rgz NYC HOST: Melissa Walker celebrates UNBREAK MY HEART!

Oh my goodness, rgz! I meant to post about this closer to the date, but now we get to prolong Diva Melissa's launch for Unbreak My Heart!

“A super cute love story! Melissa Walker will inspire readers to never stop believing in true love.” —SUSANE COLASANTI, author of When It Happens and Keep Holding On

On Sunday, June 10th, readers, writers, bloggers and friends gathered at Book Court, Brooklyn -- a super-cool indie bookstore that does a great job promoting local writers, by the way! -- to fete Melissa's latest release. Writers in attendance included Marianna Baer, Barry Lyga, David Levithan, and more, and everyone enjoyed Melissa's reading, and Unbreak cookies! Here's a shot of Melissa with Katie Sise, author of the forthcoming Boyfriend App (2013). Note Melissa prominently displaying the book cookie. Yum!

Congrats again, Melissa! 

rgz NYC HOST post: THE SECRET ME in NYC!

Here at readergirlz, we're all about celebrating ourselves in all of our fabulous forms -- sometimes secret, sometimes social, and always sensational! That's why I'm especially excited to showcase the newest release from Meg Leder and Rachel Kempster, THE SECRET ME BOOK! 

Discover what makes you, you...

What makes you tick and hum?

What quirks and habits are yours and yours alone?

who do you wish you could be?

who are you now?

The answers make up your "secret me," your soul's fingerprint.

Packed with creative and quirky prompts, ideas, and activities, The Secret Me Book gives you an inspiring way to get to know this core part of you.

Scribble thoughts, make lists, paste pictures, and doodle—all tapping into the real you.

What would you do if you won the lottery?

Is there a movie that defines you?

What's your secret talent?

Here's your secret me book—it's time to celebrate what you're made of.

Last Thursday, Meg and Rachel were on hand in NYC reading and signing from their book to a packed house! Meg (that's her on the right in the photo below) adds: “In the spirit of the book, we asked people to share some of their secret habits and dreams. And we discovered that in the audience, we had a woman who wished she could be the pope, as well as someone who always wanted to open a button factory. It was neat seeing the book come to life right in front of us, as audience members shared their own ‘secret me’s."

Sounds like a blast! Congrats, ladies! Now readers -- tell us: who's your "secret me?"

rgz NYC HOST post: NYC Teen Author Fest is coming!

It's coming, readergirlz: that week-long YA author extravaganza known as the NYC Teen Author Fest! This year the Fest runs from Monday, March 26th through Sunday, April 1st, and will feature fantabulous programming and the opportunity to see a gazillion (that's an approximate number) of your favorite authors -- including myself and Diva Melissa Walker -- in person. 

The full schedule is available over at the very official NYC Teen Author Fest Facebook page, which you clearly have already liked/bookmarked/committed to memory, yes?

What are you waiting for? Check it out!

Hope to see you there!

Rgz NYC HOST: Pajants Party at Books of Wonder!

Have you been following the Twitterhood of the Butt-Lifting Pajants, readergirlz? (If you haven't, you can check out the thread on twitter, natch, using the hashtag #pajants.)

What are the pajants, you ask? A magical pair of pajama-jeans (as seen on tv!) traded and worn (and photographed and signed) by a staggering roster of YA authors, inspired by the titular mythical jeans of Ann Brashares' mega-popular book series, The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants. The pajants even have their very own Facebook page, where you can see participating authors modeling the magical garment in question.

Diva Melissa Walker took a turn with the pajants this past spring -- check out her Photo Friday documentation of her experience. And here she is today, at Books of Wonder in NYC, participating in a massive signing with tons of other pajants-sharing authors!

That's her sitting next to E. Lockhart, who dazzled the audience with a hilarious slideshow of the pajants' many travels and adventures. What you can't see in the picture is how insanely packed the event was with writers, readers, and bloggers. To accommodate the crowd, we all sat cross-legged on the floor, as folks like the inimitable Lauren Myracle held court.

I should live so large as these pajants, I tell you! The event was great, and I had a fab time seeing so many of my favorite authors and kid-lit people in one place! Also -- snacks!

The pajants will soon be auctioned off on behalf of Reading is Fundamental. Follow them on twitter to get all of the details!

rgz NYC Host: Hudson Valley YA Society event at Oblong Books!

This past Sunday, I had the pleasure of speaking at Oblong Books & Music in Rhinebeck, NY, alongside fellow YA author Nova Ren Suma. 

