February 4, 2010 in Girlfriends Cyber Circuit

I am completely delighted to share that I’ve joined the fabulous group of YA authors known as the Girlfriends Cyber Circuit! So it’s with great pleasure that I introduce my first GCC post about my fellow Tenner, the fabulous Suzanne Young. Suz’s debut novel, THE NAUGHTY LIST, is the first in her hilarious Smitten Kittens series… and it’s on shelves TODAY!

Welcome, Suz!

The Girlfriend

Name:

Suzanne Young

Short Bio:

Suzanne Young is a brilliant scientist. Not really. But she is a former middle school teacher turned zookeeper (mother). When Suzanne’s not fending off zombie squirrels or narrating her daughter’s Barbie soap operas, she can be found camping on the Oregon coast or writing obsessively.

Suzanne is the author of The Naughty List series coming February 4th, 2010 from Razorbill/Penguin. The Naughty List is about a group of cheerleaders who investigate cheating boyfriends. Which Suzanne never did. Or at least, not that you can prove.

Learn more at www.suzanne-young.blogspot.com

The Book

The Naughty List
February 2010
Razorbill

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?
Follow the squad at www.thecheaterreport.blogspot.com

Look out for series:
The Naughty List-2/4/10
So Many Boys-6/10/10
A Good Boy is Hard to Find-10/2010

What bloggers are saying about The Naughty List:

www.bookchicclub.blogspot.com: “Suzanne Young’s The Naughty List is a fast, original, and fun romp that fans of Ally Carter’s Gallagher Girls series will surely enjoy! Tessa is a wonderful, relatable character full of depth, quirks, and heart. A sure-fire hit!”

www.thestorysiren.com: “Espionage, lively cheerleaders, and very naughty boys… equal one debut that I found unputdownable!”

www.sharonlovesbooksandcats.com: “Holy cannoli! The Naughty List is one of the most adorable books I have ever read. Seriously people this book is just dripping in cuteness.”

Up Close and Personal

1.   PURSUING YOUR DREAMS: Everyone has the ability to be extraordinary, they just have to embrace what makes them unique and special and pursue their dreams with passion and confidence! Was being a published author a dream of yours? If so, how does it feel to have achieved your dream?

You know, I can’t remember a time when I didn’t write. It seems my imagination always had a story to tell. More than the dream of being published, I’m so happy that all of my characters get to escape from my head. It’s scary in there.

2.   CHANGING YOUR WORLD: Changing the world doesn’t have to mean finding a cure for cancer or creating lasting world peace (though it definitely can!). It just means finding a way that you can make the world a little better off for having lived here, whether it’s making a difference to one person or a million, to the earth, to animals… whatever is important to you. What is one way you would personally like to make the world a better place?

I hope to raise good, wonderful kids. I hope that my books can make people smile, and forget their problems for a little while. But more than anything, I want my stories to make girls feel good about themselves.

3.   GRATITUDE: Gratitude is a huge part of the You 2.0 life. Taking a moment to count our blessings is the best way to remember what’s truly important (especially when life is hectic and crazy!). What are you grateful for?

WOW! Do you have an hour? Honestly, I truly am blessed. I live in a great place with an insanely talented group of friends. And after a really tough year, I’m grateful for my health, and my family’s unconditional love.

Author Fun!

4.   SECRET SQUEE MOMENT: What is the coolest thing that’s happened to you since becoming a published author?

At another author’s book signing, I brought my ARC to give to a friend. A girl next to me saw it and recognized it! She asked about it and I ended up giving her the copy because I was so excited. It was the first time I met anyone who was excited about The Naughty List coming out.

5.   THE REAL DEAL: If you could go back in time and give your teen/tween self one piece of advice, what would it be?

Enjoy the time with your family. One day they won’t be there and all of those memories will become some of the things you cherish most in life.

Thanks to Suz for a terrific interview!   And readers, be sure to pick up your copy of The Naughty List today!

