German author Kerstin Gier made her US debut last summer with the first book in the fast-paced paranormal YA adventure series with Ruby Red. But don't expect vampires or werewolves between these pages. Instead, the series starter follows Gwyneth Shepherd, a girl who discovers that she and her family are part of a timetravel society called the Circle of Twelve. 

The paperback edition of Ruby Red was released early this week (giving readers a way enjoy it on the cheap) before book two, Sapphire Blue, comes out in October. In Gier's upcoming series second, Gwen's life has changed drastically since learning that she is part of the Circle, but her unexpected ability to timetravel may be putting Gwen and her loved ones in peril. However, you don't have to wait until Fall 2012 to get the first taste of this adventure, bon appetit!

***

Read More>>

One of the best things about the young adult genre is the pure amount of diversity available in the books published each month. Authors can really push the envelope, anything goes when young readers are your target audience. Sure, there's still a lot of vampire romance (and that's not a bad thing! We at RT are super into Team Human right now), and we're loving all the teens in space as of late, but now even contemporary titles are mixing it up. If you're up for something different, check out these upcoming titles of modern-day teens in extraordinary situations.

The Waiting Sky by Lara Zielin (August, Putnam): Teen storm chasers! Oh yes. This books starts out with a set up we've seen before — girl dealing with an alcoholic mother — but then veers into new territory when Jane heads off to spend the summer with her older brother and his friends (including a cute bad boy, hello), all of whom are tornado chasers! 

Read More>>

YA author Suzanne Selfors is no novice to writing enchanting stories for young readers, but this year marked the author's first RT Booklovers Convention. Today the author shares her experiences meeting fans at Teen Day, singing books in YA Alley and enjoying a whirlwind weekend in Chicago. 

I wasn’t sure it would be worth it. I’d never been to a romance convention before. I’d never even thought of my books as “romantic.” But other writers told me, “You gotta go. The RT convention is crazy. Crazy in a good way.” So there I sat, on the tarmac in Seattle, while the pilot explained that the tow bar had broken and we’d have to wait for another tow bar. Wait, and wait and WAIT. The passenger next to me was a nervous wreck, wringing his hands and talking incessantly. Turned out he was on his way to jail to serve a three-year term for drug possession. All in all, it wasn’t the most uplifting beginning to my journey.

But my mood changed the second I stepped into the hotel, where three women greeted me. Goggles perched on their foreheads, ample bosoms spilling out of their blouses, they were laughing. “What are the costumes for?” I asked, dazed after the five-hour flight, plus two-hour tarmac delay. “We’re going to a steampunk party,” was the reply. Steampunk party?

Things were looking up.

Read More>>

The paperback edition of Gabrielle Zevin’s latest YA tale, All These Things I’ve Done, hits stores today and I couldn't be more excited. The series starter was released last September as an RT Top Pick! and took home an RT Reviewers’ Choice Nominee.

Not only is this story now at a more affordable paperback price but it's now got a leaner, meaner paperback cover. The hardcover art was cute but looked a lot like a contemporary read rather than a story set in futuristic NYC. With this (slightly) more colorful and dare I say ”digital-looking" art on the front of the book, I feel like you really get a better sense of what's between these covers.

Read More>>

Author Franny Billingsley got a chance to talk with RT's Whitney at the second annual RT Teen Day during the 2012 RT Booklovers Convention. The pair go in-depth on Billingsley's latest novel, Chime, a supernatural historical story about a girl who believes that she may be pure evil. Discover the inspiration that this author drew on for the unusual world, how her heroine Briony's struggles resonate with the author — and readers — and then get a sneak peek at the next two stories in the series, which Billingsley says were "percolating" as she worked on Chime.

