Amazingly, it’s been seven years since I launched YA Fresh in December 2006. A month later, I asked my awesome critique partner and good friend, Tina Ferraro, to join me as we celebrated the releases of our young adult novels. Why not start a YA blog to chat about YA books, giveaways, and just have fun with it? Have Fun, we did!! Hundreds of interviews and giveaways, and lots of fun chats with

JILL THE OWL is the winner of a hardcover copy of CHASING SHADOWS by Swati Avasthi!  Jill, please contact me at [email protected], and I'll get the book in the mail to you! Thanks to all who entered!

We're excited to be giving away a hardcover copy of Swati Avasthi's critically acclaimed YA novel, CHASING SHADOWS, which Kirkus Reviews named as one of the year's best teen novels, calling it "haunting, mesmerizing and intense."  Check out the book trailer: To be entered, simply go to our comments and tell us why you want to read this book.  The winner will be chosen randomly, and

Have you seen the Kirkus Reviews list of Best Teen Books of 2013?  Here's the link. You don't have to scroll very far to see the book we're giving away here at YA Fresh this weekend:  Swati Avasthi's CHASING SHADOWS.  Check back with us on Friday to be entered to win!

Earlier this year we did an interview and giveaway of Sarah Skilton's debut YA release,  BRUISED.  Under the heading of "too many books, too little time," I am finally getting around to reading it now--and loving it already. So how about you?  Getting in reading time in this holiday season?  Share with us in the comments!

I think I started blogging in 2005. It was fresh and new. Anyone could post their views and voices on-line. When Twitter happened, micro-blogging became easier and faster. A quick thought or link in 140 characters or less! Now, I read industry blogs and articles but I'm not finding that many comments. So it brings me to ask visitors here, is there still blog love? How do you feel about blogs?

The winner of WAITING FOR THE QUEEN by Joanna Higgins is... CARY! So Cary, if you'd please e-mail me at [email protected], we'll get the book in the mail to you! Thanks to those who entered, and keep coming back for more cool giveaways!

We're excited to be giving away a hardcover copy of WAITING FOR THE QUEEN, notable author Joanna Higgins's first middle grade novel.  In addition to a reader's private collection, this book would make a wonderful addition to a middle school classroom library, or gift for a reader from 4th grade and up. A surprising friendship develops between Eugenie, an escapee from the French Revolution,

Back in school, I loved perusing the Scholastic Book Club flyers.  Each book sounded better than the next, and my biggest challenge was narrowing the list to fit my budget.  One month I remember receiving a virtual tower of books, and my astonished teacher asking me if I was really going to read them all.  (Yep...and the good ones I'd read again and again...) Sadly, I lost those books in a

For seventeen years, Jed Franklin’s life was normal. Then his father was charged with the abuse and murder of four young boys and normal became a nightmare. His mom’s practically a walking zombie, he’s lost most of his friends, and the press camps out on his lawn. The only things that keep him sane are his little sis; his best friend and dream girl, Summer; and the alcohol he stashes in his room

Some of our readers may remember I'm a big fan of Swati Avasathi's debut novel, SPLIT.  So I am very excited to share that her second book, CHASING SHADOWS has been released! In the near future, we're going to host an interview with Swati about CHASING SHADOWS, with a giveaway of a hardcover copy.  But here's the deets on the book to whet your whistle!   <!--[if gte mso 9]> <![endif]-

Last summer, I had a fun lunch at LA's Casa Vega with YA author and friend, Simone Elkeles. Among the topics we covered was our works-in-progress, which for her was the first book in her new series, Wild Cards. Well, that book released earlier this month. Check it out on Amazon (using the link above) or on her author fan page.  If you love it, come back and let us know!  

