The audience was large and enthusiastic at Books Inc. Friday night. L.K. Madigan read from Flash Burnout and four other YA authors read from their novels. There were at least five other YA authors in the audience: Sarah Quigley (TMI), Cheryl Herbsman (Breathing), Heidi King (Sea) and others I didn’t catch. Sorry. I was so busy listening, watching, chatting. I’ll do better next time.

Anyway, here are the Debs doing Deb stuff.

STRUTS AND FRETS by JON SKOVRON is here!

Kate Messner is here today, telling us a little about herself and giving us a peek at her new book, THE BRILLIANT FALL OF GIANNA Z.

Its great to have you visit, Kate. What’s this new book about?

Gianna Zales has a lot on her plate this fall – a father who drives her to school in the family hearse, a mother who’s turned into the junk food police, a little brother who thinks he’s a member of the paparazzi, and a grandmother who leaves false teeth in the refrigerator. Worst of all, she’s left her 7th grade leaf collection to do at the last minute. It’s a monster project, and Gianna will miss cross-country sectionals if she doesn’t meet the deadline. She’ll need the help of her geeky friend, Zig, and some brilliant ideas of her own to pull it off.

Gianna Z. sounds like a delightful character and what young reader could resist reading about her quirky family. Now for fans, here’s a little background on the author.

Kate Messner grew up in Medina, New York and graduated from Syracuse University’s S.I. Newhouse School of Communication with a degree in Broadcast Journalism. She worked as a television news producer and reporter in Syracuse, NY and then Burlington, VT, before going back to school to get a teaching degree. These days, Kate is a National Board Certified middle school English teacher. She has helped hundreds of kids work on leaf collection projects and likes sugar maples and catalpa leaves the best. Kate lives on Lake Champlain with her husband and kids and loves spending time in the woods.

Kate also gave us a little more insight into who she is when she took time to answer these questions.

Of all your favorite books, which one do you wish you had written?

I adore Beverly Cleary’s RAMONA books and would love to have kids remember one of my characters the way I remember her!

I don’t know anyone who doesn’t admire Ms. Cleary. She gave us such fabulous books to read. What fictional character do you wish you could be?

Last week I was wishing I could be Calpurnia Tate because I was having serious grandfather-envy. I’d love to go poking around in the woods with her GrandDad. I’d also love to be Hermione Granger - magic is cool.

I’m so glad you said that. Magic is what makes the world absolutely delightful IMHO-well, magic and chocolate! Sooooo after chocolate what do you eat to make the writer-block pain go away?

As much as I love chocolate, usually, it’s not food but a good long run or a shower that gets me thinking in the right direction again when I’m stuck.

It’s been great to have you visit. Readers, Gianna Z. is here, so be sure to buy your copy now.

It’s available at your local Indie and at Amazon. Happy Reading!

Today we’re in for a LIPSTICK APOLOGY. Author JENNIFER JABLEY’S debut novel, a mystery with heart, was just released.

Here’s a little glimpse of what a great story you’re in for when you open Jennifer’s book.

Four little words written in lipstick mean Emily must say goodbye to everything she knows. Emily Carson has always been a good girl. So when she throws a party the night her parents leave for vacation, she’s sure she’ll get busted. What Emily doesn’t know is that her parents will never return. That their plane will go down. And the only thing left amidst the wreckage will be a tray table with the words: Emily please forgive me scrawled in lipstick - her mother’s last words.

Now it’s fall in New York City and Emily’s trying to pick up the pieces of her shattered life. Her public tragedy captures the attention of more than just the media - and soon two very different boys at her new school are pursuing her: the cute, popular Owen, and the quirky chemistry partner slash pastry-baker-by-night, Anthony. But even with such delicious distractions, Emily can’t let go of her mother’s mysterious apology. Does she have the courage to face the truth?

With help of a whole new kind of family - one that includes a make-up artist to the stars, a teen hand model, and a wacky hairdresser - Emily must choose between the boy who makes her forget it all, and the one who encourages her to remember, and ultimately, heal.

Jennifer Jabaley was born in New York and raised in Bridgewater, New Jersey. She graduated from James Madison University with a degree in chemistry and received a doctorate from Southern College of Optometry. A part-time optometrist and mother of two, Jennifer began writing her first novel after a phone call from her sister sparked an idea for a story that lingered in her mind and stirred her creative juices. LIPSTICK APOLOGY will be released in August of 2009 by Razorbill. Jen lives in Blue Ridge, Georgia and is currently at work on her second book.

She stayed around a bit and answered a few questions, so her fans will know a little more about her. My questions aren’t the greatest, but Jennifer has some super answers anyway.

Of all your favorite books, which one do you wish you had written?

Wow, there are several, but my top choices would be:
“The Center of Everything” by Laura Moriarity because her character development is so great.
“Walk Two Moons” by Sharon Creech because I love the way she smoothly blended two stories.
“Something Borrowed” by Emily Giffin because I feel like she takes chick lit a step up and everyone I know who has read it relates to the story in some way - and that is just amazing.

You’re giving me more books to add to my reading list, Jennifer. Here’s another sort of literary question.

What fictional character do you wish you could be?

Gosh, that’s hard. How about Mia from The Princess Diaries? It would be pretty cool to be a modern day princess. Oooh, or how about Elle Woods from Legally Blonde - to be beautiful and rich and show the world you are smart too! Plus, she has really great clothes.

Love the clothes!

Every writer I’ve ever talked to has writer-block at some time, so after chocolate what do you eat to make the writer-block pain go away?

