Updates!

While Kelly and I are hearing of sightings of my book all over the country, she and I can personally attest that TOP TEN USES FOR AN UNWORN PROM DRESS hit the shelves in at least two stores in California!

What struck me about the following two pictures--aside from an attack of giggles that this is all really happening--is that it shows both sides of Kelly's and my partnership. The fun and the work.

I'm guessing from our previous posts (and the activities in the pictures) you can figure out who is who here. Nope, no contest or giveaways on this one. But keep posting those prom dresses and sending me entry e-mails! We're loving this prom dress contest!

And we'll be back tomorrow morning with the winner!

Contest!

Kelly and I thought it would be fun to have a contest and give away a signed copy of TOP TEN USES FOR AN UNWORN PROM DRESS. Here’s all you have to do:

Go to the Comments Section (below) and log in--or--send a private e-mail to me at tina@tinaferraro.com, and tell us your idea of a perfect prom dress.

Here’s our TOP TEN hints to help you:

1--If you’ve got a way with words, WOW us with description.
2--If you’ve got a picture, give us a link.
3--Pictures from your prom or of your dress are of course welcome!
4--Including cute guys in pictures is much appreciated, but not a consideration in the actual judging process. :)
5--Pick something you love. Kelly and I dress differently, so your best bet of wowing us both is with something really special.
6--Remember that formal dress lengths can vary, so short is as good as long.


7--While transparent fabrics work for award shows, we’ve got to keep it high school clean (or covered) here.
8--Accessories are a bonus, but only the dress will be judged.
9--Enter as many times as you like, as long as each time, it is a different dress.
10--We really want YOU to win, so do enter!

The contest starts the moment this post appears and goes to midnight on Thursday, March 15th. We'll announce the winner Friday morning Pacific Standard Time, on or before 9:00 am.

Best of luck!

What's Fresh with Tina Ferraro's Top Ten Uses for an Unworn Prom Dress

Sophomore year, Nicolette Antonovich was dumped two days before prom by the hottest guy at school. As a result, she became the proud owner of one unworn, perfectly magical pink vintage dress. But Nic is determined to put that night behind her for good. She's a junior now— older, wiser, and completely overwhelmed by a new set of problems: (1) The bank's ready to foreclose on her childhood home. (2) Her father's too busy with his "replacement" daughter to care. (3) Her best friend's brother is an eternal thorn in her side. (4) Her best friend isn't exactly the rose attached to that thorn. (5) Rumors are flying around school that could get her kicked off the volleyball team, which would (6) ruin all chances of a college scholarship. (7) She still likes the boy who dumped her in the first place. (8) And what in the world do you do with an unworn prom dress, anyway? Strangely, it's getting to the bottom of this last dilemma that just might hold the answer to all Nic's problems.

Hello Tina! Thanks so much for agreeing to chat. But then, since you're my critique partner, you had no choice. *wink* Could you please tell us a little about your writing background and how you made your first sale, Top Ten Uses For An Unworn Prom Dress, to Delacorte Press?

Tina: Although I had sold about 75 short stories, I got serious about writing full-length fiction when youngest went to kindergarten. I joined the RWA in 1999, networked, and tried my hand at several genres inside romance writing. I finally found my niche with Young Adult writing in 2004. At the end of that year, I was lucky enough to sign with agent Nadia Cornier, and she sold my book, Top Ten Uses for an Unworn Prom Dress to Krista Marino at Delacorte Press in 2005!

Great, Tina! Readers and writers often like to get a behind the scenes peek of an author's writing routine. It would be great if you could please share your typical writing day schedule.

Tina: My life isn't glamorous, but I love it. I'm up early since two of my three kids start school at 7:00. I usually check e-mails and websites while they're getting ready, and am powered up to write when they leave. I will then write on-and-off until mid-afternoon, around errands and kid pick-ups. Usually I'm creatively exhausted in the evening, and the most I'll do is re-read pages I've written, or critique or judge for others.

Please tell us about your debut novel Top Ten Uses for an Unworn Prom Dress--which is releasing TODAY (woo-hoo!!)--and what we can expect from your characters.

