A Special Guest (and Giveaway)!

(photo courtesy of HeyGurl, Inc.)

Does this high school senior’s face look familiar to you? It’s because it belongs to the very talented Rhyon Brown--who plays Lizzie Sutton on ABC Family’s hit show, Lincoln Heights!

In addition to a busy acting career that spans back to her kindergarten days, Rhyon is a firm believer in giving back to the community. Actively involved with the Boys and Girls Club of America, she lends her celebrity to support the charity and has appeared at several events on their behalf. Here she is with supermodel/Project Runway executive producer and host, Heidi Klum:


(photo courtesy of FrontPage Communications)

In addition to work, school and volunteerism, guess what’s one of Rhyon's favorite pastimes? Uh-huh, reading novels! And that’s where Kelly and I come in! We jumped at the chance to chat with Rhyon, to find out more about her reading tastes and habits, and to share this interview with all of you.

Tina: Welcome to YA Fresh, Rhyon. Tell us, given your busy schedule, when do you find the most time to read?

Rhyon: It depends on the book. Sometimes I have a book that I just finished when I'm laying in my bed, getting ready to go to sleep. Other books I might read when I'm on set, or in the hair and make-up trailer. But, my absolute favorite books to read are those that you just CANNOT put down!

Once I was in Canada, shooting a film and my mom got me this book that I read walking, when we were in the car, when I was in hair and make-up, when we were just kicking it at the hotel, even sometimes when we were in conversation she would have to stop and say "HELLO????" are you even listening to me. That book was Broken China by Lori Aurelia Williams. It's definitely one of my favorites. It was like 265 pages long and I finished it in a day. Then I had the nerve to beg my mom to go back to the book store, at like 11pm, to see what other books were written by that author. It's really a good read!!! You should check it out!

Tina: We will--and believe me, the only thing we like as much as reading good books is getting recommendations for more! On that note, what are some of your favorite authors and books?

Rhyon: Wow.....I have quite a few authors and books that I have fallen in love with and some books that I have read more than once. But, I would have to say some of my favorite authors and books are:

New York Times Best Selling Author Sarah Dessen, This Lullaby, The Truth About Forever, Just Listen, and Dreamland.

Essence Best Selling Author Monica McKayhan, Trouble Follows, and The Pact.

Amazing Writer Lori Aurelia Williams, Broken China and Blind Faith.

Paulo Coelho’s The Alchemist.

But my all-time favorite is New York Times Best Seller is The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini. If you don't read anything else make sure you read The Kite Runner. It has an intriguing story-line and lots of lessons you can apply to life.

Tina: Any book you're hoping to get and read over the holidays?

Rhyon: I can't wait for the holidays to get here because that will mean I've submitted my college applications and I can finally read again for the enjoyment of reading instead of just reading text books and SAT course materials. So, I think I'm going to go to the bookstore and just peruse until I find something that looks inviting. I get three weeks off for Christmas break so I'm sure I'll need a few.

Tina: Sounds wonderful. Have fun with that! In fact, we’re going to encourage our readers to leave you book suggestions in our comments section, so please check back later in the weekend to see what they’ve said! Thanks Rhyon, and we’ll be seeing you on Lincoln Heights!

And now a note about our contest! As you just read, Rhyon is headed to a bookstore during the holidays to pick up some new books. Leave a young adult book suggestion for her in our comments section, and you’ll be entered to win a $20 gift certificate to Barnes & Noble for your own holiday reading! You can enter as often as you’d like. The winner will be announced on Monday.