February 3, 2010 in 10 in '10

 

Yay!  It’s our very first 10 in ‘10 Teen Chick Lit Challenge check-in day! 

The lovely Jessica has posted the first official check-in over on her Chick Lit Teens blog, and I’m super excited to see what everyone has been reading and what they thought of it.  Remember to link your blog check-in post via Mr. Linky!

After seeing everyone’s fabulous lists for the challenge, my own challenge list grew quite a bit.  So instead of reading 10 teen chick lit books, I think my list is nearing 30 now!  To keep track of them, I’ve added a GoodReads widget in my sidebar listing them all.

In order to stay on track, I need to read 2-3 teen chick lit books from my list each month.  Since I adore teen chick lit (which is why I write it, I suppose), this should be easy peasy.

For the month of January, I read 2 awesome books from my list.

The Naughty List
by Suzanne Young

Mac and cheese!  This book is hilarious!  Suz is one of those rare writers who can mix great characterization with hilarious dialogue.  And her use of food as exclamations is so up my alley.    Since this is Suz’s debut book, it also counts for my Debut Author Challenge via The Story Siren.  Double the fun, I say!

Wings
by Aprilynne Pike

I know, I know… I’m about a million years behind on my reading and just now pulled this from my TBR shelves.  I’ve been meaning to read it forever and boy, was it worth the wait!  I don’t read a ton of paranormals because I’m not a huge fan of vamps and weres, but I love cool new takes on mythology.  Aprilynne’s brilliant fae world is AWESOME.  I’m firmly Team Tamani (and secretly hope David ends up with a certain someone in future books), but no matter which direction books 2-4 go, I am going to eat them up.

So that’s my first 10 in ‘10 Teen Chick Lit Challenge check-in.  What are you reading for the challenge?  (And if you haven’t signed up for the challenge, there’s still time!  Get all the details here.)

Happy reading!

January 21, 2010 in Blog contests, Random Musings

Hey gang! When I hosted the TAC logo contest, it was back in the summer. Since today is the deadline for the 100-Book Challenge logo contest and there are no entries–and many of you have mentioned that it’s easier to find time to be creative when school’s not in session–I’m going to revisit the 100-Book Challenge logo contest during the summer, if needed.

UPDATE 1/28/10: The 100-Book Challenge has been disbanded due to copyright concerns.

In other news, I’ve been thinking a lot about what kinds of features to include on the blog as I kick off a new year of blogging. And here’s the thing…

I still don’t know what features to include.

So I thought I’d throw it out to you and let you guys tell me what you’re most interested in reading about! Here’s my list of ideas and ongoing series:

SERIES
– Author Caves (sneak peeks into authors’ writing dens)
– Author Spotlights
– Booklovers of the Week – agents, editors & industry pros
– Booklovers of the Week – booksellers
– Booklovers of the Week – book bloggers
– Librarian Spotlights
– Teen Author Challenge mini-series (throughout the year on various writing topics)

MISCELLANEOUS FEATURES
– Adventures in writing – my writing ups and downs and everything in between
– The sweet life – all things wonderful about sweets and my adventures in baking (note: I am generally regarded as a kitchen disaster, so be prepared for danger here)
– Get inspired – sharing fun stories about people doing super cool things to make a difference (ala Living Your Five)
– What I’m reading – the books I’m reading, what’s up next in my TBR pile, and what I’m excited to buy
– Things I love – no rules here: could be pop culture, food, things I’m addicted to… just general fun stuff that I adore
– Ask Kay – responding to reader questions (I have a few dozen of these now & can do periodic call-outs for more)

So those are the ideas I’ve come up with myself. I still think it’s mildly hilarious that anyone would want to read about any of these things from me, but there you go. If there are other things you’d tune in to read about, let me know those too!

January 19, 2010 in 10 in '10

To kick things off in the chat world of the 10 in ‘10 Teen Chick Lit Challenge, Jessica and I thought it would be nice to have a fun, get-to-know-ya chat to hear about what you’re reading for the challenge and which teen chick lit books you’re excited to read next.