Hot Chocolate from Starbucks or a mint chocolate chip milkshake from Dairy Queen (maybe it’s all the sugar that gets my mind working!)

Thanks, Lee!

I should thank you. It’s been wonderful having another great Deb here.

Be sure to order your copy of Lipstick Apology now and enjoy another 2009 debut novel. It’s available at Amazon and your local Indie.

Also visit Jennifer at her website to see what else she’s up to.

I’m so excited to have Sydney Slater here again. Her book, JUNGLE CROSSING, came out the first of September.

Here’s a what you can expect when you read her book.

Thirteen-year-old Kat can think of dozens of good reasons not to go on a boring family vacation to hot, grungy Mexico. Number one: missing her friend Fiona’s minicamp. If she’s not there, she’ll begin eighth grade as a social reject. And it looks like she’s the odd girl out on vacation, too. When Kat’s parents arrange for her and her younger sister, Barb, to go on a teen adventure tour, Barb makes more friends than she does. The only person who will talk to Kat is Nando, a young Mayan guide (who happens to be quite a cutie). Each day as they travel to different Mayan ruins, Nando tells Kat and Barb another installment in the original legend of Muluc, a girl who lived in the time of the Ancient Maya. The dangerous, dramatic world in which Muluc lives is as full of rivalry, betrayal, jealousy, and sacrifice as Kat’s world at school. And as she makes new friends and discovers new treasures in Mexico, Kat begins to wonder: Is she willing to keep sacrificing her self in exchange for popularity?

About the author:

Sydney Salter’s fascination with Mayan culture started when she was six years old and climbed down a steep, dimly lit stone staircase to the elaborately carved tomb of King Pacal who had once ruled Palenque. Visiting Mayan ruins, walking through fragrant Mexican market places, watching women wash clothes in a river, and chasing lizards in the jungle ignited the spark in Sydney’s imagination that led to writing Jungle Crossing. Sydney now lives in Utah with her husband, two daughters, two cats, and two dogs. She loves reading, writing, cooking, and traveling—especially to Mexico where she can explore ancient Mayan ruins and swim in underground rivers. Sydney is also the author of My Big Nose And Other Natural Disasters.

When she stopped by I asked her some questions so readers could know a little more about this writer.

Tell us a little about your path to publication.

I joke that my publication journey has been about as tangled and rocky as one of the jungle paths in my story. Jungle Crossing is the first novel I wrote, but it took a lot of learning and three more manuscripts before my fourth, My Big Nose And Other Natural Disasters, was accepted for publication. All that writing taught me the importance of revision (I always returned to Jungle Crossing when I completed another manuscript). I also learned the value of networking with other writers and publishing professionals through conferences and workshops. It took me five years of consistent hard work to get published.

What gave you the idea for Jungle Crossing?

I wanted to teach my daughters about Mayan culture before a family vacation to Mexico I think I really needed an excuse to finally attempt my dream of writing a novel-since my daughters were only six and two at the time!

Is there any one part of this book that you really love? That is, a scene that you particularly liked writing and still enjoy reading? A bit of dialog that you adore? Some description that you wrote that you still say, “Wow! I wrote that!”

I especially love two parts-and both of them take place at the tops of pyramids. One I had to completely rewrite when a friend told me that they had recently closed El Castillo in Chichen Itza to tourists. Uh-oh! The new scene ended up being far more dramatic and emotional. The other one which happens at the very end includes words I wrote in my travel diary after I climbed the Nohoch pyramid in Coba.

Thanks Sydney. Enjoyed your visit.

Be sure buy your copy of Jungle Crossing and enjoy the adventure and visit Sydney at her website.

MEGAN FRAZER’S Book is here!

Secrets of Truth & Beauty tells about Dara Cohen who, when she was little, was crowned Little Miss Maine. That was then. Now Dara’s seventeen and she’s not so little anymore. That’s just one of her many problems. Another is that her control-freak mom won’t get off her case about anything. Yet the one that hurts the most is the family secret: Dara has an older sister her parents tried to erase from their lives.

So what do we know about this author?

Megan Frazer studied English literature and creative writing at Columbia University. She lives with her husband and baby in Maine, where she is a high school librarian. She loves cheese and cooking, and both of these make their way into Secrets of Truth & Beauty. She was not, however, ever in a beauty pageant.

I wanted to know a bit more about Megan-you know some secret scoop on the author. So here’s my not-so-brilliant questions. Megan did her best to make them sparkle. Thanks, Megan.

Of all your favorite books, which one do you wish you had written?

Oh wow, this is a tough one. I love authors who are able to create these amazing worlds that are similar to but different than our own, like Roald Dahl or Madeleine L’Engle. I’m going to choose an adult book, though: The Fortress of Solitude by Jonathan Lethem. I think it’s fantastic that you’re reading along, thinking this is your average coming-of-age tale, and then all of a sudden, no big fanfare, the boys can fly.

I love those surprises in books. A touch of Magic, right? On to my second not-so-brilliant, but interesting (?) question. What fictional character do you wish you could be?

Even harder. The problem is that with most fictional characters, there’s something wrong, right, or else why write about them? I guess if forced to choose, I would go with Virginia Woolf’s Orlando, because she got to experience life through so many centuries — and as a man.

(Incidentally, I hear that Orlando Bloom was named for this character — it’s just a sign of our cosmic connection that it’s my favorite book.)

Yes, Cosmic with a capital C, Megan.

Now here’ s a real inside scoop question. After chocolate what do you eat to make the writer-block pain go away?

Ice cream.

Thanks so much, Megan. And to all of you who want to find out the Secrets of Truth & Beauty go to Amazon and buy your copy today.