Announcing the 2017 Author Lineup for Pasadena Loves YA! Click on the author's name for more information about them.
The author's latest book is listed after their name on the list, and on their info page. Please check out their websites and social media for other books and more information!
Closer to the date, we will publish a list of the backlist titles that may be available from Vroman's Bookstore on the day of the event. Of course, you are also welcome to bring your own copies from home.
Ameriie - Because You Love to Hate Me
Audrey Coulthurst - Of Fire and Stars
Jeff Garvin - Symptoms of Being Human
Maurene Goo - I Believe in a Thing Called Love
B.T. Gottfred - The Nerdy & The Dirty
Emily Ziff Griffin - Light Years
Aditi Khorana - The Library of Fates
E. Katherine Kottaras - The Best Possible Answer
Robin LaFevers - Mortal Heart
Stacey Lee - The Secret of a Heart Note
Cindy Pon - Want
Chelsea Sedoti - The Hundred Lies of Lizzie Lovett
Sherri L. Smith - Pasadena
Misa Sugiura - It's Not Like It's a Secret
Daniel Sweren-Becker - The Equals
Jessica Taylor - A Map for Wrecked Girls
Mary Weber - The Evaporation of Sofi Snow
Schedule info is coming soon! We'll also be sharing author bios and books over the coming weeks, so please follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and/or Twitter for the latest updates.
Ameriie is a Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter, producer, and writer of fiction. She is the editor of the villains anthology Because You Love to Hate Me. The daughter of a Korean artist and an American military officer, she was born in Massachusetts, raised all over the world, and graduated from Georgetown University with a bachelor’s in English. She lives mostly in her imagination, but also on Earth with her husband, her parents and sister, and about seven billion other people.
Find out more about Ameriie at
About Because You Love to Hate Me: 13 Tales of Villainy
Edited by Ameriie
July 11, 2017
Bloomsbury USA Children's
Available in hardcover from Vroman's Bookstore
at the Vroman's pop-up shop during the festival, and wherever books are sold
In this unique YA anthology, thirteen acclaimed, bestselling authors team up with thirteen influential BookTubers to reimagine fairy tales from the oft-misunderstood villains' points of view.
These fractured, unconventional spins on classics like "Medusa," Sherlock Holmes, and "Jack and the Beanstalk" provide a behind-the-curtain look at villains' acts of vengeance, defiance, and rage--and the pain, heartbreak, and sorrow that spurned them on. No fairy tale will ever seem quite the same again!
Featuring writing from . . .
Authors: Renée Ahdieh, Ameriie, Soman Chainani, Susan Dennard, Sarah Enni, Marissa Meyer, Cindy Pon, Victoria Schwab, Samantha Shannon, Adam Silvera, Andrew Smith, April Genevieve Tucholke, and Nicola Yoon
BookTubers: Benjamin Alderson (Benjaminoftomes), Sasha Alsberg (abookutopia), Whitney Atkinson (WhittyNovels), Tina Burke (ChristinaReadsYA blog and TheLushables), Catriona Feeney (LittleBookOwl), Jesse George (JessetheReader), Zoë Herdt (readbyzoe), Samantha Lane (Thoughts on Tomes), Sophia Lee (thebookbasement), Raeleen Lemay (padfootandprongs07), Regan Perusse (PeruseProject), Christine Riccio (polandbananasBOOKS), and Steph Sinclair & Kat Kennedy (Cuddlebuggery blog and channel).
Audrey Coulthurst writes YA books that tend to involve magic, horses, and kissing the wrong people. Her debut novel, Of Fire and Stars, was published on November 22, 2016 by Balzer + Bray/HarperCollins. When she’s not dreaming up new stories, she can usually be found painting, singing, or on the back of a horse.
Audrey has a Master’s in Writing from Portland State University, is a member of SCBWI, and studied with Malinda Lo as a 2013 Lambda Literary Foundation Fellow. She lives in Santa Monica, California.
Her forthcoming novel, Inkmistress, will be released on March 6, 2018 from Balzer + Bray/HarperCollins.