Tina: Top Ten Uses for an Unworn Prom Dress, Delacorte Press, will be in stores on March 13. Nicolette Antonovich is a high school junior and brave survivor of every girl's teen nightmare--being dumped by your date. Even though it happened last spring, she can't fully get over the fact that the most popular guy in school ditched her when his equally flawless girlfriend popped back into town. To help her cope, her mom has ordered her to compile a list of 10 alternative things she can do with a prom dress. Through school stresses, boy dilemmas, and parental problems, her prom dress gives her something beautiful to hold on to.

And I can add that Top Ten Uses for an Unworn Prom Dress is just as great as it sounds! So what's up next for you, Tina? Do you have another project in the works? If so, please tell us about it.

Tina: My next book, How to Hook a Hottie, is scheduled to be released in Spring of '08 by Delacorte Press. The heroine, Kate DelVecchio, is determined to become a millionaire before she's 20, and sets forth making money by hooking up people in her high school with their secret crushes. The fact that she doesn't exactly know what she's doing is only a minor deterrent, as is the fact she's suddenly looking at her best buddy, Jason Dalrymple, through totally different eyes...

Another winner indeed! Thanks again, Tina, you know I wish you the best with your novels! Would you like to close with a writing tip?

Tina: Sure! Although I am a believer in "writing what you know," some of my best work has been writing what I didn't know. I have never worn a prom dress, nor did I have an obsession with them (until recently). I had no idea how to "hook a hottie" until my character announced her intention to find out. So while you'll probably never see me set a book in ancient China, or do a close-up on a character landing a Black Hawk, I recommend stepping outside your comfort zone a bit and seeing where your imagination can take you.

Tina Ferraro spent much of her high school days people-watching, which didn't do much for her grades, but later proved one of her better mistakes. A long-time resident of southern California, she lives with her husband and their three kids. She loves to travel, and can ask where the bathroom is in many languages. Visit her website www.TinaFerraro.com.

It's Top Ten Uses for an Unworn Prom Dress Week at YA Fresh!!

That's right YA fans, this week it's all about Tina Ferraro's debut novel, Top Ten Uses for an Unworn Prom Dress, hitting shelves Tuesday, March 13th at a book store near you! You're not going to want to miss this fresh fun.

Stay tuned for a one-on-one interview with Tina and me, an absolutely cool contest, and of course, some prom dress gossip!

Did I manage to go to my senior prom? Yes. Did I have a magical pink dress? Sorry, no. It was black, long, but lots of fun. :) So I'm kicking off the week with the ...

Top Ten Tips on What Not to do on Prom Night

1) Don't stay clear of the dance floor. Who cares if you're not ready for "Dancing with the Stars". If your with your friends, it's all about fun. Dance with a partner or with a group. When the music starts bumping, shake those hips!

2) Don't bring the spiked heels. It's no fun when the feet start a-achin' while strolling with your date. Believe me, comfort will be the magic word by the middle of the night. *sigh* Trust me, I know!

3) Don't wait too long for your Prom photo. Take your prom pics first, so you can have your fun without worrying about the hair taking a limp dive. :) It happens!

4) Please, no See-food! Keep those lips closed when munching out. Your date will surely appreciate it. haha!

5) BTW, don't forget the mints! There's nothing as gross as reminding your date of what you had for dinner--one hour later. Yikes!

6) Don't forget the cam! This is one of those nights with your friends you'll want to remember. Take the great shots you want to cherish!

7) Don't let it be all about you. When you're chatting with your date, ask questions about his or her interests, and share yours. No one likes a one-sided conversation!

8) Don't forget the after-prom party clothes. Plan ahead, and take a change of clothes that's totally you and totally comfy.

9) No fibbing to the parentals. Come on, yeah, you want to have fun, but also want to stay safe and be upfront with the parents so everyone has a good night.

10) Don't get hissy with your frenemies! Booooring. Leave your tiffs for another time. This is a night of fun, not a night for flying fists.

Share your "not to do" Prom tips, if you got 'em!

What's Fresh with Allison van Diepen's Street Pharm

If a brother wanna get ahead, he gotta use every minute to better himself. Everything I did made me better - tougher, stronger, richer, smarter - or I didn't do it.

Take high school. A waste of time. Nobody there taught me what I needed to survive on the streets...

