Run by Daisy Whitney at daisywhitney.com

Note: This interview is cross-posted from DaisyWhitney.com

Welcome to my first interview for “The Girlfriends’ Cyber Circuit,” a webring of YA novelists. Check these postings for the latest releases!

Suzanne Young’s “The Naughty List” releases Friday, February 4 from Razorbill. It’s the first in a series.

Here’s a blurb on the book:

As if being a purrfect cheerleader isn’t enough responsibility! Tessa Crimson’s the sweet and spunky leader of the SOS (Society of Smitten Kittens), a cheer squad–turned–spy society dedicated to bringing dastardly boyfriends to justice, one cheater at a time. Boyfriend-busting wouldn’t be so bad . . . except that so far, every suspect on the Naughty List has been proven 100% guilty! When Tessa’s own boyfriend shows up on the List, she turns her sleuthing skills on him. Is Aiden just as naughty as all the rest, or will Tessa’s sneaky ways end in catastrophe? The Naughty List. Is your boyfriend on it?

Let’s get to know Suzanne!

Daisy: If you met your 16 year old self, what piece of advice would you give her?
Suzanne: He’s not worth it. I promise.

Daisy: When you tell people you write books for teens, what do you say when they ask, “Oh, like Twilight?”
Suzanne: Hah! Well, I usually hear: “I’ve always wanted to be a writer—I just don’t have the time.” But when people ask, “Like Twilight?” I say, “Yes. Exactly like Twilight. You should buy it.” haha

Daisy: I have created magnificent ass dents in two couches from all the writing time I log. I also have a pair of white fuzzy boot slippers that look like something a yeti might wear if yetis wore boots. What piece of clothing or item in your home would provide the necessary evidence to prove to the authorities that you are a writer if questioned?
Suzanne: I wear my pink penguin robe throughout most of the day. Every morning I wave to the crossing guard as I drop my kids off. If I hadn’t already given her a bookmark, she might think I’m strange.

Daisy: When you’re not reading or writing, where can you most likely be found?
Suzanne: Camping!

Daisy: In my first novel “The Mockingbirds,” a group of boarding school students form an underground justice system to right the wrongs of their peers. Looking back on your high school experience, what type of secret society did your school need the most?
Suzanne: They could have definitely used a SOS (the spying cheerleaders group in The Naughty List) to bring dastardly boyfriends to justice.

Daisy: Most people want to know who would play your main character if your novel became a film. But I’m a Broadway geek, so I want to know what you would call the show-stopping number from your novel when it becomes a Broadway musical.
Suzanne: It’s So Strawberry Smoothie: The Musical

Daisy: I’m going to tweet this blog post. So tell me in 140 characters or less, why people should buy your book.
Suzanne: If you’ve ever wanted to know what cheerleaders do after dark—check out The Naughty List. And if you’re curious about what your boyfriend does after dark—then you need the SOS.

Thanks, Suzanne!

I’ve read her book many times! In fact, Suzanne and I are critique partners and I got to scream and shout when she called me about her book deal back in 2008. She returned the favor for me when she was one of the first people I called after I landed my deal! So thrilled for you, Suzanne! Everyone should read her delicious book.

If you’re looking for a quick, escapist, romantic comedy it’s hard to beat “The Ex Games” by Jennifer Echols. It’s the story of hot-headed superstar snowboarder Hayden and her hard-to-resist ex-boyfriend Nick, also a hotshot on the slopes. They’re 17, they’re impetuous and they dare each other to prove their prowess in a battle of the sexes on the slopes. The only catch is Hayden is deathly afraid of jumps because she broke her leg four years ago.

Echols captures the Colorado snow town setting perfectly, but even better than her description of falling white stuff are her depictions of the on-again, off-again Nick and Hayden over winter break. These two teens will make you crazy with the way they make up and break up but the kisses are so good, you’ll keep turning the pages until the very end.

A delightful read!

You know that scene in “Twilight” where Edward and Bella are in the meadow? That scene you read late into the night over and over and your face was flushed and you were glad everyone else in the house was asleep because you had goosebumps on your arms and your skin was kind of tingling in anticipation of a fictional kiss? Well, if you want to recapture that feeling strung out over an entire book, then read JM Warwick’s “Season of Eden.” The book is one long seduction, one tantalizing buildup.