Read More>>

Beloved historical romance author Shana Abe debuted in 1998 and received immediate attention for her lush voice. But she certainly didn’t rest on her “published author” laurels for long, after just a few books Abe began adding fantasy elements to her tales, like shapeshifters and time travel. Her Drakon series kicked off with The Smoke Thief, which won an RT Reviewers’ Choice award in 2005 and introduced readers to dragon shapeshifters that would capture our imagination — and our hearts. So we were thrilled to learn that the author will once again be breaking new ground with a new paranormal historical series.

Book one, The Sweetest Dark, will hit shelves on August 21st and features the paranormal and historical elements that are this author’s signature style. When TSD picks up, we’re in England during 1915 — that’s smack dab in the second year of WWI for those of you who don’t normally head historical for your reading — and mysterious circumstances bring seventeen-year-old orphan Lora Jones to the elite (but oh so gothic) boarding school, Iverson. Lora has always been connected to an otherness, and according to the book’s official synopsis, literally, “hears songs that no one else can hear, dreams vividly of smoke and flight, and lives with a mysterious voice inside her that insists she’s far more than what she seems.”

Read More>>

With over sixty YA authors taking part in this year’s second annual Teen Day at the RT Booklovers Convention, we asked a few of our favorite writers to share their favorite moments from this year's convention. Get an inside look at what it was like for Richelle Mead, Beth Revis, Carrie Ryan and Alyxandra Harvey to hang out with fellow booklovers, authors and, of course, YA fans!

***

RICHELLE MEAD

Read More>>

During the second annual Teen Day at the RT Booklovers Convention, readers got a chance to hear from authors during three separate formal discussion panels. The event started with “From Spark to Fire: Interactive World and Character-Building Workshop,” continued with “Feeding the Fire: Conflict and Action in YA Novels” and wrapped up with “Tending the Inferno: Series, Stand-Alones and Genres in YA.” Then attendees headed off to the fantastic Teen Day Party. But if you couldn’t join us in Chicago, today we bring you a peek inside the action with a look at the three author workshops.

In “From Spark to Fire,” a panel moderated by Melissa Marr, authors Kelley Armstrong, Nancy Holder, Beth Revis, Veronica Roth, Margaret Stohl and Cinda Williams Chima gave us a peek inside of their head and their series. So what are some of the things we learned?

Read More>>

During Teen Day, Young Adult fans had many chances to mix with authors. All Saturday afternoon at the RT Book Reviews Convention there were panels that encouraged readers to get to know the creative talent behind the stories they love. As several more traditional panels ran, genre fans also got the chance to learn more about authors during the Author Speed Dating session and hear about upcoming books during the two Author Speed Reading events.

***

Teens got a chance to spend time with some of their favorite genre authors during the Speed Dating session. As a group of writers revolved through different tables set up around the room in three-minute intervals, readers got to have their questions answered, and in some cases even spend some one-on-one time with the authors they love!

RT’s Meera Patel shared some of her highlights of the session. She told us, “This was a fantastic panel that let teens spend a little time with some of their favorite authors, and gave them a chance to meet new authors. Personal time with your favorite author? Where you get to talk about whatever you want?”

Did you know ...

Read More>>

This year at the Giant Saturday Bookfair during the 2012 RT Booklovers Convention, YA Alley was the place to be if you were a young reader or simply young at heart! The area was packed full of authors, there were over 60 in attendance. From big names including Melissa Marr and Richelle Mead to debut authors like Jus Acardo and everyone in between, authors and fans had a great time interacting. For everyone who wasn't able to attend, three of our favorite new authors share personal facts that readers don't know — and let us in on a secret about their heroines.

***

Josephine Angelini told us a bit about herself and a bit about her character Helen, the heroine of the paranormal series Starcrossed, who discovers that she's descended from ancient Greeks ... a heritage that comes with a curse from the Furies themselves. On a personal note, Josephine revealed to us that in real life she has size 9 feet and can't eat cheese (so sad!). And what did we find out about her character Helen? This sassy, accident-prone teen is a lip gloss fanatic!

Read More>>