YA Fresh’s Series Finale.

Amazingly, it’s been seven years since I launched YA Fresh in December 2006. A month later, I asked my awesome critique partner and good friend, Tina Ferraro, to join me as we celebrated the releases of our young adult novels.
Why not start a YA blog to chat about YA books, giveaways, and just have fun with it?
Have Fun, we did!!
Hundreds of interviews and giveaways, and lots of fun chats with readers and bloggers.
Now here we are today with less YA Fresh readers to chat with and few entries for our giveaways.
Tina and I have decided to close YAF’s doors in December 2013.
We can think of YA Fresh as a book blog series that has run its final seventh season and this is our Series Finale!
Thank you for seven years of visits and chats. Thank you for sharing your favorite young adult and middle grade reads with us.
Thank you for taking the time to visit each day, and of course, we will miss you!
You can always find Tina on her Facebook page or Twitter or contact her on her website. You can chat with me on Facebook, Twitter, or contact me through Kellyparra.com.
Keep reading, writing, and having fun, YA Freshers!

Chasing Shadows--The Winner!

JILL THE OWL is the winner of a hardcover copy of CHASING SHADOWS by Swati Avasthi!  Jill, please contact me at admin@tinaferraro.com, and I'll get the book in the mail to you!

Thanks to all who entered!

Chasing Shadows--the giveaway!

We're excited to be giving away a hardcover copy of Swati Avasthi's critically acclaimed YA novel, CHASING SHADOWS, which Kirkus Reviews named as one of the year's best teen novels, calling it "haunting, mesmerizing and intense." 

Check out the book trailer:

To be entered, simply go to our comments and tell us why you want to read this book.  The winner will be chosen randomly, and announced on Monday, December 9th.  Good luck!

Kirkus Reviews Best Teen Books of 2013

Have you seen the Kirkus Reviews list of Best Teen Books of 2013?  Here's the link.

You don't have to scroll very far to see the book we're giving away here at YA Fresh this weekend:  Swati Avasthi's CHASING SHADOWS.  Check back with us on Friday to be entered to win!

What I'm Reading...

Earlier this year we did an interview and giveaway of Sarah Skilton's debut YA release,  BRUISED.  Under the heading of "too many books, too little time," I am finally getting around to reading it now--and loving it already.

So how about you?  Getting in reading time in this holiday season?  Share with us in the comments!

Blog Love?

I think I started blogging in 2005. It was fresh and new. Anyone could post their views and voices on-line. When Twitter happened, micro-blogging became easier and faster. A quick thought or link in 140 characters or less!

Now, I read industry blogs and articles but I'm not finding that many comments. So it brings me to ask visitors here, is there still blog love?

How do you feel about blogs? Do we still have our YA Freshers checking in at YA Fresh?

We'd like to know!

Our Giveaway Winner...

The winner of WAITING FOR THE QUEEN by Joanna Higgins is...

CARY!

So Cary, if you'd please e-mail me at admin@tinaferraro.com, we'll get the book in the mail to you!

Thanks to those who entered, and keep coming back for more cool giveaways!

Waiting for the Queen - Giveaway!

We're excited to be giving away a hardcover copy of WAITING FOR THE QUEEN, notable author Joanna Higgins's first middle grade novel.  In addition to a reader's private collection, this book would make a wonderful addition to a middle school classroom library, or gift for a reader from 4th grade and up.

A surprising friendship develops between Eugenie, an escapee from the French Revolution, and Hannah, a Quaker girl, when they unite in the cause against slavery in this adventuresome tale of true nobility set amidst the rugged, eighteenth-century, Pennsylvania wilderness.

Fifteen-year-old Eugenie de La Roque and her family barely escape the French Revolution with their lives. Along with several other noble families, they sail to America, where French Azilium, as the area came to be known, is being carved out of the rugged wilderness of Pennsylvania. Hannah Kimbrell is a young Quaker who has been chosen to help prepare French Azilum for the arrival of the aristocrats. In this wild place away from home and the memories they hold dear, Eugenie and Hannah find more in common than they first realize. With much to learn from each other, the girls unite to help free several slaves from their tyrannical French owner, a dangerous scheme that requires personal sacrifice in exchange for the slaves' freedom.