Those of you who follow @Literaticat on twitter are probably already familiar with her young adult reading series (and if you’re not, you should be!), so I shouldn’t have to tell you that it was a real thrill to be included in her line-up. It was particularly special to be reading and presenting alongside Nova. Nova and I first met when we were working as a copyeditor and book editor, respectively, at a children’s publishing imprint, and we quickly bonded over our “secret” writing aspirations. We shared early frustrations, and were around to celebrate big-time triumphs. These days, we’re both riding the highs and lows of finishing up the second manuscripts on our book contracts, which we often do together, with the aid of much caffeine and baked goods. It goes without saying I’m a HUGE fan of her work.

Thanks again to everyone who came out to chat with us about all things young adult. And thanks to Oblong for having us!

rgz NYC Host: Diva Melissa Walker reads at Books of Wonder!

I'm out of town for the remainder of the summer, but before I left, I had the chance to see our very own diva Melissa read from her latest release, SMALL TOWN SINNERS, at Books of Wonder!

Here's Melissa on the far right (does she make pregnancy look stylin', or what?), and to her left, Gayle Forman, Aprilynne Pike, and Sarah Porter.

After reading from their newest books, the authors answered questions about reading, writing, and inspiration.

Best tip for beating writers' block? Aprilynne's advice is "keep writing," so as not to lose momentum. Well, she definitely seems to be onto something!

Hope everyone's having a fun summer -- filled with great reads!

NYC Host: Summer Catch up!

I think the ongoing heatwave must have fried my brain, it's been so long since I posted about all of the fun summer book events going on here in NYC! But in honor of diva Melissa's book release this week, I thought I'd share a quick snapshot from her recent NYC YA baby shower. Left to right, that's Natalie Standiford, me, Jenny Han, Gayle Forman, Libba Bray, and Melissa, of course! What do YA writers discuss over Sunday brunch? Mostly John Hughes films, it turns out.
A book birthday and a baby all at the same time? CONGRATS, Melissa!

And speaking of releases, I've been so caught up in celebrating family that I haven't had a chance to share the trailer for my newest release, What Would My Cell Phone Do? Bad author! 

I'm headed upstate for the month of August, where unfortunately my internet connection is less than reliable, but I promise to try to be more timely about these things going forward! 


Happy summer, and happy reading!

rgz NYC HOST: Books of Wonder event TONIGHT!

Hey rgz -

If you're in the New York City area, check out tonight's "Great Teen Reads" event at Books of Wonder, featuring Leah Cypess (Desires of the Dead), Lisa Schroeder (The Day Before), Adele Griffin (Tighter), and Laurie Faria Stolarz (Deadly Little Games).

The eagle-eyed among you may recognize Lisa Schroeder as founder of the YA Contemps, a blogging group that diva Melissa and I are both a part of, and Adele Griffin, as a formerly featured (and always favorite!) rgz author! All of these books sound fab and the event is sure to be a blast!

Hope to see you there!

rgz NYC HOST: Gayle Forman's Where She Went reading!

Forgive this terribly, terribly late photo recap of Gayle Forman's Brooklyn reading for Where She Went, which was lovely and moving and full of cupcakes. You must get this book, after you read If I Stay, natch (oh, and check out the Cover Story).

Here's Gayle with me:

And Gayle with awesome bloggers Mitali from Alley of Books and Rachael The Book Muncher:

Gayle signing her pretty books for a line of adoring fans:

And cupcakes! Bonus.

These two titles are incredible--pick them up!

Special Holiday BONUS Edition: Featured Title Redux and NYC Host End-of-Year Roundup!

Hi all! I hope that everyone's enjoying a relaxing holiday season and looking forward to all good things in the New Year!

Mondays at Readergirlz are Featured Title day, but today's Featured Title is actually an encore presentation of Little Willow's December Community Service Spotlight. Read all about it here, and check out YES YOU CAN: Your Guide to Becoming an Activist for information on getting started with your own community service outreach. 'Tis the season, after all!

In other news, some of you eagle-eyed readers may have noticed that since taking on my role as Author Liaison here, I've slipped a bit in my duties as NYC Host. If only there were two of me, or twice as many hours in a day! But no matter; the end of the year is the perfect time, in my humble opinion, to catch up on all of the recent goings on about town in my very busy city. Bear with me - it's been hectic....

In October, I attended the NYPL's Teen Author Reading Night at Jefferson Market, featuring, among others, Samantha Schutz reading from her new verse novel, You Are Not Here. Later that month I attended Sam's book release party (along with fellow diva Melissa), where I got to hear her read again, this time with the bonus thrill of snacks! Here's a shot of Sam and Brother Dave, another of my fave YA-types, with good reason, toasting YANH at Book Court in Brooklyn.

