The Boy Book -- sequel to The Boyfriend List -- is finished!
Here are some things I can tell you about it:

penguins
the hooter rescue squad
espresso milkshakes
kissing Angelo
Noel has a secret
Cabbie's nefarious doings
a fight with Doctor Z
Bick seeks enlightenment at Harvard
a note from Jackson Clarke
and Roo gets busy (however you want to interpret that)

It'll be out in October 2006.

Alison Kent is on the GCC with me and she writes romantic suspense. Her new book, Larger Than Life, is about a secret agent guy who wakes up after being beaten and left for dead in the desert – and he's got partial amnesia about what happened to him and what kind of assignment he was on. And there's a sexy, mysterious woman who runs an underground shelter for girls escaping polygamous marriages, and she's somehow tied into everything… (sex alert! the books are racy). You can read an excerpt here.

Anyway, Alison couldn't write a boyfriend list for us, but she answered a few questions all about being a teenager, writing about sex, some good gothic writers, and her best book for high school readers.

Now you're a romance writer with a lot of success. But what were you like in HIGH SCHOOL?

Honestly, I hated school, but really I think I was just bored and never really challenged. (I say this because my own kids came out of high school the same way!) I made straight A's all four years and never studied. Oh, wait. I made a B once in typing because I missed a test and didn't make it up! I had only a small group of three or four good friends, and wasn't a joiner at all. My senior year, I went to school half days and worked half days. I wanted out in a huge way! Looking back, though, English & Composition were my favorite subjects, so I guess that was the basis for my love of writing!

When you write about sex, are you interested in conveying any messages about it? If so, what?

I make sure readers know and my characters know that there are consequences involved with sexual activity. And I don't mean only pregnancy or STD's - though my characters always practice safe sex and talk about their sexual histories. I don't preach or teach or get in readers faces about it. I just show my characters dealing with the emotional complexity that comes with physical intimacy.

What's your favorite of your books, and why?

I have to say FOUR MEN & A LADY. It takes place at a fifteenth high school reunion, and I had a blast revisiting my characters lives in the past. I wrote scenes from each of their years in high school, and have received more fan mail on that book that probably any other. I think a lot of readers were able to relate to what these story people went through in school!

What did you read as a teenager? Was there any one book that influenced the person you have become?

I can't say any particular book influenced me as a person. For me, books have always been more about dreaming and escape. There weren't a lot of books marketed to teens or addressing the world we were growing up in when I was young, so I read my mother's gothics written by Mary Stewart, Dorothy Eden, and Phyllis Whitney, as well as thrillers written by Alistair MacLean.

Thanks Alison!

--E

P.S. Thursday night, the 23rd of June, I'm reading from The Boyfriend List and signing, etc. at
Borders bookstore in Redmond, WA at 7 PM.
Off 520, at West Lake Sammamish Way, in Redmond Town Center.
16549 NE 74th St Redmond, WA 98052 Phone: 425.869.1907

Come on by!

Mitali Perkins, author of Monsoon Summer and the just-released The Not-so Star-spangled Life of Sunita Sen, has a blog!

I just discovered it. I thought I knew about them all! It's a cool one, too. A virtual "fire escape" she uses to talk about life betwen cultures. You know: out of the apartment where it's hot and there's too much going on -- onto the fire escape, where it's cool and airy, and where you're not exactly in the house any more. In fact, you're halfway to the neighbors'.

Enjoy!

Have you been to the YA Authors Cafe? If not, you should check it out. Every Tuesday night at 8:30 p.m. EST, 5:30 Pacific, there's a live chat with one or more YA authors -- sometimes on a particular subject. You go to www.yaauthorscafe.com and click the cafe chatroom icon (which is blue and slightly obscure, located on the lower right hand side), and join the chat!

I'm doing a chat with the wonderfully talented Libba Bray on August 16, and I hope you'll all come -- readers, writers, librarians, booksellers, publishing folk. You don't have to be an author to go.

Here's the summer schedule.

June 21 - SUMMER SERIES - Ask the Authors - Informal, no host chat with Amy Mcauley, author of OVER AND OVER YOU, Eileen Rosenbloom, author of STUCK DOWN, and Kathleen Jeffrie Johnson, author of A FAST AND BRUTAL WING

June 28 - Open Publication Party -- meaning anyone with a June book, or anyone who feels like it, can come and celebrate those June books!

