In Which PBW Cracks Wise, and Caridad Needs a Cover

Is the publishing industry just like high school? God, I hope not, but PAPERBACK WRITER, aka author Lynn Viehl, goes out of her way to convince us.

Now I know what to put on the wish-list for my upcoming birthday:

"Slinky, black leather ensemble."
"Bullhorn for more efficient assembly disruption."

My husband will be so...confused.

In other news, my buddy and wonderful crit partner, Barb Ferrer, writing as Caridad Ferrer for the Young Adult market, has her own page on both Amazon and SimonSays. What she doesn't have is a COVER for the book in question,
ADIOS TO MY OLD LIFE.

"Does a seventeen-year-old from Miami have what it takes to be the next big Latin superstar? And does she really want it?

As a talented singer-guitarist with a dream of going pro, Alegría Montero is getting fed up with the endless, boring parade of Quinces and other family party gigs. She’s longing for something bigger. And Oye Mi Canto—a new reality TV show that’s searching for the next Latin superstar—is definitely that. Ali figures she’ll never make the cut, but auditioning seems like a good way to get her overprotective father to take her ambitions seriously.

To Ali’s complete shock, she passes her audition. Next thing she knows, she’s dealing with wardrobe fittings, cameras, reporters, vocal coaches, and websites designed by lovestruck fanboys. She’s also dealing with jealousy, malice, and sabotage among the contestants, all of which has her wondering: Is it really time to shoot for the stars and try to win the whole competition, or is it time to say 'Cut!' and become a normal teenager again?"

I've read this book. Parts of it, two and three times. It never got old, and I haven't read YA fiction since I was a YA, and even then...

Good book. Sharp, funny, poignant, sassy, with a lead character you'll wish you'd been at seventeen.

So let's all take a moment a say a short prayer to the Goddess of Good Covers, shall we? Any day now...

And while you're at it, consider pre-ordering, either for yourself or for the teen in your life.