon’s struggle.

* Explore and discuss the various relationships in Fingerprints of You, and their impact on Lemon’s life:

- Lemon & Stella
- Lemon & her father
- Leman & Johnny Drinko
- Lemon & Emmy
- Lemon & Cassie
- Lemon & Aiden
- Cassie & Ryan
- Stella & Simon

* Explore the more mature aspects of Fingerprints of You and discuss how they relate to modern teen life. Debate the importance of these topics being included in a Young Adult novel.

For the comments: Tell us YOUR ideas for using Fingerprints of You in the classroom. What are your discussion topics or ideas?

Exclusive Q&A with Fingerprints of You author Kristen-Paige Madonia

Today, I am thrilled to share with you our exclusive interview with Fingerprints of You author Kristen-Paige Madonia. I had the pleasure of meeting and hanging out with Kristen-Paige briefly back in October, when she was one of my authors at Wordstock Festival. I already knew I wanted to do some kind of feature on her book here at Novel Novice, but meeting her just solidified my determination to make it happen. Kristen-Paige has lots of events coming up (check out the schedule here), so if you’re able to make it to one of them, I highly recommend doing so.

Photo credit: Christopher Gordon

In the meantime, get to know Kristen-Paige a little better — and learn more about Fingerprints of You – but reading our Q&A below!

FINGERPRINTS OF YOU is such a beautiful story, made up of so many wonderful elements and layers and moments. Did one in particular come first? How did the story come together for you?

From day one, the book belonged to Lemon and Stella’s relationship, to that intimate but often challenging bond that occurs between a young single-parent and their child, specifically, an only child. When the book opens, Sella is still searching for her own direction as a mother and an adult, and Lemon, as a seventeen-year-old, is beginning to question and push back against the decisions Stella has made for them as a family. I originally wrote the two characters into a short story because I was working on a different novel when I first imagined them, but often writers don’t get to pick what they write about, and Lemon and Stella haunted me when I put their story aside.

That story became chapter one and two, and though it was self-sufficient, I simply didn’t feel comfortable with where I left them. I knew there was a backstory worth exploring, and I also knew they both had so much more to learn and grow from the experiences I set-up in the opening. In the meantime, my agent began submitting that first novel I had been working on to all the major publishing houses in NYC, and it was slowly becoming apparent that we weren’t going to be able to sell it. I realized that, in order to protect myself, I needed to begin work on a new novel – I needed to return to the art and create some distance from the industry. And I immediately thought of Lemon and Stella.

By then the short story had been published, so it was in fairly good shape, and I was able to concentrate on writing forward. I applied for and received a fellowship to spend five weeks as a writer-in-residence at the Studios of Key West and finished the first draft of the novel during that time period. Writing in that kind of intense environment – every day, all day long, with no distractions – well, that worked best to help me get the story down on the page as quickly as possible. I was simply playing on the page, no filters, no outlines, and no concerns about the market or about the publishing industry. And then, once I had that first draft and I left Florida, I stepped away from the book for almost six months before I allowed myself to open the manuscript document again. It’s something I always try to do, allow a project to sit for a while, and when I retured to it I was able to see it from a new perspective, a new viewpoint to fuel the rewrite.

FINGERPRINTS OF YOU is a very mature book for YA readers — in that you deal with heavy material, like sex, pregnancy, drugs, drinking, etc. Tell us a bit about your approach to tackling these very adult subject matters in a young adult book.

If truth be told, I didn’t write the book with the YA readership in mind. I had received my MFA and published short stories in literary magazines and journals for some time, and when I was working on the novel I imagined it being read by adults. It’s a literary novel that aims to accurately portray modern society, so it never crossed my mind to censor the content in any way. But the book was ready for submissions during the time when the YA genre was gaining a lot of attention based off of articles such as Margo Rabb’s New York Times essay, “I’m Y.A. and I’m O.K.”  and Sherman Alexi’s Wall Street Journal article “Why the Best Kids Books Are Written in Blood”, so my agent and I discussed the possibility of FINGERPRINTS OF YOU selling as a YA novel.

Even though I didn’t originally conceive it that way, it’s a voice-driven coming-of-age book fueled by a seventeen-year-old character standing on the brink of adulthood, and though there are strong adult themes, in the end we wanted to give the book access to the widest audience, so we sent it to both adult and YA editors. Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers called first, and with great enthusiasm and understanding in terms of the vision and style of the novel, and it didn’t take long to realize it was the best fit for the book.

As expected, my first concern was whether or not I would have to make changes based strictly on the YA label, but it was never an issue. If anything, I was encouraged not to “dumb the book down” during revisions, not to make edits based on fear. I’m a firm believer that teen readers deserve the truth, they deserve access to worlds they can learn from, and books they can sympathize with even if the literature contains dark complex situations.

