YA Fresh

What's Fresh with Wendy Toliver's Miss Match

Sasha Finnegan has always had a knack for setting people up, and at sixteen, she's turned her talent into an online business, molding high school crushes into true love. But Sasha finds her toughest match yet when hottie Derek Urban asks her to set him up with Sasha's gorgeous sister, Maddie. It's not that Derek isn't a good catch. In fact, after spending so much time with him, Sasha can't help but think he's perfect — for her, that is.

Can Sasha push her feelings aside for the sake of her business? Or has this miss finally found her match?

Hello Wendy, its great to have you back on YA Fresh! Please tell us about your latest novel, Miss Match.

Wendy: Miss Match is a Simon Pulse Romantic Comedy that comes out Feb. 10, 2009, right in time for Valentine's Day.

Could you share a bit about the main character of your book and what makes her unique?

Wendy: Sasah Finnegan is a 16 year-old girl living in Salt Lake City, UT. She is smart, funny, and business-savvy, but can't help thinking her older sister (who has the whole beautiful, skinny, popular package) gets all the breaks. Sasha loves fixing people up, from her best friend Yasmin to her own mother, and even starts a matchmaking business.

How did the idea for this novel come about?

Wendy: I’ve always loved fixing people up. I still do! (By the way, if anyone out there is interested in meeting my 29 year-old brother who lives in Orlando or my adorable mom who lives in Denver, leave a comment. Haha) Also, my sister and I have a great relationship and though we might not have always seen eye-to-eye growing up, we always came through for each other like Sasha and Maddie do in Miss Match.

What do you hope readers will gain from reading this novel?

Wendy: I hope they're entertained, and I also hope they can relate to a heroine who isn't super skinny and gorgeous like so many others. This book deals with topics such as divorced parents, dating parents, body image issues, and sister relationships. I hope they laugh, and I hope they swoon at the romantic parts. It’s a story about making your own happily ever after, which is so important.

Thanks for sharing, Wendy! Would you like to close with a novel you highly recommend and why?

Wendy: I recommend any of the Simon Pulse Romantic Comedies. They're funny, romantic, feature strong female protagonists, and are hard to put down.

Wendy Toliver lives in the Utah mountains with her three little boys, her husband, and other various wildlife. She graduated from Colorado State University with a BA in Speech Communication/Broadcast and has had a variety of jobs, from performing singing telegrams to working at an advertising agency. Now a soccer (etc.) mom and the author of The Secret Life of a Teenage Siren and Miss Match (both Simon Pulse), she couldn’t be happier. Well, if she had a self-cleaning house, a Porsche, and an endless supply of chocolate-covered cinnamon bears, she just might be a tad happier. Visit her online at www.wendytoliver.com.