July 5 - ON THE VERGE with Jennifer Jacobson, author of STAINED, and Mary Pearson, author of A ROOM ON LORELEI STREET, with Guest Host Marlene Perez

July 19 - SUMMER SERIES - Ask the Authors - With Lara Zeises, author of BRINGING UP THE BONES, CONTENTS UNDER PRESSURE and the soon to be released ANYONE BUT YOU, and Laurie Faria Stolarz, author of BLUE IS FOR NIGHTMARES, WHITE IS FOR MAGIC, and SILVER IS FOR SECRETS.

July 26 - Open Publication Party

August 9 - Open chat - Come chat with other YA Lit enthusiasts. No topic, no
host.

August 16 - SUMMER SERIES - Ask the Authors - E. Lockhart, author of THE BOYFRIEND LIST, and Libba Bray, author of A GREAT AND TERRIBLE BEAUTY and REBEL ANGELS.

August 30 - Open Publication Party

Please come by!

--E

My Summer Readings. Confirmed.

I promise to
wear a cute dress,
be funny,
sign books,
talk to people,
tell you all about the sequel to The Boyfriend List,
tell you all about my next book, Fly on the Wall,
and read you stories.

Please come on out!
Here are the dates.

Redmond, WA: June 23
BORDERS Redmond Town Center 16549 NE 74th St 425.869.1907
7 PM

San Diego, CA : July 18
BARNES & NOBLE 10775 Westview Parkway (858) 684-3166
7 PM

Torrance, CA: July 22
BARNES & NOBLE Del Amo Fashion Center 21500 Hawthorne Blvd. (310) 370-5552
7 PM

Mindy Friddle, a fellow member of the GCC (Girlfriends Cyber Circuit), has a very interesting blog for those of you interested in the writing and publishing process.

More important, her book THE GARDEN ANGEL out in paperback now. It was a Barnes & Noble "Discover Great New Writers" pick -- which is quite a fancy thing to be -- and Richard Russo (Richard Russo!!!) says she's got a "great comic touch." And really, I am sure Richard Russo does not say such things lightly.

The Garden Angel is a whimsical, tragicomic tale about a South Carolina waitress/obituary writer named Cutter who's trying to avert the sale of her dilapidated ancestral home. When she starts an unlikely friendship with Elizabeth, a shy and fragile academic, her bad luck begins to mend. You should check it out!

Anyway, Mindy's heroine has a bad boyfriend, and for those of us here at The Boyfriend List, she's written a short and funny cautionary list.

--E

BOYFRIENDS TO AVOID
by Mindy Friddle

In the course of my novel, THE GARDEN ANGEL, the heroine falls in love with her boss. Big mistake.That boyfriend also happens to be a Mama's Boy. Another big mistake, all wrapped up in one guy. Of course, a miserable, thwarted romantic interest makes for interesting reading. Still, if I could give my characters advice about boyfriends, I'm afraid it would be about the kinds of boyfriends to avoid.

1. The Mama's Boy
You don't want the guy who ignores his mama, or, you know, disses the woman who raised him. But you don't want the one who seeks her approval even (especially) when it comes to his love life. She never will, you know. Approve. 'Nuff said.

2. The Career Boyfriend
This is the guy who studies and works late on weekends and talks shop with colleagues at the holiday party while you, his girlfriend, are forced to do the electric slide-- sans date --on the dance floor. Thank goodness the mail room guy and interns are great dancers, and look better and better with each passing disco tune and gin and tonic. But still. This is the fellow who brings beepers, cell phones, laptops on the beach. Of course, he looks so good "in courtship." A hard worker. Ambitious. Good provider. Run like hell.

3. The Boy's Boy
Okay, obviously NOT your gay friend who helps you pick out shoes. This is the boyfriend who cares more about what his friends think than what you think; this is the dude who will drop plans with you for a night with the guys at Hooters. Still in the treehouse with the women-haters club.

4. The She-is-Just-My Friend Boyfriend
He's still talking with the ex-girlfriend or ex-wife, meets her for lunch or drinks. Real civilized. They are so close now that they broke up, and what is your problem with that? Can't he have friends? Besides, SHE thinks you are good for him because no one knows him like she does, anyway. There's nothing between them anymore. Yeah, right.

In NY, public library staff members vote against labeling teen books PG if they contain erotic content.
Go librarians! Hurrah!

Read EVERYTHING already?
Here are some brand new books from some seriously excellent authors, some of whom are friends of mine and some not.
But they're all HOT off the presses this June,
and I promise you they are all good writers,
so you should check them out.

A Room on Lorelei Street, by Mary Pearson -- about a girl who rents a place of her own in order to escape her alcoholic mother.