Find out more about Audrey at
About Of Fire and Stars
by Audrey Coulthurst
November 22, 2016
Balzer + Bray/HarperCollins
Available in hardcover from Vroman's Bookstore
at the Vroman's pop-up shop during the festival, and wherever books are sold
Two princesses fall in love with the wrong people—each other.
Betrothed since childhood to the prince of Mynaria, Princess Dennaleia has always known what her future holds. Her marriage will seal the alliance between Mynaria and her homeland, protecting her people from other hostile lands. But Denna has a secret. She possesses an Affinity for fire—a dangerous gift for the future queen of a kingdom where magic is forbidden.
Now, Denna must learn the ways of her new home while trying to hide her growing magic. To make matters worse, she must learn to ride Mynaria’s formidable warhorses before her coronation—and her teacher is the person who intimidates her most, the prickly and unconventional Princess Amaranthine (called Mare), sister of her betrothed.
When a shocking assassination leaves the kingdom reeling, Mare and Denna reluctantly join forces to search for the culprit. As the two work together, each discovers there’s more to the other than she thought. Mare is surprised by Denna’s intelligence and bravery, while Denna is drawn to Mare’s independent streak. Soon their friendship is threatening to blossom into something more.
But with dangerous conflict brewing that makes the alliance more important than ever, acting on their feelings could be deadly. Forced to choose between their duty and their hearts, Mare and Denna must find a way to save their kingdoms—and each other.
Author photo by Evrim Icoz Photography
Jeff Garvin grew up in Orange County, California, the son of a banker and a magician. He started acting in high school, and enjoyed a fifteen-year career including guest-starring roles in network television series ranging from The Wonder Years to Roseanne to Caroline and the City. Recently, he’s returned to the big screen in an independent horror feature.
While studying at Chapman University, Jeff won awards for classical guitar and visual storytelling before graduating with a BFA in Film. As the front man of his rock band, 7k, Garvin released three albums and toured the United States. When the band dissolved in 2011, Jeff, who had always written short stories and lyrics, found his passion in full-length fiction.
His debut novel, Symptoms of Being Human, tells the story of Riley, a 16-year-old gender fluid teen who starts an anonymous blog to deal with hostility from classmates and tension at home. But when the blog goes viral, a storm of media attention threatens Riley’s anonymity. The novel is an ALA Best Fiction for Young Adults Selection, a Lambda Literary Award Finalist, and garnered starred reviews from Booklist and Publishers Weekly. It is available now from Balzer + Bray / HarperCollins
Jeff lives in Southern California with his wife, children, dog, cats, and a respectable collection of books and guitars.
Find out more about Jeff at
About Symptoms of Being Human
by Jeff Garvin
Feb 2, 2016
Balzer + Bray
Available in hardcover from Vroman's Bookstore
at the Vroman's pop-up shop during the festival, and wherever books are sold
Riley Cavanaugh is many things: Punk rock. Snarky. Rebellious. And gender fluid. Some days Riley identifies as a boy, and others as a girl. The thing is…Riley isn’t exactly out yet. And between starting a new school and having a congressman father running for reelection in uber-conservative Orange County, the pressure—media and otherwise—is building up in Riley’s so-called “normal” life.
On the advice of a therapist, Riley starts an anonymous blog to vent those pent-up feelings and tell the truth of what it’s REALLY like to be a gender fluid teenager. But just as Riley’s starting to settle in at school—even developing feelings for a mysterious outcast—the blog goes viral, and an unnamed commenter discovers Riley’s real identity, threatening exposure. Riley must make a choice: walk away from what the blog has created—a lifeline, new friends, a cause to believe in—or stand up, come out, and risk everything.
It all began with an unhealthy obsession with books as a child. (Like everyone, right?)
Maurene Goo was born in Los Angeles and raised in one of its suburbs (Glendale!), where her love of books led to writing and then studying communication at the University of California, San Diego. While there, she ditched her journalism goals and instead wrote a lot of papers about things like cultural appropriation, Dogme films, and Filipino literature. After graduating she worked at a bookstore where she spent many blissful days suggesting reads for kids and adults. Soon after, she decided to go to grad school to study publishing, literature, and writing at Emerson College. She also worked for a textbook publisher so she knows what things like C++ and Ruby on Rails are (but not really). When she moved back to LA, she worked for a couple of art book publishers and then finished writing this YA novel that she had started years ago. It became Since You Asked…, her debut novel which was published by Scholastic in 2013.