I was also given a sneak peek at the cover reveal for Sweet Valley Confidential, a follow-up to the ever-popular Sweet Valley High series which I've talked about with you all before. Two months later, I don't know that this can still be considered a "reveal," but if you want to keep up with the Wakefield twins before their release this spring, head on over to the site and sign up for news and updates! Team Elizabeth! Team Jessica! Team Sweet Valley!

In November, I was off to Books of Wonder to hear a panel of National Book Award Finalists read. That's my former workshop advisor/eternal mentor and inspirer-of-awe, Rita Williams Garcia, holding court, and running down the line, you might recognize such literary heavyweights as Paolo Bacigalupi, Walter Dean Myers, and Katheryn Erskine (who took home the medal for Mockingbird).

Which brings us to December at last! Brother Dave and I kicked off the month at Temple Emanu El in Edison, NJ, where we held a talk about our novel, So Punk Rock, as part of their Jewish Book Month celebration and book fair. The participants were super-enthusiastic (and very well-read), and Dave and I had a blast!

Meanwhile, authoress extraordinaire Judy Goldschmidt has officially been dubbed Lady Literati. She's now got a column on Miss Literati where she's answering all of your questions about writing! Swing by, say hello, and take a listen to what she has to say. Full disclosure: Miss J. has, in her day, edited yours truly, so I speak from experience when I wax rhapsodic about her editorial prowess.

And finally finally, my dear friend and the original Creative Girl herself, Katharine Sise, held a reading from her career guide for sassy gals like all of us, Creative Girl. I adore Katharine and her message of creativity so much that we've featured her before, so if you haven't checked her (or her gorgeous jewelry designs) out yet, now's the time!

Phew! Well, that's it for me! Have a wonderful New Year's - read something good! - and next week, come back for our regularly scheduled Featured Title post.

Happy happy happy, readergirlz!

rgz NYC Host: Back to School (and Books!)

Micol here!

September means that I am officially back in New York City, where the book world is back at it in full swing!

Sunday marked the annual Brooklyn Book Festival, and though I was knee-deep in Deadlineville and couldn’t attend, apparently I was the only bookish type in New York who didn’t!

Once my manuscript was in (hurrah!), there was no way I was missing last night’s Barnes and Noble Back to School Bash! Organized by David Levithan, the program featured readings from all of your most-anticipated fall releases, as well as the rockin’ song stylings of everyone’s favorite YA jam band, Tiger Beat! Tiger Beat is Daniel Ehrenhaft on guitar, Barnabas Miller (but you can call him Barney) on drums, Natalie Standiford on bass (chicks who rock = major cool), and the inimitable Libba Bray on lead vocals! Quite the line-up, huh? Check them out as they rock out! In between songs, each took a turn reading, along with Eireann Corrigan and Eliot Schrefer. All in all, it was the perfect way to usher in the fall reading season!

But the fun’s not over, folks! For all of you Cornelia Funke fans, today marks the book birthday of her newest work, Reckless!

To celebrate, Funke is inviting readers "behind the mirror" for a huge theatrical storytelling event! Join Cornelia LIVE TODAY, September 14th at 1:30 pm EST for the worldwide launch of Reckless, featuring musical performances, dramatic readings, an interactive audience Q&A and more! Check out the live feed at: http://www.iclips.net/watch/get-reckless-tour - and check out Reckless!

That’s all for me! Happy fall – and happy reading!

rgz NYC HOST: Calling all Creative readergirlz!

Hi and happy August from your NYC Host, Micol! I’m enjoying some quiet writing time upstate this month, but I wanted to share a few recent events and thoughts.

Everyone knows that readergirlz are some of the brightest, most creative and daring girls around! Have you ever wondered whether your creative passion could someday become a fulfilling career? I never imagined that one day my job would be “teen book author,” but I’m sure glad it is!

One person who never had any doubt about following her dream is jewelry designer Katharine Sise. She launched her own business a few years after college and has written a book about how to pursue a career in a creative industry. Creative Girl: The Ultimate Guide for Turning Talent and Creativity into a Real Career comes out on August 24th and is an amazing resource for any girl who is determined to chart a creative course. Check it out!

If you’re in the market for fiction this month, have a look at Finny by debut author Justin Kramon. Finny follows the titular protagonist through a quirk-filled girlhood and adolescence (boarding school! bad influences! boyfriends!) and on through an emotional journey to womanhood. It’s comedy, tragedy, and artful characterization at its best. I had the pleasure of reading with Justin at local NYC indie McNally Jackson, and have been tearing through the book ever since.