Best friends Rachel and Kendra are well past ready for things to go back to normal … or as normal as it can get for a demon hunter and a half-mermaid. College is supposed to be about study sessions and sneaking beer, not fighting monsters, right? But when girls on campus start disappearing, Rachel, Kendra and cute fellow demon hunter/annoyance extraordinaire Sid begin investigating. The closer

I've got some travel coming up, which always, always means reading time to me.  From long stretches in seat belts to spurts in hotel rooms to passing time in long lines, I'm geared to hang out with new characters and books. I've got several ready in paperback and e-book form--except for this one, that I couldn't resist reading already: OUT OF THE EASY is the story of a 17 year-old girl's

Thanks to all who entered to win a copy of my latest release, STUPID CUPID! Our winners are C.R. Evers and Patricia!  So if you two would kindly contact me at [email protected], I'll get those copies to you!

Did you know I have a new publication out?  Short, sweet only 99 cents? Called Stupid Cupid, it was released two weeks ago by the Boroughs Publishing Group as part of their Lunchbox Romance line.  Here's the official blurb: Thanks to the mythical god of love, Cupid, 16-year-old Sydney's love life is about to get complicated…even though technically she doesn't have one. And sticking

Guess what? So you know about my recent novella SUPERNATURAL HUNTERS with teen monster hunters Jaz & Blake? Well, their debut short story, "Darkness Becomes Him" in the fun and spooky anthology PROM DATES TO DIE FOR is free for Kindle! So get it while you can, the promo will run through the weekend! The anthology includes these great stories: A Night They'll Never Forget. Five young adult

Hi YA Freshers! I'd like to invite you to two special occasions... "Just the right combination of butt-kicking and romance to keep you on the edge of your seat." —Allison van Diepen, The Vampire Stalker Supernatural teen hunters and kick-butt couple Jaz and Blake get trouble in their own backyard, the graveyard, when a ghoul is on the loose and looking for fresh meat. When a teen hunter on

The SWEET VENOM trilogy by Tera Lynn Childs comes to a close with the recent release of SWEET LEGACY. To help our readers learn more about her successful paranormal series, I asked Tera to give us a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the trilogy.  Tera:  As an author, in my heart I am a pantser. I prefer to think up a character and a world or situation and just dive

Thanks to all who entered the giveaway for a copy of PANIC by Sharon M. Draper.  By use of my random number generator, our winner is: (: Isa :) Isa, please send me your contact information at [email protected], and we'll get the book in the mail to you. And everyone, keep dropping by YA Fresh to be part of our cool giveaways! 

<!--[if gte mso 9]> Normal 0 false false false MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 <![endif]--> Our giveaway is a very special book written by five-time winner of the Coretta Scott King Literary award, winner of the National Teacher of the Year, and New York Times bestselling author Sharon M. Draper.  I can’t help thinking this book would be a bonus

Using humor as the common denominator, a multicultural cast of YA authors steps up to the mic to share stories touching on race. Listen in as ten YA authors — some familiar, some new — use their own brand of humor to share their stories about growing up between cultures. Henry Choi Lee discovers that pretending to be a tai chi master or a sought-after wiz at math wins him friends for a while —

The Kindle version of my first Delacorte release, Top Ten Uses for an Unworn Prom Dress, is available at Amazon at a reduced price.  Permanently! This book was released in 2007, and picked up some lovely comments.  Such as: "Nicolette is a likable, down-to-earth protagonist who is grappling with a lot of issues, and readers will quickly identify with and understand her. Ferraro does a

A teen infiltrates a drug ring to settle a vendetta in this fast-paced novel from the author of Street Pharm and Snitch. Darren took the fall for Diamond Tony, the notorious head of the city’s drug cartel. Two years later, Darren’s finally out of juvie—and determined to get even. Working as an informant for the police, Darren infiltrates Diamond Tony’s operation. But falling for sweet, innocent

Meet Emmy, Nara, Luke, Echo, and very infamous great grandmother, GiGi. Eighteen-year-old Emmy is in the family business-trapping vapid narcissistic souls into her silver compact mirror for all eternity. It's what the Rhamnusia family has been doing for thousands of years, all under the direction of Great Grandmother. Only Emmy's latest assignment, Nara, is about to prove more challenging than