She's now lucky enough to spend her days writing alongside her husband who draws and writes children’s books and also does a little bit of both for movies. They live in L.A. where they eat lots of Korean and Mexican food and take intense pleasure in identifying trees.
Find out more about Maurene at
About I Believe in a Thing Called Love
by Maurene Goo
May 30, 2017
Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR)
Available in hardcover from Vroman's Bookstore
at the Vroman's pop-up shop during the festival, and wherever books are sold
B. T. Gottfred is an author,
playwright, and—ooh, look there,
behind you. . . no, you're right,
never mind—director.
His first-ish novel, Forever for a
Year, was released July 2015 by
Macmillan/Holt. His second-ish
novel, The Nerdy and The Dirty arrived November 2016 from Mac/Holt.
Find out more about B.T. at
About The Nerdy and the Dirty
by B.T. Gottfred
Nov 15, 2016
Henry Holt & Co. (BYR)
Available in hardcover from Vroman's Bookstore
at the Vroman's pop-up shop during the festival, and wherever books are sold
His classmates may consider him a nerd, but Benedict Pendleton knows he's destined for great things. All he has to do is find a worthy girlfriend, and his social station will be secured. Sure, Benedict is different--but that's what he likes about himself.
When fate intervenes, both Pen and Benedict end up at the same vacation resort for winter break. Despite their differences, the two are drawn together. But is there such a thing as happily ever after for a nympho and a nerd?
Emily Ziff Griffin lives in LA where she writes, produces, teaches, daydreams, and mothers two young kids. When she was 25, she co-founded Cooper’s Town Productions with Philip Seymour Hoffman and produced the Academy Award-winning film, Capote, along with Hoffman’s directorial debut Jack Goes Boating, and John Slattery’s God’s Pocket. She has run three marathons, slowly, and holds a degree from Brown University in art-semiotics, the study of how images make meaning. She believes children are way more perceptive, sophisticated, and intelligent than adults typically give them credit for and she writes for the teenager who is ready to claim their own worldview and be grounded in their own power. Light Years is her first novel.
Find out more about Emily at
About Light Years
by Emily Ziff Griffin
Sep 5, 2017
Simon Pulse/Simon & Schuster
Available in hardcover from Vroman's Bookstore
at the Vroman's pop-up shop during the festival, and wherever books are sold
Luisa is ready for her life to start. Five minutes ago. And she could be on her way, as her extraordinary coding skills have landed her a finalist spot for a fellowship sponsored by Thomas Bell, the world’s most brilliant and mercurial tech entrepreneur. Being chosen means funding, mentorship, and most importantly, freedom from her overbearing mother. Maybe Lu will even figure out how to control the rare condition that plagues her: whenever her emotions run high, her physical senses kick into overload, with waves of color, sound, taste, and touch flooding her body.
But Luisa’s life is thrust into chaos as a deadly virus sweeps across the globe, killing thousands and sending her father into quarantine. When Lu receives a cryptic message from someone who might hold the key to stopping the epidemic, she knows she must do something to save her family—and the world.
Suspenseful, lyrical, and thought-provoking, Light Years features a remarkable heroine on an intensely physical and emotional quest for hope and existential meaning.
Aditi Khorana spent part of her childhood in India, Denmark and New England. She has a BA in International Relations from Brown University and an MA in Global Media and Communications from the Annenberg School for Communication. She has worked as a journalist at ABC News, CNN, and PBS, and most recently as a marketing executive consulting for various Hollywood studios including Fox, Paramount and Sony.
Mirror in the Sky (Razorbill/Penguin, 2016) was her first novel. The Library of Fates (July 2017) is feminist historical fantasy, set in ancient India, and tells the story of a louche, misogynistic dictator overthrowing an idyllic kingdom, and the women who fight to wrench it back from his hands.
Aditi lives in Los Angeles and spends her free time reading, hiking, and exploring LA's eclectic and wonderful architecture.
