March 10th, 2010
It feels like forever since I last blogged, but I am delighted to say “Ta da!” My new web site is finished and launched (woohoo!) and I’m back in BlogLand for more adventures. It’s about time, I say! 
First up is a lo-o-ong overdue bit of fun:
It’s March! And that means (despite the fact that it’s already March 10th – gah), it’s time to check in with your 10 in ‘10 Teen Chick Lit Challenge reads!
In February, I read The Season by Sarah MacLean. Holy wow, this book ROCKS! I’m not usually a historical reader, so I wasn’t expecting to be so completely swept away by the setting and the characters and the world of regency England. I absolutely loved Alex, the heroine, and her feisty buddies Ella and Vivi. Smart, funny characters all around and a hunk who is totally yum-worthy. Score!
Next up for me is finishing Broadway Lights (which I had to set aside for a moment because some Tenner ARC tour books arrived needing immediate attention) and then… hmm… it might be a case of eenie meenie miney moe to decide which fabulous book to read next!
And now the big question… what did you read in February for the 10 in ‘10 Teen Chick Lit Challenge? Comment below or link your blog post about it via Mister Linky.
And stay tuned next week for a special 10 in ‘10 feature on our March guest author Julia DeVillers and a chat with her on Tuesday, March 16th at 8pm EST! (A link to the chat will be posted here that afternoon – see you on Chatzy!)
Filed under: 10 in '10
February 21st, 2010
Are you ready to join Alyson Noel, Tera Lynn Childs and I and live your Five? Become a bonafide Honorary Fiver member of the Living Your FiveTM community!
To become an Honorary Fiver, simply share your personal Five on your own blog. Let us know the five areas you want to make a difference in!
Once you’ve shared your Five, you are officially an Honorary Fiver and have our permission to nab this cute logo (designed by our own fab Tera!) to place on your blog or web site. Cool, right?
What does being an Honorary Fiver mean?
Being an Honorary Fiver means you’re ready to join us in our quest to change our world… one person and one Five at a time. But posting your Five on your blog is just the beginning. We want you to keep us posted on how you’re doing on your Five! Any time one of us posts about our Five progress on our blogs, please chime in and share your Five news too. Tell us what great things you’re up to. All Fiver progress is worth celebrating, big steps and baby steps alike!
The more action we take, the more excitement we spread, the more momentum we build… the more impact we make as a Fiver community!
An important note before you get rolling…
One of the tricky things about creating your Five is distinguishing between something that’s beneficial to you vs. something that’s immediately beneficial to others. Even we had to stop ourselves on occasion and ask “Who is really benefitting from this?”
Your Five should be things that directly impact others in a positive way, not something that is primarily for your own personal benefit.
In addition to our Fives, Alyson, Tera and I are all actively pursuing our own kinds of personal development. That’s just part of being the best we can be. But that’s a personal endeavor, not a Fiver endeavor.
Here’s an example of what I mean:
Things like regular meditation and spiritual development are for your own personal growth. They’re lovely goals, to be sure. And they may very well improve your ability to carry out your Five. But those goals would not be part of your Five themselves because the person who benefits most is you.
Stick to things that directly and obviously impact others first and foremost, whether those others are people, animals, the Earth, or whatever you happen to care about. Don’t worry… if you’re like us, there will be way more than just five things in your “Impacting Others” column.
And now, without further ado, I introduce… YOU!
So there you go! If you’re ready to step up to the plate–Welcome! We’re thrilled to have you aboard!–now is your time to shine. Share your Five on your blog, nab the Honorary Fiver logo for your blog sidebar or web site (and link it back to www.kaycassidy.com/lyf so others can learn more about LYF), and go change your world!
And be sure to comment below to let us know you’ve become an Honorary Fiver so we can cheer you!
Are you ready to Live Your Five?
Filed under: Living Your Five
February 8th, 2010
Huge congrats go to our newest monthly winners of the national Great Scavenger Hunt Contest reading program for kids and teens! Please join me in cheering on the winning hunter:
** Esther P. **
And the winning librarian:
** Kelly White **
from Salisbury, MD
Enjoy your prizes!!
Filed under: Contests, Latest News
February 8th, 2010
Check out the February 2010 additions to the national Great Scavenger Hunt Contest reading program for kids and teens!
The Dark Days of Hamburger Halpin by Josh Berk (YA)
Dirty Little Secrets by C.J. Omololu (YA)
The Iron King by Julie Kagawa (YA)
A Match Made in High School by Kristin Walker (YA)
The Naughty List by Suzanne Young (YA)
Operation YES by Sara Lewis Holmes (MG/Tween)
Secret Society by Tom Dolby (YA)
Sucks to Be Me by Kimberly Pauley (YA)
Filed under: Contests, Latest News
February 4th, 2010
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!
Filed under: Girlfriends Cyber Circuit
February 3rd, 2010
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!
Filed under: 10 in '10
January 21st, 2010
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!
Filed under: Blog contests, Random Musings
January 19th, 2010
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
Filed under: 10 in '10
January 16th, 2010
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!
Filed under: Booklover - Industry Pros
January 14th, 2010
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.
Filed under: Blog contests
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