A story of friendship against all odds, Waiting for the Queen is a loving portrait of the values of a young America, and a reminder that true nobility is more than a royal title.

The giveaway starts NOW, with the winner called on Monday, November 18th.  All you have to do to be entered is go to the comments and tell us something you've been known to "wait for..."  (For me it always seem to be the "brew done" beep on our coffee machine!)  Good luck!

Thanks, Scholastic!

Back in school, I loved perusing the Scholastic Book Club flyers.  Each book sounded better than the next, and my biggest challenge was narrowing the list to fit my budget.  One month I remember receiving a virtual tower of books, and my astonished teacher asking me if I was really going to read them all.  (Yep...and the good ones I'd read again and again...)

Sadly, I lost those books in a storm that flooded our house years later, but thanks to the internet, have found used versions of those original publications, and set about replacing and re-reading my favorites.  It's been fun all over again.   

So imagine my glee when I heard the following news.  Scholastic--whose very name still fills me with childish glee--has released a guide for middle school teachers to help teach creative writing.  Called Traits of Writing, it includes a section on creating narrative voice.  A suggested lesson plan includes using one of my books, Top Ten Uses for an Unworn Prom Dress, as a way to explain and explore writing satire.

I'm honored and I'm thrilled and I'm floored!  I even bought a copy of the teaching guide for my personal library, and put a bookmark right there at page 175, which I plan to shove under the noses of all who enter our house.  "Look!"

But the one person I'd really like to share this news with is in memory form, a short girl named Tina who is trying to carry a tower of  books back to her desk.  "Keep reading, keep writing, keep dreaming...and believe it or not, one day, you'll get an amazing recognition from that very publisher who helped you start it all."

Thanks, Scholastic!  

What's Fresh with Sara Hantz's In The Blood

For seventeen years, Jed Franklin’s life was normal. Then his father was charged with the abuse and murder of four young boys and normal became a nightmare. His mom’s practically a walking zombie, he’s lost most of his friends, and the press camps out on his lawn. The only things that keep him sane are his little sis; his best friend and dream girl, Summer; and the alcohol he stashes in his room. But after Jed wakes up from a total blackout to discover a local kid has gone missing—a kid he was last seen talking to—he’s forced to face his greatest fear: that he could somehow be responsible.

In a life that’s spiraled out of control, Jed must decide if he chooses his own destiny with Summer by his side or if the violent urges that plagued his father are truly in the blood. . .

Hi Sara, so great to chat with you again! What was the main inspiration for In the Blood?

Sara: If ever I read or watched about some horrific crime committed I would always wonder how it affected the perpetrator’s family and what happened to them. The idea for my book just grew from that.

Who would you cast if your book was made into a movie?

Sara: Jed: Paul Wesley (although he’s maybe a bit too old), Summer: Ellen Page

How do you stay focused when writing?

Sara: I don’t! I have the attention span of a gnat, plus I write while working in our business which means constant phone calls and interruptions.

Best of luck, Sara! Let's close with what are you working on for us next?

Sara: My next book is Will The Real Abi Saunders Please Stand Up and is about an introverted girl who ends up being a stunt girl for a wild teen movie star.

Sara Hantz originally comes from the UK and is one of four children, having three younger brothers. Although she was an avid reader from a very early age, she didn't get the writing bug until much later in life, though English was always one of her stronger subjects. She's an avid sun chaser and now lives on the beautiful Sunshine Coast in Australia (via 10 years in New Zealand). Sara lectured for many years before deciding to devote more time to her writing and working in the family hospitality business. She has two grown-up children and when not writing, working, or online with her friends, she spends more time than most people she knows watching TV - in fact if TV watching was an Olympic sport she'd win gold. Sara’s books: In The Blood, The Second Virginity of Suzy Green and Will The Real Abi Saunders Please Stand Up (due out May 2014).Visit her website, www.sarahantz.com.

A Sneak Peak at Chasing Shadows

Some of our readers may remember I'm a big fan of Swati Avasathi's debut novel, SPLIT.  So I am very excited to share that her second book, CHASING SHADOWS has been released!

In the near future, we're going to host an interview with Swati about CHASING SHADOWS, with a giveaway of a hardcover copy.  But here's the deets on the book to whet your whistle!  

CHASING SHADOWS is a searing look at the impact of one random act of violence.

