More fabulous YA and MG debuts..Sarah Maclean's The Season also exploded onto the scene. Great interview right over here!

Stacey Jay and YOU ARE SO UNDEAD TO ME made a big splash in Mississippi. And Erin Dionne's MODELS DON'T EAT CHOCOLATE COOKIES was a huge hit at our local Scholastic Book Fair; it's also blowing up the blogosphere, big-time.

Amazon links provided for book descriptions; if you can, pick up the books at your local independent bookstore.

Shadowed Summer, by the awesome Saundra Mitchell is out today -- don't miss it! Check out this interview with Saundra and some fascinating video glimpses behind the book, like this one.

Booklist called it "Highly atmospheric, with pulse-pounding suspense and an elegiac ending." Pick it up at your local indie, online...anywhere. I've been too chicken to read it yet, but I'm going to crack it open today. When I'm not alone.

WOOOOOOOO! (of both the scary and the huzzah! variety.)

In my very first foray into professional bloggishness, I will be interviewing wonderful author Dr. Padma Venkatraman, whose debut novel, CLIMBING THE STAIRS, was released this month to glowing reviews. We'll be exploring issues of faith, culture, and colonization in the novel -- please do stop by!