Recently Amazingwriterfriend Alina Klein tapped me in a blog hop about debut books, where she wrote about her moving and amazing debut novel RAPE GIRL. This really means Alina’s making me write a blog post (which I should do more often anyway). And who are we kidding, I’ll do pretty much anything Alina tells me to do because:

1) She’s awesome

2) She wrote a book I love so hard I want to make every young adult, male and female, read it, ponder it, discuss it

3) She reads most any drivel I churn out and kindly and gently helps it be less drivelly

Alina herself was tagged by her Amazingwriterfriend Shannon Hitchcock, whose own debut novel came out this month! Visit her blog to hear more about THE BALLAD OF JESSE PEARL, which is racking up great reviews and is now resting comfortably on my (tottering) to-be-read pile.

SO. On to the questions!

What’s the title of your debut novel?

(Whew, we’re starting with an easy one)! THE FAMILY FURNIVAL

What’s it all about?

The Furnivals are just like any other family, if all families had four boys, three pets, and two dads. The boys navigate adventures from new schools to new friends, soccer tryouts to play auditions, and wet cats to friendly skunks, but a miserable new neighbor seems intent on ruining all the fun. As their school year progresses however, the Furnivals learn that neighbors, like life, can surprise you.

What do you dream of for your book?

Action figures. Obviously.

Really though, I want this book to be the kind that kids read the funny parts aloud, or parents have to reread parts because the kids love it so much. I also want it to be a book that shows families with two dads or two moms that their adventures and jokes are worth sharing too; that every funny wonderful goofy family is worth celebrating.

Who else is writing awesome books that come out next year?

I thought you’d never ask!!!! Two debut authors who are the funny on Twitter and have mad skills in the book world: Michelle Painchaud and Kristen Lippert-Martin.

Michelle’s 2014 debut is PRETENDING TO BE ERICA, a YA con game-thriller-awesomeness mashup that will be published by Viking/Penguin.

Kristen’s 2014 debut is TABULA RASA, a sexysmart YA thriller that uses LATIN in its title, people, which is how we know it’s smart! It will be published in Fall 2014 from Egmont.

(Also fun is that Kristen’s announcement is in the same Publisher’s Weekly rights report as mine, so I can smile at them both at the same time…)

So that’s what’s new with me! Check out the other amazing authors mentioned here, and enjoy. Also, remember to google wet cats if your day is going poorly. It will transform things, I promise.