Ty Johnson knows survival. Since inheriting his pop's business at sixteen, Ty's developed smarts, skills, and mad discipline. The supply game's in his blood. And life is pretty sweet when you're on top.

But one slip - or one serious competitor - and life turns ugly fast. Suddenly, Ty's got to rethink his whole strategy. And for the #1 dealer on the streets, strategy is not just about staying ahead. It's about survival.

Hey Allison, thanks for agreeing to chat! Could you please tell us a little about your writing background and how you made your first sale STREET PHARM to Simon Pulse?

Allison: From the time I was 12, I knew I was going to be a writer, and I wrote my first (unpublished) novel when I was 14. As a teen, I stayed up so late writing that I would doze in class the next day. I also sold little romance stories to my friends featuring their favorite celebrities – but I quit doing that when I realized I was being hideously underpaid.

I went to college and studied History because I was into writing historical romance at the time. After college, I decided that I needed a career besides writing to pay my bills, so I went to teacher’s college. My first teaching job was in Brooklyn. (They were short of teachers so they interviewed a bunch of us in Toronto, got us visas and put us in Hard to Staff schools.) Once I started teaching there, I knew instantly that I wanted to write for teens. I wrote a YA book and found an agent a year later. The first book didn’t sell, but my next one did. STREET PHARM was published by Simon Pulse in July of 2006.

Readers and writers often like to get a behind the scenes peek of an author's writing routine. It would be great if you could please share your typical writing day schedule.

Allison: Since I’m teaching full-time, my main writing time is on weekends, with a few hours here and there throughout the week. Saturday I sleep in, then go to the computer, drink some coffee, mess around on the internet, and get down to writing. I write all day, finish by around 6 or 7pm, then go out somewhere, because by that time I have serious cabin fever. Sundays I have a similar routine, with a break to go out for brunch.

Please tell us about your novel STREET PHARM and what we can expect from your characters.

Allison: STREET PHARM is the story of Ty Johnson, a teen drug dealer who thinks he’s got it all under control... until a competitor tries to take over his territory. Things get ugly, and he’s got to make some tough decisions about what he’s willing to do, and what he’s willing to lose, to stay in the game.

I created Ty Johnson because I’ve seen so many of my students choose the path to crime and chaos. I wanted to explore the true cost of this type of life and what hope, if any, remains.

STREET PHARM was also named an ALA Top Ten Quick Pick for Reluctant YA Readers. Congrats! What's up next, Allison? Do you have another project in the works? If so, please tell us about it.

Allison: My next novel, SNITCH, is coming out in November (2007). It’s about a girl in Brooklyn who falls in love with a gang member and ends up joining. It’s dark and gritty, but also vibrant and romantic.

When I was in Brooklyn, a lot of my students were gang members. I asked them why anyone would join a gang, and they gave me an earful.

The whole concept of “snitch” came about because I witnessed an incident involving some teens from another school and I reported them. These teens then followed me to the subway station, surrounded me, and started throwing garbage at me and cursing me out. The subway platform was crowded, but no one did anything.

The next day I told my students what had happened, and to my complete shock, they all said it was my fault because I was a snitch. They said I was lucky I hadn’t been thrown onto the subway tracks! I realized that if I’d been a student instead of a teacher, I’d have been in real trouble that day. So I started wondering what it would be like for a teen who lived in fear… and the story SNITCH was born.

Wow, Allison how frightening. I'm glad everything came out okay. I can tell SNITCH will be an intense read. Thanks so much for sharing. I wish you the best with your writing career! Would you like to close with a writing tip?

Allison: Think of every moment you spend writing as time well spent. Don’t ever consider all of those hours to be wasted because a certain project doesn’t sell, or your story hits a dead end, or you have to rewrite it. True writers persist. Writing books is like marathon training – it takes regular practice and there are ups and downs along the way.

Allison van Diepen began her teaching career in Brooklyn and now teaches at an alternative high school in Ottawa, Canada. Her first novel, STREET PHARM, has been named an ALA Top Ten Quick Pick for Reluctant YA Readers and a New York Public Library Book for the Teen Age. Visit her website, www.allisonvandiepen.com

Read the YA Fresh review!

This is Kelly Parra reporting on the recent Cyber City YA Buzz...