And finally, if you’re a fan of realistic, contemporary young adult fiction, keep an ear to the ground for the Contemps! Who are the Contemps? Well, I can’t tell you just yet, but you can follow their tweets for right now, and stay tuned – on August 17th, all will be revealed!

Until then – keep reading!

Team Jessica T-Shirt Giveaway!

Our rgz NYC Host, Micol Ostow, recently attended an exclusive event for the forthcoming Francine Pascal book Sweet Valley Confidential. In this novel, the famous Wakefield twins are all grown up. What has happened to Jessica and Elizabeth in the ten years since they graduated from Sweet Valley High? You'll have to read the book - which comes out in March 2011 - to find out.

In the meantime, Micol picked up something to tide you over: a Team Jessica T-shirt! It's a size large (L) in juniors, so it runs small. See the picture below:



Want to win a Team Jessica T-shirt? Leave a comment below and tell us why you're on Team Jessica or Team Elizabeth!

Update: The winner is Erika Lynn! Thanks to everyone who entered the contest.

Want a sneak peek at Sweet Valley Confidential? Visit http://www.sweetvalleytenyearslater.com/

rgz NYC HOST: Summer Fun is Underway!

Your NYC HOST, Micol, is here today! Yay! Here she is:

I can’t believe that summer only officially began last week – here in NYC, we’ve been getting bookish for ages now – and that’s a good thing! I have tons and tons to fill you in on:

Book Expo 2010 kicked off nearly a month ago, and in addition to taking in major info overload on the Expo floor, I also attended a Meet the Booksellers party at one of my fave indie bookstores, Books of Wonder. While there I chatted with author Shani Petroff, who was days away from turning in the third book in her Bedeviled series. Can’t wait to read it!

Another highlight of BEA week was the 2010 Independent Publisher Book Awards (IPPYs), where So Punk Rock was honored with a silver medal! Shiny!

I had the chance to break from the convention for coffee with Andrew Karre, the brilliant editor who first acquired Punk Rock over at Flux. Andrew is now working as Editorial Director for CarolrhodaLab Books ], and his launch list – due out in fall – looks edgy and intense and all things awesome!

Later that week, it was back to Books of Wonder for a panel featuring chapter book authors and illustrators.

I had a blast hearing about the interplay between text and art, and fell in love with the new series, Frankly, Frannie, about a little girl who wants nothing more than to have a real, grown-up job. Anyone hiring? Franny is written by A.J. Stern, pictured here with her extended publishing family.

Every month in NYC, author/editor/wunderkind David Levithan morganizes a Teen Author Reading Night at the New York Public Library, and finally, in June, I was able to attend! So many amazing new releases, so little time...but let me tell you, I’m getting my hands on Little Blog on the Prairie, by Cathleen Davitt, stat! (I never did quite outgrow my Laura Ingalls Wilder phase.)

Finally, June also saw the release of fellow Vermont College-er Jessica Leader’s Nice and Mean, and she came all the way up north to celebrate in style! We feted Jess at Bank Street Books, where she signed books and socialized with her adoring fans (see below).

Yup, summer is in full swing here in New York City, and it looks like the fun times are still heating up. Next up – July 4th weekend and catching up on my reading, of course!

See you soon!

rgz NYC HOST: Confidentially, Sweet (Valley)

Hey, girlz! Liz here, ushering in your NYC Host, Micol. She's got fun news! Here she is:

One of the very best things about being a readergirlz host is that it gives me a whole new excuse to attend local book events (as if I even needed one!). Today, I relived some of my best YA memories (of both BEING a young adult, and READING young adult alike)!

It’s not an overstatement to say that my love of the Sweet Valley series is in large part responsible for my decision to forge a career in young adult publishing. Imagine my thrill, then, to be invited to join a small circle of diehard Sweet Valley fan bloggers to meet with the bigwigs at St. Martin’s Press to talk about the release of the upcoming sequel: Sweet Valley Confidential!

For anyone who’s ever had a love-hate relationship with the Wakefield twins (and with series for readers of all ages in print, who hasn’t?), this splashy, soapy follow-up (Elizabeth and Jessica are 27!) lets us catch up with the whole crew.