So join us tonight, January 19th, at 8pm EST in our Chatzy chat room. We’ll be updating the post tonight with the link when it goes live, so be sure to check back then! (Or follow us on Twitter – @KayCassidy and @ChickLitTeens – because we’ll be posting the link there too!)

UPDATE: Here’s the link to our chat room!

http://www.chatzy.com/133119347426

January 16, 2010 in Booklover - Industry Pros

Today, I’m delighted to welcome back the popular Booklovers series! I’ve got tons of fabulous folks lined up for you in the 2010 edition. Just you wait and see.

I met this lovely agent several years ago at a conference we both spoke at. She’s warm, funny, smart, approachable… pretty much everything you want in an agent relationship. I even got to see her at a conference again last year and had a blast. Many of you may know her from her popular blog, Daphne Unfeasible, and from her quick wit on Twitter (@daphneun). Please help me welcome the fabulous…

Kate Schafer Testerman

Thanks so much for being here, Kate!

Booklover Basics

Name:   Kate Schafer Testerman

Title:   Literary Agent

Company:   kt literary, llc.

Tweetname:   @daphneun

Short Bio:

Kate Schafer Testerman formed kt literary in early 2008, where she concentrates on middle grade and YA fiction as well as diving into some women’s commercial fiction and narrative nonfiction. Bringing to bear the experience of working with a large agency, she concentrates on all aspects of working with her authors, offering hands-on experience, personal service, and a surfeit of optimism. Her clients include Maureen Johnson, Ellen Booraem, S. Terrell French, Josie Bloss, and Matthew Cody, among other exciting newcomers. Her interests cover a broad range including teen chick lit, urban fantasy and magical realism, adventure stories, and romantic comedies.

Questions About You 2.0

The You 2.0 blog is about becoming everything you’re meant to be. It’s about pursuing your dreams, changing your world, showing gratitude, and paying it forward. Here’s a chance for our Booklovers to share what You 2.0 means to them.

1.   PURSUING YOUR DREAMS: Everyone has the ability to be extraordinary, they just have to embrace what makes them unique and special and pursue their dreams with passion and confidence! Tell us a little about a dream you’ve achieved or are pursuing right now. If you’ve achieved it already, how does it feel to know you’ve made your dream a reality?

In all honesty, I didn’t know starting my own literary agency was a dream until I did it, and realized that, yes, THIS is what I’m meant to be doing. I always loved books, and found my way to a literary agency through a totally natural progression, but the more I worked on other people’s books, the more I wanted to expend my energies pushing titles that I was 100% behind – that were my choices to represent, to shepherd the authors through their careers, to talk to other people about and convince them they HAD to read them, and buy them. I was able to do that to some extent at my former agency, but starting kt literary last year has opened up an entirely new world of possibilities – sure, there are tough parts, but I find the good definitely outweighs any of the bad.

2.   CHANGING YOUR WORLD: Changing the world doesn’t have to mean finding a cure for cancer or creating lasting world peace (though it definitely can!). It just means finding a way that you can make the world a little better off for having lived here, whether it’s making a difference to one person or a million, to the earth, to animals… whatever is important to you. What is one way you would personally like to make the world a better place?

Every time I make a new deal, I think I’m making the world a little better. I mean, sure, that may sound a little pompous, but for my authors, I like to think each new deal has the possibility of changing their worlds – for new authors, it’s finally being able to call themselves published writers! And since I work with YA and middle grade fiction, primarily, I love the idea that a book I represented and sold may inspire young readers to go on and be writers themselves – or, like me, take up a life working in publishing.

3.   GRATITUDE: Gratitude is a huge part of the You 2.0 life. Taking a moment to count our blessings is the best way to remember what’s truly important (especially when life is hectic and crazy!). What are you grateful for?

