Spotlighting J.E. MacLeod's WAITING TO SCORE

This is a book I've been waiting forever to get my hands on. I LOVE boy books -- have loved them ever since I first read S.E. Hinton's novels way back when. And this one written by a fellow Canadian :).

From what I've read of WAITING, this one is another not-to-be-missed male lead:

Zack Chase, new in town, gets a crash course in the dangerous, fast-paced lives of local teen athletes. A good-looking, book-loving hockey star, Zack’s also expected to be a womanizing, alcohol-abusing party animal, but it’s not who he is. As jealous, obnoxious team captain Mac hounds him, Zack falls for Goth-girl Jane and befriends her teammate brother, both with their own secrets. Tragedy strikes and affects them all in this true-to-life debut novel, giving readers an insight into the lives of high school students and athletes.

J.E. ‘s path to becoming an author was a windy one. After college, she wrote advertising copy for radio and then television and eventually moved on to work in sales and marketing for too many years.

After having a son, J.E. followed her dreams and wrote her first book. Once she started writing YA, she felt like she’d found her home and has been writing it ever since. J.E. lives near the Canadian Rockies with her husband and son and a new puppy named Meeko. She does not live in an Igloo or play hockey, but she does love maple syrup and says “eh” a lot. :)

So, without further interruption, I present to you, dear readers, J.E.'s answers to the Thorough Three...

NM: How old is Zack?

JEM: He's fifteen, but most of his friends are sixteen.

NM: What is the single, most important bit of advice you'd give to the You that was the same age as your Zack and Jane?

JEM: Girl, don't be afraid to just be who you are. You don't have to try to impress anyone but yourself. But work on impressing yourself, okay sweetie. You're not that bad. Be. Who. You. Are.

NM: LOVE that. And I agree, whole-heartedly! Now, complete the following sentences:

Everyone should definitely, for sure _____________.

You should NEVER, EVER ___________. But if you absolutely must, make sure to ____________.

JEM: Everyone should definitely for sure be loved for who they are.

You should NEVER, EVER say never. But if you absolutely must, make sure to floss.

LOL! Thanks so much for stopping by on your blog tour, J.E.! We wish you MUCH success with WAITING TO SCORE.

Okay, dear readers, WAITING TO SCORE releases on the 26th and you can buy it here. To learn more about J.E. MacLeod and her work, visit here.

Spotlighting Saundra Mitchell's SHADOWED SUMMER

I finally get to spotlight Saundra Mitchell's SHADOWED SUMMER! I read this in ARC form some time back and was completely transported back to a time in my life when I devoured ghost stories like I now devour anything that starts or ends with "cream" (ice cream, cream puffs, cream sauce, clotted cream...)

Ahem. Anyway, this book is a must read for anyone who enjoys a great ghost story set in surroundings you can feel and smell and almost touch. It is juicy and ache-y and lovely.

Saundra, herself, is a a screenwriter and author who penned the screenplays for the Fresh Films and Girls in the Director's Chair short film series. Her short story "Ready to Wear" was nominated for a Pushcart Prize, and her first feature film, Revenge Ends, debuted on the festival circuit in 2008. In her free time, she enjoys ghost hunting, papermaking, and spending time with her husband and her two children.

Here is a little about SHADOWED SUMMER: Nothing ever happened in Ondine, Louisiana, not even the summer Elijah Landry disappeared. His mother knew he ascended to heaven, the police believed he ran away, and his girlfriend thought he was murdered.

Decades later, certain she saw his ghost in the town cemetery, fourteen-year-old Iris Rhame is determined to find out the truth behind "The Incident With the Landry Boy."

Enlisting the help of her best friend Collette, and forced to endure the company of Collette's latest crush, Ben, Iris spends a summer digging into the past and stirring old ghosts, in search of a boy she never knew.

What she doesn't realize is that in a town as small as Ondine, every secret is a family secret.

NM: So, Saundra, how old is your protagonist/s?

SM: They're all fourteen or thereabouts.