Find out more about Aditi at
About The Library of Fates
by Aditi Khorana
July 18, 2017
Razorbill/Penguin
Available in hardcover from Vroman's Bookstore
at the Vroman's pop-up shop during the festival, and wherever books are sold
A romantic coming-of-age fantasy tale steeped in Indian folklore, perfect for fans of The Star-Touched Queen and The Wrath and the Dawn.
No one is entirely certain what brings the Emperor Sikander to Shalingar. Until now, the idyllic kingdom has been immune to his many violent conquests. To keep the visit friendly, Princess Amrita has offered herself as his bride, sacrificing everything—family, her childhood love, and her freedom—to save her people. But her offer isn't enough.
The unthinkable happens, and Amrita finds herself a fugitive, utterly alone but for an oracle named Thala, who was kept by Sikander as a slave and managed to escape amid the chaos of a palace under siege. With nothing and no one else to turn to, Amrita and Thala are forced to rely on each other. But while Amrita feels responsible for her kingdom and sets out to warn her people, the newly free Thala has no such ties. She encourages Amrita to go on a quest to find the fabled Library of All Things, where it is possible for each of them to reverse their fates. To go back to before Sikander took everything from them.
Stripped of all that she loves, caught between her rosy past and an unknown future, will Amrita be able to restore what was lost, or does another life—and another love—await?
Author photo by Rebecca Fishman
E. Katherine Kottaras is originally from Chicago, and now she writes and teaches in the Los Angeles area. She holds an M.A. in English from the University of California, Irvine and teaches writing and literature at Pasadena City College. She is an active member of NCTE and SCBWI, as well as a proud board member of the Children’s Literature Council of Southern California. Katherine is interested in the stories we tell, the stories we are given, and the ways we can redefine our worlds by discovering which stories are true.
She is the author of the YA contemporary novel, How to Be Brave (2015) and The Best Possible Answer (2016), both from St. Martin’s Press/Griffin Teen.
Find out more about Kathy at
About The Best Possible Answer
by E. Katherine Kottaras
Nov 1, 2016
St. Martin's Press
Available in hardcover from Vroman's Bookstore
at the Vroman's pop-up shop during the festival, and wherever books are sold
AP Exams – check
SAT test – check
College Application – check
Date the wrong guy and ruin everything you’ve spent your whole life working for– check
Ultra-high-achiever Viviana Rabinovich-Lowe has always had a plan—and no room to be anything less than perfect. But her quest for perfection comes to a screeching halt when her boyfriend leaks racy pictures of her to the entire school. Making matters worse, her parents might be getting divorced and now her perfect family is falling apart. For the first time, Viviana feels like a complete and utter failure.
Then she gets a job working at the community pool, where she meets a new group of friends who know nothing about her past. That includes Evan, a gorgeous (and really nice!) guy who makes her want to do something she never thought she’d do again: trust. For the first time in her life, Viviana realizes she can finally be whoever she wants. But who is that? While she tries to figure it out, she learns something they never covered in her AP courses: that it’s okay to be less than perfect, because it’s our imperfections that make us who we are.
Robin LaFevers was raised on a steady diet of fairy tales, Bulfinch’s mythology, and 19th century poetry. It is not surprising she grew up to be a hopeless romantic.
Though she has never trained as an assassin or joined a convent, she did attend Catholic school for three years, which instilled in her a deep fascination with sacred rituals and the concept of the Divine. She has been on a search for answers to life’s mysteries ever since.
While many of those answers still elude her, she was lucky enough to find her one true love, and is living happily ever after with him in the foothills of southern California.
In addition to writing about teen assassin nuns in medieval Brittany, she writes books for middle grade readers, including the Theodosia books and the Nathaniel Fludd, Beastologist series.
Find out more about Robin at
About Mortal Heart
by Robin LaFevers
Nov 4, 2014
HMH Books for Young Readers
Available in paperback from Vroman's Bookstore
at the Vroman's pop-up shop during the festival, and wherever books are sold
In the powerful conclusion to Robin LaFever's New York Times bestselling His Fair Assassins trilogy, Annith has watched her gifted sisters at the convent come and go, carrying out their dark dealings in the name of St. Mortain, patiently awaiting her own turn to serve Death. But her worst fears are realized when she discovers she is being groomed by the abbess as a Seeress, to be forever sequestered in the rock and stone womb of the convent. Feeling sorely betrayed, Annith decides to strike out on her own. She has spent her whole life training to be an assassin. Just because the convent has changed its mind, doesn't mean she has.