Straight from the Galleycat: Teens Buying Books More Than Ever

Seattle Post-Intelligencer's Celia Goodnow checks in on one of the happier publishing trends, where teens are buying books in numbers not seen in decades. "Kids are buying books in quantities we've never seen before," said Booklist magazine critic Michael Cart, a leading authority on young adult literature. "And publishers are courting young adults in ways we haven't seen since the 1940s." Credit a bulging teen population, a surge of global talent and perhaps a bit of Harry Potter afterglow as the preteen Muggles of yesteryear carry an ingrained reading habit into later adolescence.

Fantasy and graphic novels are especially hot, Goodnow discovers, and adventure, romance, humor and gritty coming-of-age tales remain perennial favorites. In addition, racy series such as GOSSIP GIRL -- often likened to a teen "Sex and the City" -- have created a buzz. More notably, though, there's a new strain of sophistication and literary heft as publishers cater to the older end of the spectrum with books that straddle teen and adult markets. Teens' increased disposable income is a big factor, too, leading to more sales, more choice and better quality. In other words, for those who might overlook YA fiction because it's ostensibly written for kids, you'd be doing a serious disservice - there's lots of good stuff out there, just waiting to be found.

It's all there, YA fic fans!

Fantasy, graphic novels, adventure, romance, humor, gritty coming-of-age, racy, literary, books that are for teens and adults.

It's not news the YA Fiction industry is growing. Teens are reading more and more. Authors are reaching out to young readers with the Internet. The days of authors being aloof or some mysterious person behind the words like I remember growing up, are history. (Yes!) And best of all readers are sharing what they love best. This is a great thing, and not because I write YA fic. I love reading YA. I love that teens are digging in. And I'm just thrilled the word is being spread more and more! :) :)

Also a quick tidbit from Shelf Awareness:

Effective last month, Orange Avenue and its new teen imprint, Zest Books, are being distributed by Independent Publishers Group. The company was previously distributed by Publishers Group West.

In a statement, Hallie Warshaw, publisher of Orange Avenue, which has headquarters in San Francisco, Calif., said, "We think there is a strong market out there for fun, gifty, humorous, nonfiction teen books that are highly visual and address topics that are important to this age group. Our books--which are smart, well written and hip--offer something new and different."

Spring titles include Decoding Mom and Where's My Stuff? The Ultimate Teen Organizing Guide. Fall titles include 97 Things to Do Before You Finish High School and Uncool--A Girl's Guide to Misfitting In.

Yes, YA non-fic is on the rise too! :) Soooo very Fresh!

Until next time...keep reading and spreading the YA Buzz. :)

I'm Having Too Much Fun!

Okay...six days until my book comes out, and I’m having more fun than a grown-up should be allowed. So why not share?

First off, the display is up in the window of the bookstore where I’m holding my March 17 book signing. Take a peak:



Isn’t that dress in the window to die for? (And the black bags beside it aren't trash. They're my shopping bags...and I couldn't get our crop function to work...)

Next, the day my books arrived, my cat (named Rascal after the guy who dumps Nicolette before the prom), decided to investigate.


We captioned this, “Finally, I can find out what she wrote about me”.

Finally, here’s a super-fun quiz called “What is Your Perfect Prom Dress?” you can take from Random House Teens:

http://www.randomhouse.com/teens/toptenuses/

Please report back to us what that perfect prom dress for you would be!

A New YA blog in the City...

There's another cool blog in Cyber City, and it's called Teen Fiction Cafe.

Eleven YA authors have banded together to chat about Teen focus and books!

Authors include:

º Lauren Baratz-Logsted
º Jennifer Lynn Barnes
º Liza Conrad (Erica Orloff)
º Simone Elkeles
º Linda Gerber
º Marley Gibson
º Sara Hantz
º Mari Mancusi
º Alyson Noel
º Kelly Parra
º Bev Katz Rosenbaum
º Wendy Toliver

Yes, and me too! I'll be posting once a month, and the we'll have about 3 posts a week. So come on by and say, "Hi". It's going to be a great read with lots of fresh voices!

How It's Fresh...

How It's Done (Flux) by Christine Kole MacLean is a novel that involves a rocky friendship, a strict family relationship, an intense first love, and how one girl handles it all.