NM: Interesting age. What is the single, most important bit of advice you'd give to the You that was the same age as your protagonist/s?

SM: Just because somebody asks you to do something doesn't mean you're obligated to do it.

NM: Wow, totally sage words of wisdom. Now, complete the following sentences:

Everyone should definitely, for sure _____________.

You should NEVER, EVER ___________. But if you absolutely must, make sure to ____________.

SM: Everyone should definitely, for sure go to college.

You should NEVER, EVER microwave tinfoil. But if you absolutely must, make sure to take pictures, because it looks really cool.

LOL. I've done that! Thanks, Saundra!

Click here to purchase a copy of SHADOWED SUMMER; and click here to find out more about Saundra Mitchell and what she's up to.

Spotlighting Erin Dionne's MODELS DON'T EAT CHOCOLATE COOKIES

Today, I'm totally excited to be spotlighting Erin Dionne, author of MODELS DON'T EAT CHOCOLATE COOKIES!

Erin has lived on two coasts and in four states. Her debut novel, MODELS DON’T EAT CHOCOLATE COOKIES, was inspired by events that occurred in seventh grade, when she wore a scary peach bridesmaid dress in her cousin’s wedding and threw up on her gym teacher’s shoes (not at the same event). Although humiliating at the time, these experiences are working for her now.

Erin lives outside of Boston with her husband and daughter, and a very insistent dog named Grafton. She roots for the Red Sox, teaches English at an art college, and sometimes eats chocolate cookies.

MODELS DON'T EAT CHOCOLATE COOKIES is about Thirteen-year-old Celeste Harris who is no string bean, but comfy sweatpants and a daily chocolate cookie suit her just fine. Her under-the-radar lifestyle could have continued too, if her aunt hadn’t entered her in the HuskyPeach Modeling Challenge. To get out of it, she’s forced to launch Operation Skinny Celeste—because, after all, a thin girl can’t be a fat model! What Celeste never imagined was that losing weight would help her gain a backbone . . . or that all she needed to shine was a spotlight.

Here are Erin's answers to the Thorough Three:

NM: What is the age of your protagonist/s?

ED: 13

NM: Tough age! What is the single, most important bit of advice you'd give to the You that was the same age as your protagonist/s?

ED: Not to worry about what other people thought of me!

NM: That's definitely an important one. Complete the following sentences:

Everyone should definitely, for sure _____________.

You should NEVER, EVER ___________. But if you absolutely must, make sure to ____________.

ED: Everyone should definitely, for sure check out the awesome debut novels from the Debs!

You should NEVER, EVER fill out interview questions when you're exhausted. But if you absolutely must, make sure to have your husband's help.

LOL. I totally know that feeling :).

Click here to buy Erin's book; and here to learn more about Erin and her work.

Spotlighting Sarah MacLean's THE SEASON

I am so excited to spotlight Sarah MacLean's THE SEASON this week!

Sarah MacLean grew up in Rhode Island, where she spent much of her free time bemoaning the fact that she was more than a century too late for own Season. Her unabashed addiction to historical fiction helped to earn her a degree in European History from Smith College before she moved to New York City to pursue a career in publishing. After receiving a Masters in Education from Harvard University, Sarah returned to New York, where she lives with her husband, their dog, and a ridiculously large collection of romance novels. She is currently working on a series of regency-set romances to be released in 2010 from Avon/HarperCollins.

In THE SEASON, Lady Alexandra Stafford doesn't fit into the world of Regency London — she's strong-willed, sharp-tongued, and she absolutely loathes dress fittings. Unfortunately, her mother has been waiting for years for Alex to be old enough to take part in the social whirlwind of a London Season so she can be married off to someone safe, respectable, wealthy, and almost certainly boring. But Alex is much more interested in adventure than romance.

Between sumptuous balls, lavish dinner parties and country weekends, Alex, along with her two best friends, Ella and Vivi, manages to get entangled in her biggest scrape yet. When the Earl of Blackmoor is killed in a puzzling accident, Alex decides to help his son, the brooding and devilishly handsome Gavin, uncover the truth. It's a mystery brimming with espionage, murder, and suspicion. As she and Gavin grow closer, will Alex's heart be stolen in the process?

