Fun Kindle news!

The Kindle version of my first Delacorte release, Top Ten Uses for an Unworn Prom Dress, is available at Amazon at a reduced price.  Permanently!

This book was released in 2007, and picked up some lovely comments.  Such as:

"Nicolette is a likable, down-to-earth protagonist who is grappling with a lot of issues, and readers will quickly identify with and understand her. Ferraro does a fine job of setting up an interesting plot, funny dialogue and situations, and an engaging lead character," School Library Journal.

"A particular strength of the book is the romantic interest, Jared (who is very crush-worthy), and the sparkling banter between the characters. Ferraro convinces that these two are perfect for each other, but maintains Nic's obliviousness with good credibility. This was a delightful read, and I highly recommend it," Rosemary Clement Moore, author of The Splendor Falls, Texas Gothic and Prom Dates from Hell.

--and perhaps most famously--

"Very good for a book with a pink cover," a then-12 year old boy (who will remain anonymous because I make it a habit not to embarrass my children).

Anyway, I hope you'll check it out...and come back and let us know what you think!

What's Fresh with Allison van Diepen's TAKEDOWN

A teen infiltrates a drug ring to settle a vendetta in this fast-paced novel from the author of Street Pharm and Snitch.

Darren took the fall for Diamond Tony, the notorious head of the city’s drug cartel. Two years later, Darren’s finally out of juvie—and determined to get even.

Working as an informant for the police, Darren infiltrates Diamond Tony’s operation. But falling for sweet, innocent Jessica was not part of that plan. She’s a distraction—and a liability. She’s also everything Darren dreamed about while he was locked up, and with her, he has the promise of a fresh start.

When a deadly turf war breaks out between Diamond Tony and the Bloods, Darren gets caught in the crossfire. The cops think he’s playing both sides, and any mistake could be his last. Darren has to stay on his game if he’s going to protect Jessica—and if he’s going to stay alive.

Hello Allison, it’s great to have you back on YA Fresh! Please tell us about your latest novel, TAKEDOWN.

Allison: Great to be here, Kelly! TAKEDOWN is about a teen who comes out of juvie and wants to settle a score with a drug kingpin. School Library Journal called it the “Y.A. version of The Wire.”

How did the idea for this novel come about?

Allison: I love stories about an underdog who takes on a seemingly impossible mission. In this case, it’s Darren trying to bring down the kingpin who terrorizes his neighbourhood. And to achieve his mission, Darren has to do something taboo—he has to be an informant for the police.

Could you share some interesting characteristics of your main character(s)?

Allison: My main character, Darren, is smart, determined, and tough as nails. But he also loves his little brother and his girlfriend so much, and would do ANYTHING to protect them. As for Diamond Tony, he brings evil badass to another level. He HAS to be taken down, and Darren’s just the one to do it.

What is one of your favorite quotes from TAKEDOWN?

Allison: My favorite quotes are Darren’s rap lyrics, which appear throughout the book. Here’s a short one called The Mission: Before I left juvie/I told the cops I had a plan/To bring down Diamond Tony/Number-one wanted man/They gave me some green, an ID number and a phone/It was better than nothing/I would’ve done it on my own.

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

Allison: I’m writing a book called ON THE EDGE about a teen who witnesses a murder, and falls in love with the leader of a mysterious street gang. Stay tuned! And don’t forget to look me up on Facebook for the latest updates.

Allison van Diepen is the author of Street Pharm, Snitch, Raven, The Oracle of Dating series, The Vampire Stalker and Takedown. Her novels have been named ALA Quick Picks for Reluctant Readers and New York City Public Library Books for the Teen Age. She holds degrees in History and Education, and teaches at an alternative school in Ottawa, Canada. Visit her website, www.allisonvandiepen.com.

What's Fresh with Diana Rodriguez Wallach's short fiction Reflecting Emmy

Meet Emmy, Nara, Luke, Echo, and very infamous great grandmother, GiGi.

Eighteen-year-old Emmy is in the family business-trapping vapid narcissistic souls into her silver compact mirror for all eternity. It's what the Rhamnusia family has been doing for thousands of years, all under the direction of Great Grandmother. Only Emmy's latest assignment, Nara, is about to prove more challenging than she ever expected.

Gorgeous and self-absorbed, Nara is unflinchingly cruel to her classmates. Even her boyfriend, Luke, can no longer tolerate her actions--much to Emmy's relief since she finds Luke a little more than intriguing. But when Emmy tricks Nara into gazing into her mystical mirror, what she finds there is not what she's expecting.

Reflecting Emmy is the first short story in the Mirror, Mirror series followed by Nara Gazing, and Shattering GiGi.

Hi Diana, great to chat with you again! Please tell us What was the main inspiration for your story "Reflecting Emmy"?