My parents, for being readers, and inspiring in me a love of books. My dad was a huge fan of historical novels like the Patrick O’Brien Aubrey/Maturin series, and Bernard Cornwell’s Sharpe books – that led me to discover historical novels myself, though they tended towards romances at first – which led to contemporary romance, which led to chick lit, which led to teen chick lit, which brings me back around to YA again. Also, to my elementary school principal, Sister Nancy, for telling me to stop reading during lunchtime – I’m a contrary sort, so that only made me want to read more! And the Port Chester (N.Y.) Public Library, which has these fantastic reading contests every year, and the librarians there who introduced me to Marguerite Henry, The Chronicles of Narnia, and so many more great books.

4.   PAYING IT FORWARD: If everyone took a moment to pay it forward, even just once, the world would be changed in ways we can’t even imagine. What is one thing you’ve done (or plan to do) to “pay it forward” in some way?

I like to think helping to introduce teens to Maureen Johnson (who I knew as a friend before she became a famous writer and internet sensation) is a very nice line on my balance sheet. And I can’t wait for younger readers to meet the hero of Matthew Cody’s novel POWERLESS (Knopf, November 2009)! On a non-pitching-my-clients tangent, I like to think I’m helping writers understand the industry a little better with my Ask Daphne! blog and regular tweets. It’s a little thing I think I do every day to help.

Questions About You, The Industry Pro

5.   Why did you choose a book-related career?

Probably because I never thought of anything else! I always knew I wanted to work with books, and when I got out of college and was looking for my first “real” job, I answered every ad in the New York Times classified for an entry-level position in publishing until someone told me yes. Books have always been a part of my life, and I’m thrilled to make them my career as well.

6.   Tell us a little bit about what you do in your job.

As a literary agent, I help my clients find publishers for their work, negotiate contracts, sell foreign rights, and act as a sounding board and early reader for their manuscripts.

7.   What do you love most (and least) about your job?

I love diving into a new book for the first time, and finding something that just blows my mind away. On the negative side, I hate waiting just as much as authors do for responses to my submissions, and the tedium of contract negotiation can be tiresome – but I have an awesome contracts manager who helps me get through it!

8.   What do you think would surprise people about your job?

I think a lot of people might be surprised by what my day actually entails. Sure, sometimes I can take a reading day and just go through partials or client manuscripts, but most of the time, I do my work reading at night and on the weekends. My days are spent dealing with a hundred other things that are part of an agent’s job.

9.   What do you love most about the YA and middle grades genres?

I love how important these books are to their readers. Those of us who are in children’s publishing, for the most part, are here I think because kids’ books touched our lives, and I love being able to pass that feeling on to someone else. Teens and tweens are so inspired by the books that they’re reading, so connected to the characters and the authors and the stories – it’s a feeling I hope they take through the rest of their lives.

10.   What books impacted you as a teen/tween?

I mentioned the Marguerite Henry books above – I had my girlish horse phase as did so many tweens, and even took riding lessons for a little while. I think the first book that made me cry – great, heaving sobs – was The Chestry Oak by Kate Seredy (now, sadly, out of print). As I recall, the sobs may very well have come over something that happened to the horse in the book. I loved The Borrowers series by Mary Norton, though I’ll admit I had to look up the author’s name – the characters were what stuck with me for those books. And I wrote a fan letter to Francine Pascal about the Sweet Valley High books – I wanted to be a Jessica, but even then knew I was an Elizabeth. And wow, so many more.

11.   What advice would you give to aspiring writers?

Work on your craft. I think so many writers are so eager to be published RIGHT AWAY that they jump into the querying process too early and do themselves a disservice. Take time with your manuscripts. Polish them. Share them with trusted readers. Let them sit and gather dust while you work on other things, to be able to take them up again later and see the areas that need improvement.

Will the Real You 2.0 Please Stand Up?

12.   I love the game Three Truths and a Lie because there are so many unexpected and interesting things about people that we never get a chance to learn about them. What are three truths and a lie that our blog readers can guess about you?