NM: So, how old are your protagonists?

SM: Alex, Ella and Vivi are all seventeen.

NM: What is the single, most important bit of advice you'd give to the You that was the same age as your leading ladies?

SM: Oooh...good question! How about, Sarah, in ten years, you'll sell your first novel. And none of this will matter anymore. I promise.

NM: Great advice! Now, complete the following sentences, if you will:

Everyone should definitely, for sure _____________.

You should NEVER, EVER ___________. But if you absolutely must, make sure to ____________.

SM: Everyone should definitely, for sure read at least one Jane Austen novel in their lifetime.

You should NEVER, EVER fall in love with a rake. But if you absolutely must, make sure to take him down with you.

NM: Ha! Great answers.

Thank you, Lady Sarah! And we wish you much success with THE SEASON!

Click here to purchase a copy of THE SEASON from Amazon, and here for Indiebound.

To learn more about Sarah MacLean and her work, visit her website.

Noop Dogg in Tha Haus

American Idol has a new South Asian contender this year. And this one can actually sing. His name is Anoop Desai. Despite Simon's idiotic comment that Anoop looked too "IT" and like he "just got out of a meeting with Bill Gates" (can we say stereotype, Simon?), Anoop has been crooning with The Clef Hangers at UNC. He's cute, smart, he's fast becoming a sensation, and he's got some real vocals.

It amazes me the hunger out there for Desi images. Desis, in particular are starved to see ourselves on the big screen, doing things that represent our many facets and talents, rather than consistently being pigeon-holed into the "model minority," nerdy, IT sectors.

Bend It Like Bekham was a resounding success; Sanjaya -- as terrible a vocalist as he was -- had legions of fans, young and old alike; Born Confused is still selling phenomenally; and now Noop Dogg. His Facebook page already has over 8000 members and we're only in Hollywood Week.

I, along with all the squealing girls at UNC, will be watching his progress with great interest ;-).

Edited to add: I just saw on Mitali Perkins' Facebook page that Noop has his own webpage! Wow, his people move fast.

Spotlighting Jenny Moss's WINNIE'S WAR

The second interview in the 2009 Debs Spotlight Series is with Jenny Moss, author of WINNIE'S WAR.

Jenny is a former NASA engineer. She earned a master's degree in literature and taught writing as an adjunct at University of Houston-Clear Lake. WINNIE'S WAR is her first novel. She lives with her two teenagers in Houston, Texas.

WINNIE'S WAR is a debut novel set against the backdrop of the Spanish Flu epidemic of 1918.

Life in Winnie's sleepy town of Coward Creek, Texas, is just fine for her. Although her troubled mother's distant behavior has always worried Winnie, she's plenty busy caring for her younger sisters, going to school, playing chess with Mr. Levy, and avoiding her testy grandmother. Plus, her sweetheart Nolan is always there to make her smile when she's feeling low. But when the Spanish Influenza claims its first victim, lives are suddenly at stake, and Winnie has never felt so helpless. She must find a way to save the people she loves most, even if doing so means putting her own life at risk.

NM: What is the age of your protagonist/s?

JM: Twelve

NM: What is the single, most important bit of advice you'd give to the You that was the same age as your protagonist/s?

JM: All will be well.

NM: Complete the following sentences:

Everyone should definitely, for sure _____________.

You should NEVER, EVER ___________. But if you absolutely must, make sure to ____________.

JM: Everyone should definitely, for sure learn to swim.

You should never, ever eat snails. But if you absolutely must, make sure to dip them in chocolate first.

Thanks so much, Jenny, for stopping by on your blog tour!

Thanks, Neesha!

We wish Jenny Moss tons of success with WINNIE'S WAR -- it sounds like a fantastic book! You can buy it here from Amazon or order it through your nearest independent bookstore.

If you'd like to learn more about Jenny and her work, visit her site at www.Jenny-Moss.com.