The book tells the story of 18-year-old high school student Eden who crushes hard on her 22-year-old music teacher Mr. Christian. And that’s it. The story is that simple — it’s about love, obsession, sexual tension and desire. But it’s not dirty and it’s not graphic. It’s about forbidden romance, attraction and the bloom of first love. The characters do nothing more than kiss in this story.

If you’re looking for a romance fix, put this on the top of your list.

Thanks to “Just Your Typical Book Blog” where I first learned about this story.

My darling, wonderful, fantabulous writer friend Suzanne Young’s first novel releases in just a few days - February 4 to be exact. And in honor of her book The Naughty List I’ll be wearing The Naughty List tee-shirts in my videos and on This Week in Media for the next month. Don’t worry - I’ll mix it up! After all, I bought The Naughty List tees in pink, white, lavender and yellow! Aren’t they yummy???

make custom gifts at Zazzle

Yes, I usually recommend teen lit or women’s fiction. BUT, I have to give “How to Find a Woman…or Not” a shoutout!

It’s a tongue-in-cheek how-to guide for guys on landing a lady. OK, so why am I (a happily married woman) reading a dating guide for dudes? Because it is FUNNY. It’s one of those books that gives women a glimpse into the strange and funny mind of a man who simply wants to find the perfect woman to cuddle with and enjoy pesto over a red-checkered tableclothed table. In the interests of full disclosure, I will say the author Gary Morgenstein is a good friend of mine.

His book reads like a hilarious lunch outing with a friend when that friend shares all his misadventures from dating. Gary has more than his fair share and he chronicles them to great delight (including the perils of waking up in the middle of the night at the house of a woman who owns a dog).

This is a great gift book for men or women.

The story starts after Katniss and Peeta have returned to District 12 as unlikely victors from the 74th Hunger Games. Their life should be easy now - they’re rich because the oppressive Capitol showers gifts and money on its victors. But the Capitol is displeased with the act of defiance that won them the Hunger Games and if the pair of “star-crossed lovers” can’t prove they’re madly in love then trouble will come to both of them.

But there’s already trouble brewing across Panem, the future North America at the heart of Suzanne Collins’ dystopian series. Because other districts are starting to rebel too. With rebellion comes a stiff price though and Katniss is learning that lesson as citizens, including her beloved Gale, are tortured around her. Then midway through the novel, Katniss must confront the unthinkable. To reveal this plot twist would be a sin of the highest order, so let me conclude by saying Collins keeps you guessing about everything until the end, and even after, because she ends this story both with a wholly satisfying finish and with a whopper of a cliffhanger.

What works so well about Catching Fire is that it’s one long spark with countless twists and turns until it combusts on the final page. Collins ends each chapter on a cliffhanger and you literally cannot keep turning the pages. Inventive, philosophical, brutal and against-all-odds romantic, Catching Fire is a masterpiece. And if you are looking for me on August 24, you won’t be able to find me. Because I will be spending the day devouring the final story in this series.

And for a fun discussion on the Team Peeta v Team Gale debate, check out this post by the Page Flipper.

Fine, so it’s a No. 1 New York Times Bestseller. So the movie comes out in one month. So maybe I’m ridiculously late to the game.

Still, if you haven’t read the Percy Jackson and the Olympian series by Rick Riordan, now would be a good time to start. The first book in the series is The Lightning Thief and it is the story of Percy Jackson, who has a perennial problem of getting kicked out of every school he’s been to. Finally, when he’s 12 it’s revealed that he’s a demi-god, the son of one of the Greek Gods from Mount Olympus and a mortal. Percy then must go on a quest to retrieve Zeus’ stolen thunderbolt to prevent a world war between the Gods.

But it’s not the specifics of the quest that make this story interesting. The Lightning Thief works because it’s a cool adventure series. Set in modern day, Riordan has moved Mount Olympus to the 600th floor of the Empire State Building, transferred Hades to a recording studio in Los Angeles, and given the God of War a rumbling motorcycle to ride in on. Then there’s Percy, a born-and-bred New Yorker, who’s quick with a quip and still has a chip on his shoulder that gets him both in and out of trouble.

Riordan has crafted a fully-realized and believable world of Gods, demi-gods and monsters living among us, though not terribly harmoniously. Which of course, makes for a great story.

Note: I first ran this review in September and am re-running it because this book releases today.

You think vampires that want to kill you in high school are scary? Or maybe werewolves who could rip your throat out?

They’re cotton candy compared to the high school in Courtney Summers “Some Girls Are,” the January 2010 follow-up to her well-received debut “Cracked up to Be.”