Before: Corey, Holly, and Savitri are one unit—fast, strong, inseparable. Together they turn Chicago concrete and asphalt into a freerunner’s jungle gym, ricocheting off walls, scaling buildings, leaping from rooftop to rooftop.

But acting like a superhero doesn’t make you bulletproof...

After: Holly and Savitri are coming unglued. Holly says she's chasing Corey's killer, chasing revenge. Savitri fears Holly's just running wild—and leaving her behind. Friends should stand by each other in times of crissi. But can you hold on too tight? Too long?

In this intense novel, told in two voices, and incorporating comic-style art sections, Swati Avasthi creates a gripping portrait of two girls teetering on the edge of grief and insanity. Two girls who will find out just how many ways there are to lose a friend . . . and how many ways to be lost.

 

Wild Cards!

Last summer, I had a fun lunch at LA's Casa Vega with YA author and friend, Simone Elkeles.

Among the topics we covered was our works-in-progress, which for her was the first book in her new series, Wild Cards.

Well, that book released earlier this month. Check it out on Amazon (using the link above) or on her author fan page.  If you love it, come back and let us know!  

What's Fresh with Jenny Peterson's Creature Discomforts

Best friends Rachel and Kendra are well past ready for things to go back to normal … or as normal as it can get for a demon hunter and a half-mermaid. College is supposed to be about study sessions and sneaking beer, not fighting monsters, right? But when girls on campus start disappearing, Rachel, Kendra and cute fellow demon hunter/annoyance extraordinaire Sid begin investigating. The closer they get to the truth, the more they realize there’s something hiding in the Georgia mountains that is much older and deadlier than your everyday demon. Forget studying for finals, these three will need to fight just to survive.

The first in the digital novella Descendants trilogy following Rachel and Kendra's adventures in college, romance, and kicking monster butt. Peterson first started the storyline in PROM DATES TO DIE FOR and SOMETHING WICKED anthologies and readers begged for more. Look for EAT YOUR HEART OUT in Spring 2014.

Thanks for visiting us on YA Fresh, Jenny! Could you please tell us a little about your writing background and how you made your first publication?

Jenny: I’ve always been a writer—from the NEVER-ENDING STORY rip-off I wrote in fourth grade to the fairly elaborate stories I told my sister to freak her out. (Example: A man-eating sea bass named Murray lived in our lake.) My degree is in journalism, and I really enjoyed working at a paper as my creative outlet. But then! I had this idea for a novel hit me out of the blue one day in my mid-20s. Just bam! And I knew I had to write it. But writing fiction and telling people I was writing fiction are two very different beasts. I wrote that novel in absolute secrecy, and it was seriously years before I admitted to people I was trying to become an author. Obviously, I’m over that now. (That first novel went nowhere and was a bit of a mess, but we have to start somewhere, right?)

Readers 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.

Jenny: So I moved to Denver a couple years ago and decided to try the author/editor thing full time. I split my time between writing fiction and editing for Month9Books, a YA publisher. One thing about working freelance is being crazy organized. I have lists and calendars and precise time-management goals. But I kind of love being so organized. (Yay for Type As!) In a normal day, I juggle editing for half the day with fiction projects the other half: my novella trilogy for Buzz Books, a steampunk novel that’s in its third draft, and a reality-hopping sci-fi serial called THE INBETWEEN being released in installments through JukePop Serials. So I’m not just staring at a wall and holding elaborate conversations with my two cats, I often decamp to local coffee shops. This also has the added bonus of keeping me from reading gossip blogs (my weakness) all day.

Please tell us about CREATURE DISCOMFORTS and what we can expect from your characters.

Jenny: In CREATURE DISCOMFORTS, I continue the story I started in two shorts for Buzz Books. Best friends and college freshman Rachel and Kendra are well past ready for things to go back to normal … or as normal as it can get for a demon hunter and a half-mermaid. But when girls on campus start disappearing, Rachel, Kendra and fellow demon hunter/annoyance extraordinaire Sid begin investigating. The closer they get to the truth, the more they realize there’s something hiding in the Georgia mountains that is much older and deadlier than your everyday demon. Forget studying for finals, these three will need to fight just to survive.

So great! What's up next? Do you have another project in the works? If so, please tell us about it.