– I own a sword and several daggers and have been certified an Advanced Actor/Combatant by the Society of American Fight Directors.
– I collect copies of The Princess Bride by William Goldman, and have a dozen editions in multiple languages.
– I danced in the original London production of Riverdance until I broke my foot.  <--UPDATE: That was the lie!
– My client Maureen Johnson and I lived in London together after college, where we often used to climb over garbage cans through the window of our flat instead of bothering with the locks on the doors.

(Readers: As always, your blog comments get you an entry into the Bundle o’ Bookmarks giveaways that happen throughout the month. You never know when the next impromptu Bundle giveaway will be for one recent commenter. Will you be the winner? I’ll update the post later to spill the big lie, so get guessing and have fun!)

Thanks to Kate for a fabulous interview!

January 14, 2010 in Blog contests

I love getting caught up on things. I’ve been meaning to get the blog all squared away since the holidays but life intruded and… yikes! So many things piled up on the blog!

I was up waaaay too late last night cleaning up the sidebars of the blog, but I’m super excited about how they turned out. See that over on the right? The 10 in ‘10 Teen Chick Lit Challenge logo (designed by the fabulous Jessica of Chick Lit Teens)? (Scroll down a little to see it.) It’s now a permanent fixture on the sidebar along with my constantly-being-updated-because-there-are-way-too-many-awesome-teen-chick-lit-books-to-read widget showing the fab books I’m planning to read for it this year. (I’ll pause while you oooo and ahhh at this stellar list. Go ahead, take your time.)

Beneath that is the latest edition of a challenge I hosted last year. I’m back in 2010 hosting (sound the trumpets!) the 2010 100-Book Challenge on the E-Nation Ning!

The E-Nation Ning is an informal Ning community where many of the Egmont USA authors hang out and chat about books and pop culture and stuff with other fun authors and fab readers. I decided to host a 100-Book Challenge there in 2009 sort of out of the blue, and we had a blast. Jennifer Lynn Barnes dusted us all by reading something like five kajillion books, but it was so much fun seeing everyone’s lists grow and hearing what they thought about their favorite books of the year.

The 100-Book Challenge isn’t a competition though. It’s a fun social place to say “Hey, here’s what I’m reading and OMGyoutotallyhavetoreadthisone!” Though you can use spaces between your words if you want. We’re not picky.

Aaaaanywho… this year, I decided that I want a logo. Something really fun and cute that coordinates with the E-Nation Ning design. And I thought, “You know, I have a ton of online buddies who are ridiculously talented. Why not host another logo contest and see what they come up with?”

The 100-Book Challenge Logo Contest!

And so, here I am, telling you about the 100-Book Challenge logo contest and here you are, reading about it and thinking, “Sounds fun, Kay, but I’m kinda busy.” (Or possibly you’re thinking, “Did I see the next American Idol in the auditions yet?” I’m not really sure. You’re kind of a mystery.) But I hear you on the busy, so how about if I offer up a $25 gift card to the bookstore of your choice?

Here are the quick and easy rules:

1) Create a logo in .png or .jpg format with the following information:
— 2010 100-Book Challenge
— enationbooks.ning.com

2) Logos should complement the E-Nation Ning color scheme and design and be 1200×1200 pixels with a resolution of 300 dpi.

3) Upload the logo to your web site or blog and comment here with a link to where you’ve got it.

4) Final deadline for logos is Thursday, January 21, 2010.

5) Winner will be announced on the You 2.0 blog in late January.

NOTE: All graphics and photos must be owned by the logo creator and entrants agree that if their entry should be selected as the winner, all rights to the logo will become the property of Kay Cassidy, Inc. (Ah, legal mumbo jumbo.)

Let me know in the comments if you’re game for the contest. I can’t wait to see what you come up with! And while you’re checking out the E-Nation Ning design, be sure to join us for the 100-Book Challenge too!

UPDATE 1/28/10: The 100-Book Challenge has been disbanded due to copyright concerns.