Diana: Reflecting Emmy is the first short story in my Mirror, Mirror trilogy, which is based on the myth of Narcissus. I wanted to reimagine a myth that most people, and teens, would know very well. And honestly, within seconds of my brain contemplating Narcissus, I came up with the idea of a paranormal organization that traps Narcissistic souls by judging their reflections in mirrors. I wish I could pinpoint what part of my brain came up with this idea and how it happened so quickly, because there are times when I’m slugging through a revision and would love to manually click that switch.

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

Diana: For Emmy, the paranormal secret agent who traps teen Narcissistic souls for a living, I’d cast Vanessa Hudgens. Emmy’s Greek, a decedent of the goddess Nemesis, and I think Vanessa has that Mediterranean look. For Nara, the shallow, narcissistic girl whom Emmy is targeting, I’d cast Molly Quinn (the daughter from Castle). Nara is a strawberry blond beauty just like the actress.

Please share with us what your writing process is like?

Diana: I’m the working mom of a toddler, so it’s hard to say I even get traditional “writing process” anymore. Ahh, memories. But most weeks, I have a nanny who comes three days and I immediately leave the house and write in my community’s makeshift library/game room. While I’m there, I write nonstop, completely focused. Honestly. That’s the biggest difference now that I’m a mom, when I have time to write, I WRITE. Facebook is for after dinner while I’m watching the So You Think You Can Dance.

Thanks again for sharing, Diana! Good luck with your Mirror, Mirror Trilogy! Are there any contests or upcoming events you’d like to share with us?

Diana: Reflecting Emmy is the first short story in my Mirror, Mirror trilogy. It’s different from your typical book release. Each of my short stories—Reflecting Emmy, Nara Gazing, and Shattering GiGi—will be released individually as ebooks in September, October, and November, respectively. Then they will be compiled together to create the Mirror, Mirror trilogy, which will be released in December. THEN, my stories will be added with two other authors—Jammie Kern and Magda Knight—to create the Mythology High anthology in January 2014. Whew, that’s a lot of releases. So keep an eye out for all of them!

Diana Rodriguez Wallach is the author of Mirror, Mirror, a short-story collection based on the Narcissus myth, that includes Reflecting Emmy, Nara Gazing, and Shattering GiGi (Buzz Books 2013). She is also the author of three award-winning YA novels: Amor and Summer Secrets, Amigas and School Scandals, and Adios to All The Drama (Kensington Books). In 2011, she published a highly regarded essay in Dear Bully: 70 Authors Tell Their Stories (HarperCollins), and in 2013, she will be featured in the anthology Latina Authors and Their Muses (Twilight Times Books). In 2010 Diana was named one of the Top Ten New Latino Authors to Watch by LatinoStories.com, and she placed second in the International Latino Book Awards. She hold a B.S. in Journalism from Boston University, and currently lives in Philadelphia with her husband and daughter. Visit her website www.dianarodriguezwallach.com.

A Free YA Book Download Sampler!

Bloomsbury has come out with a great way to introduce readers to their 2013 fall YA thrillers--and it's free!  They have put out an e-book sampler featuring chapters (and exclusive bonus material) of the following new releases:

INSANITY by Susan Vaught

CONJURED by Sarah Beth Durst

DEAD GIRLS DON'T LIE by Jennifer Shaw Wolf

HOSTAGE THREE by Nick Lake.

Check out the Bloomsbury YA 2013 Thriller e-Sampler,

here

and then come back and let us know which of the books are going to be on your reading list!   

Color Me Swoon Winner!

Thanks to all who entered our COLOR ME SWOON giveaway.  The winner is:

LIVIANIA!

Liviania, please email me at admin@tinaferraro.com, and we'll get that in the mail to you.

A reminder to all our readers that COLOR ME SWOON is releasing this Tuesday, September 3rd.  You can learn more about it here:  HERE.

And keep checking in here at YA Fresh for more cool YA giveaways!

The COLOR ME SWOON Giveaway!

To kick off our first giveaway of the school year, we're offering up something special that caught our eye...

 

Part coloring book, part activity book and with all hot male celebs, it's called COLOR ME SWOON by Mel Elliott, and releasing by Penguin Publishing on September 3rd.  (Yes, we have an advanced copy!)  Each page has fill-in-the-blank activities like Bradley Cooper anagrams, an imaginary wedding registry with Ryan Reynolds and Jude Law limericks, in addition to color-inside-the-lines (or outside?) sketches to go at with your markers, gel pens and colored pencils. 

I can't help thinking how much fun this might be in study hall or waiting for nails to or half-watching TV...or something... 