The truth is, a lot of kids are living in these worlds, these not-so-clean-and-easy settings, and if they aren’t living IN them, they’re sitting in class with kids that are. Single-family homes, domestic violence, poverty, racism, teen pregnancy, substance abuse… these “dark themes” we’re seeing more often in contemporary YA investigate issues that exist in our reality, and eliminating those issues from teen literature would be a diservice to readers. My hope is that books like mine empower teens, make them feel less alone, and help them empathize with their peers.

Ten years later … where do you think Lemon is?

That’s a hard question to answer without giving anything away, but I imagine her love for literature and music will grow… that she’ll pursue a life in the arts, perhaps, and that she’ll continue to travel and to learn more about the world from a larger viewpoint. And I feel certain that Aiden and Emmy and Ryan and Simon will always be a big part of her life, not only in memories, but as she moves into adulthood. Ten years later she’ll be twenty-seven, and I’m guessing by then she and Stella will have put the greater part of their battles behind them.

You spent some time working on FINGERPRINTS OF YOU at various writing retreats … tell us about these programs. What do you like about them?

Writing in that kind of environment, being faced by the blank page every day all day long, can be one of the most terrifying but fruitful ways to write. Writing residencies and colonies essentially provide artists with the gift of time and space, and while it can be challenging to have no distractions — no grocery shopping to do, no phone or email access, no dog to walk or day-jobs to tend to — it’s also an incredible gift to be able to eat, sleep, and breath your work. I typically apply for residency fellowships when I know I’m preparing to begin a new project. For me, first drafts are the time to write without editing, to play on the page and allow the characters and the story to surprise me, and being isolated helps that process. I love being removed from my world, being in a new and unfamiliar space, and I also love meeting other artists. I’ve found such inspiration at the writing residencies I’ve attended, and there is no doubt in my mind that this book could not have existed without the support of those organizations.

I know you lived in San Francisco for a while — and it definitely shows in your descriptions of the city in FINGERPRINTS OF YOU. Did any of your favorite spots in the city make it into the book?

So many of them! The live music culture of San Francisco plays a large role in Lemon’s story, just as it played a large role in my own life when I lived in the city. As a result I inevitably sent her to Haight Street to hang out with the street musicians and introduced her to the Burning Man and Jamtronica music scene at the New Year’s festival, two elements of the novel I based on my own experiences. The Sutro Baths, the Palace of Fine Arts, and the Grove, a cafe on Fillmore Street, also serve as important settings in the book, and they’re all places that mean a great deal to me.

FINGERPRINTS OF YOU is really refreshing take on the “coming of age” story, one of my personal favorite types of stories to read. Do you have a favorite “coming of age” book?

I have so many favorites! The first that always comes to mind is THE OUTSIDERS, by S.E. Hinton. That book changed my perspective and gave me access to a world so unlike my own. Even though I read it for the first time in middle school, I firmly believe it shaped me as an author in terms of my tendency to write against the old advice “write what you know”. I also often return to Dickens’ GREAT EXPECTATIONS and Cervantes’ DON QUIXOTE, both of which, I believe, are their own kind of coming-of-age stories. And more recently written favorites include John Green’s LOOKING FOR ALASKA and John Corey Whaley’s WHERE THINGS COME BACK.

Judy Blume blurbed your book. I think everyone is dying to know … how did that happen? (Because it’s awesome!)

I know, I mean who the heck lands a blurb from Judy Blume, right?!? Judy discovered me back in 2008 when I entered a contest for emerging writers run by the Key West Literary Seminar. Essentially she found my short story in the slush pile and fell in love with what I was trying do on the page. She was on the Board for the organization and served as one of the judges for the contest, and when I ended up winning, part of the award was to attend the conference in Florida. While I was there I had the amazing opportunity to meet Judy, and something just clicked. She’s so incredibly dedicated to fostering new talent, and she became a long-distance kind of mentor for me. She read part of the novel I was working on at that time, and then, when I began writing FINGERPRINTS OF YOU, she read that as well. Needless to say, having her support has meant a great deal to my career, but more importantly, she’s served as a constant reminder that I am doing what I am supposed to be doing. Whenever I get bogged down by the industry, when I react emotionally to the rejection and the challenges of publishing in the current climate, she’s the one I contact. And she tends to say the same thing every time I get in touch with there – in one way or another, she always tells me to keep at it. “It’s not your job to sell books,” she told me once, “It’s your job to write them.”

Living or dead, who would you like to have dinner with?

Bob Marley or Flannery O’Connor, it’s a toss up.

Pizza toppings?

Avocado and tomatoes

Private concert: who’s playing?

Jerry Garcia

Perfect vacation?

My husband, a bag of good books, an empty beach, a glass of dry white wine, and live music.

Look at your desk right now. Name five things within reach.

A photo of my mother, Raymond Carver’s WHAT WE TALK ABOUT WHEN WE TALK ABOUT LOVE, my writing journal, my coffee mug, and a collection of photos torn from a magazine of a girl I imagine looking a lot like the girl I’m writing about in my new novel.

Thanks again to Kristen-Paige for such a great interview! If you haven’t done so already, be sure to check out Fingerprints of You, in stores now.