No, there’s nothing like the high school hell she makes her characters endure in “Some Girls Are.”

Even standard high school misery, like clueless teachers, cliques and gym are kittens next to Hallowell High, where the Fearsome Fivesome roam the halls. This girl bully gang loves to hate — they devise cruel tricks and horribly mean pranks in a game of chess with other students as the pawns. Their targets have no recourse, nowhere to go. They become nothing when the quintet is through with them.

Regina Afton is part of this crew. Until she’s kicked out for something she didn’t do. Now, she can’t duck fast enough because they’re pulling out all the stops as the four remaining members seek to destroy her. She hides out in the storage room, in the washrooms, with the so-called “losers,” but even they don’t really want a mean girl hanging with them. Because, can a Grade-A Henchwoman really change her stripes?

That is exactly what Regina desperately wants to do in this story — put her past as a very bad girl behind her — only she has to battle the now Fearsome Foursome, their toady boyfriends who do their dirty work, and worst of all, her own self doubts about whether she can be brave enough. The one bright spot is a loner boy who comes to see the good that is still inside her.

“Some Girls Are” is about what it means to be good, what it means to be bad, what it means to change. It’s about how to stand up and how to forgive and, especially, what not to do. It’s about — like the “Kiterunner” — “how to be good again.”

If you’ve talked to me about books for more than two minutes, you’ve certainly heard me mention Courtney Summers and “Cracked up to Be.” It is one of my favorite books of all time and also inspired me to switch genres from women’s fiction to young adult. Naturally, I was nervous reading “Some Girls Are,” hoping it would stand up to its predecessor. I can’t believe I’m saying this but “Some Girls Are” is even better. I was gripped with fear, anticipation, and intense, white-knuckling nerves during the second half of this book, wondering how on earth Courtney would possibly pull of a satisfying ending after she’d tortured her characters.

I won’t spoil the ending, though. You will need to read to find out! The countdown begins to the book’s January release date!

My friend and fellow young adult author Kay Cassidy has written a lovely debut novel The Cinderella Society with a heartening message for teenagers about empowerment and being your best. I was fortunate enough to receive and read an ARC of the book before its April 13 debut and am now hosting a blog tour of this book with seven other book bloggers. Then we’ll all run a series of contests related to the book in the month surrounding its release.

The contest is designed to celebrate the the theme of the book so we’ll be inviting blog readers (and anyone!) to share a story/line/quote/thought about what it means to be empowered as a teenage girl. Each blogger will pick a winner for her blog and when the book releases I’ll send a copy of the book to each blog’s winner. Then the eight of us will pick a grand prize winner at the end who’ll receive a signed copy from Kay as well as a The Cinderella Society swag bag! And I’ll also make a $100 donation to Girls Inc. in the name of the grand prize winner. (Kay is a big supporter of Girls Inc.)

Stay tuned as the contest will start March 20 and run through April 28 across our blogs. A big thanks to my fellow blog tour members! I’m thrilled to be part of this blog tour with all of you!

• Not Enough Bookshelves
• Page Turners Blog
• Cover to Cover
• Addicted to Novels
• Myth Takes Blogspot
• The Book Owl
• GreenBeanTeenQueen
• And me! Here and at BookChick.com

I probably read a book a week in 2009 and as the year draws to a close, here are the ones that stood out the most. Though I read a handful of books this year that I adored, such as “Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks” and “The Lovely Bones,” I’m going to focus on books published in 2009 for this list. Here goes!

• Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins: A spectacular follow-up to the equally amazing Hunger Games. I am dying to know what happens next
• Twenty-Boy Summer by Sarah Ockler: A lyrical, summer romance that breaks your heart and mends it again
• If I Stay by Gayle Forman: A beautiful, powerful story about a teenage girl who must decide whether to live or to move on with her family. (I was the girl crying on the plane as I read through this and finished it in one flight)
• Some Girls Are by Courtney Summers: This book releases Jan. 5 so I’m using that to justify fitting it on this list. That and the fact that is as insanely good as it is nerve-wracking.
• Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl: A gorgeous, literary, inventive supernatural romance that’ll make you swoon.
• Beautiful by Amy Reed: I don’t think I read a better written book all year. Amy is a true master craftswoman with words.
• Far From You by Lisa Schroeder: If you’re not reading Lisa Schroeder, you’re missing out. Her books are divine.