Stacey Lee is an award-winning author of historical and contemporary young adult fiction. A native of southern California and fourth-generation Chinese American, she graduated from UCLA then got her law degree at UC Davis King Hall. After practicing law in Silicon Valley for several years, she finally took up the pen because she wanted the perks of being able to nap during the day, and it was easier than moving to Spain. She plays classical piano, raises children, and writes YA fiction.
Find out more about Stacey at
About The Secret of a Heart Note
by Stacey Lee
Dec 27, 2016
HarperCollins
Available in hardcover from Vroman's Bookstore
at the Vroman's pop-up shop during the festival, and wherever books are sold
An evocative novel about a teen aroma-expert who uses her extrasensitive sense of smell to help others fall in love—while protecting her own heart at all costs—perfect for fans of Lauren Myracle and E. Lockhart.
Sometimes love is right under your nose. As one of only two aromateurs left on the planet, sixteen-year-old Mimosa knows what her future holds: a lifetime of weeding, mixing love elixirs, and matchmaking—all while remaining incurably alone. For Mim, the rules are clear: falling in love would render her nose useless, taking away her one great talent. Still, Mimosa doesn’t want to spend her life elbow-deep in soil and begonias. She dreams of a normal high school experience with friends, sports practices, debate club, and even a boyfriend. But when she accidentally gives an elixir to the wrong woman and has to rely on the lovesick woman’s son, the school soccer star, to help fix the situation, Mim quickly begins to realize that falling in love isn’t always a choice you can make.
At once hopeful, funny, and romantic, Stacey Lee’s The Secret of a Heart Note is a richly evocative coming-of-age story that gives a fresh perspective on falling in love and finding one’s place in the world.
Cindy Pon is the author of Silver Phoenix (Greenwillow), which was named one of the Top Ten Fantasy and Science Fiction Books for Youth by the American Library Association’s Booklist, and one of 2009′s best Fantasy, Science Fiction and Horror by VOYA. Her most recent duology Serpentine and Sacrifice (Month9Books) were both Junior Library Guild selections and received starred reviews from Kirkus and School Library Journal. WANT (Simon Pulse), also a Junior Library Guild selection, is a near-future thriller set in Taipei releasing June 13th. RUSE, the sequel, is slated for spring 2019. She is the co-founder of Diversity in YA with Malinda Lo and on the advisory board of We Need Diverse Books. Cindy is also a Chinese brush painting student of over a decade.
Find out more about Cindy at
About WANT
by Cindy Pon
Jun 13, 2017
Simon Pulse
Available in hardcover from Vroman's Bookstore
at the Vroman's pop-up shop during the festival, and wherever books are sold
Jason Zhou survives in a divided society where the elite use their wealth to buy longer lives. The rich wear special suits that protect them from the pollution and viruses that plague the city, while those without suffer illness and early deaths. Frustrated by his city’s corruption and still grieving the loss of his mother, who died as a result of it, Zhou is determined to change things, no matter the cost.
With the help of his friends, Zhou infiltrates the lives of the wealthy in hopes of destroying the international Jin Corporation from within. Jin Corp not only manufactures the special suits the rich rely on, but they may also be manufacturing the pollution that makes them necessary.
Yet the deeper Zhou delves into this new world of excess and wealth, the more muddled his plans become. And against his better judgment, Zhou finds himself falling for Daiyu, the daughter of Jin Corp’s CEO. Can Zhou save his city without compromising who he is or destroying his own heart?
Chelsea Sedoti fell in love with writing at a young age after discovering that making up stories was more fun than doing her school work (her teachers didn’t always appreciate this.) In an effort to avoid getting a “real” job, Chelsea explored careers as a balloon twister, filmmaker, and paranormal investigator. Eventually she realized that her true passion is writing about flawed teenagers who are also afraid of growing up. When she’s not at the computer, Chelsea spends her time exploring abandoned buildings, eating junk food at roadside diners, and trying to befriend every animal in the world. She lives in Las Vegas, Nevada where she avoids casinos, but loves roaming the Mojave Desert.