January 13, 2010 in Blog contests

At long last, I have sent off the pass pages for The Cinderella Society as it gets ready to go to press. Woohoo!!!

To celebrate, I am FINALLY going to update the blog with all of this month’s winners!

Thank you so much to everyone who posted the Cinderella Society countdown widget on their blogs. It was so fun going out and seeing my cover on all of your sites! Very much a “OMG, this is real” experience for me, so thank you for that extra moment of fun.

The Cinderella Society 100-Day Countdown Widget Contest

The winner of a signed ARC of The Cinderella Society for the 100-day countdown widget contest is…

Emma!
(aka Booking Through 365)

I hope you enjoy the book! Please contact me here with your mailing address and let me know whether you would like the ARC personally signed to keep or generically signed to give away.

And also… ack! Somehow I managed to forget to post the monthly blog winners this month!! And since we’re now in 2010, these are the final monthly winners for the 2009 Monthly Blog Contest. (New contests coming soon in 2010!)

So without further ado, here are the final monthly blog contest winners. Drum roll, please…

Teen Author Challenge Giveaway

The winner of the FINAL Teen Author Challenge monthly giveaway (who will get to select one of the “craft of writing” books from my own personal writing bookshelf) is…

Jess!

Way to go! Please contact me here with your mailing address and let me know which writing book you would like to choose for your prize. View the list at the bottom of this post.


You 2.0 Prize Dive

The winner of the FINAL You 2.0 blog prize dive (who will get to select an item from the official You 2.0 prize basket) is…

April H!
(aka April Nichole’s Blog)

Cheers! Please contact me here with your mailing address and let me know which item you would like from the You 2.0 prize basket.


The Cinderella Society ARC!

And the winner of asigned ARC of The Cinderella Society (coming April 13, 2010 from Egmont USA!) for the FINAL 2009 monthly blog contest is…

Dani!
(aka YA All the Way)

I hope you enjoy the book! Please contact me here with your mailing address and let me know whether you would like the ARC personally signed to keep or generically signed to give away.


Congratulations to all the winners! And thanks to everyone for all your fun comments throughout the month. They seriously make my day.

Keep commenting all month long for your chance to win in the monthly contests and the impromptu Bundle o’ Bookmarks giveaways. (Note: I received lots of new bookmarks over the holidays, so a new Bundle o’ Bookmarks is coming soon!)

Happy reading!

January 3, 2010 in Blog contests

It’s hard to believe that when I first put The Cinderella Society’s countdown widget on the blog, the release date was almost 300 days away. As of today, we are officially 100 days out from release!

To celebrate this fun milestone, I’m giving away a signed ARC of The Cinderella Society to one lucky person who is displaying the TCS countdown widget on their blog!

To participate, simply grab the widget above (click the Share button to copy the code), paste the code into your blog sidebar, and comment below with a link to your blog. The contest is open until this Friday, January 8th, 2010. Good luck!!

Cheers and Happy New Year,

December 30, 2009 in 10 in '10

Okay, now I get to share my own reading list for the 10 in ‘10 Teen Chick Lit Challenge. Good times!

I absolutely LOVE teen chick lit, so I’ll be adding tons of additional books to my list. But here’s my starting line-up for the challenge to give me my first ten. Some of these are books on my TBR shelves and some are books I have on pre-order.

But again, that’s just for starters. Some of the teen chick lit books I was really looking forward to in 2010 (Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins and A Most Improper Magick by Stephanie Burgis) I’ve already read, so they won’t count. But I’ll include them in spirit.

Be sure to add your blog post to Mr. Linky and grab the logo above to show you’re playing!

Share your 10 in ‘10 Teen Chick Lit Challenge post here:
 

December 30, 2009 in 10 in '10

Do you love chick lit? That fun, snappy voice that begs to be read and enjoyed? Then join us for:

The 10 in ‘10 Teen Chick Lit Challenge!