Jenny: The Descendants trilogy continues in EAT YOUR HEART OUT, slated to release in spring 2014. In it, Rachel, Kendra and Sid are facing a big bad that’s got some creepy talents and gross eating habits. You can read more about the next novella and the Descendants on the series website.

Jenny is a writer and editor based in Denver, CO. Reading and writing YA and new adult is her first love, and she spends an inordinate amount of time dreaming up fantastical worlds for kick-ass heroines. She also splits her time as an assistant editor for a YA publisher. The Descendants Series, her e-novella trilogy, is being released by indie publisher Buzz Books USA. When not writing or editing, she enjoys exploring the mountains and lakes of Colorado, shopping local, dominating at trivia and traveling. She lives in an old Victorian house with her husband and two lazy tabbies named after Harry Potter characters. Learn more about Jenny, her writing and travels at www.jennycoonpeterson.com. Or, you can follow her on Twitter @JenC_P, Facebook, Goodreads, or even Pinterest. Happy reading!

YA Novel Recommendations?

I've got some travel coming up, which always, always means reading time to me.  From long stretches in seat belts to spurts in hotel rooms to passing time in long lines, I'm geared to hang out with new characters and books.

I've got several ready in paperback and e-book form--except for this one, that I couldn't resist reading already:

OUT OF THE EASY is the story of a 17 year-old girl's struggle to leave the troubles of her 1950's New Orleans' French Quarter life behind her.  It was recommended to me by a fellow young adult author, and I certainly saw why.  Fast-paced with twists, turns and lots of action, it's a great read.


So now I thought I'd turn to our readers.  Any Young Adult book recommendations you can make for my travel reading, books you've read or are looking forward to reading?

Our Winners!

Thanks to all who entered to win a copy of my latest release, STUPID CUPID!

Our winners are C.R. Evers and Patricia!  So if you two would kindly contact me at admin@tinaferraro.com, I'll get those copies to you!

The Stupid Cupid Giveaway

Did you know I have a new publication out?  Short, sweet only 99 cents?

Called Stupid Cupid, it was released two weeks ago by the Boroughs Publishing Group as part of their Lunchbox Romance line.  Here's the official blurb:

Thanks to the mythical god of love, Cupid, 16-year-old Sydney's love life is about to get complicated…even though technically she doesn't have one.

And sticking with the short and sweet theme, this giveaway is short--between now and Thursday morning, October 10th at 8 am PST.  And it is sweet--in that all you have to do to be entered is leave the name of something sugary sweet you like in the comments.  

Two winners will be chosen at random.  Good luck to all!

PROM DATES and STORYGRAMS

Guess what? So you know about my recent novella SUPERNATURAL HUNTERS with teen monster hunters Jaz & Blake? Well, their debut short story, "Darkness Becomes Him" in the fun and spooky anthology PROM DATES TO DIE FOR is free for Kindle! So get it while you can, the promo will run through the weekend!

The anthology includes these great stories:

A Night They'll Never Forget. Five young adult authors cordially invite readers to five proms with a paranormal twist: In Kelly Parra's "Darkness Becomes Him," teen supernatural hunters are hired to save a prom date hungry for souls. Heather Dearly introduces us to a young reaper haunted by a past she doesn't remember in "The Bone Flower." A prom queen seeks justice and revenge in Lena Brown's, "Every Breath You Take." Aaron Smith gives us a loner musician called to save his classmates from an enemy only he can see in "A Kiss at the Threshold." -Jenny Peterson's heroine gets much more than she wished for on her prom night and 18th birthday in "Tonight, You're Mine." Frightful, fun and unforgettable.

I thought I would end the week with some of the fun promo we created for SUPERNATURAL HUNTERS...

Meet Jaz & Blake, well, their storygrams...

I really enjoyed making these, just a small visual on their characters. You can find storygrams for Oz and Marco on my Facebook page.

Buzz Books put together this fun trailer in Jaz's POV as she hunts for a ghoul in a cemetery! Thanks for letting me share! Have a great weekend!

Join me for the Launch of SUPERNATURAL HUNTERS!

Hi YA Freshers!

I'd like to invite you to two special occasions...