Eighteen-year-old Grace is raised in a religious home with her mother and domineering father. She feels trapped by rules, unable to have fun with her classmates, and her future is already planned out because, really, it's all that has ever been expected of her.

Then she meets someone who questions her beliefs and her future, who is interested in only her. Grace falls for an older man. Not an older boy, but a college professor. And the reader is pulled along as Grace makes abrupt decisions only to escape from one confining circumstance to another.

This story kept me turning the pages while wondering what could possibly happen next. I would definitely recommend this novel for mature YA readers due to the adult world Grace enters so quickly.

Check out How It's Done and discover how great, and certainly just how it's fresh!

What's Fresh with Niki Burnham's Do-Over

Girl meets prince, Girl loses prince. Girl gets prince back -- right?

Well, that's what Valerie Winslow is hoping. She's back in Schwerinborg after spending time with her mom (and mom's girlfriend, Gabrielle) in the good ol' U.S. of A., and she's hoping the sparks will fly between her and Georg. At first it looks like everything is fabulous, but a ski trip to the Alps brings out Val's not-so-nice side, and what should have been a romantic weekend turns into a very bumpy ride.

Hi Niki, it's so great to chat with you! Could you please tell us a little about your writing background and how you made your first sale?

Niki: My path to writing for teens wasn't exactly linear! I used to be a lawyer, and I started writing articles for bridal magazines on topics such as "How to Negotiate Your Wedding Contracts." Eventually, I quit practicing law and worked exclusively as a freelancer for magazines. While freelancing, I worked on a romance novel, and eventually sold to Silhouette Romance. I wrote six books for Silhouette Romance, and now write YA books for Simon & Schuster. (I'm much happier than when I was practicing law, though the stress level hasn't changed!)

So glad you made that career change! Readers and writers often like to get a behind the scenes peek of an author's writing routine. It would be great if you could please share your typical writing day schedule.

Niki: I'm not as good as I should be about writing during particular hours. However, I set daily and weekly page goals. Sometimes I finish those pages by noon, other days it's not until two a.m. But I do work hard to make deadlines and haven't missed one yet (picture me furiously knocking wood here...)

Please tell us about your latest novel, Do-Over (Simon Pulse, Sept. 2006), and what we can expect from your characters.

Niki: Do-Over is the third in a series (following Royally Jacked and Spin Control) about a high school sophomore named Valerie Winslow. Val's parents are in the midst of a divorce, and in Do-Over, Val must deal with the idea of seeing her father--with whom she's very tight--dating a new woman. Val's boyfriend, Georg, doesn't understand why this is a big deal, and it leads to some strife between them.

The story also involves strudel, skiing, and a German disc jockey named Helmut. As you've probably guessed, it's a romantic comedy!

I really enjoyed Royally Jacked and Spin Control, so I definitely have to pick up Do-Over! What's up next? Do you have another project in the works? If so, please tell us about it.

Niki: I have two projects coming out in the next few months. The first is a romantic short story called "Night Swimming" that will appear in an anthology from Scholastic called Fireworks. The other authors (all with great stories!) are Erin Haft, Sarah Mlynowski, and Lauren Myracle. Fireworks comes out in April.

Then, in May, I have a story coming out called Goddess Games. I'm really excited about it. It tells the story of three girls--one a struggling born-again Christian, one an elite athlete and Army brat, and one the daughter of an Academy Award-winning actress--who are forced to live together when they take summer jobs at a resort in the Colorado mountains. They all learn how to deal with each other, as well as how to deal with the guys in their lives. Goddess Games will be released in May 2007. The cover is up on my website and on Amazon.com. It's gorgeous!

I have to agree about the cover, Niki. It's stunning! Thanks so much for chatting and I wish you the best with your future novels. Would you like to close with a writing tip?

Niki: Read! I learned a lot about writing just from reading broadly. I still spend more time reading than I do writing. It's the best way to learn what works, what doesn't, and why. Spending time in bookstores and libraries also helps you keep up with what's going on in the market.

Niki Burnham is the RITA award-winning author of several books for teenagers, including Royally Jacked, a Teen People pick. She lives in Massachusetts. Her online home and bulletin board can be found at www.nikiburnham.com.