Past Continuous

Happy pub month to Past Continuous by K. Ryer Breese! This is the sequel to Breese's first book Future Imperfect.

I was in Raleigh over the Thanksgiving holiday visiting my sister and she's a big Fringe watcher and so, of course, I always end up watching it with her when I'm in North Carolina. Even though I'm only catching random episodes here and there (and constantly pausing her DVR to pepper her with questions about the plot), I find it a fascinating show-- and a very good comp for Past Continuous and Future Imperfect. Because if you like reality-bending, complex shows like Fringe, you'll love Breese's books.

In Past Continuous, with the help of one of his unsavory friends, Ade is able to change his past-- but not in the way that he hopes. Instead, he unknowingly changes it so that his girlfriend Vauxhall doesn't remember who he is. In order to fix the problem, Abe must kill four alternate versions of himself. (See? I told you! Fringe-ish!)

Kirkus says it best: larger-than-life fight scenes, criminal underworlds and superhuman displays.

It's twisted. And I love it.

A Love Letter to NYC

This book combines two of my favorite things: New York City and celebrities. An embarrassing confession: whenever I see a celebrity on the street I immediately text a friend (who is also celeb-obsessed. Seriously, she can list the names of every celebrity child-- in the correct birth-order. It's a true gift...) with the details: Where did I spot them? What were they wearing? How did they look?

Jeryl Brunner's book, MY CITY, MY NEW YORK makes my celebrity stalking so much easier. She went straight to the source and asked famous New Yorkers: Where are your favorite spots in the city and why?

So now I know:

-Glenn Close likes to walk her dogs in Central Park, near the West 81st entrance

-Anthony Bourdain celebrates with meals at Masa

-Joan Rivers loves the top of 30 Rock (and she was a NYC tour guide during college--who knew?!)

This book not only satisfies my celeb-obession, but it has shown me how little I know about "the city". I have a whole new list of places I need to visit. First stop, the restaurant Veselka, to hang out with Jon Stewart!

GHOSTS IN THE FOG: The Untold Story of Alaska's WWII Invasion by Samantha Seiple is on sale this week!

This is a non-fiction book for young adult readers, but anyone who is interested in history will enjoy it.

Did you know that the Japanese invaded (and occupied!) Alaska during WWII? Admittedly I'm no history buff, but I'd never heard about this. In GHOSTS IN THE FOG, Samantha Seiple takes a closer look at this little-known bit of history. She tells the story of the Americans who were taken prisoner by the Japanese, along with the soldiers (on both sides) who fought in this very bloody battle. Samantha does an incredible job of making history come alive.

And this book really got me thinking about the other parts of U.S. history that's been forgotten....

Every Day On Earth

Fact: Literary agents procrastinate 2,400 minutes out of every day... Okay, that's not a real fact.

What is true is that Every Day on Earth: Fun Facts That Happen Every 24 Hours by Steve and Matthew Murrie was published on August 1st and I'm incredibly delayed in wishing them a Happy, Happy Birthday!

This is a trivia book that is perfect for parents who are looking for ways for their kids to have fun learning, as they head back to school this month. The book gives readers a look at what happens every day. (Did you know that 46 million turkeys are eaten in America every Thanksgivings? Or that lightening strikes the earth 8,640,000 times every day?)

And adults will love it too. I know, when I first read it, I ran around the office going "Every Day on Earth..." Fact: My coworkers threw 2 million balls of paper at my head that day...

OMG, it's GLITTERY!

I just received my copy of ONCE EVERY NEVER by Lesley Livingston in the mail and it is.... GLITTERY! Literally, the cover image on Amazon...
... does NOT do the book justice. The actual book has sparkly, shiny glitter bursts all over it.

Glitter is particularly appropriate for this book. When I submitted ONCE EVERY NEVER to editors, this was (really) the last line of the authors bio: "Captivated at a young age by stories of past civilizations and legendary heroes, Lesley is an unrepentant egghead – a character-trait that somehow doesn't interfere with a love of shoes and shiny things."

Well, I'm captivated! By the packaging of this book, by the story (which is funny! Think: Veronica Mars-style snappy dialog... and sexy! Think: a love SQUARE), and by Lesley's incredible writing talent!

And, the good news is that while this book was sold as a stand-alone novel, Penguin recently bought two more books in the series. I can't imagine how Penguin will top this cover.... but I'm looking forward to finding out!