All you have to do to be entered is to tell us in the comments which male celeb you'd like to see in the book!  (Doesn't matter if he's in there or not...)  Then check back next Monday, September 2nd to find out if YOU are the winner!  

We're Back with What's Fresh with Amanda Ashby!

Hellllllllloooo, YA Freshers! Did you all have a great summer? I think mine zoomed by, but I did enjoy myself. So read any good books lately? Talking about books, we're kicking it off with our dear author friend, Amanda Ashby! Amanda is chatting about her latest young adult novel, DEMONOSITY!

The Black Rose–a powerful ancient force–has been let loose and has taken up residence in Celeste Gibson, popular girl at Cassidy Carter-Lewis’ high school. Thomas Delacroix is the spirit of a fourteenth-century knight who is devoted to protecting the Black Rose, but he needs a contemporary living being to take on the challenge. That’s where Cassidy comes in.

She’s a quirky high school junior who just wants to dress in her vintage clothes, hang out with her best friend, and take care of her father, who is recovering from surgery. She’s the last person who would ever volunteer for such a task, but no one actually asked her. Now, like it or not, she finds herself training before dawn and battling demons at parties, the mall, and even at school. But hey, no one ever said high school was going to be easy.

So super-duper cool to have you back with us, Amanda! Let's start off by asking what was the main inspiration for DEMONOSITY?

Amanda: I’d accidently stumbled across an article about Rosicrucians—a secret society that was interested in philosophy and alchemy and I was intrigued. I’m also notoriously bad at doing lots of research so I took what I wanted from the society and then started making my own up!

Hey, we writers do like to make stuff up! Could you describe your perfect writing day...

Amanda: My perfect writing day is when I’m right in the middle of the story and the words are flowing (and absolutely no children come to ask for food, a referee or whether they can drink their body weight in Pepsi.)

About how long do you let a story idea marinate before you dive in and start writing it?

Amanda: I find plotting a real struggle because I’m an Aries and I like everything NOW. However, trying to have instant gratification with a new book idea doesn’t always work so what happens is that I get an idea and then when I discover it’s not working, I throw it away in a huff and start on something else. I then repeat this for four or five different projects until I work my way back around to the first idea, by which time I normally have a better way of moving it forward! And yes, if it does sound crazy, I agree wholeheartedly. It’s a ridiculous way to work!

So, Amanda, have you always wanted to be a writer?

Amanda: No, I was a late bloomer and spent most of my youth and early twenties wanting to sit on the couch watching television and reading books. Unfortunately, that didn’t pay very well and one day it suddenly occurred to me that I could still sit on the couch if I was the one writing the stories!

Thanks, Amanda! Good luck with DEMONOSITY!

Amanda Ashby was born in Australia and after spending the last sixteen years dividing her time between England and New Zealand, she’s finally returned home for some sunshine. When she’s not moving country, she likes to write books (okay, she also likes to eat chocolate, watch television and sit around doing not much, but let’s just keep that amongst ourselves, shall we?)

She has a degree in English and Journalism from the University of Queensland and is married with two children. Her debut book, You Had Me at Halo was nominated for a Romantic Times Reviewer’s Choice award. Zombie Queen of Newbury High was listed by the New York Public Library’s Stuff for the Teen Age 2010. Fairy Bad Day was selected by Voya as one of their Top Shelf Fiction for Middle School Readers 2012 and was a SCBWI Crystal Kite Award finalist for the Australia/NZ region. Visit her website, www.amandaashby.com

Summer Break!

It's summah time! Hey Fresh Friends, we're taking a little down time to play in sandy beaches, read books, take trips, and write! I hope you all have a wonderful summer and tune in to us in the fall!

Happy reading!

Best, Kelly & Tina

Our E-Book Winner!

The winner of this past week's e-book giveaway is

DAYDREAMERN!

So if DaydreamerN would kindly check the four e-book options in the original post and contact me at admin@tinaferraro.com, we'll get the chosen book soaring your way!

Thanks to all who entered, and stayed tuned for more cool giveaways!

Summer Reading (Giveaway!)

Summer's here!  (Or for some of us, almost here.)  Kelly and I want to help our YA Fresh readers kick it off in style, and what better way than to focus on summer reading?  

We've decided to host a Kindle/Nook e-reading giveaway, where one lucky commenter can choose one of our books:

Prom Dates to Die For, paranormal teen anthology including a story by Kelly Parra
 
Something Wicked: Short Stories, including a story by Kelly Parra

The Starter Boyfriend, Tina Ferraro

Top Ten Uses for an Unworn Prom Dress, Tina Ferraro

To be entered to win one of these e-books, simply give us a title in the comments of another book you're planning to read this summer.  Easy-peasy. 

Check back a week from today, Monday, June 10th, to learn the winner!  Good luck!