Find out more about Chelsea at
About The Hundred Lies of Lizzie Lovett
by Chelsea Sedoti
Jan 3, 2017
Sourcebooks Fire
Available in hardcover from Vroman's Bookstore
at the Vroman's pop-up shop during the festival, and wherever books are sold
The Hundred Lies of Lizzie Lovett is a darkly comedic mystery featuring a teenage girl and the disappearance of a classmate
Hawthorn wasn't trying to insert herself into a missing person's investigation. Or maybe she was. But that's only because Lizzie Lovett's disappearance is the one fascinating mystery their sleepy town has ever had. Bad things don't happen to popular girls like Lizzie Lovett, and Hawthorn is convinced she'll turn up at any moment-which means the time for speculation is now.
So Hawthorn comes up with her own theory for Lizzie's disappearance. A theory way too absurd to take seriously...at first. The more Hawthorn talks, the more she believes. And what better way to collect evidence than to immerse herself in Lizzie's life? Like getting a job at the diner where Lizzie worked and hanging out with Lizzie's boyfriend. After all, it's not as if he killed her-or did he?
Told with a unique voice that is both hilarious and heart-wrenching, Hawthorn's quest for proof may uncover the greatest truth is within herself.
Sherri L. Smith is the award-winning author of YA novels Lucy the Giant, Sparrow, Hot Sour Salty Sweet, Flygirl and Orleans. Her bestselling novel, The Toymaker’s Apprentice is the Southern California Booksellers Association Award winner for Middle Grade. Her books have been listed as Amelia Bloomer, American Library Association Best Books for Young People, and Junior Library Guild Selections. Flygirl was the 2009 California Book Awards Gold Medalist. Sherri was a 2014 National Book Awards judge in the Young People’s Literature category. She is a three-time writer-in-resident at Hedgebrook retreat in Washington State, as well as a resident at Wassard Elea retreat, in Ascea, Italy.
Born in Chicago, IL, she has lived on all three coasts (West, East and Lake Michigan!). She holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Film and Broadcast Journalism, an M.S. in Business and an M.A. in Humanities. Sherri has worked in film, animation, comic books and construction. She worked in stop-motion animation on Tim Burton’s Mars Attacks!, and spent three years at Disney TV Animation, helping to create stories for animated home video projects.
Upon leaving Disney, Sherri found an unlikely home with a construction company, working in a triple-wide trailer on the tarmac at Los Angeles International Airport, while she worked on her first novel. From there she went on to work and write for Bongo Comics, the company that brings you The Simpsons in print. Recently, she worked in a monster factory, wrangling the folks that make monsters and dead people for movies and television.
Sherri’s first novel, Lucy the Giant, was unanimously selected as an ALA Best Book for Young People, and received an Honorable Mention from the Dutch Golden Kiss/Gouden Zoen Awards. Her 2009 novel Flygirl, a WWII novel about a light-skinned black girl who passes for white in order to join the Women’s Airforce Service Pilots, was named a best book of the year by the Washington Post. In 2012, Sherri made her first foray into speculative fiction with the “cli fi” novel, Orleans, a book dedicated to her mother, who survived Hurricane Katrina. The Toymaker’s Apprentice , is a vibrant retelling of the story of the Nutcracker. Her latest novel is the young adult noir mystery, Pasadena.
Sherri is a faculty member of the Creative Writing MFA program at Goddard College and the MFA in Children’s Writing at Hamline University. She lives in Los Angeles with the love of her life and a disreputable cat. She is represented by Kirby Kim of Janklow and Nesbit.
Oh, and if you’re wondering, her name is pronounced “Shur-REE”– not “SHARE-ee!”
Find out more about Sherri at
About Pasadena
by Sherri L. Smith
Sep 13, 2016
G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers
Available in hardcover from Vroman's Bookstore
at the Vroman's pop-up shop during the festival, and wherever books are sold
Bad things happen everywhere. Even in the land of sun and roses.
When Jude’s best friend is found dead in a swimming pool, her family calls it an accident. Her friends call it suicide. But Jude calls it what it is: murder. And someone has to pay.