The Buzz

Future Imperfect by K. Ryer Breese publishes today from Thomas Dunne/St. Martin's Press!

This is one of those books that can easily be pitched in one sentence: A boy who can see the future (but only when he knocks himself out) falls in love with a girl who can see the past (but only when she's sexually intimate with someone) and together they must stop a future murder from happening.

This novel is wild, exhilarating, twisted, thoughtful, funny, violent, dark, romantic, gross, addictive, gritty, unique... I could keep going, but it would be so much more fun if you read it yourself and let me know what you think of it in one word.

Disclaimer: this book is definitely not for the weak-stomached!

The Summer of May

Cecilia Galante's The Summer of May publishes today!!

Cecilia is one of my favorite kind of authors, someone who can write any genre, because her writing is all about characters--whether they're elementary school kids, pre-teens, teens, or adults-- she can get inside all of their heads so well that you feel like you know them personally.

The Summer of May is her third middle grade novel, but she also has two teen novels, an upcoming early reader series, and she's currently working on an adult novel. She's a Jane of all trades!

To top it all off she has a great blog on writing: http://www.ceciliagalante.com/

One of my favorite things is how she signs off on her blog posts. Cecilia, I'm taking a page for your blog today:

Onwards, Always!

The Girl Who Was on Fire

The Girl Who Was On Fire: Your Favorite Authors on Suzanne Collins' Hunger Games Trilogy went on sale yesterday, April 5th! I'm really excited about this anthology because I just love thought-provoking YA fiction and this anthology looks deeper into the incredibly rich world that Suzanne Collins created.

Also, one of my favorite clients, Adrienne Kress (Alex and the Ironic Gentleman, Timothy and the Dragon's Gate) is a contributor for the anthology. Her essay "The Inevitable Decline of Decandence" addresses society's obsession with decadence and how it inevitably leads our downfall. Let's just say, it's quite timely for the current situation we find ourselves in.

If you're a fan of The Hunger Games you're going to love The Girl Who Was on Fire.

And, if you haven't read The Hunger Games, what the heck are you waiting for?! Go out and read the series and then pick up this anthology. I guarantee it will deepen your understanding of the series.

Review Day!

Two great reviews came in for a couple of my upcoming April books!

Kirkus said this about FUTURE IMPERFECT by K. Ryer Breese:

A slick, fast-paced thriller with a comic-book aesthetic. D-student Ade Patience begins to see the future when he gets a head injury. Chasing “the Buzz”—his name for the high the visions give him—Ade insults tough guys, stages car accidents and jumps off buildings, leaving his companions (usually female) to clean him up, tend to his wounds and take him safely home. The story opens on a day Ade has foreseen and anticipated: The day She, the future love of his life, appears in the school cafeteria and sings to him. She is Vauxhall: bold, perfect and, as per the visions, destined for Ade. But fast-talking liar Jimi Ministry wants Vauxhall for himself. To his great distress, Ade keeps seeing visions of himself killing Jimi, and his visions always come true. The pace is cinematic, with short chapters, short sentences, snappy banter and Ade's cool, careening narration.

And Publishers Weekly said this about THE SUMMER OF MAY by Cecilia Galante:

Galante's (Willowood) bittersweet story of a troubled 13-year-old stars spunky Maeve (May) O'Toole, who holds a lot of grudges. May's most recent target is her English teacher, "Movado the Avocado," who she blames for having to repeat English in summer school. Spending her mornings prepping and painting the classroom wall she defaced during the school year and doing writing assignments for her teacher, May has a lot of time to think. She broods about all the things that make her mad and about all the people who have abandoned her: her old group of friends; her father, who now works double shifts and is hardly ever home; and her grandmother, who spends her days in bed. But mostly May thinks about the mother she will never see again. The summer takes some unexpected turns as May discovers previously unseen sides of Miss Movado and learns that they have something profound in common. Brimming with emotion and insight into adolescent rage, Galante's prose investigates the impact of loss and the importance of making amends.

Things Left Unsaid

A Watershed Year by Susan Schoenberger pubs today!!

This publication is especially exciting for me because Susan and I worked closely together to revise the manuscript and get it sold to the right publisher (Guideposts). Susan's writing is incredibly solid and moving, so the base was always there, but we worked on the POV (third-person or first-person?), the structure of the plot, and the title (the book was originally titled Intercession). Susan is a newspaper report and I think her work in newspapers has really honed her editorial skills. She's an ace reviser. Each draft of the book just got stronger and stronger-- and I loved this book the first chapter, so that's no easy feat! I'm so proud of her and thrilled that her hard work has payed off.

