I’m absolutely thrilled to say that The Girl of Fire and Thorns is one of five William C. Morris YA Debut Award finalists. This award is administered by the American Library Association, and ”honors a debut book published by a first-time author writing for teens and celebrating impressive new voices in young adult literature.”

If you get a chance, you should click on the above link and check out the other finalists. I’ve read a couple already, and they were astounding. I can hardly believe my book is a finalist alongside of them. I hope this means I’ll get to meet these amazing authors at the ALA conference this year. I’ll try to control my fangirling, but no guarantees.

To celebrate, my husband and I drank champagne on a school night. We’re edgy like that.

Oh. my. bananas. isn’t that a gorgeous cover?! I read Sarah Prineas’ WINTERLING in draft, and again in ARC format, and I’ll read it again in hardcover. I love it that much. It’s magical and beautiful with a wonderful girl-power protagonist. It’s middle grade, but I think it reads up very well. Can’t recommend it enough.

INCARNATE is a unique and lovely book. Jodi Meadows pokes fearlessly at the premise of reincarnation, with a new and startling result. Gorgeous prose and a slow-build romance will keep you turning the pages. Also? Sylph! Dragons! Music!

KISS CRUSH COLLIDE is ostensibly a romance, but I found the family relationships just as interesting—maybe more so. And it’s that balanced storytelling that makes it a compelling read. Fans of contemporaries should not miss this one.

I’m reading this right now and loving it–can’t stop turning pages. UNDER THE NEVER SKY feels more post-apocalyptic than dystopian, which is a nice change. And I love the cover with fiery passion. I mean, HER OUTFIT IS SO BADASS I CAN’T EVEN. Love seeing a strong-looking protagonist on the cover of a “big buzz” book.

And here is a pic of all these lovely ARCs hanging out together on my couch:

So, what books are you looking forward to? Comment to win!

It’s been a very busy 2011! This is what I’ve done:

1) I wrote a book! I’m currently working with my editor to put the finishing touches on The Crown of Embers, a sequel to The Girl of Fire and Thorns which will be released in Fall of 2012.

2) I bought a house! Our rental lease was up, and my husband and I were faced with that age-old question: To buy or to rent? Turns out, our mortgage payment is LESS that what we would have paid in rent. Wooo!

3) I bought a car! Used, of course. Still, it’s nice to have something that is unlikely to strand me on the side of the road anytime soon.

4) I’ve done a LOT of reading. In fact, I have some ARCs of hot Winter 2012 releases to give away. So keep your eye out–I’ll be posting a giveaway in the next couple of days. Here’s a sneak peak at the giveaway list: Kiss Crush Collide by Christina Meredith, Incarnate by Jodi Meadows, Winterling by Sarah Prineas, and Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi.

That’s it for now…stay tuned for that giveaway. Hope you’re all having a wonderful holiday season.