Co-hosted by YA author Kay Cassidy (that’s me!) and teen book blogger Jessica (www.chicklitteens.com), the 10 in ‘10 Teen Chick Lit Challenge is your chance to read some fabulous teen chick lit books with other chick lit fans. The challenge runs from January 1, 2010 through December 31, 2010. Here’s how to play:

1)   Grab the official 10 in ‘10 Teen Chick Lit Challenge logo above and put it on your site with a link back to this page to let people know you’re playing.

2)   Choose 10 teen chick lit books to read in 2010. Or select the ones you know you want to read and leave the rest of your list open to see what comes your way in 2010. (We’ll be talking about the great teen chick lit books we’ve read each month, so you may find some new ones that catch your eye!)

3)   Click on the Mr. Linky button below to share your list if you’ve posted it on your blog. If you don’t have a blog, simply comment below with your choice of books and let us know you’re in like Flynn.

4)   Each month, Jessica and Kay will alternate hosting the official check-in post where you can share the books you’ve read for the challenge. And be sure to let us know what you thought of them!

Oh, and did we mention PRIZES???

We know you’ve got a ton of books in your TBR pile. To make it even more fun to read the teen chick lit ones, we’ll be doing fun, impromptu giveaways throughout the year for participating challengers who check in with their progress!

And, of course, we need to have an awesome grand prize you can drool over, right? For challengers who read 10+ teen chick lit books during 2010 and let us know on our monthly check-in posts, we’ll be putting them in a drawing for a fabulous prize basket filled with great chick lit books, cool swag, and even some DVDs! Watch the monthly check-in posts for super secret peeks at the grand prize package.

And even more cool chick lit stuff…

We love all things chick lit, so we want this to be more than just a reading challenge. We want it to be a challenge where readers can come to talk about the chick lit books they’re reading and loving and get to know some terrific chick lit authors too. So…

In addition to the monthly check-ins, we’ll also be featuring exclusive chats throughout the year with some of your favorite chick lit authors! Stay tuned to the monthly check-ins for more details about how to get involved in the chats and to see who’s coming on board.

And now it’s your turn!

Are you ready to join the fun? Excellent! Then grab the logo, share your 10 in ‘10 Teen Chick Lit Challenge reading list via Mr. Linky below and gear up for a fabulous 2010!

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: How do I know if a book is “chick lit”?

A: If you think it is, it is! There’s no standard definition for chick lit, and we definitely don’t want to be the chick lit police. So we’re leaving it up to each challenger to decide if a book qualifies for the challenge. If you’re looking for examples to guide you (there are oh so many!), books like Meg Cabot’s The Princess Diaries series, Jen Calonita’s Secrets of My Hollywood Life series, Ally Carter’s Gallagher Girls spy series, Kate Brian’s Private series, and Tera Lynn Childs’ Oh. My. Gods. series are all great examples of teen chick lit. Even slightly darker books like Alyson Noel’s Immortals series still have a brilliant teen chick lit voice. And these are only a few of the many great teen chick lit books out there!

Q: What if I don’t have a book blog?

A: No worries at all. Simply share your progress in the comments on the monthly check-in posts on Jessica and Kay’s blogs. Better yet, share your thoughts in places like Goodreads, Shelfari, Amazon, and BarnesandNoble.com too. Let your voice be heard!

Q: What’s the deal with the chats? Are these real-time chats or interviews on the blog?

A: Real-time chats. Our guest authors will be joining us on Chatzy at a scheduled time to chat about all things chick lit (including their books). It’s a fun, informal chat that will be open to all. We’ll be sharing the schedules in the monthly check-in posts, so keep your eye on them for more details coming soon.

Q: I LOVE teen chick lit. Can I read more than 10?

A: Absolutely! 10 is the minimum number of books needed to be eligible for the grand prize drawing, but you can read as many teen chick lit books as your heart desires and check in with them all. The more, the merrier!

Happy reading!

Kay and Jessica

Share your 10 in ‘10 Teen Chick Lit Challenge post here: