It is a great time to be a teen reader. YA shelves in bookstores keep expanding
to hold all the fantastic books coming out for teens and young adults. Combing
through the releases for one month is overwhelming with awesome. Here are just
some highlights some of the recent releases for teens, young adults, and not so
young adults who enjoy all kinds of fiction. (Because here’s a secret: no one
checks your ID at the YA aisle. Anyone can read, and love, these stories.)
Since this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship, the theme for this month
is “Debuts.” How better to start than by catching up with debut
author Melissa Francis
as she was basking in the glow of her release day. I asked her to tell me a
little bit about her addition to the wildly popular vampire sub-genre.
Melissa describes it this way: Bite Me! is about a girl
and her struggle between being a vampire and being a teenager. She'd rather be
more human than vampire but her plan to keep her fangs hidden is foiled when she
discovers something dark lingering in her family's history.
RCM: It sounds like AJ, your heroine, has a lot of problems that girls
can relate to--romantic troubles, a new step family, fitting in--as well as the
supernatural ones. Have you always wanted to write for teens, or did you fall
into it?
Melissa Francis:
I've always loved YA but wasn't sure if I wanted to write it. I had this 17 year
old vampire girl talking to me and I just kept ignoring her until my agent said,
"So have you ever thought about writing YA? And would you be interested in
vampire YA?" I decided that was fate telling me to stop ignoring the character
in my head and viola! Bite Me! was born!
With a title like that, I suspect AJ is going to be a character with a lot of
attitude. Pick up Bite
ME! for a fun, fresh take on the vampire mythology. (HarperTeen, 7/28/09)
For a slightly different take on the theme, let's visit with New York
Times Bestselling author Rachel Vincent, who now
makes her YA debut with “The Soul Screamers” series from the brand new YA line
from Harlequin. (That’s a double dose of debut, if you’re keeping score.)
Read Rosemary's interview
with Rachel Vincent.
Rachel’s description really sold me on this book. Pick up My Soul To Take if you’re
looking for an emotionally rich story full of suspense, mystery, romance and a
different sort of paranormal twist. (Harlequin Teen, 8/1/09)
Here are a few more YA books coming out this month, all from first time novelists:
This month’s debuts definitely evidence the continued rein of paranormal
elements. Prophecy of the
Sisters by Michelle
Zink is one of two very gothic novels getting great buzz. This Victorian
paranormal thriller about orphan twins with a fantastic destiny is full of all
the things I love in a book: dreams, magic, myth, strong characters and a unique
concept. This came highly recommended to me, and I’m passing that on. (Little,
Brown; 8/1/09)
Likewise, Immortal by Gillian Shields is
classic gothic romantic suspense, with a remote, windswept boarding school,
another orphan, a mysterious young man, and a ghost that tangles everything up
together. Atmospheric, romantic and eerie, I can’t resist this. (HarperCollins;
8/4/09). Pick either (or both) of these up if you love Libba Bray’s A Great And Terrible
Beauty, Twilight, or
the works of Barbara
Michaels and Mary
Stewart. (And if you don’t know who those authors are, go read them, too.)
Never Slow Dance With a
Zombie is from Emmy nominated TV writer E. Van Lowe. Described as
Romy
and Michele's High School Reunion
meets Night
of the Living Dead
and “laugh-out-loud funny”. Sounds like a scream. Pick up if you
have a healthy sense of humor about your supernatural creatures and/or your high
school days. (Tor Teen; 8/18/09)
Here’s a non-paranormal offering from new novelist Alicia Thompson: Psych Major Syndrome
features a college age protagonist, and an Emma sounding plot--that
is, a heroine who is much better at solving other people’s problems than her
own. Pick this up if you like Bridget Jones and her sisters, and want a light,
fun read. (Hyperion; 8/14/09)
Another Faust is by
brother and sister authors Daniel And Dina Nayeri. Five teens
soar to suspicious heights thanks to inexplicable and extra-ordinary gifts. I
thought this might be flip--a kind of Bedazzled
meets Gossip
Girl - The Complete First Season
(not that I wouldn’t read that in a hot minute)--but I’m even
more intrigued to hear it described as ‘chilling’ and ‘wickedly satirical’ tale
of “ambition, consequences, and ultimate redemption.” Pick this up if you want
some social commentary with your paranormal, or vice versa. (Candlewick; 8/25/09)
To balance out all the paranormal on this list, here are two quick e-book picks
from Wild Rose Press: House
of Wacks by Denise
Gwen (Love blooms behind the scenes on the set of a horror movie) and When Mike Kissed Emma by Christine Marciniak (Life
imitates art during rehearsals for the school musical). (Wild Rose Press;
8/19/09) Give them a try if you like cute, sweet romances where opposites attract.
Until next time...Rosemary Clement-Moore
Rosemary Clement-Moore writes Young Adult books because she loves to read them.
Visit her webpage or blog
to find out more about her award winning Maggie Quinn: Girl vs. Evil series, and
upcoming gothic romance, The Splendor Falls.
3 comments posted.
I enjoy young adult books also. I love the TWILIGHT series! It sure nice to know that the teens have a wide array of books to choose from.
(Michele Rioli 10:21pm August 22, 2009)
Rachel Vincent's books are the reasons why I can't submit my term papers on time.
(Andrea Smith 7:17am February 8, 2012)