The thing that stands out for me with this book is the idea of how the things we don't say can change our lives.

In The Watershed Year, Lucy has been in love with Harlan for years, but she's never told him how she feels. The timing just hasn't been right. So she's devastated when Harlan is diagnosed with cancer. And throughout the year leading up to his death that perfect moment never presents itself. Months after his death she returns to her desk to find an email from Harlan, one of many that he's programmed for her to receive monthly, revealing all of the things he couldn't say to her. In one of his emails, Haraln says something that strikes a chord with Lucy: he's certain that she should be a mother and it puts Lucy on a path to stop living inside her head and to start living out her dreams.

I've read this book multiple times and every time it makes me cry. Sounds odd to say, but I hope it makes you cry, too!

Okay, I've left nothing unsaid in this blog post. Except: go out, buy the book, and tell your friends! :)

Book Launch for Lesley Livingston

Check out this feature of Lesley Livingston's Book Launch in Toronto, Canada. (Wish I was there!!)

SPACE Blogs: As Seen on Innerspace: Author Lesley Livingston's "Tempestuous" Book Launch

Tempestuous Book Trailer

Happy Birthday, Blog!

Hello, World!

The plan for this blog is to post on the birthday of my babies... my books. :)

Of course, as everyone knows, nothing ever goes to plan. And so, from time to time, I will diverge from this structure and post whatever the hell I want.

And so comes my first blog post.

Three books of mine (and by mine, I mean by authors that I, a literary agent, represent) came out these past two months.

The Sweetness of Salt by Cecilia Galante (Bloomsbury, November 2010)


Tempestuous by Lesley Livingston (HarperTeen, December 2010)


The Transformation of Things by Jillian Cantor (Avon, November 2010)


You can read summaries for these books online. I won't waste the space on this blog.

Instead, I will focus on what I love about these books-- and the writers of these books.

What Cecilia Galante does so incredibly well is create characters that are real. Characters that readers care deeply about. She's writes both middle grade and young adult novels (The Sweetness of Salt is young adult), but in a lot of ways her writing defies genre. A person of any age could pick up any one of her books and not only enjoy it, but take something away with them.

The Sweetness of Salt is about Julia, a girl who has just graduated as her high school valedictorian. Julia is a girl who has her thoughtfully mapped out her plans for the future... and then her much older sister comes back and opens Julia's eyes to something in her past that could change everything. What I love about Julia is that she's like a lot of us. She has plans. She knows, or thinks she knows, what she wants, but (as I stated above) nothing ever seems to go as planned... and I couldn't stop reading to find out how she would realign her plans. Because that's what we all do every day, isn't it? Realign our idealistic plans to meet a realistic world?

Anyway, enough philosophizing. Onto battles with dangerous faeries! :)

Lesley Livingston's Tempestuous is the third book in her Wondrous Strange Series. There is romance! Fight scenes! Otherworlds! Shakespeare! If I could describe her series in one word it would be: Brimming. It's as if the series is a 2 liter bottle of sprite (pun-intended) and Lesley has filled the bottle up with her characters/plot/setting and then shook it up. We all know what happens when she opens that bottle.... everything explodes!!! (Keep in mind: this book is also funny, so you laugh as you watch the whole concoction run over.) But the wonderful thing about this last book is that Lesley somehow manages to neatly bottle it all back. How does she do that?!

And now, at last, we are on to The Transformation of Things by Jillian Cantor. This is Jillian's debut adult novel. What I love about this novel is that Jillian adds a touch of magic to a real life situation. When I first read it I kept thinking of the movie Sliding Doors (one of my all time favorites!) In the novel, the main character, Jennifer, begins having dreams where she is other people... she is her husband, her neighbor, her sister... and then she begins to realize that these dreams aren't just dreams. She is actually experiencing real moments in the lives of her loved ones. Can you imagine?! How much would I love to know what my mother-in-law was thinking the last time I saw her... okay, maybe that's a bad idea. But Transformation of Things is one of those novels that really keeps you thinking.

I hope you've enjoyed this blog post. If any of this has peaked your interest, please do go out and buy the book-- and let me know what you think of it!

Xo
Jessica