Valiant, by Holly Black -- not QUITE a sequel to the awesome Tithe.

Funny Little Monkey, by Andrew Auseon -- I've heard the book is incredible.

Invisible by Pete Hautman -- who is always top-notch.

Over and Over You, by by Amy Mcauley -- romance and reincarnation. Girl visits a psychic and begins to belive she's got a thousand year history of love and betrayal inside of her.

Read away!

--E

Oh, and A BIG BIG THANKS to all of you who have taken the Grease poll! You all rock like Danny Zuko in Greased Lightnin'.

And if you HAVEN'T taken the pool, and you're UNDER 18, will you please take it by clicking here? It's entertaining, superfast to do, and you can spend the rest of your day knowing you helped out an author in need of demographic research!

I took this quiz, written by the folks at Random House, which will tell you which boy from The Boyfriend List you are dating.
(Can you believe there's such a quiz!?? I can't.)

Anyway, don't worry, they didn't put Hutch on there, so you can't end up with HIM.

And me, turns out I'm with Angelo.
Which ain't bad, either.
In the sequel, The Boy Book, he turns out to be a seriously excellent kisser.

And in happy news, ARCs of Fly on the Wall are now here!

A reader named LB sent in this excellent and funny boyfriend list, which includes fish, romance in a tunnel slide, two boys named Connor, and happy ending -- and the girl is only twelve.

--E

P.S. Since you're here, and if you're UNDER 18, will you please take the Grease poll? Five seconds of your time, and a benefit to art! Or something.

LB's Boyfriend List

1. NO NAME---> i don't remember wut my first boyfriend's name was. you see, i was 2 and he was my fish. most handsome fish i ever met. too bad i killed him.
2. NO NAME---> i don't remember my second boyfriend's name either. he was also a fish. and i killed him too. but it was an accident. i swear.
3. NO NAME---> don't worry this 1 wasn't a fish. he was imaginary. i don't really know what happened him. he just kind of disapeared 1 day. i was probably 4.
4. MORRY---> he wasn't really my boyfriend. i wished he was at the time, though. in preschool i used 2 chase him around the playground, trying to kiss him. i never caught him though. and in like fourth grade, i found out he was a year younger me and all my friends laughed.
5. CODY---> in kindergarten, i forgot all about morry and thought cody was really cute. my best friend was always jealous of me because i was his girlfriend. one day i kissed him in a tunnel slide at school, and he told his friend, who told the teacher, who yelled at me.
6. CONNOR M.---> in second grade, i dumped cody for this this really, really, really cute guy who was in my class and this girl that i absolutely hated, was so0o0oo0o jealous of me. i luved being the center of attention.
7. CONNOR F.---> in third grade, connor m. asked me to the dance and of course i said yes. i don't even know why he asked me. i just assumed we were already going together because he was my boyfriend. anyway, then connor f asked me and i told him sorry but conor m already asked me. then he walked away with his head bowed and i felt so bad for him. so i dumped connor m for connor f and we were together until fifth grade when he thought i was just using him to get someone else. he claims he dumped me, but he knows i dumped him. he just won't admit it. to tell you the truth, i don't know why i even went out with him. he was really ugly and weird.
8. THOMAS---> after i broke up with connor f, i was really depressed until i got to know thomas, this guy that was really sweet and he bought me things and invited me 2 parties. he was failing every class, but he was sweet. that lasted a smallest record time of 2 weeks.
9. RAMEL---> in the sixth grade, i started dating ramel. he was kinda good looking, and like thomas, he was also failing every class. he was the dangerous, bad boy, type. then i dumped him because we never talked and then he got really upset so i decided that maybe we could still go out for a while but then he turned me down because he liked someone else, then i got really upset, so he said he'd still go out with me, and then i got mad at him because he was only going to go out with me because he felt sorry for me. i didn't even think about the fact that that was what i had done to guyz before.
10.FRANK(FD HOMIE DOGG F)---> frank is my current boyfriend. i had my first dance with him, hopefully i'll have my first REAL kiss with him, and my first REAL date with him. i like him a lot and he's really funny. he'll make me laugh even when i'm in the worst of moods. he'll do anything for me and he knows when to be serious and when it's okay to be hilarious. he even got me in trouble 1 time with the teacher, because the teacher was talking and frank whispered something so hilarious, that i burst out laughing in the middle of class. not only was i embarrassed, laughing hysterically, and in trouble, i was crying because ilaughed so hard. and that was my story of how i've had 10 boyfriends by the time i turned twelve.