Now everyone is a suspect—family and friends alike. And Jude is digging up the past like bones from a shallow grave. Anything to get closer to the truth. But that’s the thing about secrets. Once they start turning up, nothing is sacred. And Jude’s got a few skeletons of her own.
Misa Sugiura is the author of It's Not Like It's A Secret (HarperTeen, May 2017). She was born and raised in the suburbs of Chicago, but now lives under a giant oak tree in Silicon Valley.
Find out more about Misa at
About It's Not Like It's a Secret
by Misa Sugiura
May 9, 2017
HarperTeen
Available in hardcover from Vroman's Bookstore
at the Vroman's pop-up shop during the festival, and wherever books are sold
Sana Kiyohara has too many secrets. Some are small, like how it bothers her when her friends don't invite her to their parties. Some are big, like the fact that her father may be having an affair. And then there's the one that she can barely admit to herself--the one about how she might have a crush on her best friend.
When Sana and her family move to California, she begins to wonder if it's finally time for some honesty, especially after she meets Jamie Ramirez. Jamie is beautiful and smart and unlike anyone Sana's ever known. There are just a few problems: Sana's friends don't trust Jamie's crowd; Jamie's friends clearly don't want her around anyway; and a sweet guy named Caleb seems to have more-than-friendly feelings for her. Meanwhile, her dad's affair is becoming too obvious to ignore.
Sana always figured that the hardest thing would be to tell people that she wants to date a girl, but as she quickly learns, that part is easy...what comes after it, though, is a whole lot more complicated.
Daniel Sweren-Becker is an author, television writer, and playwright living in Los Angeles. His play "Stress Positions" premiered in New York City at the SoHo Playhouse. He grew up in Manhattan. The Ones is his debut novel.
Find out more about Daniel at
us.macmillan.com | @The_Ones_byDSB on Twitter
About The Equals
by Daniel Sweren-Becker
Sep 12, 2017
HarperCollins
Available in hardcover from Vroman's Bookstore
at the Vroman's pop-up shop during the festival, and wherever books are sold
What happens when your own government turns against you?
The Equality Team continues to round up and subject The Ones—the 1% of the American population who were genetically engineered in vitro—to a vaccine that will level the playing field. Desperate to save her boyfriend James from this fate, Cody flees into the wild to seek assistance from a shadowy rebel group dedicated to equal rights for the Ones at any cost.
But when she grows closer to a radical named Kai, she's brought deeper into the fold, only to realize the group's leader has a secret plan more dangerous than Cody could have imagined—something that could change the course of the Ones' future.
In The Equals, themes of justice, discrimination and terrorism mix with actual science to create a frightening version of our near future in Daniel Sweren-Becker's action-packed sequel to The Ones.
Jessica Taylor adores atmospheric settings, dangerous girls, and characters who sneak out late at night. She lives in Northern California, not far from San Francisco, with a law degree she isn’t using, one dog, and many teetering towers of books.
A Map for Wrecked Girls, her first young adult contemporary thriller and a Junior Library Guild Selection, will be published August 15, 2017 by Dial Books for Young Readers/Penguin Random House.
Find out more about Jessica at
jessicataylorwrites.com | @jessicataylorya on Twitter | Facebook | @jessicataylorwrites on Instagram
About A Map for Wrecked Girls
by Jessica Taylor
Aug 15, 2017
Dial Books for Young Readers
Available in hardcover from Vroman's Bookstore
at the Vroman's pop-up shop during the festival, and wherever books are sold
We sat at the edge of the ocean—my sister Henri and I—inches apart but not touching at all. We'd been so sure someone would find us by now.
Emma had always orbited Henri, her fierce, magnetic queen bee of an older sister, and the two had always been best friends. Until something happened that wrecked them.
I'd trusted Henri more than I'd trusted myself. Wherever she told me to go, I'd follow.
Then the unthinkable occurs—a watery nightmare off the dazzling coast. The girls wash up on shore, stranded. Their only companion is Alex, a troubled boy agonizing over his own secrets. Trapped in this gorgeous hell, Emma and Alex fall together as Emma and Henri fall catastrophically apart.
For the first time, I was afraid we'd die on this shore.
To find their way home, the sisters must find their way back to each other. But there’s no map for this—or anything. Can they survive the unearthing of the past and the upheaval of the present?
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