Over lunch (including yummy tiny cupcakes!), we readers talked about what exactly we loved about the series, and how we thought we might be able to build buzz for the book before its release next March. We filled pages and pages of notebooks with ideas, many of which will be rolled out very very soon. You’ll have the chance to read early chapters from Sweet Valley Confidential, to win swag like that pictured above (a teaser chapter from the book, a “Team Jessica” tee shirt, and a sparkly Wakefield compact mirror!), and much, much more!

I’ll be blogging about the first chapter of SV Confidential soon, but in the meantime, whether you’re new to the series or a long-standing groupie, now’s the time to get reading! It’s pretty sweet stuff!

rgz New York HOST: Oh, the Drama!

Liz here, ushering in your NYC Host, Micol!

Take it away, Micol . . .

Happy May from NYC, readergirlz! Some of you may know that in addition to writing, I also teach a young adult novel-writing workshop here in New York through Mediabistro.com.

Through that class, I’ve had the joy of working with some amazingly talented students, many of whom have gone on to find agents and have their work published!

My most recent rock star “success story” is Alecia Whitaker,
who worked with me for two straight semesters last fall, and just sold her first novel, RICKI JO, to Poppy (a division of Little, Brown). Alecia came to class with a gleam in her eye, a pen in hand, and the memories of her own hilarious and poignant struggles with adolescence firmly in mind. We plotted, we poured over first drafts, we revised. Sometimes we ate candy. Yum!

Though RICKI JO will be Alecia’s young adult debut (look for it Fall 2011), she’s been writing since she was old enough to hold a pencil, and is an accomplished playwright. In fact, many of her own experiences as a teen provided fodder for her show, BECOMING WOMAN, a collaboration with fellow writer Ellen Hagan. That’s why I was thrilled to be able to see her perform last month live, right here in town!

Check out this pic of Alecia and co: she’s third from the left in the blue cardi.



That’s Ellen Hagan on the far left, and from left to right are the rest of Alecia’s new publishing fam: her editor, Elizabeth Bewley, editor Julie Scheina, and the inimitable Cindy Egan (whom I’d never met before but who lives up to her brill and vivacious rep). Finally, on the far end, is Alecia’s powerhouse agent, Alyssa Reuben of Paradigm. Aren’t they the cutest?

The vignettes in the show are semi-autobiographical, and it is at turns laugh-out-loud, evocative, and blazingly energetic. I recognized many personalities from Alecia’s book in her show, and am now more eager than ever to read her story when it’s a real, live book!

You can watch excerpts from BECOMING WOMAN online, or you may even be able to catch a student performance at a theater near you. If not, though, never fear – soon enough, RICKI JO will be here to stay!

Rgz NYC Host: Keepin' it Jersey Fresh!

Italics in the post are from me, Liz! I'm here to usher in your rgz NYC Host, Micol, who's here to report!

Take it away, Micol!

Last Sunday, I had the distinct honor and pleasure to be invited to the Metuchen, NJ library’s ribbon-cutting ceremony for their brand-spankin’ newly-dedicated teen section!



There were balloons, cookies, and lots of smiling readers – not to mention a very festive purple and green color scheme, which I loved. But perhaps most impressive to me was what I learned about librarian Katherine Liss’ Teen Advisory Board:
They lobbied for the teen section all on their own. And they made it happen!

As I told the teens during my post-ceremony book talk, growing up, I was a voracious reader. Had there been a Teen Advisory Board at my local library, I bet I would have joined it. These teens were a chatty bunch, wanting to know all about what sort of advice I’d give to aspiring writers. But the truth – which I told them – is simply to keep doing what they’re doing.

They obviously love books – enough to want their very own dedicated section in their local library, a space to call their own. They’re obviously serious about writing (not a few took notes and even exchanged emails after the fact). And they’re obviously the type of kids who Get Stuff Done.

I’ve done several school and library visits since I first began writing professionally, but I confess this was my first high-falutin’ ribbon-cutting, with fancy local officials and everything. Maybe it was the extra spark of celebration in the air, but talking about PUNK ROCK with my brother David and an enthusiastic audience, an audience that really knew – and appreciated YA literature - felt like some of the best kind of “work” a teen author can hope to do. It’s hard to believe I have to go back to the keyboard now....




Micol and David, brother & sister co-conspirators in bookish wonderfulness!

Thanks so much for having me, Metuchen – keep up the good work (and the reading)!

Micol also has somethin' big coming up on her personal blog:

All this week, she'll be hosting a bash with authors from the Puffin Students Across the Seven Seas (SASS) series of books, to celebrate the release of a double-length edition that Micol co-wrote! Go over to her blog for awesome Q&A's, plus book giveaways!