"Just the right combination of butt-kicking and romance to keep you on the edge of your seat." —Allison van Diepen, The Vampire Stalker

Supernatural teen hunters and kick-butt couple Jaz and Blake get trouble in their own backyard, the graveyard, when a ghoul is on the loose and looking for fresh meat. When a teen hunter on the verge of death arrives at their doorstep, they realize a much greater evil is upon them.

Jaz is satisfied with their makeshift foster family and fighting monsters, but Blake yearns for adventure and the truth about his biological family. Will Blake leave Jaz to search for something more...and to fend for herself? Can a relationship survive when death is lurking just beyond the gravestones?

SUPERNATURAL HUNTERS is the first novella to follow Jaz and Blake's whirlwind, action-packed romance started in PROM DATES TO DIE FOR and SOMETHING WICKED. With an eye for great dialogue and fight scenes, SUPERNATURAL HUNTERS is a fast-paced, fun read.

1) Today is the official release of my novella SUPERNATURAL HUNTERS!

I just want to share my excitement with you! For the past couple of years, I have been writing short fiction. It gave me a break from writing a full-length novel and it was fun! When I decided to create Jaz and Blake (my monster-fighting teen duo) I didn't worry about pressures or plot lines, just wrote for the joy of it. Jaz and Blake were born in their first short story together titled "Darkness Becomes Him" in the PROM DATES TO DIE FOR anthology. But Jaz and Blake were not ready to be laid to rest in their world of fighting monsters, they wanted to keep sharing their adventures with you. They wanted to fight merpeople in the story, "Mermania" in the SOMETHING WICKED anthology. I thought that might be it for them but alas, they wouldn't stop whispering in my ear. They wanted a longer story. They wanted a novella to battle ghouls and a wicked necromancer. Just to assure you, each story is a standalone. You can read the first chapter on Amazon and a cool extra scene on my website. I would love for you to download a copy from Amazon or Barnes & Noble.

2) Not only is SUPERNATURAL HUNTERS officially releasing today, but Buzz Books is throwing a fantastic on-line launch party on Facebook and all of you are invited! Just click join and you'll be entered into winning some fun prizes...

SUPERNATURAL HUNTERS is the first full-length novella to follow Jaz and Blake's whirlwind, butt-kicking romance started in PROM DATES TO DIE FOR and SOMETHING WICKED. (The story still stands alone for new readers.) JOIN the launch party for giveaways all day long including copies of PD2D4, SW and Jenny Peterson's upcoming YA fantasy, CREATURE DISCOMFORTS as well as Diana Rodriguez Wallach's NARA GAZING Mythology High story.

BUY SUPERNATURAL HUNTERS ON 10/1 for a chance to win a Kindle on Halloween! ($79 value). Email receipt to buzzbooksusa (at) me (dot) com.

Thank you for letting me share with you! I hope to chat with you on-line at the launch party. Come join to win, win, win!

We Have a Winner!

Thanks to all who entered the giveaway for a copy of PANIC by Sharon M. Draper.  By use of my random number generator, our winner is:

(: Isa :)

Isa, please send me your contact information at admin@tinaferraro.com, and we'll get the book in the mail to you.

And everyone, keep dropping by YA Fresh to be part of our cool giveaways! 

The PANIC Giveaway!

Our giveaway is a very special book written by five-time winner of the Coretta Scott King Literary award, winner of the National Teacher of the Year, and New York Times bestselling author Sharon M. Draper.  I can’t help thinking this book would be a bonus for a high school classroom--or a personal collection.

PANIC chronicles a teen abduction and is told in a way that will help young adult readers make good choices with the goal of protecting themselves.  Here is the blurb: 

Diamond knows not to get into a car with a stranger.

But what if the stranger is well-dressed and handsome? On his way to meet his wife and daughter? And casting a movie that very night—a movie in need of a star dancer? What then?

Then Diamond might make the wrong decision.

It’s a nightmare come true: Diamond Landers has been kidnapped. She was at the mall with a friend, alone for only a few brief minutes—and now she’s being held captive, forced to endure horrors beyond what she ever could have dreamed, while her family and friends experience their own torments and wait desperately for any bit of news.

This is a riveting exploration of power: how quickly we can lose it—and how we can take it back.

You can learn more about PANIC HERE.

Our giveaway starts NOW, and ends on Tuesday morning, September 24nd.  All you have to do to be entered in this weekend giveaway is to tell us so in our comments.  

Good luck and check back on Monday!