Here's host Stephanie Guerra with the latest from Seattle!
Hi
girlz!
Last
week SCBWI Western Washington celebrated the bi-annual Inside Story at
Mockingbird Books in Seattle. Local authors and illustrators came together to
share their recently published books and tell their “inside stories,” including
the inspiration behind their works. There was an amazing turn-out with all
seats filled and a lively audience of booksellers, teachers, librarians, and
fans. Host Martha Brockenbrough (Things
That Make Us [Sic], Devine Intervention) upped the fun with literary trivia
questions and prizes. Below please find a spotlight on the YA authors who
presented, with information about their newest releases. (I was one of the
number, and so excited to be a part of it!)
Weaving Magic by Mindy
Hardwick
He
loves magic. She loves romance. But the biggest illusion is the one Shantel and
Christopher perform together. Sixteen- year- old Christopher fights to
stay sober while fifteen-year-old Shantel struggles in the aftermath of her
mother’s death and seeks refuge in a fantasy world. But the unacknowledged
roots of their problems refuse to stay buried and soon, the two are headed
toward a deadly magic trick. Can Shantel and Christopher move beyond magical
illusions to find love?
The Wicked and the Just
by J. Anderson Coats
Cecily’s
father has ruined her life. He’s moving them to occupied Wales, where the king
needs good strong Englishmen to keep down the vicious Welshmen. At least Cecily
will finally be the lady of the house.
Gwenhwyfar knows all about that house. Once she dreamed of being the lady there
herself, until the English destroyed the lives of everyone she knows. Now she
must wait hand and foot on this bratty English girl.
While Cecily struggles to find her place amongst the snobby English landowners,
Gwenhwyfar struggles just to survive. And outside the city walls, tensions are
rising ever higher—until finally they must reach the breaking point.
Breaking Beautiful by
Jennifer Shaw Wolf
Allie lost everything the night her boyfriend, Trip, died in a horrible car
accident—including her memory of the event. As their small town mourns his
death, Allie is afraid to remember because doing so means delving into what
she’s kept hidden for so long: the horrible reality of their abusive
relationship.
When the police reopen the investigation, it casts suspicion on Allie and her
best friend, Blake, especially as their budding romance raises eyebrows around
town. Allie knows she must tell the truth. Can she reach deep enough to
remember that night so she can finally break free? Debut writer Jennifer Shaw
Wolf takes readers on an emotional ride through the murky waters of love,
shame, and, ultimately, forgiveness.
The Lost Code: Book One of the Atlanteans by Kevin Emerson
The
ozone is ravaged, ocean levels have risen, and the sun is a daily enemy. But
global climate change is not something new in the Earth’s history.
No one will know this better than less-than-ordinary Owen Parker, who is about
to discover that he is the descendant of a highly advanced ancient race—a race
that took their technology too far and almost destroyed the Earth in the
process.
Now it is Owen’s turn to make right in his world what went wrong thousands of
years ago. If Owen can unlock the lost code in his very genes, he may
rediscover the forgotten knowledge of his ancestry…and that less-than-ordinary
can evolve into extraordinary.
Dragonswood by Janet
Lee Carey
Wilde
Island is not at peace. The kingdom mourns the dead Pendragon king and awaits
the return of his heir; the uneasy pact between dragons, fairies, and humans is
strained; and the regent is funding a bloodthirsty witch hunt, hoping to rid
the island of half-fey maidens.
Tess, daughter of a blacksmith, has visions of the future, but she still
doesn't expect to be accused of witchcraft, forced to flee with her two best
friends, or offered shelter by the handsome and enigmatic Garth Huntsman, a
warden for Dragonswood. But Garth is the younger prince in disguise and Tess
soon learns that her true father was fey, making them the center of an
exciting, romantic adventure, and an ancient prophecy that will bring about
peace between all three races - dragon, human, and fairy.
Torn by Stephanie Guerra
Stella
Chavez is your classic good girl: straight As, clean-cut boyfriends, and soccer
trophies . You’d never guess that Stella’s dad was a drug addict who walked out
when she was a kid. Or that inside, Stella wishes for something more.
New girl Ruby Caroline seems like Stella’s polar opposite: cursing, smoking,
and teetering in sky-high heels . But with Ruby, Stella gets a taste of another
world—a world in which parents act like roommates, college men are way more
interesting than high school boys, and there is nothing that shouldn’t be tried
once.
It’s not long before Stella finds herself torn: between the best friend she’s
ever had and the friends she’s known forever, between her family and her own
independence, between who she was and who she wants to be.
But Ruby has a darker side, a side she doesn’t show anyone—not even Stella. As
Stella watches her friend slowly unravel, she will have to search deep inside
herself for the strength to be a true friend, even if it means committing the
ultimate betrayal.
The Summer of No Regrets by Katherine Grace
Bond
The
day Brigitta accidentally flings herself into the lap of a guy she's never met,
her friend Natalie is convinced he's Trent Yves, egotistical
heartthrob-in-hiding. When the boy, who calls himself Luke, is nearly eaten by
a cougar, Brigitta finds herself saving his life, being swept into his
spectacular embrace and wondering if she wants Natalie's fantasy to be true.
As the two spend the summer together raising orphaned cougar cubs, Brigitta
still can't be sure of his true identity. But then again, since her
grandparents' death, her father's sudden urge to give away all their
possessions and become a shaman, and her own awkward transition from girlhood
into a young woman, she isn't sure of anything. What is the truth? More
importantly, can she accept it?
Sounds like a fantastic event! Thanks, Stephanie!
The Million Books Movement is a campaign to send 1 million e- books to the children of Africa. 100,000 e-books have already been sent in this revolutionary book drive. With e-books, the goods can be delivered wirelessly and immediately.
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